I feel like so much has happened this week I do not even know where to begin. I think I say that every week, but this time for real! I think that the most interesting part of the week was putting together my project proposal draft. It seems like it has been so long since I have dusted off the process, but I was happy that the second time around was much easier than the first time I wrote a project proposal. I understand how everything works together now, which is helpful. By drafting it I was also able to see where I need more work. My methods section is taking forever to write, but I think I know what I want to say, but my literature review is a disaster. I am having a hard time transitioning between the different sources I have found. I may need to spend more time in the library.
I am really excited about the new sources I found though. The book Method Meets Art by Patricia Leavy that Jay recommended was particularly useful. It is something I have felt for the longest time but until now I had never seen any literature that could argue and articulate what it is I like to do on field studies with more artistic methods.
Working on social situation triangles also made me realize how much I do not know about what I will be doing from a day to day basis. In Ghana, I worked in the school and things were more structured. Structured as in I knew where I was going each day and was not completely relying on serendipity. This project is going to be a lot different than that. It is exciting but also kind of scary. Browsing through different parts of the triangles was helpful, but I think that until I get there I will not be able to really fill in the gaps. I have no doubt that I will be able to, but it is hard to just imagine it having not been there before.
Last class period was also really interesting. We looked at descriptive questions and interviewing, but rather than just talk about it we acted it out. Natalie was our informant, and the rest of us tried to ask descriptive questions. Ashley pointed out that our techniques for asking questions were all very different and individual, but I still am not solid on what my niche is. I think it is easier to do it in real life than in role playing somehow though. When I have genuine interest in the subject it just comes easier. Still, I recognize the need to practice because until you find that balance it is hard to know where to start- and I could lose some great first interviews trying to figure it out! I practiced with my best friend Rachel. With a project as broad as mine, (and being a pretty private person), I tried to ask questions about her life that would not make her feel uncomfortable or respond with short, uninteresting answers. I found that some of my favorites were grand tour and mini tour questions though. I asked her to tell me what a typical day for her looked like in high school which got me some interesting stories I did not anticipate. Example questions were also helpful here. I think it was Natalie, but someone in class talked about how it is easier for someone to talk about what an average person would say about a situation than to express their own opinions, so I asked Rachel how someone would probably describe the advantages and disadvantages of living as a BYU student in Provo. She was less bashful about her opinions when it seemed less personal. This is a new skill I want to use.
And one last thing! Another great thing that happened in preparation for this class was our methods workshop day. I remember this being one of my favorites when I was actually taking the prep class. This time I had the opportunity to discuss some of the things that go into visually documenting a cross cultural experience. It was so fun to lead the discussion and to hear what other students had to say about it. It was great to revisit some of these ideas that can easily be forgotten now that I am home, but rethinking some of these ideas helped dust them off. Just in time for the Inquiry Conference! I really do get passionate about this though, and I am glad that others can too.
I am really excited about the new sources I found though. The book Method Meets Art by Patricia Leavy that Jay recommended was particularly useful. It is something I have felt for the longest time but until now I had never seen any literature that could argue and articulate what it is I like to do on field studies with more artistic methods.
Working on social situation triangles also made me realize how much I do not know about what I will be doing from a day to day basis. In Ghana, I worked in the school and things were more structured. Structured as in I knew where I was going each day and was not completely relying on serendipity. This project is going to be a lot different than that. It is exciting but also kind of scary. Browsing through different parts of the triangles was helpful, but I think that until I get there I will not be able to really fill in the gaps. I have no doubt that I will be able to, but it is hard to just imagine it having not been there before.
Last class period was also really interesting. We looked at descriptive questions and interviewing, but rather than just talk about it we acted it out. Natalie was our informant, and the rest of us tried to ask descriptive questions. Ashley pointed out that our techniques for asking questions were all very different and individual, but I still am not solid on what my niche is. I think it is easier to do it in real life than in role playing somehow though. When I have genuine interest in the subject it just comes easier. Still, I recognize the need to practice because until you find that balance it is hard to know where to start- and I could lose some great first interviews trying to figure it out! I practiced with my best friend Rachel. With a project as broad as mine, (and being a pretty private person), I tried to ask questions about her life that would not make her feel uncomfortable or respond with short, uninteresting answers. I found that some of my favorites were grand tour and mini tour questions though. I asked her to tell me what a typical day for her looked like in high school which got me some interesting stories I did not anticipate. Example questions were also helpful here. I think it was Natalie, but someone in class talked about how it is easier for someone to talk about what an average person would say about a situation than to express their own opinions, so I asked Rachel how someone would probably describe the advantages and disadvantages of living as a BYU student in Provo. She was less bashful about her opinions when it seemed less personal. This is a new skill I want to use.
And one last thing! Another great thing that happened in preparation for this class was our methods workshop day. I remember this being one of my favorites when I was actually taking the prep class. This time I had the opportunity to discuss some of the things that go into visually documenting a cross cultural experience. It was so fun to lead the discussion and to hear what other students had to say about it. It was great to revisit some of these ideas that can easily be forgotten now that I am home, but rethinking some of these ideas helped dust them off. Just in time for the Inquiry Conference! I really do get passionate about this though, and I am glad that others can too.
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