Ch.3(117-133)

Although I was a really big fan of "Mama Day," I really really enjoyed the opening paragraph that talked about people's reading habits and the way we as people comprehend things at different times of our lives. Reading Charlottes Web as a kid and reading it as an adult, you do take the message two completely different ways. I have never thought about that before and it really moved me while I started to read chapter three. Another part I found very helpful in the book was on page 130 under "Positioning: Reading and Writing about Yourself" As a fieldworker, you need to know how to write your own perspective into the subculture you are writing about, at least for this project. Instead of leaving out personal, subjective information, fieldworkers should write it in----that is a line from the book that I think is extremely critical. This is not like a normal paper we will be writing, it involves a lot more detail then we may be aware of. As far as the 'Mama Day" story goes, I thought it was excellent. I really liked how descriptive the text was, it really makes you feel like you're in the scene with the characters being described. The author makes this woman seem so suspicious and God-like. It leaves the reader wanting to read more, which is a key element to any writing assignment. 

Chapter 3 Asking Questions and listening

I thought the story of Mamma Day was very interesting. The part that interested me the most was the part about Reema's boy. He came to the island to write a story about the people there. However, he was so engulfed in using his tape recorder and writing down things that he missed the main points. He wanted to find out what 18 and 23 meant, but he never sat down and asked anyone. If only he would have taken the time to sit down and truly listen to the people. He would have quickly understood just what the people were talking about when the mentioned 18 and 23. In the end he wrote his book, and gave his own interpretation to what the numbers meant.The people that read what he wrote totally dismissed it, and did not even finish the book. This writer made a critical air, and ended up totally miss understanding what the people were talking about. Reading this story has helped me to understand that I need to be more aware of what people are saying. It truly helps to listen to people, and understand where they are coming from. Just by listening to people and watching what they do you can get a good sense of their subculture

Ch 3. 117-133

I have heard about positioning before, but never knew much about it or that there were different ways researchers could study. I found it interesting when the book talked about the fixed positions, because I have seen similar events in my life to that of which they discussed throughout this chapter. For example when I was about three my father taught to coach's pitch for kids. I wasn't able to play until I was five, because I was too young at the time. Throughout that time he taught all the kids the fundamentals they needed to know. Well once I was old enough I started playing and I think it would be different for him as a coach to coach me than the other ball players, because his perspective of the game changed once I started playing. He is going to be tougher and make me work harder than the rest to try and make me a decent player, and that is completely normal because he would want me to be the best I can.

Chapter 3 pgs. 117-133: A Different Way of Reading

As I read the beginning of Chapter 3 in Field Working: Reading and Writing Research Guide I realized how people could interpret the exact same subject totally different than me. I found this very interesting because I had never thought of it before. When the author wrote about how in Little Women as a child you relate to one of the girls, but as you grow older and have kids the mother will be the most easily to relate to. I see how true that is now because of the movies I watched when I was little and who was my favorite character. Now, those same movies I use to watch I watch now and relate to someone older, who before I thought was no one important.
Reading this part of Chapter 3 I also learned how important it was to read for what interests you and then you will find a deeper connection and the story will mean more. Even though sometimes you will need to read the story multiple times. It is the same in writing. When I write I will write based on my age, sex, race, etc. I cannot help that, but I can make my position clear nonetheless. I can do this by maintaining a position and providing facts and strong research.

Chapter 3

After reading chapter 3, I am beginning to realize that some elements of observation are "fixed," and some are continually changing.  As an observer, you should be constantly aware of the elements that are continuous and the elements that are continuously changing.  Although the aspect of a "fixed" position is actually unrealistic, a fixed position is crucial for making the individual never sway from their true intent, which in there mind, shouldn't change.  However, there are also so many elements uncontrolled by the individual.  This is so relative because as consistent as we would all like to be, the current state of being for every individual in the world is always changing.  You wake up everyday a slightly different person you were the day before.  Your mood can sway in the blink of an eye.  A lose or situation may sadden or anger you, therefore, skewing your true intentions.  It is very interesting to realize how many hidden aspects there are to discovering the individual.

Chapter 3-Stage 18 & 23

I really enjoyed the story about Willow Springs. At first, it was a little difficult to understand. The author switched between dialogue and grammatically poor story telling. Of course Gloria Naylor was doing this on purpose. I actually had to think about what I was reading to search for the point of this short story. I think that what Gloria Naylor is trying to say with this story is that it's important when making an ethnography or trying to understand a culture, to really understand the culture, and not jump to conclusions because as an outsider, you are in no position to guess how people feel. This speaks directly to me because I have a tendency to guess what people think, generally wrong.

Chapter 3: 117-133

After reading this section, I thought a lot about my observations. Two people observing the same situation could have two completely different perspectives. I keep wondering what I missed while observing. I feel like I could have been completely blind about a situation or event because I wasn't really looking for it. Next time I go in to observe, my goal is to be more open to everything that is going on around me. The part about organizing my notes helped me also. I looked at all of my notes and moved it all around before I wrote my journal.

Chapter 3

After reading chapter 3, I found one part that really stuck out to me. When they talked about fixed positions I really found it interesting.  They listed some fixed positions such and age, race, and class.  I had never thought about all the things that could influence you beliefs so much.  They continued to talk about them saying "fixed" is not always accurate since some "fixed" positions do change.  They can change during research which could be very bad.  

This portion of the text had me thinking about all the different things that could influence how you see a subculture.

Chapter 3 and feeling comfortable

After reading chapter 3 I now am thinking about my observations and how important it is that everyone is comfortable during them. If the person or people you are observing aren't comfortable with it they might act differently or try to not do certain things so you don't judge them possibly. If they do that you aren't really observing them the way you should because they aren't being themselves. If you aren't comfortable while your doing the observation you might have a hard time actually doing the observation because you won't be able to really concentrate on taking good notes or really focusing on what your observing because you will be concentrating on how uncomfortable you are. It is important that everyone is comfortable in order for your observation to be an effective one.

chapter three--READING SELF, READING CULTURES, & UNDERSTANDING TEXTS

"We all read differently." i completely agree with this statement.  Each experience and person in our lives, just everything effects how we do everything! i honestly dont really remember my parents reading to me although i know they did alot because of how many books i had as a kid. But surprisingly i can remember all of the books i had when i was little and growing up. I read a lot when i was younger and before my teen years.  But every since middle school & high school i only read if it was for school.  This i know has effected me greatly compared to some of my peers that read almost everyday. Ii also was never good at reading in between the lines and trying to figure out symbolism and hidden meaning in texts.

