Sociology 280.003, Fall 2006
Homework #7: Field observation and field notes
Due Monday Nov. 27

4-6 double-spaced typed pages, plus handwritten notes.

This assignment is designed to introduce you to the practices of conducting ethnographic field observation and writing field notes. This assignment is in three parts and will take some time, so plan ahead. Hopefully you will enjoy it.

Review Schutt Chapter 9 and pp. 330-334 before doing the assignment.

Observations: With a notebook and pen handy, and at least a general sense of what you'll be watching for, station yourself in a public place. Either start a conversation about a topic appropriate to the setting, or if possible, observe behavior in relation to a general topic you've identified or to the setting itself.

Handwritten field notes: After 15 minutes, leave the conversation or setting and reconstruct it in your notebook for future transcription. Make notes on everything you've seen, heard, and otherwise observed. (See Schutt p. 306 for an example of field notes.) It is much better to get very detailed notes on everything you see in a short period than to observe for a longer period and take skimpy or selective notes. Be sure to include notes about the setting and your own reactions to the situation, but keep these interpretations separate from your observations.

If taking notes after the fact seems too difficult, you can work in pairs with one person starting a conversation and another observing and taking notes.

Typed notes and interpretation: Based on your handwritten notes, type up a complete field notes entry (in complete sentences and cohesive paragraphs). At the top of your entry include the following information:
Your name
Field notes (topic/focus if applicable)
Date, observation start time and end time
Location

Having typed up and read over your notes, write a one-page discussion of your interpretations of what you observed. What do your observations tell you? What did you learn that could not have been learned in a survey? What kinds of questions or issues are raised by what you observed? If you were to go into the field again, what might you look for or have in mind next time?

Hand in, stapled together: