race

Reflections on Race Fieldnotes Part 1: Interactions Due Thursday September 15th by 11:59 p.m., 75 points ANTH150 || Race, Ethnicity and the American Dream Fall 2016 There are two aspects to this set of fieldnotes: (1) a data table, as described below, and (2) thoughtful responses to a series of open-ended questions. In the spirit of ethnographic observation, we are first asking you to observe, then reflect. (1) Observation. For 2 consecutive days, this assignment asks you to pay close attention to the people you interact with (that is, speak directly to). These people may be your close friends, professors, TAs, teammates, sorority or fraternity members, club members, coworkers, bosses, or simply acquaintances or strangers (cashiers, office workers, customer service representatives, etc.). We want you to keep as accurate a list as possible of ALL of these interactions for two (2) days with at least 5 unique entries a day (total: 10 entries). You will need to keep a list of the following pieces of information (data):

a. the date b. person’s name, if you know it c. their relationship to you (friends, acquaintance, stranger, boss, etc.) d. where you spoke to them (at checkout line, at home, in class, etc.) e. what their approximate age is f. what their gender is g. what your perception of their race or ethnicity is (based on your perception

of their phenotype and behaviors, as if you had to put them in a category) Your data table will look something like this: Date Name Relationship Where Age Gender Perceived

Race/Ethnicity Other data?

9/4 Dr. Long Soldier

Professor In class 45 Female Native American

9/4 Marcia Best Friend Texted 19 Female White 9/4 ? Cashier at

Circle K Checkout counter

25 Male Mexican American

10 entries total... (2) Reflection. Once you have your complete list for both days of observation, respond to the following questions with a thoughtful mini-analysis of at least 1 single-spaced page addressing the following: What patterns emerge from your data? Is it clear that you speak mostly to people of a certain age, gender, or

racial/ethnic group? Identify as many patterns as you can. Create theories or hypotheses to explain these patterns. (For example, perhaps you volunteer at a nursing home, and most of the people you speak to are over the age of 70. This is how you explain the pattern... but push further. Were there patterns in terms of gender or race/ethnicity, too? How might you explain those patterns?) How are these patterns similar or different to the patterns in your social networks growing up? (For instance, did you always socialize mainly with people your own age, or has that changed? What about in terms of gender and racial/ethnic identity?) As you did your observation, what behaviors, body language, or expressions made you feel close to or distant from the other person? What other influences on closeness or distance did you notice, such as space (the way classrooms are set up, as opposed to the UA Mall, for instance) or material objects (such as a counter separating you from a cashier, or their uniform, which makes them stand out as an employee and not a customer)?