After reading chapter three i strongly agree that everyone interprets and will understand differently due to 'fixed positions'.  And therefore whatever text that our professors have us read, they should know that we will all look at the piece differently and not all take in the same things or even what they want us to learn about it... tying in with our ethnography, all of us will research differently and even if we did all the same subject and sources our projects would be completely different. I think that this was one of the better reading, probably because of the length and it actually made me think about something different.

Reading differently and how I am

I first read about interpreting what you read. I do interpret whatever I read on my past experiences. They are what shape my thoughts and ideas. I grew up in a religious home, so when I started going out with my liberal girlfriend we clashed at times. I didn't see gay rights as something that should happen and she didn't know why I was so closed minded. After four years of being together, I have changed some of my thoughts. Seeing two girls or guys together doesn't bother me nearly as much as it did four years ago. She has opened my mind and my thoughts have changed. I have different experiences shaping my life today than I did four years ago, or when I was in elementary school or when I was born.

The other thing that struck me was about the Fixed, Subjective, and Textual Positions. The fixed was what stuck out in my mind. After doing my observations I realized I was looking at the situations with a male mind. Maybe I was harsh on some of my judgements having to do with femles because I am a guy. I don't feel as though they should be quite so soft, and they might feel as though I shouldn't be so firm. Who I am determines the way I see things and interpret them.

Chapter 3

After reading Chapter 3 about understanding the text and cultural differences. I enjoyed reading this because most people don't realize how there culture is when it is being described in text. Sometimes we defend our culture when we are reading certain texts and we need to move away from that and experience what the text is saying and try to accomplish new/different things. It isn't easy letting go of culture in text because you have to have some skill to do this because so many people defend their cultures and its hard for them to let go but in order to be successful at studying new things and researching other peoples cultures you have to attempt to overcome that.

Chapter 3 Getting Permission

While reading throughout these pages I found it rather interesting that you and the person you're observing must feel comfortable in order for you to gain full access on a subculture. I really had never thought about that before. I had done some observations but really didn't know what most others were thinking about me observing them. So could they have been acting differently because I was observing them without their approval? I don't know I hope they weren't, but now that I know this I will definitely apply this to my observations. I wouldn't like to feel like an outsider like some of the others did throughout their experiences, like Jake or Harvey DuMarce for example. With this knowledge now for my next observation I'll receive consent from whom I observe, that way neither them nor I will feel uncomfortable around one another.

Ch. 3:Text vs. Culture

I found that the section describing reading cultures as text and texts as cultures interesting. People may have different thoughts and ideas after reading a text because we all come from different backgrounds. While reading cultural texts, we need to let go of our background or perceptions of a culture and really read into what the text is trying to say. Reading a culture like a text and reading a text like a culture are simliar concepts because you need to master both to become a successful researcher.

86-108

I really liked this section in the book, it was very helpful. My favorite part was the Discovering a System for Notetaking. Observing for our project won't be too hard, but knowing what to write down when observing is the tricky part. The writing we do while observing must be organized enough so we can read later what we meant by it all. The example of professional field notes were extremely helpful as well. It gave me a clear idea of how to do it myself. After reading those two sections, "A Student's Fieldnotes" really helped me. It had really good tips on how to choose a subculture (which we already needed to do by the time I read this, but it was still good)  It then gives a sample observation from Michael who records what he sees, and then he responds to it. This chapter also talks about organizing our fieldnotes, which is of course, VERY helpful. I did an observation tonight and after reading this, I feel much more comfortable with knowing how to use the information I collected. 

Stage- Chapter Two

I really enjoyed the introduction to the idea of taking field notes. The fish story was actually really interesting. It has a clear cut message and is very similar to many other stories. Essentially the point being that, by doing something seemingly pointless and a waste of time, like observing a fish, you can learn a lot more then you ever expected to learn. This was actually close to the basic principle to my high school experience. Teachers stressed doing new things that we weren't usually willing to give a chance. In my view, being good at a lot of things is a lot more valuable then being great at just one thing.
Also in the second chapter, I thought that it was valuable to look over some examples of field notes. Personally I plan on modeling my own notes after this general format.

Look at Your Fish

When reading this story I felt it was a little uninteresting and pointless, but after we talked about it in class it help clear it up. It is important to pick a topic that you are interested in. Also you need to remember when you start to get bored with your topic that you could be staring at a fish for hours at a time. Also in this story you realize that you don’t always get what you want,and you should appreciate when you are given the opportunity to pick your own topic. 

ch 2 82-108

While reading the end of this chapter I gained a better understanding of how to go about doing my observations and what to expect while doing them. I learned to expect to be overwhelmed by the amount that is going on and to just write down as much as possible. The book mentions that in the final project not every note will be used, only a fraction of them will be. The book still encourages to take good detailed notes even though not all will be used. Double entry notes was the method of note taking described in this chapter. I believe this method can be helpful and I will try using it for my observations. It may be easiest to make points on my observations on the left side and then stop at a certain point to elaborate on each point on the right side. This will help me know exactly what I intended when initially making the point.

Chapter 2 pgs 86-108

While reading Chapter 2 I learned about taking notes at your subject site. One big thing that I learned was basically not to freak out about the notes you are taking the first time you go to your site. You need to just try to focus on something your noticing and then the next time you go back to your site try to focus on something else. Also when you leave the site go back to your notes later and try to organize them or even try to write down some other things to help you remember stuff such as what you were thinking while something was happening. You have to remember that each time you go you will probably see something you missed the time before and that means you are doing your observation right. Basically when you observe you have to try to calm down and focus on what your doing and worry about organizing it all later. Focus on what your working on and try not to stress.

Note Taking

Fieldworkers take many and intricate notes when studying their subject. The girl they talked about, Amy, had many different observations. Reading about what she wrote and thought about gave me ideas. It showed me how I can take notes and what is essential to pay attention to. Seeing this first-hand experience showed me things that will help overall in my final mini-ethnography paper.
I have a thought to what I will take notes on and what I expect to see and write down. I will also use the freewrite to help organize my thoughts after I am done writing down what I feel is necessary. This is a good way to utilize the freewrite. The underlife mentioning gave me a dark and sinister thought. But after reading further it intrigued me instead. I never completely analyzed all that goes into a simple class and the small little things within it. The pen scratching, people sleeping, talkers, zippers and many other small things. Some of the things I have picked up on just by sitting in class without thinking about it, such as scholastic kids sitting in front.

