Week 3 (progress)

So far, for this project I have just done the basics. I have decided upon which sub culture I am going to be researching. I have also typed up my plan of research. I have not yet started my interviews, however I do know who I will be interviewing and the possible times of when these interviews will be taking place. I am planning on asking questions of how they got into the sub culture, how they like it, would they change anything about it, would they recommend others to join their sub culture, and questions like that. I find these to be important questions because they will enlighten everyone else about the sub culture. I have not yet visited my cultural site, however I am going to be going there soon, within the next week or two. I have not really attempted to find any text information yet, because I don't feel that I will find much text information other than the library time I will be spending on it. Yes academic research we be more along the lines of looking up and trying to find the answers to things asked of you, and researching more at libraries and actual text information. Non academic research is more casual and finding out information that maybe you are more interested in yourself.

Research Plan

I am planning on going to the library at least a week before our actual library class date. I am guessing that I won't be able to get much information out of text though. Hopefully I will be able to get at least 3 or 4 interviews. I also want to conduct a survey to the subculture for them to fill out while I am visiting the site one of the times. The site is back home, so I am planning on visiting the site a few times. However many of the people in the sub culture I can contact online, or via the phone. I can meet with any of the informants at the actual sites on at least 3 days out of the week.

Week 2 (my fieldsite)

I have chosen the Benton Central Rhythmette dance team as my subculture. I will be doing most of my fieldwork at Benton Central high school, which is located in Oxford, Indiana. It is about two hours away from BSU. The two main field sites that I will be researching at will be in the gym,(where they perform their dances), and also in the school's commons area, (where they practice). The gym is a regular high school basketball gym arena. The commons however has some tables in it, and then a big open area where the dancers will be practicing. I am already an insider, but I do want to learn and discover more about the culture. Things do change over time in every subculture at least a little bit, so I am expecting to see if any new rituals have been initiated. Also I am looking forward to meeting and interviewing some of the new members of the subculture (the team). I will be gathering most of my information from interviews and also surveys. Some of the new members might be able to serve as a reminder to me to what it was first like to join this subculture. I am very excited to learn what its like to be a fieldworker/writer.

Box #11

I am thinking of choosing my subculture to be the Benton Central Rhythmette dance team. I am choosing this subculture so I can inform people more about dancers. My fixed positions will work well with my subculture, because all of the team members are girls also. My subjective positions are that I was already on this dance team for three years. I also know many of the girls that are on the team now. Plus I am close friends with the two coaches.

Box #2

I wake up each morning and jump down off of my flat surface that I sleep on. I realize it is now time to get ready for class. The first thing I do is reach for the electronic that lights up and makes sounds come out of it. After touching the screen a few times, sounds began to play. These sounds help me wake up and get energized for my day. Next I usually reach for my brush that I use on my teeth along with the goo that goes on the brush. After making my mouth taste good, I like to then make my hair unknotted. To complete this objective I use a purple stick with mini sticks coming out of one side of it. The next thing that I do in the mornings is find something to keep my body warm during the day. I then reach in my box that slides out and grab a piece for my upper body and a piece for my lower body. Lastly I make sure that my sack is packed and filled with all of the paper with words on it that I will need for my classes. Then, I turn off the electronic sounds and lock my barrier to the rest of the hallway.

Week 1 (Past Paper)

My last paper that I wrote was probably my favorite.I spent the most time on it. Before I wrote it I did a little bit of brainstorming about what I was going to actually focus on in my paper. I did this by making an old fashioned web chart. Then I wrote up my outline. That was the worse part about it. I hate writing outlines. I didn't have any music or noise in the background though, it was complete silence. If I have music in the background I tend to listen to it instead of writing. By the time I finished the paper I had written three different drafts, including the final copy. The paper was basically a persuasive type of paper. We were given the option of picking our own topic to write on. Editing to me is more along the lines of grammar, checking the spelling of words, and rules suck as that. It also helps to do peer editing because then you have a different set of eyes looking at your paper. Revising is maybe more of switching the wording in a paragraph or using a completely different set of information in part of the paper. Revising can also be changing around a sentence to make it easier to understand.