Review of My Own Essay

1. Whose views am I representing?
- I am representing my own views and the views of the residents that live in K/E. There is also a lot of background information about my subculture. It is all pretty much balanced out equally, although there might be a little more background information than anything.
2. How am I organizing?
-I am organizing my paper with sub headings. This will keep my paper in order by category and not chronologically.
3. How do I represent my informants?
-My informants are represented by interviews I have conducted with them over the course of my research. I think I have included enough details for the reader to visualize what is being said.
4. What details do I use?
- When talking about different places in paper I use a lot of detail such as things you see, smell, and hear. These types of details give an excellent visual for the reader, and I think they will know what it's like to be there.
5. What assumptions and positions do I bring to my interpretation?
-I have taken a lot of positions while writing this paper, but I don't really reveal them because I do not want my paper to be biased. I want the reader to make their own assumptions about the subculture. Since the subculture is a floor community of a bunch of girls, there are definitely a lot of assumptions and tensions to be seen and found.
6. Could the information be presented in a different way and still be the same?
- I guess I could present the information in a way where I give more of my opinion and state my positions on a few topics and still inform the reader of the important information.

Review of Sam Samuels, On The Line

2- Thesis: Telemarketers may be stingy people but they are hardworking.
6- Voices: The conversations between the author and Franco. Also, the ones between the telemarketer and the customer. And the conversation between the author and Eugenia. The author did a lot of observations throughout the essay. The author used references to several books that are placed throughout the essay. The author uses more of certain secondary sources than others, but they are all used throughout the essay.
7- The organization was chronologically based on a workday. Yes, the essay is reader friendly.
8- We liked how the author incorporated a conversation with one of the telemarketers. It showed how he felt about being called at home.

Group E

Questions to help thicken my paper.

1. What's going on here?What are your informant’s rituals and routines? – The rituals of this floor basically revolve around having regular meetings, games in the lounge once a week, and a workout challenge that the whole floor is involved in.

How do people and places interact? – The people and places of this subculture interact by the students using the study lounge for studying, playing games, and gossiping. Also, the girls use the actual dorm rooms as social rooms to just hang out in with their friends.

Which details can you include that will capture your experience entering the subculture? – I plan on describing what you see, feel, and smell when you walk onto the fifth floor.

What have you seen, heard, or thought? – I’ve seen girls get into small debates, I’ve seen girls getting ready together to go out at night, sharing clothes, and helping each other study. I’ve also heard stories about ghosts and haunting.

2. Where's the culture?What evidence have you gathered that demonstrates this group is a subculture? – All the girls live on the same floor, they share facilities such as the bathroom, showers, laundry room, and study lounge.

What have you discovered about the groups use of language and artifacts? – The language is pretty normal, there are a few inside jokes that float around that outsiders might not understand though.

What is the history of the group? – The history of the group is pretty much the same throughout the years. It serves the same purpose every year as a place to live, study, make friends and connections, and feel as much at home as possible.


3. What's the story?What "twin tales" should you tell about this subculture and your research? – There are a few stories I would like to incorporate into my final paper. There is one about a common study lounge in another part of the country, and there are a few stories about common organizations in other college dorms.

What does the culture mean through the perspective of informants or insiders? – The culture through the perspective of an insider is one that sees the culture as a home. It is a safe place to go, a place where you have friends, a place where you can always find help whether it’s a personal problem or a homework problem.

What is the story of how you the researcher conducted the research? – I conducted the research by making observations of the subculture. Since I am an insider to this subculture it was very easy to conclude most of what I was observing. I also made interviews with several girls who are part of the subculture. I took several pictures to show the readers exactly what I was trying to describe.

Three Questions About My Paper

What surprised me?
-What surprised me about my paper was that there are a lot of other campuses across the country that share the same qualitites as the fifth floor of Knotts Hall, even down to the study lounge furniture. Also, another thing that was surprising was the amount of girls that actually get along on with one another. But when you take a step back and look you will see that there are actually two groups of friends on this floor. The two hallways kind of form two clicks of friends.

What intrigued me?
-What intrigued me most about this subculture is the diversity of the girls, and how well they still got along. All the girls are very different from each other and yet they still find things in common with one another.

What disturbed me?
-Nothing really disturbed me about this subculture.

Story of Helen-The Residential Ghost

While studying in the lounge you can expect to hear a multiple array of noises. Some of these noises are keyboards being typed on, pencils being drug along notebooks, music faintly escaping the headphones of the girl next to you, and even sometimes Helen. Helen is the residential ghost of Knotts Hall. There are a number of stories of how she came about to be here but the one I was told was this one. Helen was a student here years ago studying to be an elementary school teacher. One night her boyfriend came over to help her study for an exam. It came to be that they got into a fight and her boyfriend killed her, or so some think. No one knows if she was actually murdered or if she killed herself. The story goes on to say that Helen still walks the halls and hides in the bathroom and study lounges. Some girls say they have been in the study lounge late at night and heard scratching noises on the walls and tables. Others have heard the door close when no one was coming in or out. Some of the girls that live on the floor have tried to organize a sleepover in the lounge to see if they can see or hear Helen, but it has always fallen through.

