Homework
Preparation: You will be donning the hat of a sociologist and conducting an ethnography and/or participant observation. Prepare for this homework by reviewing the readings and your notes on culture and socialization. This homework asks you to do something in the present - DO NOT write about past activities.
Instructions:
Part 1: Unfamiliar Setting
You are going to go out into a social setting that you are unfamiliar with and document what you see. You will go anywhere where people are gathered that you have not previously been before. Examples: perform your observation in a church, club, store, coffee shop, park, or any other location that you've never been before. Questions to guide and keep you focused:
a. What are the people doing in this space?
b. What are the norms for this specific place?
c. What do you think the values are?
d. What symbols are present and what might they mean?
e. Are people in groups or are they alone? If they're in groups what do you notice about the group dynamics?
f. Are people talking to each other or on their cell phones?
g. What language is being spoken?
h. What may the behavior of this setting say about society as a whole?
Part B: Familiar Setting (with fresh eyes) Go into a familiar setting and do the exact same thing as above - document what you see. Observe the norms, values, symbols, the language of the place. Except, look at everything as though you have never been there before (much like an outsider might, the way that Horace Miner wrote "Nacirema", making everyday ritualistic behavior around body hygiene seem weird and abnormal). This is the most difficult part of the homework. It is harder to see the familiar as something extraordinary but if you actively use your newly formed sociological lens to view the world and see the strange in the familiar you can see otherwise hidden idiosyncrasies in your familiar world. Much like Part A above, do the same for Part B: Write down people's behaviors, rules of behavior, expectations of how to behave in those given circumstances, etc. The point here is to see the ordinary as extraordinary. In essence, you will be ‘weirding the normal', that is, (a) making visible all the social rules that guide the activity that are normally taken for granted and (b) speculate as to how following the rules is enforced. Once again, make sure to use terms and concepts taken from the book/class material!
Part C: Compare The TwoThe final part involves comparing the two settings.
a. What do you notice is similar and what is different and why?
b. What became apparent that you would not have otherwise noticed?
Format your homework according to the give formatting requirements:
a. The answer must be double spaced, typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
b. The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the course title, the student's name, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
c. Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.