Observation

Spend at least one hour closely observing social life at a location listed at the end of this
document. You must choose one of the locations listed on page 3 of this document.
Pay attention to whatever catches your attention but also to issues related to what, how, when,
where, and who. That is, who is doing what and with whom (with what means and materials)?
How is the setting or environment organized? When are these activities occurring, and what is
their rhythm and tempo? And, finally, in what ways are they doing the activities?
In general, pay attention to differences and details. The closer you observe the more
differences and details you will notice, even if you’re only watching one thing. Be as specific
as possible about what you notice. For example, do not just observe that someone is,
“Walking down the beach;” instead, notice how they are walking down the beach. Are they
walking quickly and with a seeming purpose? Are they walking with their arms crossed? Are
they looking down at the ground? And so on. If you begin to get bored, see what else is
happening around you that you have yet to notice.
Bring a small notebook with you so you can make “jottings” – e.g. small notes – of what you
are seeing, hearing, or feeling while you are being observant. These jottings are to help you
remember what you observed. After you leave the location, but on the same day that you
conduct the observation, type up Field Notes of everything you can remember observing.
Do not worry about spelling, grammar, or length; just write down every detail that you can until
you have exhausted your memory. While writing your Field Notes try to focus on describing
what you observed, and put anything that you are or were inferring or feeling inside of
[brackets]. For example, if I was drafting a Field Note about one of our lectures I might write:
I clipped on the microphone. It was a bit chipped and has been used a lot. The battery
life was at 2 of 3 bars, and I wondered if it would last the length of the lecture. I plugged
in the iClicker module to my laptop and glanced over at Alanna, who was sitting in one
of the chairs to my left, talking to Angelo, one of the TAs. Alanna was wearing a dress,
and Angelo was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. I was wearing a button down
shirt and jeans. I looked out at the students sitting in the center section of the lecture
hall as I talked about legitimation processes in social worlds. As they often do, the TAs
sat in pairs in either the front few rows or the back of the room. Most of them moved
their heads up and down periodically as they shifted their gaze between their notes and
the large screens at the front of the class. One or two are using tablets. They are typing
quickly [perhaps writing notes about the lecture, or perhaps writing something else? I
wondered if they are bored.]…
COMM 100a – Assignment 1 2 of 3
After you have written your field notes pause to reflect. Next, write a memo of no more than
two pages about something that intrigued, surprised, or confused you. Describe the
phenomenon in detail and tell us why you find it intriguing. Refer back to field notes, as
needed, to provide examples or check your memory about particular moments you noted.

ASSUMPTIONS TO WRITE DOWN BEFORE YOU GO:
• Who do you think will be there?
• What do you think they’ll be doing?
• What activities will be central?
• How do you think your personal experience/biography will influence your expectations
(e.g., your embodied experiences and/or habitus, capital, field, & doxa)?
WHAT TO TURN IN:
Unless your TA instructs you to do otherwise, turn in a printed copy of the assumptions,
memo, and field notes at the beginning of class on Thursday, October 18.

The Memo
should be on top and should include your name and section number, as well as the date, time,
and location of your observation.
Memo (2 pages maximum, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12 point font):
• What social experiences (influencing “the person & the body”) did you find
operating?
• What puzzled you? How can you investigate that?

Pre-work – Assumptions (1 paragraph):
• Address the questions above…this is a sort of reflection-based free-write to notice
how your attention is primed before your observation begins
Field Notes (whatever it takes to describe your observation—at least 1.5 single
spaced pages, 1-inch margins, 12 point font):
• See two attached essay excerpts by Emerson, Fretz, & Shaw:
§ “Field notes in ethnographic research” (pp. 1-16)
§ “In the field: Participating, observing, and jotting notes” (pp. 25-31)
• Typed field notes of everything you recall observing during your hour of
observation (no need to submit jottings) – be descriptive; hold off on interpretation