Ch. 2 86-108

While reading chapter 2 I learned that notetaking at your subject site can have its problems. I can see how it can be easy to be overwhelmed when first visiting your subject site. There will be so many things to write about that it will be hard to focus on just what to write. Reading the pages helped me understand how other people dealt with the overwhelming amount of things to write about. I know that going back to my subject site several times will help me very much in my fieldnotes. I also know that organizing and reading over my fieldnotes will help improve them. There more I go back to the subject site the more things I will obeserve that I did not see before. Reading these pages really helped me to get a sense of how to take fieldnotes at my subject site. I know that it will take some practice to get it write, but I think that it will be an interesting experience.

Chapter 2: part 2

While reading the second part of the chapter 2 reading, I was introduced to double-entry notes. This is essentially, choosing to study an object, person, or instance for several days and taking notes in two seperate columns, one for the recorded notes and the other for the note-taker's response to the recorded notes. When I first read this entry in the book, it confused me, I wasn't really sure what it meant by double-entry. So, I decided to go back and read it a second time and found it really very simple. On page 98, their is an example of double-entry note-taking about a girls trip to her friend's sociology class. It's a rather simple and a bit comical at times, she doesn't try to take notes that are complicated. I suppose this helps me, since now I know I don't have to take complicated notes, also knowing the double-entry method should be very helpful.

Chapter 2

  While reading Chapter 2 pages 86 to 108 in Field Working: Reading and Research Guide I learned how important note taking was. Not only to take notes, but to review them over and over. Also, to visit the subject which you are taking notes on continuously. This became apparent when Samuel H. Scudder told his story of taking notes on a simple fish. He explained how annoyed he had become at his professor for making him see every detail of the fish. In the end, Scudder comes to appreciate what his professor made him do. He learned how important it was to get every detail. Then, you’ll truly be able to see the fish. This is true for our ethnography projects. I have to visit my subject multiple times. That way I will be able to notice more details every time.

This is also true for taking notes. One must review their notes over and over again. By reviewing the notes it will make the mind more capable of forming an opinion or more thoughts on the subject. Something you write down the first time may have a whole new meaning the third or fourth time you view the subject.

Ch. 2: Freewriting Has Its Place

I think of freewriting as a way of brainstorming. It's just one more technique to use and its usefulness depends on the project I'm working on and the stage I'm at in the process. Usually it works best when I'm trying to get down as many thoughts as I can before I lose them. I end up with junk sometimes, but I usually also end up with a few good ideas I can expand on. Sometimes I end up with a lot of good ideas that just need to be edited and organized. Freewriting is also good for venting. It is not so good for creating an overall structure, but then that's not really the point of it in my opinion.

Chapter 2

I have never heard of the technique of freewriting until I just read about it in my Fieldworking book. It seems like it has many benefits to it, but at the same time it seems like a very different technique. Just sit and write for ten minutes non stop about anything. Some people might not be able to just write non stop for those ten minutes, while others might not. I feel like I get my ideas while I'm writing rather than try and get them through freewriting. Like I had stated before I really had never heard of freewriting until I just read about it, but it wouldn't hurt to give it a shot. This will be a technique that I'll work on throughout this course and hopefully make write better as a result.

Chapter 2: pgs. 86-108

While reading the second half of chapter 2, I found that the idea of double-entry notes was interesting. I have never organized my notes in this way before. I think that it would be a good way to organize my notes for my ethnography project because I can observe and then later reflect on what I observed. Organizing my notes in such a way that I will understand what I observed a few months later will be very helpful for my ethnography since we are going to be working on it all semester. By watching the YouTube video in class, it helped me to practice using double-entry notes since I had never done them before. At first, it was kind of overwhelming because I was new at this technique but I am glad that we had a chance to practice in class.

Chapter 2

When reading this chapter it made me realize that the subculture I choose must be interesting to me in order for me to able to write, observe, and learn about it. Even if you write about the same thing as 10 other people, the things you observe in your subculture and write about will most likely be completely different then what john smith had to say about that same subculture which is really fascinating. This is because the way anyone perceives something is totally their own opinion and their own observations.  Being able to choose my own topic, free wright, and observe it is really good for me because I will be able to enjoy writing about it. I will also put my whole heart into it and be able to choose what I see when involving the subculture that I write about. It will also make me learn something about myself after I am done with the project because I will know then how i perceive certain things. This chapter helps to explain how you have to be very open minded and willing to learn about the specific subculture that you choose, and I will be sure to do that. 

Chapter 2

I really do not enjoy using free writing as pre-work. It is annoying for me because I strive to have structure. I like routine and direction. Free writing is too random and it sometimes confuses me because I get way to off track. I like to use word webs and outlines.

Ch. 2

I have never really thought about free writing before I work on paper. I have heard about free writing, but I never thought that it could be usefull before I actually start a paper. Free writing before I write a paper definetly sounds like a good idea. I often have to stop and wonder if what I am writing during a paper is what I am trying to really say. I also have long pauses where I get stuck while writing. Free writing sounds like a very good way to help clear my mind about other things and concentrate on the paper at hand. I'm going to try free writing in the future and see if helps me to write better. I would also like to see if it helps me write a paper faster. I also think that free writing sounds like a great way to get practice in writing. Writing is definetly one of those things where you can never have too much practice. There is also always room for improvement in writing, and I think free writing could help greatly in this area.

Onto Ch. 2

Freewriting, a method I think I could enjoy thoroughly. My girlfriend does something like this when she is upset or is having a bad day. She writes down how she feels as a way of venting. This method is almost a way to vent, except to yourself. It helps you show what you are thinking and where those thoughts take you. This method helps organize thoughts and helps you further expand upon each thought.
This is definitely something that I will try. I always find it hard to start a paper out or to keep it going. Letting out what I think on the subject helps show your organization through the paper process. Even though the length might not be there, you can fill in the gaps with technical or other information. I am hopefully going to try this on our ethnography paper, if I don't wait until the last minute to do it.

chapter 2 pgs. 65-75

Free Writing:

I was a participant of a scholarship program which I gave up my Saturdays and went to workshops on how to become a successful college student and finish high school out successful as well. One of the sessions that we attended was on study skills. During the study skills session we did the free writing like the book talks about. I found that it is very helpful. We sat in the room and just wrote for about five minuets and then took a break we did this same pattern for about half an hour. The section that talks about the benefits of free writing I can agree with. I did half of my essays with free writing last semester and the other half without. The essays that I did free writing before seemed to get me better grades and took me less time to finish than the others did. I believe that free writing is a good thing and should be used more often by high school and college students.