Interview with Amy for Third Paper

My next interview was with Amy, a girl who lives down the hall right next to the study lounge. I asked Amy if she liked living right next door to the lounge. Amy replied by saying, “Yes and no. Yes, because it means that I only have to worry about noise coming from one neighbor. No, because I have heard some weird stories about Helen and also because there is always someone walking by my room to get to the lounge. I’m not a big traffic person.” I then asked her if she has ever experienced anything out of the ordinary while in the lounge. She answered me by saying, “Yes! It was my nineteen birthday and I was in there studying for a math test when eight of my friends came barreling in with little squirt guns shooting water at me! It was quite funny and a nice relief from studying.” My last question for Amy was how important did she think the study lounge was. Amy replied, “I think the study lounge is really important. There are a lot of girls, including myself, who can’t study in their room because there are too many distractions. We also use the lounge to get away from people, like roommates, and girls that annoy us. If my roommate has a friend over that I do not care for I just go sit in the study lounge and get on my laptop.”

Interview with Kesha for Third Paper

I asked Kesha if she has ever noticed the smell coming from the study lounge and if so what she thought of it. She responded by saying, “Yes! The smell is horrible! It is like walking into my grandmother’s house in July!” I then asked her if she has ever heard anything weird in the study lounge that could potentially be Helen. Kesha said, “No, not really. I do not think I believe the stories about Helen. It is probably just a story to scare the freshman. Although I have heard she messes with the service elevator sometimes. She takes the elevator to the top floor when you want to go to the fifth or sixth.” Another question I asked Kesha was if she thought the study lounge was a good place to get some work done. Kesha answered by saying, “Yeah, it is okay. It is pretty quiet for the most part and there is nothing in there to distract you. Plus, if the resident advisor walks by and sees you studying she will give you KE Cash.” For my next question I asked her to explain the KE Cash. She said, “KE Cash is fake colorful money given to the residents for doing something good, like studying or helping someone out. At the end of each semester there is an auction where you can spend your KE Cash at.”

Introduction of Third Paper-First draft

Study Lounge Observation The study lounge on the fifth floor of Knotts/Edwards in Lafollette Complex is probably not thought of as one of the most important places on campus. To the girls who live on the fifth floor, however, it is. This room is the central meeting place for the whole floor. At the beginning of the year it was a room where all the girls came in together to play games to get to know one another. Now it is a place where they can go to get some quiet time to study, to get away from their roommates, and even talk about a crazy Friday night on a Saturday morning.

second observation

I went back to the study lounge on the fifth floor of Knotts/Edwards today to get some more information for my paper. I sat on one of the old green couches in the corner and watched the girls during social hour. At first the lounge was empty, quiet and hot, smelling like an old man had lived there for years. After about fifeteen minutes four girls came in through the door and sat down at the first table they came to. One of the blonde girls set down a game called Monopoly and said "Who wants popcorn?!" The girl then left to make popcorn i assume. While the popcorn girl was gone the others started setting up the board and handing out the fake slips of colorful money. About five minutes later the blonde girl returned with a freshly popped bag of popcorn, go figure. the smell quickly changed from musty old man to salty and buttery popcorn. Although this was a nice relief for my nose, it made me rather hungry. As the girls got to playing the game it became increasingly more intense. The girls would randomly shout and start laughing or even arguing at times. A few other girls walking by the study lounge would stop in and see what all the shouting was about but then soon leave after getting bored with the on goings of the game. After watching these girls play for twenty minutes I decided to leave and continue my observations later.

First Observation

Detail categories of first site observation...

Sight: -green 60's carpet with brown diamonds weaved into it.
-lots of green couches,loveseats, and chairs that line the walls
-five tables with four chairs around each of them
-one clock hanging by the door
-there are two fans
Sound: -you can hear girls typing on their laptops
-sometimes girls have their headphones turned up rather loud
-the fans humming
-the door swinging open
-the lights sometimes make a humming noise
Smell:-it smells like a ninety year old man's house.old and dusty.
-sometimes someone will bring in popcorn and that smell fills the room

I might have to go back and observe and take notes on how the girls act while in the study lounge, both when it is study hours and when it is social hours. I need to take notes on what the girl's habits are while studying.

