Anthropology Sample Ethnography

Mr. Prime Minister,

My time with the Americans at the University of Richmond has led me to the theory that although some small portion of their time is allocated to economic pursuits, much of the day is composed of attracting a mate, especially for the male sex. Body language, eating habits, oral communication and social gatherings play a large role in the pursuit of the opposite sex.

I had a chance to observe the nonverbal behavior of the male American during my Introduction to History: The Crusades class in detail, since they outnumbered the women twenty to four. Since the class consisted largely of lecture and note taking, interruptions by the students were few and far between, and any carnal or emotional attractions were very secretive. The private nature of correspondence was also aided by the fact that the students were grouped together in a very small, square space, sitting as if linked by a common ankle chain. Each person was provided with a confining box that they were forced to sit in, with bars around the corners.

The males often made seemingly innocent movements towards the female nearest them, such as throwing a pencil so that their favored prey would be forced to pick it up. If the female ignored the gesture, the male was forced to awkwardly shift out of his confinement and regain possession himself. If the female were to pick it up for the male, however, it was seen as a sign of progress in the relationship. Smiles were exchanged, and the bravest of the males would also blink their eye once towards the female. This motion verifies that the male is interested in intercourse with the female, but is sometimes seen as too forward.

Later in the class, whispers of conversation were struck up about unimportant topics such as the previous night's assignment, the weather, or the terrible food at the university. The goal of this banter for the male was to seem similar to the female by agreeing with anything she would say, and to ascertain common ground when it came to vital issues such as the location of the cult gathering that night. A third example I noted in the grouping was that the females would often pull out their hair to its maximum length and unfurl it in the face of their (supposedly) male classmate to the rear, causing at the very least the possible mates around her to notice the color of her plumage. This extension also catered to the very sensitive eyes of the male populace in the classroom because of the arch of the female's back in this act. Touching feet or legs, however, was strictly forbidden, and is seen as obscene in this society for a reason I have not yet discovered. No matter the height or discomfort of a male in his box, any movement contacting the female's person resulted in the internationally known "death-stare" and the male chance's with that mate were severely limited.

In nearly all situations, the males seemed the aggressors. In games of Ultimate Frisbee, where men who are cut from the soccer team throw plastic plates to each other, it is a common practice to go "fishing," and release said plate towards an attractive mate. Again, a good response is indicated by a smile from the female, while a sure-fire late night, which happened only once in my three-week stay, involves the female returning the plate to the owner. Also, in any sport played outdoors, distractions resulting from possible mates include opportunities for those participating in the sport. Males are required to show composure during such occasions and hopefully show a spectacular performance in their endeavors to impress their counterparts. Any distraction or misstep results both in a devastating laugh from the female and extreme embarrassment among his peers. A sign of distraction or false movement from a female when a potential male mate is walking around the area of play, however, is a sure-fire way for the female to be noticed and appear interested in the male's advances.

Another possible source of embarrassment