Week 7- Posting 7

There are a lot of benefits of doing fieldwork. By me doing research I can inform other people about the group that don't know anything about it. By me spreading information to others about Something Else, I'll be giving something back to them by introducing people to what their group is all about. In a way by me doing my fieldwork I am giving back to the community by getting somewhat involved with Something Else and promoting it others that are unfamiliar with it. My contribution in general is promoting a Ball State club with a good amount of knowledge and my own experiences to back that knowledge up.

My Survey

These questions have to do with the club "Something Else" so if you're not a member then you probably won't be able to answer the questions.

http://FreeOnlineSurveys.com/rendersurvey.asp?sid=u98j7uu059v72cj550101

Groundwork Activity

I haven't been to my cultural site yet so I don't have a first impression with the actual group as a whole, but I did have my first encounter with them last semester at the TCOM Super Party. The few members at the super party representing the club seemed very outgoing and relaxed. They all seemed very encouraging for young students to get involved. I didn't really get to see the landscape of the club because where I had my first encounter with them was not where the club actually meets for their meetings.

When I had my first encounter with the club I felt sort of rushed because there were some many students at the super party so I didn't get to spend much time with the group. I also felt a little intimidated because the group members there all seemed to be upperclassmen.

I am an outsider to the group because I'm not a member of the club. Other than that obvious fact it's hard to see other reasons why I'm an outsider because I haven't visited my cultural site yet.

Week 6- Posting 6

Source 1: somethingelsetv.com. 2009. Something Else. 18 Feb. 2009. http://www.somthingelsetv.com

My first source is a web source. It is the actual web site of the club I'm doing my mini-ethnography on. The page I'm focusing on gives a description of what the club does. The page also provides information on how to get involved with the club and their contact information. Considering the organization is a sketch comedy club that produces their own sketches every week, their mini episodes can be found on the website. There are also links posted on the site for related websites.

This website will be a great help to me for my mini-ethnography. I'll be able to use the information provided on the site and use it in my paper when I'm describing the club. The site gives great information that gives me background knowledge that I can use in my paper.

Source 2: Rimmel, Michelle. “Something Else TV”. The Daily News. 2 Oct. 2007. 18 Feb. 2009. http://www.bsudailynews.com

My second source is also a web source. It's an article about Something Else posted on Ball State's student news papers. The article talks about Something Else's success and the club gaining popularity. The article also talked about the clubs plans for the future and what new projects they are working on. The article also gave information about how many viewers the sketches get on a week to week basis.

This article is helpful towards my paper because it again gives me good background information. The article also provides facts and quotes from some of the members current and past that I can include in my mini-ethnography.

Box #18- Finding a Focal Point

I haven't gone to my field site yet so I don't know what the focal point is. I think the focal point will be wherever the whole group meets because different parts of the group meet on different nights. I'm not sure where this meeting place is but it's every Tuesday night at 10. I feel like this will be the focal point because it is the place where everyone in the club will come together to plan, discuss, and organize their ideas for the upcoming tasks they want to accomplish. I think this will be the place the place where most of the action will take place and a good place to conduct my interviews and observations.

Cultural Shock- In class writing activity

A distant place that I've traveled to in the near past was Italy, which was in between my sophomore and junior year of high school. I went with my family and we spent about 2 weekes there. It was an experience like no other I have had before. Everything was so different there. The most noticable thing was the different language. A good number of the people also spoke English so that was nice. At restuarants there two sets of menus, one in Italian and one in English. A strange thing that I noticed at the restuarants is that all of the pop were in cans and not refrigerated. They would bring you a cup with usually only one or two ice cubes in it. And you had to pay each time you want a refill. Another thing that was different was paying for stuff in Euros and figuring out good prices were. On magazines and on TV things wern't censored like they are in the U.S.

Week 5- Posting 5

In order to finish my mini-ethnography I need to actually have to conduct my fieldwork by visiting my site and conducting my interviews and observers. The only research I need is the information I'll get from my interviews. I plan on going to the the club meetings to conduct my fieldwork. I'll interview some of the club members and observe what takes place at the meetings. If I get the chance I guess I could participate in the club during the time I'm observing and conducting my interviews. The only concern I have for the upcoming assignment is whether or not I'll be able to find valuable resources that I can actually use for my final project.

Box #15 in class activity

As I walk to the small brown fridge in the back room of my basement to grab a pop I yell to my friends, "Do you guys want anything?". I get a loud roar of mixed answers back so I just grab enough cans for everyone. As I walk out of the back room with my hands full of pop cans the familiar smell of smelly socks and Taco Bell with an air freshener trying to cover the smell fills my nostrils. When I make my way over to the couch I ungracefully set the mess of cans down on a small round table.

Box #15

A place that brings back a lot of memories is my basement back home. Throughout most of high school this is where me and my group of friends usually hung out. We would watch movies and play video games staying up til 4 in the morning. My basement used to be nice and clean because my mom decorated it. Now two or three years after we got the basement finished the couches are dirty, the pillows are torn, and everything is worn. My mom has given up on it staying nice and we have made it our own. There is a small round table that sits next to one of the two couches in the basement that seems to get accidentally knocked over every time anyone is over. The legs of it are loose and it barely stands up anymore. There's an electronic dart board on the wall with what seems to be hundreds of small holes surrounding it. The game still works but all but two of nine darts are broken.

Throughout a typical night of video games hearing cursing, yelling, and laughing is a normal thing. After the night is over the basements smells like Taco Bell from our late night run for food, and "stinky boy" as my mom would describe it, which I would have to describe as a mix between smelly socks and body odder. There was usually five or six of us so you can imagine. After these late nights you're sure to find empty pop and energy drink cans scattered everywhere, empty chip bags, and Taco Bell wrappers. In the morning you'll usually here loud snoring. Although it isn't the nicest, cleanest, or most exciting place it is our hang out and where we continue to hang out when we all come home for visits. I wouldn't trade those times in that basement for anything in the world.

I think this is both a work of ethographic study and entertainment. The interviewers subjects are the adults who were once the kids apart of the skate team. The interviewers also interviewed the owners of the skate and surf shop that influenced the young skaters. They are important because these people were involved with the topic being researched during the time period they skated and surfed. The interviewer doesn't really play a major role in the documentary. They aren't really noticeable. They really move the story along be going through how all of these kids and their hobby of skateboarding came about.

Week 4- Posting 4

I think that every subculture is different depending on where you go. If I studied a similar group at a smaller college there probably wouldn't be as many members. If I studied my subculture at a larger college there might be more members and more funding might be provided to the group. If I studied a club similar to my subculture, at a high school, some of the sketches story lines and subjects might be limited. The group might also be more immature. At other colleges, I think there would definitely be different rules, rituals, behaviors, etc. Every subculture has their own traditions and their own way of doing things. Religious and political views would also influence the group. If a majority of the community believes in one thing, those views would influence the decision making process.

Box 12- Unlearning Our Privilege

Age: 19

Nationality: American

Gender: Male

Race: White

Education Level: Freshman in college

Social and/or financial support: Middle-class

Having money for this school year, for books and spending money, from working all summer is a privilege I got from working hard all summer.

Being born into a middle-class family is a privilege. I don't have to worry about money as much as other students may have to.

Being 19 years old could be a privilege because I am considered an adult and I'm able to more than someone that is just two years younger than me.

Being the youngest in my family could also be a privilege because I've always been taken care of by my parents and older brothers.

Privileges that may effect my research could be that I'm a Ball State student so I know how to approach the students in the club I'm researching.