The study lounge on the fifth floor is not very big at all. It always smells like old man and is probably the most outdated of all the study lounges. The carpet is most likely from the 60's with it's green and brown diamond pattern. It is always hot in there due to no air conditioning. The fans help a little but only for the people the fans are facing. The noise in the study lounge is very minimal. All you ever hear during study times are keys being touched, faint music coming from headphones, and the humming of the fans and lights. When it's not study hours you will find girls in there eating together and even playing games. Also, the floor holds meeting in there once a month to discuss important floor decisions and problems and plan floor activities.

Ideas for Paper Three

The next paper I have to write is about a place that is important to my subculture. I have to go to this site and observe and maybe even do some interviewing while I am there. Going there a few times will definitely give me more information than just going once. There are a couple sites I think would be good for this paper, the study lounge on the fifth floor, and the 6th floor study lounge. The fifth floor study lounge is where all the girls from this floor go to study and sometimes play games. There are lots of couches and chairs that line the walls of this room. The six floor study lounge is much bigger than the fifth floor study lounge. It covers the entire sixth floor on one wing. The girls go there to have meetings, study together, and play games if no one else is up there.

First Interview with Kesha

My interview with my roommate, Kesha.

Question: What do you like most about living on the fifth floor of Knotts?
Kesha: "I like how the girls mostly get along and no one tries to start problems. I also like how the girls that live right next to you become your best friends.That's nice."

Question: What is the worst thing about living on the fifth floor?
Kesha: "The worst thing would probably have to be the fact that the RA at the end of the hall doesn't really like me that much. Oh, and I don't like the quiet hours thing."

Question: What do you like most about Lifetime Movie Nights?
Kesha: "The best thing is probably the food. Everyone brings mass food to share and we always have a blast."

Conclusion-Paper One

I want to study this subculture and this site because it’s where I live and where a lot of my new friends live. I never knew it could be so interesting to just sit at the end of the hallway and watch what all goes on in one little hallway. It really is like a tiny little community stuck inside of a building. Also, studying this subculture will be another way to learn more about the girls I live with and how they interact with each other. Studying something I am apart of just makes sense and I want to tell people how great it is to be a part of a community where everyone has something to share or teach you.

Conclusion-Paper Two

The artifacts I have discussed serve an important purpose within the subculture. They may be small things to most people, but the fifth floor girls really appreciate them and have fun with them. Without the television in room 526 no one would have Lifetime Movie Nights, or just the random walk-in TV show marathon sessions. If the bulletin board was not there, there would not have been an awesome ice-breaker or a helpful place to go for advice. These artifacts connect the fifth floor girls of Knotts/Edwards Hall. These artifacts are more than just objects, they are an important part of the core of our friendship.

Introduction-Paper Two

There are many items in the subculture I am studying that would be considered important artifacts. They all have a special meaning to everyone in the subculture, even though they may seem like ordinary artifacts to people outside of the subculture. An object does not have to be an old piece of history or a shard of pottery to be an artifact. An artifact in a subculture can be something as simple as a television, a bulletin board, or even a movie that you watch on the television. In my subculture of choice there are two different artifacts I will talk about.

Introduction-Paper One

Knotts Hall, fifth floor, that’s where I live. I am part of a subculture that is my community, my floor in Knotts Hall. The girls on this floor are extremely friendly, towards certain people. At first glance everyone seemed nice and I thought we were all going to be friends and no one would form clicks like back in high school; I was wrong. Everything about this subculture changes on a daily basis, from friendships to roommates.

Sense of Place

There’s a place I go back home when I want to be by myself and think. My family calls it the Beach. It is a natural sand beach that sits next to a large creek by my house. There is a small swing hanging from an oak tree that dangles over the water’s edge. It is so nice to just sit there and think about life and your problems. No one else is around and all you can hear is the water flowing past you. There are many trees surrounding the creek and the natural beach. The trees sort of lean over the creek on both sides to create a canopy. The sunlight comes through the branches at random points and makes the landscape look peaceful. The wind sometimes blows through as if it is blowing through a tunnel, straight through without wondering off. You can always hear the birds calling one another, and the leaves blowing together in the wind. Also, in the summer my friends come out and we lie on rafts in the water and soak up the sun rays poking through the trees. This is probably one of the most relaxing things to in Guilford, besides sleep.

