Essay 1

So, I started interviewing people last weekend to determine different points of view. Most of the people I talked to liked living in Stu East. I'm getting ready to start my paper, and I'm trying to figure out how exactly I want to do that. I observed dorm life by keeping my door open and listening to the life going on around me. I also talked to various people I ran into. One of my friends went home for the weekend and when she came back today she seemed like a completely different person. I'm not sure if it was because she acts like a different person when she's in her hometown compared to when she's in the dorm or if something just happened and that's why her mood was different. Anyways, the change in behavior made me want to look further into how dorm life may change behaviors.

Presumptions

While living in Studebaker East, I have noticed a few different things about the students that reside there. They vary from loud/outgoing to shy/reserved but the difference in personalities doesn't affect some behaviors they all share. I am a female, living on the fourth floor of the building but I have friends that are scattered throughout the floors. It seems to me that there are certain floors that love their study time, and there are certain floors that love their party time. More floors are social than others, but we're all there to achieve the same goal. An education. I have always been one to focus on my grades, but when I got to college there was so much more freedom and I wasn't really involved in any clubs or sports like I was in high school, so the opportunity to do other things other than study often came up. A lot of students seem to do this as well. It's not that we don't care about our education, just that we have more choices than we've ever had before and we have to learn to balance our time. The upper classmen in the building have learned this already for the most part. They are always helpful and friendly whenever someone needs their advice. My high school was really small. I knew everyone I graduated with. So coming to BSU was a bit of a difference. It hasn't changed me that much though. I'm more open now, and a little more outgoing. I see as the second semester rolls around that many people living in the dorms are becoming more friendly as well. It's as if we all were just a little scared to get out of our comfort zones. I've never enjoyed getting mail as much as I do at school. I notice that all the students who receive mail are overjoyed when they open their mailbox. It's almost like a mini christmas, and of course it's nice to know that someone is thinking about you. In the end, I guess I'm starting to pick up different behaviors and similiarities everyone has.

Beginning Paper 1

Things to accomplish:
-- A detailed description of the subculture and site you will be studying this semester including some of the behaviors, insider phrases, rules, rituals, and locations that distinguish this subculture

• The Studebaker East Dorm on Ball State University Campus
• "Stu Easy", quiet hours, no smoking, door decorating
• floor meetings, waffle night

-- The reasons you wish to study this site and subculture

• I am a part of it.
• Learn the different behaviors and how they are different from other areas of campus.

-- The prior knowledge, assumptions, biases, and preconceptions you have about this subculture and site

• Boy/Girl dorm
• Tend to be noisy
• A lot of drinkers
• Love to have fun

-- The issues, problems, or larger concerns involved in this subculture and site

• Unknown right now

-- The people you think would be "key informants" for your paper, why you think they would be “key informants,” and questions you hope they can address

• People are definitely the key informants since my paper is about life inside the dorms.
• They are the ones living the life.
• They allow the dorm life to define how they live at Ball State.
• How has dorm life changed you?
• How has dorm life affected your grades?
• How has dorm life affected your relationships with others?
• How do you think dorm life will affect your schooling at Ball State in the future? And why?

-- Describe your first encounter with the people at your field site, whether it is by email, another online method, phone, or in person (you should make contact and conduct an informal interview with at least one member of the subculture)

• Unknown at the moment

I plan on starting interviews later on this week to answer some of the questions that I have and need for this first paper. I will be interviewing students on the fourth floor mostly because that's the floor I live on. Students on the other floors will be interviewed when I run into them, so I'm guessing that it might be handy to start carrying a notebook and pen with me to jot down notes. It will be interesting to see how this subculture of Ball State lives their lives differently from other people on campus :D

Responding to two ethnographic essays

In Rick's paper about the truck stop, he did prior research by searching through trucker magazines, brochures, and books that may have given him some information to prepare him for any questions that he might have for the truckers. In the second essay, the girl was a refugee herself at one point, so she has some prior knowledge of what the people she was working with had been through. The authors of these field workings used interviews for most of their evidence. They also included detailed descriptions of the environments that they are interviewing in. Each group that the authors interviewed had their own way of life. They did similar things, acted in certain ways, and has similar languages. This is what sets them apart from other people in society. Both authors did a good job of bringing the environment to life through their writings. After reading the reports, I felt that I understand the life of the subject that they were discussing.

Topic of Choice

After researching over the weekend, I have come to the conclusion of studying freshmen dorm life. I reside in the dorms, and have often wondered if the influence of dorm life your freshmen year changes how you go about your everyday life. I want to know if the encounters you make in the dorms enhance your learning or simply distract you from your studies. It is also interesting to discover if your views of various things change with the impact of others around you. I hope to interview those who live within the dorms and a few who either commute or live in an apartment to see the effects of the different learning situations. I think this topic will hold my interest for the semester since I am included within this subculture. There were a few other subcultures I was considering, such as music (band or choir) or facebook users. These topics may be harder for me to actually interact with the respondents though. I feel that the topic of freshmen dorm life will be the best fit.

First post! Just checking to see if this works :D