Sherry Foundations15

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

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 fellow researchers in your field.
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

4.0

3.0

2.0

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

1.0

Process (Note: these are steps for process, not product; see models on wiki for help with form)
Option 1: College Life

Option 2: Community Practices

Investigate three dorm rooms; take notes and photos of the

Investigate a space where people in this group typically

decorations in the room (be sure to ask permission/explain you

congregate; take notes and photos of the space (be sure to ask

will not reveal the persons identity). What do peoples living

permission/explain you will not reveal the persons identity).

spaces suggest about them? Note similarities/ differences.

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

Survey five people about how they usually spend a day (and how

much time they spend in each activity). What does the way

much time they spend in each activity). What does the way

people spend their time suggest? Note how much/how often.

people spend their time suggest about their practices? Note how
much/how often.

Investigate one public spacea dining hall or campus caf. Make

Investigate one public spacea professional conference, a

a map of the space: where do people sit? With whom? What do

skatepark, a mall. Make a map of the space: where do people go?

they do? Spend at least half an hour observing. Note patterns.

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

Interview two people who seem to you to be unlike you: Use the

questions we will develop together to learn more about how they

questions we will develop together to learn more about how they

understand and participate in college culture at Bloom.

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.