Passed Down

My mother once told me a story about how she stole my grandfather’s car. When she was sixteen my grandfather told her she had to earn her own money to buy her own car. She thought this was fair and went out and got a job cleaning the church they attended on Sundays. My grandfather let her use his truck to get to and from work, but that was it. One night she came home from work and asked if she could go to a party at her best friend’s house. My grandfather asked my mom if she had a car to get there. She obviously said no, but asked if she could borrow his truck just this one time. He said absolutely not, and she stormed to her bedroom. My mom then decided that once my grandfather went to bed she would sneak out and take the truck anyways. So at eleven o’clock she snuck out the basement door and took the truck. She made it to the party okay and stayed until two a.m. On her way home a deer jumped out in front of her, scared her, and she swerved off the road. Consequently my grandfather found out that she stole his truck and he grounded her for two months, and made her pay for the damage.
The moral to this story is always think before you act. My mom would always tell my brother and I this story if we did something bad, like take the car without asking, have people over when the parents are out of town, or go somewhere I’m not supposed to be. My mom understands most of the things I do that I shouldn’t have done, just because she has done them once or twice in her day. Yeah, she still gets upset and I usually get grounded, but she will most likely laugh about it later on down the road. After all the times I have heard this story I don’t think it has changed in any way. However, my grandfather might have a different version to tell. My mom wants my family to grow up with good morals and values, and that’s why I think she tells stories like this one.

Julia's Phone Interview/Ovservation

Part 1:
This artifact is Julia's cell phone. It has a silver and black zebra print cover and is pretty long. It flips open sideways for easy texting. It has a camera on the back of the phone. It has six buttons on the outside of the phone. When you open up the cell phone there is a full keyboard. There is a screen on the outside and on the inside of the phone. The front screen has a cartoon picture of Hercules on it and the screen inside has a slide show of hot guys pictures on it. There is a phone charger plug in on the bottom of the device. There are three speakers on it. This object is used to text and call friends and family and take pictures.
Part 2:
This phone looks very nice and is probably real expensive. It reminds me of my own phone because mine used to have a zebra cover on it as well.
Part 3:
Interview:
What is the artifact that you brought in? --“Cell phone.”
What purpose does the artifact have? –“Texting, taking pictures, and making phone calls.”
Does this artifact have any special meaning to you? – “Yeah, it was the first one that she actually paid for.”
Does this object get a lot of use with a lot of different people? –“Not really, It’s kind of a personal item.”
How important is this artifact of your subculture? –“This item is MUCHO IMPORTANTE!”
Does the artifact symbolize anything? …If so what? –“No.”
Does the artifact have a special place to stay within your subculture? –“ It is usually in the left pocket of the coat.”
Part 4:
If I wanted to find out background information on the artifact I would go to the manufacturers online store website. I could look up all the technical information about it, what all it is capable of, how much memory it can hold, if it has the capability of obtaining internet and e-mail.

Observation of an object from my pocket.

I pulled out an ipod from my pocket to observe. It is a silver ipod with blue headphones. It has a black screen that is about an inch on all sides. It also has a menu button, a play/pause button, and a next/previous button. It is a 2GB ipod. It also has a picture of an apple on the back of it. This represents the brand of the item, the ipod. The ipod is a device that lets the user store and listen to their favorite songs. Users mostly use them while working out, walking to class, riding the bus, or to fall asleep with. If you turn it on you will see that it has different categories like album choice, song choice, genre choice, and artist choice. Also, you can play games on it and it can tell you the time and date.

Responding to two ethnographic essays

-- What kinds of evidence or data did the authors use?

-- What kinds of research did the authors do?

-- Why is each group a subculture? Does the author convince you that they are each subcultures?

-- After reading the essay, do you understand what it would be like to be a member of this subculture?

-- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the essays?

-- After reading both examples, what ideas or questions do you have about completing your own ethnographic research project?

Beginning Paper 1

My subculture has a lot of different and fun rituals/daily things we do.

• We try and get as many girls from the floor to go eat dinner together at the same time.
• We all keep our doors open and flow through the halls to chit chat with each other.
• Sometimes we play games in the study lounge if we are bored on a random Wednesday night.
• On the bulletin board on our floor we write embarrassing secrets,stories, or some goals and ambitions about ourselves and each other.

Some insider phrases are:

• "Not that hole."
• "Unatractiphobia"
• "There's a recall on what?!"

I think a few key informants would be my roommate Kesha, and my neighbors Amy,Leah, and Beka. My roommate Kesha would be a great source because she lives with me first off, and secondly she thinks about things in a completely different way than I do. My neighbors would also be good because they get a different look at the "hall life" than my roommate and I do.

Subculture of Choice

I have chosen to write about dorm life on the fifth floor of Knotts Hall. There's no special or sentimental reason for choosing it. If I have to be able to go and visit my topic frequently then I just think it would be easy for me to step right outside my door and be in the heart of my topic. I love my fifth floor girls most at Ball State so I guess it does make sense to write about them. We always have our doors open and are always just walking into each others's rooms to talk about our days or complain about a ridiculous homework assignment. From the start we all clicked immediately. I guess what I would like to discover is why we all basically get along and try and see it from an outsiders point of view.