Observational Research Project

OBSERVATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECT
Description: Observe a typical meal in your home in the following way:
o Study what people do in as neutral, value-free, and objective a way as possible.
o Attend to and note what happens in a way that is not guided by preexisting understanding of what the purpose of this activity is. Try to notice aspects of the situation that you would otherwise miss/gloss over.
o Take notes on what happens that are as detailed and concrete as possible (e.g., do not say “the meal ended”; describe what happened that constituted the ending). If an account of some situation is concrete (rather than abstract), this means that two different people hearing about it will imagine the same thing. By contrast, abstract descriptions (e.g., “working at my job”, “being in a biology class”) are compatible with completely different concrete situations (i.e., different types of jobs, different types of classes).
o A useful technique is to try to put yourself in the mindset of a perceptive but completely naive observer. From this perspective, make note both of what people do and what happens, but also what could have potentially (in principle) happened. For example, in observing a meal, you might note that the food is on the table and some people are sitting around the table, but they do not yet begin eating—even though there is no physical barrier to their doing so.
o Consider alternative functions/purposes for the things you observe people doing. Resist allowing the “standard narrative” about the purpose of a particular activity to dominate and structure your observations. For example, in observing a family meal, consider how it may serve functions besides eating or “being together”. Are family members at a meal negotiating their roles/status in the household?
Organize your notes and observations, and summarize what you found in a 3-page paper.

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