YouTube to Internet

Many thoughts came to mind after watching the video. The first thought was about who made this and their thoughts on the internent. I didn't want to be coerced into following everything they said. I felt as though it might be someone who wanted the viewer to think that the Internet is taking over or that we as a society cannot think without the Internet.
The second thought was about how quickly they typed. Just a random thought, but it made me think. Did they actually do the video at that speed or did they speed up their actions with editing techniques?
Another thought that entered my mind was about what I took away from it. I learned about HTML, XML, codes encrypted, how often a blog is made (every half a second). It made me think about the depths of any Internet page I am on and what all goes into making it. I don't feel as comfortable about the Internet and its credibility as I used to. I know teachers always said to make sure you know where you got your source from and make sure it has '.edu' or '.gov' after the web address. Now I am going to try a few tricks I learned in the short clip.

Free Writing

When I read Chapter 2 pages 65-75 the thing that caught my eye was the free writing. I have never tried free writing my self, writing for 10 minutes straight, letting your mind take your hand anywhere. I think that this is a cool concept and I had never really thought of it before. I'm not sure how predictive it would be though, with all of those random thoughts on the paper you might get very lost and not even know were to begin. Then again it may help give you great ideas and help you expand on your topic at hand. I also liked the point the book made about how so much of our time is spent worrying and delaying the writing process, it helps to just get your thoughts down on paper. I just thought over all that free writing was a good idea, the thought of it just made me nervous at first, because I am a pretty organized person. 

WEB 2.0

http://youtubeweb20.blogspot.com/

INAUGURATION 2009

http://obamainaugurationday2009.blogspot.com/

CHAPTER ONE

http://laurendeffner.blogspot.com/

Chapter 2 pgs. 65-75

While reading Field Working: Reading and Writing Research by Bonnie Stone Sunstein and Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater I learned how important it was to find a subject that was exciting to you. It became clear to me that any subject may be new to you but the important thing is to make the subject seem exciting to your audience. So you have to find out something that you can feel passionate about.
A good way to find an interesting topic is to do a little free-writing. By doing this your mind is able to choose a topic that you might find interesting just by writing about what is going on in your head.
That is what the girl who wrote about skating did. She just wrote what was going on in her head without thinking about her audience. She learned what she was passionate about and what interested her. She knew she wouldn't get tired of the subject and if she was able to have such excitement over it, then the audience would probably me more interested in knowing more about her subject.

While I was watching this you tube video I observed quite a few things. The things that I observed were digital text, hyper text can link, html, not just text, we are the web, and teach the machine. I mentioned digital text because so many people communicate through digital text rather than written now days. Next I talked about hyper text can link and how we use them every day. Then I talked about how html is what formed the web over the years in the first place, and how now its now just text; there are videos, and images, and much more. Next I mentioned how we are the web, and I talked about how we are who make teh web/we write it and keep it running. Then I thought it interesting that we teach the machine, beacuse we are the ones who "taught" ti what it knows. So over all all of these observations lead back to the same thing, research. 

January 19, 2009 Chapter 1 response

http://elliottjacksonsblog.blogspot.com/

Youtube Reflection

I saw that in this video the creator is trying to send us a message of how dynamic the web has made our world of information. How that at first we were the things that connected each other but the "machine", the internet, is quickly taking the place of face to face interaction and physical research. The video is basically showing us how the evolution of the internet has changed our world, and the way we collect and organize information. The presentation of this video was very well done, I liked how the creator made it seems like I was watching the evolution happen right in front of me, the pace of the video kept me focused on what was being said.

Youtube video

I felt like most of the Web 2.0 video flew by entirely to quickly for me to absorb the information. I started to gather more of the information on the second viewing. From what I could tell the video was describing how web 2.0 links the information on the internet with its original context and is simpler for laymen (me) to use. Web 2.0 is forcing us to rethink how we treat copyright and infringement, authorship, how we interact with family and friends, and ultimately how we live.

Response to Web 2.0

This was an interesting video. While it moved very fast, it was easily read. What was most interesting about this video was the questions it forced you to ask yourself. I suppose I have always taken internet for granted. It hasn't always been around and to a majority of the people, it's a big deal. I think it's amazing how people used to create websites. It would be very difficult for me to imagine what's actually going on my website when I was typing it up in Html format. The changes that have happened since those first days of the internet are astounding. Websites are very easy to create now and billions of people connect to the web everyday. We have progressed a long way, but we need to not take for granted what we have now. I think that was the message of this video.

Observation

The Youtube video introduced me to a new way of looking at the web, or the internet. Watching the video, I was first introduced to the pencil and paper, which in comparison to the digital text was ineffective and messy. The person writing couldn't rewrite and adjust the work as easily as he could when he began using digital text. Digital text had several advantages, among them the ability to link a set of words to a website or other location. In the early days all websites were written with html code, this really wasn't all that fantastic. Pretty much, all that would be on the page would be words. However, with the creation of the xml code, the internet became something more. Normal people are now able to upload and interact with one another as a result of the code. The new web is making the world come together more than anything in the history of man. The author of the video said that many things are gonna have to be rethought. The world is changing and people have to change with it.

You Tube Video

The You Tube Video showed many different ways text is used on computers. One text that was highlighted in the video was hypertext. By using hypertext people can click on it and then be automatically sent to the source of the hypertext. With hypertext people can access a website very fast rather than having to type in the whole link to the website. Another thing that the video highlighted was HTML text, and how that is the original form of text on computers. Rather then having to use the HTML text now it has been up dated so anybody can use the web without having to know the HTML text. Some interesting things that I found out about HTML text is that b stands for bold, and title defines the content on the page. Clearly the web has opened many new doors, and it will continue to grow. Another interesting part of the video was how it called us the machine. Without people there would be none of these things on the web, and none of the information on the web would exist. People make the web the great thing that it is today.

observations

The video shown in class describes the many ways we now use technology to distribute information. The video talks about the ways digital text have greater flexibility than written text. Digital texts can be changed, added, erased, or even set up as a link to another source. Another form of communication and information are videos and images. Videos are loaded and viewed by people all over the web. Images can also be seen by virtually everyone. Images such as maps help people find directions to a destination. The video describes that all the information on the web is organized by those who use the web. Each person who clicks on links and add links are teaching the "machine."

