In the field of sociology there are many data gathering techniques a researcher can choose from in order to find the most effective way to test the theory they are putting forward. One of the approaches for doing research is the ethnographic approach, which were used by both William Foote Whyte in the “Street Corner Society” study and by Phillipe Bourgois in the “In search of Respect: selling crack in el Barrio” study. The ethnographic approach is one where the researcher immerses oneself in with the group he is studying. The goal of ethnographic research is to understand the group from a native point of view and to learn from the experiences of this group. Both Whyte and Bourgois in their studies choose this approach in order to learn more about: all persepectives of life in the slums in the case of Whyte and the poverty and underground world of East Harlem in the case of Bourgois. One of the main reasons for choosing this method was due to the sensitive subject that the researchers were discussing. Most poeple dont want to talk about poverty and their way of life if they do not feel they are up to the standards of the rest of society. In the case of Bourgois he wouldhave not be able to obtain information about the undeground activities (since most are illegal) of the people in East Harlem if he would have choosen a different approach. By choosing and an ethnographic approach, the researcher could see first hand what the experiences of the people in the group were and they could begin to understand the lives of the members of the communities better. The researchers would be able to see and experience things that outsiders looking in would not be able to notice and they would be able to look beyond the surface and learn from the experiences of the people they were studying. In the case of both studies a method of observing the communities, as an outside researcher would have not given the same amount of information and the same quality of information that...