Field Notes:
You must spend 1-2 hours taking field notes for each CRJ. You will need a notebook in which to take down your field notes. Use the double entry format we use in class and remember to keep them organized. This means that each entry must have the date, location, and time you spent observing written at the top of the page. Make sure to keep all of your notes, because you’ll turn them in as part of your second submission packet.
Blog Entries:
Once a week you’ll post your findings on the blog you’ve created for class. Use paragraph form to work through and organize your double entry notes Feel free to peruse other classmates’ blogs and respond to their observations. These will be due before the start of class every Friday, from February 1 – March 7 (excludes Winter Break).
Writing Explorations:
After you have taken your field notes, you will need to write a brief response (about 2 pages) to one of the prompts below. These prompts are designed to get you thinking about possible research questions for the second essay. At the end of each response, include at least 2 questions that you have about your community.
WE 4: Monday, Feb. 4 – Positioning Yourself in the Community
In this initial entry, write about the site you’re going to observe and why you chose it. Then, tell readers about what you know about it, whether you’re an insider or an outsider to the site, and what subjectivities you have that will affect what/how you see what you do there. This is a good time to think about the work you did in LE 1 and how all that relates to the community you’re observing.
WE 5: Monday, Feb. 11 – Observing Community Space and Interaction in that Space
Look at the space of the place you’re observing. How is it set up? What is the layout? Why do you think it is laid out that way? How do members of this community interact within that space? How do they move? What does the setup/layout say about the community that inhabits that space? For example, if your community contains cubicles, and you see that the people there do a lot of walking around corners and have a hard time getting to each other, you could decide that there are cubicles to keep people separated—perhaps to keep them concentrated and working productively without distractions from co-workers. On the other end of the spectrum, if you are observing a dance club, you might notice that there are only tables on the perimeter of the room (or none at all) and that the space is open in the middle so that people can be close to each other. Consider what you learned in the Christopher Columbus Ethnography game.
WE 6: Monday, Feb. 18 – Character Descriptions
Describe the members of this community. What do they look like? How do they dress? How do they interact and communicate with each other? Pay attention to both verbal and non-verbal communication (body language, facial expressions, etc.). Do they speak quietly or loudly? Do they laugh often? How much eye contact is there? What kinds of things do they talk about? Are these topics appropriate to the setting? Why or why not? Is anyone on his/her cell phone? Is it appropriate? Is there a different/special language or set of words/phrases that people use here? For example, if you’re observing a community of computer programmers, they probably use very technical language and may dress a certain way. Reflect on what you see. Why do you think the people in this community behave in the ways they do?
WE 7: Monday, Mar. 3 – Community in Action
Describe all the activity that goes on in this community. Why do people in this community come to this location? What are they doing? How do they do it? Could they do this anywhere or would it look out of place somewhere else? Do they need to bring anything with them to perform their activities, is something provided for them here, or do they come as they are? Is the action solitary or a group effort? Where might the effects of their actions be seen outside this community? If they’re not, explain why that might be. Reflect on what you see – how might these activities build a sense of community? If there are activities that are unfamiliar, what are they and what are you interested in learning about them?
WE 8: Monday, Mar. 11 – Interviewing a Community Member
For your final prompt, choose a member of the community you’ve been observing that you believe is an important member of this community. You should request this interview in advance and be clear on the goals of the course. In addition to a transcript of the interview, you’ll write 2 pages on the interview in which you reflect upon what you learned in your interview and how that informs your observations/findings so far. We’ll discuss specific strategies and protocol for interviewing in class.