Blog Youtube Video

The video didn't make much sense to me at first, but then as i watch it a few more times I began to understand the point of the video. As I watched the video several times I saw how anyone can find information on the web, and any information we need is somewhere out on the web. I thought it was quite comical how the video started off, with the person writing down everything on paper, then erasing it, and then type it throughout the internet. It shows we can do anything with the texts. We can upload content, hyperlink text, post blogs, and much more. Over billions of people access the web everyday, so anyone can see what you think, which is how we meet others that have the same view or different. Ideas from people get meshed together and basically we're teaching the computer what we know now.

reflection on Web 2.0

Today we watched Web 2.0 in class. As we watched this video I observed that there were many ways that they communicated. The video started with a person writing with a pencil on a piece of paper. Then they kept erasing things that they wrote and changing them. Then they moved to a computer and started typing. they then went to highlighting and replacing. Then they started linking. Then they were on the web. This video shows the different ways that we use the web to develop and create our culture. When we use the computer we use it for so much more than just homework or office work. We use the computer and the internet to connect with people and create virtual cultures. We use the internet as a lifestyle and a main part of our lives. Without the internet most people are unable to communicate with people that they don't see on a daily basis.

In Class Reflective Cbservation

While I was watching the clip i saw that it was very fast paced. Everything that the arrow went through seemed to sped up to show some kind of energy. While the things presented iin the clip can be very hard to understand, the way the they were presented made the general ideas of them seem "second hand." As it went on onto mashing all these ideas together, it touched upon how the world is changing because of the web. It showed how the "we" as users of the web expand and connect to each other, making the world a smaller place.

Reflection on YouTube video

The youtube video we just watched was pretty interesting. I enjoyed the music. It talked a lot about how the web is now always changing before our eyes. Only 20 years ago the internet was not nearly as advanced as it is today. Digital text is so much quicker, easier, and convenient then paper text because you can erase a lot easier and faster, you can link things, create different fonts, and so much more. The video talked about how the web is linking people together. It is so cool that in a second I could talk to someone from China without having to even think about it and that is thousands of miles away. You don't need to be advanced to use the internet either. I've been using it since I was 8 years old and I was able to type fast and frequently talk to people I hadn't seen in awhile. I cannot even imagine life without the internet. The code html has to do with siting sources and almost all internet sites have that incorporated. The video talked about how the machine is us. We are living through the computer by typing our thoughts for everyone to see. It will continue to grow and change and become more advanced, and it is such a cool feeling to be part of that.

YouTubeVideo

The video that we watched in class today was very interesting. Not only did I learn a little more about the internet, I learned that you do not pick up all the information you think you do when you only watch something once. We watched this video in class three times, and I picked up on more information every time I watched it. The video started off writing by hand and then eventually drifted off into digital text. I really liked that transition because it showed how technology has come such along way. It brought up another point that I have never really thought about; It said that the web can virtually take you anywhere. That, to me, is such a mind blowing piece of information. Anything in the entire world you want to know about all you have to do is type it in to some kind of database finder and it will take you there one way or another. Not only are digital text available, videos are online too. It is weird to know that we have power and are in complete control over such a powerful machine. Millions of links are in the click of a button with our own hand. The video talked about the splitting up of format and content, but I'm really not sure what those two things are and how beneficial they are to us. I learned that it is a really good thing that they are split up, but I'm just not sure why. The last thing the video was trying to stress was that digital text is no longer just linking information, it's people sharing their lives with one another.

Video Observation

I thought it was very interesting how they showed the different meanings of certain symbols. They showed the meaning of html, link, p, and other symbols. It was interesting how they said that digital text is more flexible and can like just about anything. I had never thought about how computers are a big part of most people's lives. I had also never thought about all of the different things that they can do.
It was also interesting how they said that when we enter in new information we are teaching the machine. Then they went on to say that we are the machine. So, every time we enter in new information, we are teaching ourselves. I thought that this video showed me how much the web can do, which I had never really thought about before.

YouTube Reflection

The video honestly overwhelmed me at first. I am not very technological (with the internet), so there is a lot of things that I didn't know you could do. I just learned how to make a website (off of weebly.com) last semester. Computers and cellphones have pretty much always been around for me, so I have never really taken the time to stop and think about how much I am dependent on them. I don't think I could survive a day with out my cell phone. It is my main source of communication. I text and talk to my family and friends all day long. The ways of communication have changed drastically in just a few years. People can go a whole day with out speaking verbally. Sometimes my roommate and I will sit in the same room and have an entire conversation on the internet.
The whole privacy thing kind of scares me. I am afraid that there will be information or other things online about me that are personal. Also, I think it is weird to not always know if you are getting true information or if it is even the original. When researching online, I am usually worried that I am going to plagiarize something and not know that I am.
The internet is a lot quicker and easier to transfer information, but pen and paper is still more personal. I love getting letters and cards from home and family members that I don't get to see very often.

YouTube Reflections

After watching the YouTube video about how the world is becoming more digital, I can see how it has changed over time and made things a lot easier for society. The video started out with a person writing about how text is unlinear when it is written on paper. It soon switched to typing on a computer which seemed much quicker and looked a lot neater. From this, I noticed that using pen and paper or researching using books from a library is very time consuming and is starting to go out of style. Digital technology is very efficient and is connecting people throughout the world by just a click. The way people communicate and research is becoming totally digital because it is not that hard to use. Google enables us to search just about anything and be able to find something that is related to it. Things such as Facebook and personal blogs connect people all across the world and may account for the 100 billion people clicking on web pages per day mentioned in the video. I personally like the idea of being able to use digital for everything. It makes is so much easy to search, communicate, or just browse to waste time. The only thing that scares me is how easily someone can get your information. I am just very conscious of what I do on the internet.

YouTube Video

I thought the video was very interesting. I believe it was trying to show how much people can now do with computers and the internet. When we use computers we have access to almost anything at our fingertips. We can check mail, pay bills, and communicate all using just this small machine . Now that laptops have become very popular we can now do this anytime or anywhere we want.
I think young people like me have taken this type of technology for granted. What would we do if we didn't have access to the internet or cell phones? What would we be doing instead? Would we be sitting around doing nothing, be studying harder, or be more socially active. I challenge someone to go a day without a computer or cell phone and see what happens. It would be very tough for anyone in these days to do.

