Participant Observation
As you read in your text, observing people going about their everyday lives and viewing those interactions that are featured daily can promote better cultural understanding of those in that culture, but as well can help you “test” out cultural knowledge you access from talking to others in that culture and those familiar with that culture. Observation can also help you overcome the effects of culture shock.
This activity is designed to give you experience in the role of “observer”; one you will need to master when deployed or assigned overseas.
Your task is to spend at least one hour observing an activity in a location unfamiliar to you, and then write 5-7 paragraphs about your experience.
1. Select a public place where you can unobtrusively observe people conducting some aspect of their daily lives. Select a location or establishment that is unfamiliar to you, such as a park you’ve never visited, a restaurant serving food that is unfamiliar to you, a place where people practice an unusual hobby or sport, or a site on your fort that is not part of your daily routine. If the setting is very large or open, you may need to limit your observation to a particular part of the setting.
2. Visit this location for at least one hour and take notes while you’re there. In your notes, write details about the following parts of the scene:
a) the physical setting;
b) the people involved; and
c) the patterns of behavior you witness.
Be as descriptive as possible: The physical setting can provide clues about the values and beliefs of a culture.
What physical objects/artifacts are prevalent? Are they natural or made by people?
How does the physical setting organize people?
How is space designated for certain groups versus other groups?
Who does the site cater to or attract?
When writing about the people you are observing, make a note of the different types or groups of people you observe at the site.
How do you know they are a part of a certain cultural group? We will study cultural groups more in depth in later modules, but for this assignment try to pick out the physical and symbolic markers that identify different groups of people.
Are the groups separated according to certain markers of identity? Patterns of behavior also give us important clues that will help us overcome the sense of strangeness we feel with country shock and culture shock.
What repeated patterns do you observe at this location? If there aren’t repeated patterns then describe the flow of activity you observe.
Are the behaviors you see specific to this location? Are they similar to something you are familiar with in your cultural background?
To complete the assignment, use your notes to build your 5-7 paragraphs, but do not turn in notes without any analysis or additional thought. Your paragraphs should:
Summarize what you learned in connection to the physical setting, the people, and their patterns of behavior (these could be three separate paragraphs, if you like). Refrain from making generalizations about the culture or drawing conclusions.
Describe the experience of being an “observer” rather than a participant. Using an example or two, tell which parts of the scene you might have missed if you had participated fully before having the chance to observe? How might this practice of stepping into the observer role be useful when you are faced with decidedly different cultures, whether deployed or not?
IMPORTANT Note: To protect the privacy of those observed, do not use the specific name of the setting or names of individuals.
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