ANNOUNCEMENT

SYLLABUS

CALENDAR

DISCUSSION BOARD

BOOKS,

ARTICLES

ASSIGNMENTS

NOTES

LINKS

Fieldwork Observation and Internet Work

Your major assignment in this course will be

1. to visit and investigate are series of distinct social environments,
2. make observations,
3. publish those observations to your classmates
4. to engage with your classmates on the internet in a disciplined conversation about the structure and significance of socially constructed environments and their consequences for human conduct, human freedom and human governance.

You internet reports should include observations of milieu, social architecture, common activities, co-ordinated activities, rule-ordered activity, specific roles observed, observations of status and status markers, signs of groups/group inclusion work, exclusion work,;language codes, dress/fashion coding, body languages; persuasive/coercive/enforced activity, verboten/discouraged/negatively reinforced activity. When observable makes notes on the performance of gender, family, race/ethnicity, religion, culture, class.

Class "discussion board" responses should be reasoned, informed by your studies (of the text, theories presented in class, independent study and thought), coherently written.

Each student will be evaluated on evidence of effort made each week, clarity of expression (good writing), and insight, as well as timeliness (don't be late with your postings).

Postings of observations should be between 300 and 700 words. Postings to weekly topical question should be at least one personal response, and two reactions to classmates' postings -no particular length for these postings - 100 words or so, but reaction should go to a thoughtful reaction to content, and not be simple encouragement (e.g. "You go, girl" or "I really strongly agree with you")

OBJECTIVE

Your job is to be able to develop your capacity to see/comprehend the social structure that underpins and gives meaning to every encounter we have, every place that we go, and all the things that we do with one another. You are to develop your capacity to see, not just the expression of unique personality, but also the meaningful, restraining, guiding, hand of history, culture, tradition and social power. This is a course of activities designed to enhance your capacity to see in a nuanced way the webs of relationships within which each of us are embedded and embodied; and which give significance to our behavior, conduct and activity.

Recipe:

1) Each week go someplace where you can safely observe people going about their business.
2) Compose a one or two page essay that defines who, what, when, where, how you went about your observations; and describes as carefully as possible the observations you made. Finally, add your own summary or conclusion, or statement about something that happened that provoked you to think.Then spell-check, re-read, edit, make sure that it all makes sense.
3) Post this essay on the classes' internet "discussion board" (in www.tenebrae.org/coursework/hbse/)
4) Read some of your classmates postings, and respond to any you find interesting or thought provoking to you (at least two each week).
5) Do all this in a timely way.