YouTube VIdeo Reflection

This video showed that the internet is being created by normal people everyday. Not just people who are specialized in creating websites or who are qualified to post certain information. Everything we do online we are sharing with everyone all over the world. The internet has become the way of everyday communication. The video showed a person writing and erasing on a piece of paper and then compared it to typing, deleting, and moving things around on a word document. When you write and erase on a piece of paper it can take longer and when you need to erase it messes up the paper a little bit, to where it is noticeable that you made a mistake. When you mess up on a word document no one will know that you deleted, added, or moved stuff around. It is also much faster. With word documents you can also had hyperlinks which can be clicked on and they will take you straight to a website. This makes it much faster and easier to get to websites related to your paper. Word documents have changed a lot from the way they used to be. HTMLs were hard for the average person to read and understand. When I see an HTML I get very frustrated because I cannot understand what it is saying. The video then shows Google. Google is another way the internet has evolved. It has created a place where people can search the internet from one place to find anything and everything. Blogger has become the place where people can share their thoughts and stories with the world, Youtube has become the place where you share your videos with the world, and Flickr has become the place where you share your pictures with the world. The internet has become the way that everyone communicates with each other whether through instant messaging, email, video chatting, facebooking, posting blogs, posting videos, and posting pictures. 

Youtube Video

At first, I thought this video didn't have a point to it. After watching it a few times it sort of became interesting to me. It was really creative in many ways and it also gave us ideas on how to use the web for our researching. It showed many times what you could do with hyperlinks and what good use they were for researching. The video also helped us by showing how to find sources on the internet. This was a useful, creative way in showing us how we can use the internet for researching and many other needs. Using the web is a great source while researching because there is so much out there that we don't even know about and this video helped us find some of that stuff.

YouTube and the Internet

Throughout our lives, kids who grew up with computers and cell phones, we have had things made easier. Computers help us access anything, anytime, anywhere. Cell phones allow us to connect to people we want to talk to anytime, anywhere. We are virtually never alone. Technology surrounds us and is infused within our lives and daily living. This movie tries to portray how the Internet has many components.
These many components are things I didn't know about. They are things that I took for granted. All I care about is the end result and what I end up seeing. The 'encryptions' and codes are the things behind the curtain, things that go on and I don't see. This short clip showed me the mass world that goes on behind every day things taken for granted. Many kids use the Internet for thousands of reasons. YouTube, Facebook, Wikipedia, or e-mail, but they only care about the quickest way to get there, even I do. The Internet is meant to be a fast way to gain information, that is what it was created for.

In Class Video

The video we watched in class today really got me thinking. I forgot about what it would be like for our moms and dads to have to write everything by hand or type writer when they had to do a big research project. They did not have the luxury of jumping online with the overload of information and accessing anything they wanted. I cannot imagine writing a paper without the internet, let alone a computer. The computer has changed the entire way the world works and the internet has changed communication forever.
The video also made me realize how easy it was to put information on the web. Anyone has the capability to place information on the web. Therefore, allowing anyone to read it whether it is true or false. As a result, some people are taking stories as fact and changing their opinions. I agree with this video in the fact that the web has changed us. Yet, it has also linked us closer together.

YouTube Video

I found this video very interesting.  It began with a pencil, just like how technology began.  Then it moved to typing, then to the internet, where we are today.  It was so creative but at times hard to follow.  The different concepts were typed so fast then changes I had trouble keeping up.  Towards the beginning I didn't see a point i just thought it was entertaining but come to find out, it was informational also.  There were different concepts such as hyperlinks, blogging, google, and youtube that were shown.  Another thing that intrigued me was how my perception changed each time I watched it.  After watching it three times, I notices more and more.  The little things I didn't see in the beginning were suddenly clear.  It was very beneficial to watch a few times and that makes me realize that is why we need to study our subcultures more than once.

Chapter 1

I chose a quote from "Friday Night at Iowa 8O". The quote comes from an old-timer at the fuel center. "True, big business and government put obstacles in the way, but there was a good living out there for anyone willing to put in the time." I really liked what the old-timer said, because he did not complain like many of the other truck driver's did about regulations. He simply took things as they were and he lived with them. I also really liked this story, because I have always been interested in truck drivers. For some reason I have always been intrigued by truckers while driving down the highway. You look up into the trucks and see all different types of people driving trucks. It always suprises me to see a woman driving a truck, because it is just not something you would expect. I always like to look at trucker's license plates and see where they are from; then think about where they maybe going. This story really helped to shed some light onto the trucking world that I had always been interested in.

Chapter 1

I chose a quote from the reading to reflect on. First, "We don't always need to go very far from home to find groups of people whose ways of behaving and communicating are different and interesting, yet unfamiliar to us." I chose this quote because it says a lot about my life. As a three sport athlete high school, the way I communicated with my team mates changed from season to season. During football season the team was very individual. By this I mean there were groups who were self excluded and those who would not miss out for the world. The team was not really close at all. But all of this would change completely. On the swim team we all were so close. We did everything together. It was like the week between seasons the world changed. I say this because there was another football player on the swim team and during football season we would not get along, but as soon as swimming started we were like best friends. I say these things to show that we do not have to go very far at all. as little as a couple hundred of feet. I found that the way the teams interacted was different from season to season. The way the football team was much different then the swim team, and baseball was not even in the same ballpark.

Chapter 1

I am going to reflect on the topic: House for the Homeless: A Place to Hang Your Hat. I realized early on that I can loose everything except for what I can carry with myself, and that was knowledge. Since then, I have been a kid on a mission, determined to succeed, never give up, and, make the most of the opportunities that were given to me. I can personally relate to this statement because my family has never had the most money. As I grew up my mother tried very hard to instill the value of education to my brother and I. Now as I am a college freshman I am honored to have the opportunity to be attending a University and furthering my education. I was given the ability to go to college and I am truly proud to say that my family became a very close nit family and we thoroughly enjoy being together. I have had a very different childhood than most of you but I have come to accept that fact and actually am proud of that fact. I feel sympathy for those in worse positions than myself but don't feel sorry for those who have given up. I feel that if you continue to try to succeed in life then eventually you will.

Chapter 1 Reflection

"We don't always need to go very far from home to find groups of people whose ways of behaving and communicating are different and interesting, yet unfamiliar to us." That quote really spoke to me because it is saying that you should always be open to different subcultures and rituals that people different than you are involved in. I never realized what a subculture actually was until I read this chapter. I also didn't realize how many subcultures I am actually involved with. There are so many subcultures all around us, and so many different rituals and ways of seeing things from different peoples perspectives. Everyone has the opportunity to be involved in a subculture and every subculture has different ways of practicing their own traditions and rituals within there own subculture. It doesn't matter which subculture you are involved in either, as long as you feel comfortable and are willing to be open to as many different subcultures that you get thrown into as possible, that is a great way to live your life. It is also a good idea to not judge people for the certain weird ways that people different from you involve themselves and celebrate their subcultures. This is because for example, the way a certain soccer team practices for the big game isn't the same way that the soccer team they are competing against will practice for that same game. Every subculture is different no matter where you're from or what you're involved in everyone should always be open to looking at subcultures that are different then the way you live your life and practice your own  traditions so you can have an open mind about different cultures around the world. 

