SOC400

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School

Grand Canyon University *

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Course

400

Subject

Sociology

Date

Apr 29, 2024

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docx

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3

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SOC-400 Observation and Ethnography Worksheet Instructions: Complete the exercise, reading activity, and application activity, as described below, and then respond to each set of questions. Use in-text citations and include a list of references following worksheet responses. While APA style is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and documentation of sources should be presented using APA formatting guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. Observation and Ethnography 1. Observation Exercise (approximately 250-350 words for the question set as a whole) Erving Goffman was a sociologist who viewed society through the application of symbolic interactionist theory. A starting point of this theory is looking at everyday behavior and interactions between people to help explain society. Guided by this theory and in accordance with the rules and conventions of scientific inquiry, conduct your own “field-based” observation of GCU students interacting in a public space such as a commons area, eating space, etc. This is to be an “outsider” observation, where you maintain distance in order to observe interactions from your own perspective. The period of observation should be approximately 15-20 minutes and you should take notes on the interactions while they are happening. Following the observation period, respond to the following questions: A. Briefly describe the setting and time of your field-based observation. Summarize any quantitative data you collected (e.g. number of males/females, number of students/faculty/others, etc.). Summarize any qualitative data you collected (e.g. description of processes or interactions as they unfolded). B. Based on your 15-20 minute observation, would you characterize the majority of interactions between individuals as meaningful and engaged sharing of experience (either positive, negative, or mixed), or are interactions fleeting and superficial? Be sure to use specific examples based on your observations to describe these interactions. C. What aspects of the wider culture do student interactions reflect? Use specific examples based on your observational data to support your interpretive answer. 2. Journal Article: Read and Respond (approximately 250-400 words for the question set as a whole) First, read the following peer-reviewed journal article and then respond to each question below. Christensen, P; Mikkelsen, MR; Nielsen, TA; Harder H. (2011), Children, mobility, and space: Using GPS and mobile phone technologies in ethnographic research. Journal of Mixed Methods Research , 5 (3), 227-246. A. What is the broad social issue or social problem of interest to these researchers? B. What is the purpose of this particular study? Where and when does the study take place?
C. The researchers (authors) describe this study as a “mixed methods study”. Explain why they selected this approach and list various strategies they used to collect quantitative data and qualitative data. D. What features of this study indicate that it could also be classified as an “ethnographic” study? E. What do you think are the strengths and limitations of this study? 3. Application (Approximately 150-250 words) Imagine you are going to use observation as a data collection method for your proposed research study, based on the social problem you selected. A. First, summarize the overall purpose of your proposed study and note your main investigative question. B. Next, describe how you might engage in field-based observation as one method of data collection, aligned with study purpose. C. Finally, discuss how observation data could help you answer your study question. SOC-400 Observation and Ethnography Worksheet Scoring Guide Possible Earned
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