CLUE College Life/Community Life Under Examination

Purpose To study college life at Bloomsburg/practices in a community critically; To practice collecting, analyzing, and composing research

Sherry Foundations13

In college, you are often asked to be critical; to do this requires awareness of the assumptions of your community. College courses in education also often ask you to write research; this assignment will help you practice gathering, arranging, and interpreting evidence for that major. Assignment In this assignment you will take photos, surveys, interviews, and field notes, generating evidence through ethnographic methods. Your purpose is to describe the culture of college life at Bloomsburg, or the practices of a particular group, through attention to what values are expressed by where and how people interact. Your audience is a stranger to this placeme! Assessment
Criterion/Grade Organization: arranges relevant details clearly to accomplish purpose(s) Content : uses details thoroughly and specifically to make point(s) Conventions: style and grammar match the models read in class Technique: uses composing practices discussed in class
A 4.0 is Relevant details selected and clearly arranged to make point(s) Details used thoroughly and specifically to make point(s) Style/grammar of genre(s) examined in class used appropriately for authors own purposes Composing techniques discussed in class are used appropriately for authors own purposes A 3.0 is Relevant details selected and arranged to make points Details used thoroughly or specifically to make point(s) Style/grammar of the genre(s) examined in class are used appropriately but mechanically Composing techniques discussed in class are used appropriately but mechanically A 2.0 is Details arranged to make point(s) Details used to make point(s) Style/grammar of the genre(s) examined in class are attempted but not always appropriate Composing techniques discussed in class are attempted but not always appropriate A 1.0 is Details do not seem relevant; arrangement unclear Lacks details; does not make point(s) Style/grammar of the genre(s) examined in class are not used Composing techniques discussed in class are not used

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

Process (Note: these are steps for process, not product; see models on wiki for help with form)
Option 1: College Life Investigate three dorm rooms; take notes and photos of the decorations in the room (be sure to ask permission/explain you will not reveal the persons identity). What do peoples living spaces suggest about them? Note similarities/ differences. Option 2: Community Practices Investigate a space where people in this group typically congregate; take notes and photos of the space (be sure to ask permission/explain you will not reveal the persons identity). What do peoples living/working spaces suggest about their meaning-making practices (writing/reading/researching)? Note similarities/ differences. Survey five people about how they usually spend a day (and how much time they spend in each activity). What does the way people spend their time suggest? Note how much/how often. Investigate one public spacea dining hall or campus caf. Make a map of the space: where do people sit? With whom? What do they do? Spend at least half an hour observing. Note patterns. Interview two people who seem to you to be unlike you: Use the questions we will develop together to learn more about how they understand and participate in college culture at Bloom. Survey five people about how they usually spend a day (and how much time they spend in each activity). What does the way people spend their time suggest about their practices? Note how much/how often. Investigate one public spacea professional conference, a skatepark, a mall. Make a map of the space: where do people go? with whom? What do they do? Spend at least 30 min observing. Note patterns. Interview two people who seem to you to be unlike you: Use the questions we will develop together to learn more about how they understand and participate in the meaning-making practices of the community. Use the data we generated and discussed together to compose an account of college culture at Bloomsburg;/community practices among members of a social group; remember that this is your interpretation of the datait will not be The Right Answer, but it must be persuasive. Use the composing practices modeled by the readings and discussed in class (concerning arrangement and interpretation of evidence); use footnotes to mark at least three places youve done this. Include a reflection: How did you address the criteria for this assignment? For each category of the rubric, write an explanation using a specific example from your work.