Ethnography involves studying a particular group, community, or subculture to gain an in-depth understanding about how that group functions. In this assignment you will practice these skills. Instructions: PART 1 Identify a site where you can observe social life in a way that is interesting to you. This does not have to be related to criminology. For example, you may choose to observe behaviors in an indoor space (e.g., Loker student union, the DH sports lounge, coffee shop, gym, city council meeting, a courthouse–either the hallways or enter a courtroom–residents meeting in your apartment community, student/club meeting, a recreation center, etc.). Alternatively, you can choose an outdoor space (e.g., a community park, an area/neighborhood where police are known to heavily patrol, a public demonstration–such as against deportations, defunding the police, affordable housing, gentrification, a sporting event–football, baseball, soccer, etc.). These are some suggestions; you can choose any space or event. Note, it is best to choose a semi-busy location or at least somewhere you are confident you can observe multiple interactions. Clearly state a research question that will guide your observations Spend one hour conducting observations at this field site Take jottings during this observation. Your jottings should be hand written as they likely would be if you were in the field. It is important that you write down several jottings that relate to your research as you will build on this and use this information in part two of this assignment. PART 2 Write detailed field notes directly after your observations. You should write as complete a narrative of the time you spent observing as you can. This narrative should be written in essay format (not bullet points). Here, you are expanding on your jottings and practicing “thick description.” Be as specific as possible. Allow the reader to imagine themselves in that space through your writing. For example, we have all been to an elementary school, but if you observe a class, you should describe this specific classroom (e.g., what type of art covers the walls, what activities do students work on, the behaviors of the children, the interaction between the teacher and the stduents, etc).
