This assignment is designed to give you the opportunity to make observations of a scene as a qualitative researcher would, and to try out a key method of qualitative research for yourself. You will be required to write a short description of your chosen scene and then to make a comment on those observations.
Recommended Process: Summary
1.Choose an ethnographic scene, one which has some human communication activity (see below).
2.Observe your scene (safely—adhere to social distancing and wear a mask) for long enough to develop some insight and gather some thick description.
3.Make short notes as you observe your scene.
4.Fill out your notes as soon as possible after your observation is done (see below for instructions)
5.Complete a short write-up of 750 words or 3 pages, double-spaced, typed (not including your notes). Your write-up will describe the scene and make a comment about it.
Recommended Process: Detailed Instructions
1.Choosing an Ethnographic Scene
Choose a scene that is contained in a small area and has a definite focus on human communication activity. These scenes need not be fancy or complicated…you will get enough information for the write-up while watching just about any activity.
YOU MUST choose a scene that you are not directly involved in, OR, do not know much about. Choosing an unfamiliar scene will make this assignment easier for you. Typically, the people who do poorly on this assignment observe the place that they work. Because work places are too familiar to people, they often make assumptions about what they have seen instead of passively observing.
Please be sure to choose a scene that you can safely observe…preferably an outdoor area such as a dog park, park, lake, beach area, bay area, zoo, outdoor mall area (if open), outdoor café/restaurant, etc. If you are having trouble finding a scene, please reach out via email for help.
**Due to COVID-19, this assignment may be more difficult than usual. If you are in a high risk or otherwise for any reason do not feel comfortable completing this assignment, please reach out to me individually for additional instructions.
Examples of Difficult or Challenging Ethnographic Scenes
A family party or a party with friends. This would be difficult because as a primary participant, you will find it very hard to sit back and observe what is going on around you.
The place that you work. Almost always, you cannot put aside what you already know about the scene. This results in conclusions about the scene that are not based on observations you made while you were observing your scene..
Please Note: If you are observing a scene where there are children, please focus on the adult interactions in that scene. This includes parks, or playgrounds. Clearly many scenes will have situations in which observations of children are unavoidable, such as a mall, beach, etc. Please reach out if you have any concerns about this regard or are unsure if your scene will focus on children’s behavior.
2.Observation
Observe your scene discreetly. In many cases, the easiest way to do this is to find a place to sit quietly and then to simply watch what is going on. Please do not talk to people or interview people during this time. You will want to spend enough time in the location to develop some insight and gather thick description.
3.Note-taking
Take notes in a small notebook. If it is possible to make notes during your observation, do so, but do not find yourself so focused on taking note that you do not watch what is going on. Your notes should include:
i.Information about the scene itself—who is there, lighting, physical description, smells, etc. You should be using ALL FIVE senses to observe (i.e., smell, taste, feel, see, hear).
1.What do you smell?
2.What do you feel (weather, what you are sitting on, etc.)?
3.What do you taste?
4.What do you see?
5.What do you hear? (traffic, sirens, laughing, thunder, etc.)
ii.Information about how people communicated/interacted with one another
You must submit your notes (typed) along with your write-up on the assignment due date.
4.Filling out your notes
When you have spent enough time in the location to develop some insight and gather thick description, stop observing the scene. In a quiet place, fill out your notes. Be sure to include more details about the topic above. At this time, you should start to think about themes, patterns, or conclusions in what you saw.
5.Write-up and Submissions
Your write-up is to three pages, typed, double-spaced. Do not write more even though you might be able to. In your write-up, you should discuss the following things and your papers will be graded based on this list:
i.What you did. This may be a simple statement of where you went, how you set up to do your observation, and perhaps why you made those decisions.
ii.A general description of the scene. These are taken from your notes and should give me enough to understand what you were observing.
iii.What you saw people doing/how they were interacting and communicating. These are taken from your notes as well. This is the heart of your description and should provide me with the details of how the people you saw were involved in the scene you were observing.
iv.A general conclusion about what you observed. This conclusion might be as simple as detailed comment on the activity like something you never realized about the scene you observed and the communication patterns within it. This requirement is key for a good grade, as this exercise is about observing the scene and commenting on the communicative aspects of it. It is more than just description. Keep in mind, however, that your comment does not have to be earth shattering…it may be fairly straightforward and mundane while still moving your paper from observation and description toward analysis.
You will need to make decisions about how much to tell me and what is important about your scene. It may not all be important.
Do not forget to include your notes—typed—at the end of your paper.
