Groups Field ethnographic research
Throughout the course, we have been talking a lot about ethnographic research. As we all know, this is the type of research Duneier used to write Sidewalk. Now, you will be given a change to get out of your chair, and take a stab at this type of research yourself!
Step 1: Move to a place where you can easily observe a groups of people interacting. You can choose a scenario where you are also part of the group (like Duneier) but you should be transparent about this in your reporting/field notes.
Step 2: Get out a notebook, and take field notes on what people are saying/doing for a minimum of 20 minutes. Yes, you really have to do this part! Taking field notes can be exhausting, especially if you are transcribing! I really want you to have the experience of a sociologist in the field.
Step 3: Take your notes back home, and consider the following:
What type of group was observed (dyad, tryad, etc)?
Was the level of group cohesion high? low? How could you tell?
Was there a group leader present? How did you know? If so, what type of authority did they demonstrate?
How were decisions made within the group? Who seemed to have the power?
What other facets of group dynamics were present?
Step 4: Write a description of your findings, highlighting the prompts above. Your submission should be a minimum of 300 words, and clearly demonstrate an understanding of this week’s reading. You must cite your sources (the textbook) and attach your field notes for full credit.
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