Chapter 1

I honestly found the first sentence of the chapter the most interesting. "Ordinary living involves all the skills of fieldworking-- looking, listening, collecting, questioning, and interpreting-- even though we are not always conscious of these skills." I think this quote stuck out to my attention because I do these things most of my day, but before reading this chapter, I really had know idea I was doing it. I am definitely considered a "people watcher". Sometimes I really enjoy observing my surroundings and the people around me. I wouldn't necessarily say that I am judging, but I definitely take how people act and what they say into my opinion about them. I think most of the fieldworking skills are imperative to the survival of the human race. People have to look, listen, and observe all of thier sorroundings in order to adapt to a particular event or situation. Without the use of fieldworking skills, most people aould not be able to come up with unique and educated thoughts that reflect what they are thinking and how they feel at the time.

Chapter 1

"We define culture as an invisible web of behaviors, patterns, rules, and rituals of a group of people who have contact with one another and share common languages." After reading Chapter 1 I now have a better understanding of how many different subcultures are in our world and what makes them a subculture. Subcultures are made up of just about anything, it could be anything from the way they act to the things they do or believe. This chapter will be very helpful when it comes to working on my project about my subculture. Before I read this chapter I was still a little confused on what subcultures were and how they become  subcultures. I was having a hard time deciding what to do my project on as well since I didn't even understand what they are. Chapter 1 definitely helped me to realize that anything is a subculture as long as everyone in it has something in common.

After reading the part entitled "Defining culture: Fieldwork and Ethnography," I got a better idea of what culture really is because like the entry said, some people think its more high class than what it really means. To some people, culture has a different meaning than others. You must be involved with a club or group, also known as a culture, to really know what it is about. I like the quote from this section stating, " Culture is local and manmade and hugely variable. It tends also to be integrated. A culture, like an individual, is a more or less consistent pattern or thought and action" (Benedict 46). I think this quote clearly states what culture means without going into too much depth. Each and every person has his or own culture he or she belongs to. I think everyone is different in their own ways because they are part of different cultures. These cultures can be anything from teams, groups, clubs, etc. To me, this is what I think makes everyone unique.

Fieldworking

"As members over the years, we were unaware of those groups as actual cultures, but looking back as fieldworkers, we now understand that we, like you, have always been in a position to research the people around us."  This quote really struck my interest.  I never realized that everyone is or has been in some sort of subculture.  It is also interesting that most of us are involved in many different subcultures as well.  We can interact and move among all of them without even realizing that we are doing so.  I had never come to that realization until after I had read chapter one.

I also thought it was interesting when they talked about families being subcultures.  Well, they are not exactly real subcultures but they "prepare us to observe outside our own home territory." When going to a friends' house, I would always realize the differences between my living preferences and theirs.  It is fascinating the different ways that many different families live.

Stage-Chapter 1

I know that most people are inclined to talk about the stories in this chapter, but what I thought was most interesting was the introduction. I liked thinking about journalism from an anthropologist view. The terminology was actually clever. For example, when people generalize and assume to understand a culture as below them, it's known as colonization, which makes me think of all the European colonies at the beginning of the 20th century. They all thought they were better then those who occupied the colony.
As much as I enjoyed the stories I enjoyed reading about journalists who have a sense of humor. This is a reference to Rosaldo, who enjoyed poking fun of what we think of as normal. I also enjoyed the contrast between objectivity and subjectivity. I know it's stupid for me to have enjoyed reading this part of chapter one so much but I started reading with a fear that I'd be bored out of my mind reading something I don't understand and something I don't care about.

Chapter 1

I really liked the Body Ritual among the Nacirema by Horace Miner. I know we briefly mentioned it in class, but I thought it was so interesting, when you think about it. There are so many things that we do that we think are normal, but there are other people who are looking at those things thinking we are crazy and vice versa. We would never think it was weird to have a bathroom where we wash up and use our “potions”, but other cultures may not use a bathroom, or shampoo and conditioner. It’s just so funny to see how they interpreted a bathroom into a ritual/ ceremonial type of thing. And also how they make fun of us for going to all our different types of doctors, we think that that is just common sense, and they think that it is just silly. I just thought this was interesting because you never know how people perceive things, or if you are looking at things in the right light. 

Chapter One-FieldWorking(Understanding Cultures)

When we were assigned to pick a subculture to research and interview, I was a little nervous because I hadn't the slightest idea on what a subculture was exactly. After reading chapter one, I feel way more confident and I feel like I have a better understanding of what it is I am supposed to be doing this semester. I liked the definitions of cultures on page 3. For this project we're doing in class I am going to have to be a fieldworker. Fieldworkers investigate the cultural landscape, the larger picture of how a culture functions, its rituals, its rules, its traditions, and its behaviors. On page 6 there is a box called Box1 and it is basically our assignment for this semester for English 104. It has the purpose, action, and response. It is the perfect guideline for our project. It gives plenty of examples afterward to have better understanding of how to put the knowledge we acquired on paper. I found it very relatable when the book was comparing different families as subcultures involving insiders and outsiders. Sometimes when we go to a friends house to eat dinner or just hang out, we notice that the way their life style can be completely different than the way you yourself live your own life. Although they are different, it does not necessarily mean one is better than the other.
The part that was most beneficial to me after reading chapter one was reading the difference between insiders and outsiders. "Knowing the difference between the insider (emic) perspective and the outsider (etic) perspective is an important skill for a fieldworker." The writing strategies on page 44 were extremely beneficial as well. Continuing my reading, I found on page 58 that It is preferable to use I in fieldwriting. I always had to avoid the word "I" in my formal writing, so that technique could make my writing easier, I hope. I liked how there were a lot of examples so I could read them and have a better idea of how I am going to write my fieldwork projects. A lot of the information was boring, but a good percentage of it was very beneficial towards my project.

