You are required to complete only ONE of the Fieldwork Assignments. You should choose option A, B, C, or D, and submit only ONE of them before 11:59pm on the due date. Read through each of the assignments below, and pick the one that most interests you. Instructions and tips for ALL of the Fieldwork assignments are at the bottom of this page.
FIELDWORK OPTION B: Analysis of Children’s Game Playing
Go to a location where you can publicly observe children playing (e.g. playgrounds). Do not go to a school, however. Be sure that it is a location where there are plenty of children! (About eight children or more is a good amount.) Observe children at play on at least two different occasions for 1 hour each and take detailed notes on their game-playing activities. You should address the following questions at a minimum:
o What kinds of games are the children playing?
o Do the boys and girls play together? If so, to what extent?
o Are there any differences in the games boys play and the games girls play? (e.g. type of games, free play vs. structured activities, reactions to winning and losing)
o What examples do you see of children socializing each other? In other words, do you see them teaching each other how to behave, how to play, etc.? (Remember, they may not “teach” one another verbally, but in other ways!)
o What is the “hidden curriculum” of these games? In other words, what lessons or messages do you think the children learn as they play these games? (e.g. lessons they receive about respect for authority, obedience, and success/failure, etc., even unconsciously)
o How do these games reflect our larger society’s cultural norms, beliefs, attitudes, and/or values?
o And finally, speculate on how playing these games might affect the ways girls and boys will behave in the future.
In your paper, be sure to explain what location(s) you visited, as well as the general patterns to the questions above. Also, provide specific examples of games or activities to help illustrate your descriptions. Equally important, you need to explain how your findings relate to the topics discussed in the readings and in class. Your paper should be no longer than 3 typed pages. Turn in your detailed fieldnotes along with your paper (Your fieldnotes are graded!).
This is a guide for you as you work on your fieldwork. Please read this carefully before engaging in your fieldwork.
1) The fieldwork assignments require that you look at the world around you. You should do your best to look at the world with a scientific eye. In other words, try your best to be objective, and rely on the actual evidence you see, not on your guesses or assumptions. Do NOT enter into the fieldwork with expectations about what you’re going to find or learn.
2) Do NOT wait until the last minute to begin this project. You will want to make your observations for the project at least a week before the assignment is due.
3) You must make observations for this assignment. Do NOT rely on your memory of these things – you will miss a great deal and your grade will probably suffer. In other words, just because you’ve seen children playing before, this does not mean you can write a good, detailed, analytical paper about it.
4) As you make your observations, you should have a pad of paper and pencil/pen with you. It is an excellent idea to prepare the notepad for notetaking before you begin. Write the date, time, and location at the top of the pad. Next, read the assignment carefully, making a table with headings, rows, and columns that correlate to the components/questions of the assignment. These preparations will help organize your notes and will make your observations much more easy and accurate (REMEMBER: your notes will be graded!). It will also help you answer the assignment completely. Since you will be submitting your notes to me electronically, you will need to type your notes in an organized and systematic manner (tables are frequently very helpful). I will grade your notes on their degree of organization, detail, and depth.
5) While you’re making observations, be as thorough as possible in your note taking. Be detailed! Jot down all of your observations, ideas, and hunches. You won’t be able to include everything that’s written in your notes in the final paper, but you want as much detail as possible in your notes. I can’t stress enough how important extremely thorough notes are. Students who have excellent notes almost always have excellent papers!
6) After you’ve finished making observations, review your notes. Search for themes and patterns. Do your best to make sense of what you saw. You are free to talk with a classmate (or me!) about your ideas.
7) Begin writing your paper. Your introduction paragraph should describe what you did, and it should begin to “frame” your paper in sociological thought and/or concepts. (What did you observe? Where did you go? What did you watch or read? What is the purpose of your project? Did you make any important decisions that might affect your findings? What key sociological ideas does this project relate to?) The body of your paper should describe what you saw and should address all of the questions in the assignment. (What patterns did you find? And how do those patterns relate to the course concepts? Be sure to discuss the readings, lectures, and films when applicable.) Your conclusion should wrap-up your paper. (What did your observations teach you about society and sociology?)
8) Be sure to present your observations and findings as clearly as possible. You might decide to include pictures, photographs, or a table or chart. Sometimes, visual aids help the reader “see” the patterns more easily. THIS IS NOT REQUIRED, however. If you decide to include a visual aid of some kind, it will not count toward the page requirement.
9) Citation format. In order to successfully complete this assignment, you should not refer to any additional written sources besides our course textbook. As a result, you can simply cite the textbook in the body of your paper as follows: (Newman, p.___).
10) Your paper should be typed, double-spaced, in standard font. Please do not go over 3 pages in length (of plain text), although I will not penalize you if you do go over the limit a little (and if you include pictures, you can go over 3 pages).
11) Do not forget to also submit your observation notes! It is a good idea to simply paste them at the end of your paper and submit it as one complete document.
As always, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask me. I am here to help you. Have fun with this!