Fieldworking Chapter 1

At the beginning of Fieldworking, there is a quote that gives the reader a good idea of what is going to be talked about in the reading. The quote is from Hortense Powdermaker, "Long before I ever heard of anthropology, I was being conditioned for the role of stepping in and out of society. It was part of my growing up process to question the traditional values and norms of the family and to experiment with behavior patterns and ideologies. This is not an uncommon process of finding oneself.... Why should a contented and satisfied person think of standing outside his or any other society and studying it?" After reading the quote, I began to wonder how I had been raised. Was I trained to look outside my own norms? To look at traditions and wonder why that or this is done? Or was I just raised to follow them unthinkingly? I wouldn't say I was trained or raised to look outside norms or to be critical of traditions, nonetheless I do have some interest in the differences of cultures. I've thought about how american culutre compares to others and how christianity compares to other religions. I look at my own culture and compare it to others and, to say the least, it's different from the larger group. Its significantly different from those groups that dominate Indiana and the region. I believe in abortion, and according to a survey taken in my english class last semester, I am in the significant minority. I have liberal views, while most seem to be more conservative. I'm not religious. I dress differently most friends and I like different things than those friends, so even in the sub-cultures that they inhabit I have a uniquely different culture from them. To answer Mr. Powdermaker's question, I suppose I'm not really content, nor am I satisfied. So, then I guess my best choice is to study another society or culture. Might as well, I have nothing better to do.

Eggs and Truckers

I first enjoyed the talkings on making someone's culture seem odd. The first was about the dad making eggs. It is interesting to gain a different perspective on something you are accumstomed to in your every day life. Something as simple as making eggs can be turned into a classification of ranks and into an overly glamorized way of preparing a meal. The other was about the Nacirema and how we as Americans worship something, we believe to be an every day event, as simple as bathing rituals. Not all cultures would find this as an important thing to do every day, yet we find it a necessity or else we are considered 'dirty.'
I also didn't think about how we make assumptions and those can change. I thought about Rick Zollo and his interaction with the truckers. "You'll need to admit your possible biases about your topic and look at how other researchers have written about it." (Sunstein, Chiseri-Strater 26) He went in with a limited knowledge about the truckers and came out more on their side. He heard first hand accounts of how truckers have been mistreated. It makes me think about projects assigned to me in my Landscape Architecture studio. I come up with an idea for my project and my professor then gives me input on my design. I like the first design best and don't want to change it. But I know to better come up with a solution, I should compile all that I learn from mistakes and previous designs into the best final design

After reading the first chapter of Fieldworking: Reading and Writing Research, I realized that observing and researching a subculture would not be as difficult as I first thought. After reading the sample ethnographies, it became apparent to me that the researchers chose topics that interested them. The ethnography on the Iowa 80 truck stop really caught my attention because I know many people who can relate to some of the pros and cons of truck driving. "The logbook was symbol and substance of what was wrong with the industry, a monitoring device that was set up so it couldn't be followed except by lying." This part of the study stood out because I know many truckers who use the logbook and must lie or else they will not have a job. I do not agree with this system because an employee should not have to cheat the system to have a job. The Nacirema ethonography was quite funny to me. I would have never thought to look at the American culture with a satire view. This article showed me that you can research something like your own lifestyle but still look at it from someone else's point of view.

While reading throughout my Field Working: Reading and Writing Research book I found it very interesting learning about the different stories of others. They were all really good, but one in particular got my attention better than the rest. In the article, “House for the Homeless” I found that the main character Ivana and I had similar thoughts about homeless people. We both thought things like they were just unfortunate and never found ways to mix with society. I know now though that is not the case, but rather fact homeless people have bigger problems than just being homeless. The mistakes they might have made caused them to lose everything they ever had, but they are on the path to try and make life normal again. “I have a great deal of respect for people who have a goal in their lives, even if they are only short-term goals.” (Ivana 48) This stood out to me, because I tend to think the same way. People might get knocked down in life, but instead of just letting it get you down; you actually do something about it and work towards your goal to succeed.
In the beginning of this story the only thing I really knew about homeless people was what I had heard others say about them. They are bums in life, that waste money they receive on food and alcohol. Now I have actually learned about homeless people and I have different thoughts than I did in the beginning. I know it is depressing to see people on the street begging for help, and hopefully sometime in the near future we can do away with that and have some kind of accommodation for everyone to stay in so nobody will be homeless.

I began reading Field Working: Reading and Writing Research thinking that is was more helpful to not have feelings about the certain culture you are studying.  It poses the problem of becoming bias. After reading the small entry about Ilongots and headhunting studied by Anthropologist Renato Rosaldo, it made me think more about being emotionally involved in the culture you're studying.  "Nothing in my own experience equipped me even to imagine the anger possible in bereavement until after Michelle Rosaldo's death in 1981. Only then was I in a position to grasp the force of what the Ilongots had repeatedly told me about grief, rage, and headhunting". (Rosaldo 9)  In his position, it took him feeling what the Ilongots were feeling to truly understand where they were coming from and receive more information about it.  

Going in to this reading a was strong on my feeling that while studying a culture you must be detached from the group.  Ending this certain part of the text, my position was changed.  There is always a chance of being bias, but if you are truly trying to inform then you will see that readers need to know the whole truth to be informed.  I think being more involved in a group than just an outsider could benefit the researcher and also the readers with the information you can get.

        While I was reading chapter one of Field Working: Reading and Writing Research by Bonnie Stone Sunstein and Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater I learned how simple it was to find something extraordinary. "We don't always need to go very far from home to find groups of people whose ways of behaving and communicating are different and interesting, yet unfamiliar to us" (Chiseri-Strater and Sunstein 6). This was clear when Rick Zollo only traveled forty miles from his home and entered a whole new "trucking" world. I found this extremely interesting how something so normal to us could be so peculiar once we take a deeper and more personal approach. I am very excited to take a closer look at my own life and see how it also is much more interesting than I ever thought.

        In the article about the Nacirema I could not help but find it actually kind of comical. The most normal and everyday things that I go through everyday could be so weird to someone who walked in to my life from another world. What is so normal to me once looked at long enough will actually become extremely odd. In contrast, the Ilongots headhunters from the Philippines and understanding their rituals is difficult. Yet, when we take a look at the strange long enough and actually experience it we start to feel the familiarity in it. 

Welcome to the Class Blog

Over the course of the semester, you'll be assigned to read sections from FieldWorking: Reading and Writing Research. You will choose 10 of these readings to post on, and when you don't post for a particular reading, you need to respond to at least one posting. You are always free to respond to postings; in fact, I encourage you to interact with your classmates online. Keep in mind that this is a public space and conduct yourself accordingly.

Your posts should make it evident that you have done the readings, but posts are not to be summaries of the readings. Instead you should reflect on some aspect of the reading that you can relate to your own life or to your research project in process. Posts should generally be short and concise and well-written: Just a paragraph or two would be fine.