Blog 15

In this final blog posting of the semester, I'd like you to reflect on your progress throughout the course. What do you feel you have really improved on within the fifteen weeks? What do you still struggle with? Explain. (Consequently, the answers to these questions can pertain to your writing process, the way you conduct research, organizational skills, critical reading skills, or whatever else you can think of). Lastly, provide a suggestion or several suggestions for how the class could be conducted more efficiently in the future. Is there an assignment you think could be reworked? Would you have benefited from more conferences? Less conferences? Etc. etc.

I think that I definitely benefited from this class! In the beginning I had no idea how I would be able to write a 15 page paper but through the class I was well prepared. I have improved in a lot of different ways. My biggest improvement is learning how to research and prepare and pre-write for my writings. I can better prepare myself for large research projects and longer papers that need more content and support. Compared to the other 104 classes I think that this class was much better. I liked that we had one focus we worked with the entire semester. Even though it might sound boring, I really enjoyed having so much time to research and learn things more in detail. I also really liked that we had conferences. I don't think that we had too many or too little. I think the two conferences were helpful because as we got more into the semester we had more in-depth questions rather than in the beginning when we just got started and were not sure exactly what direction we were going in our research.

Blog 14

My favorite piece of data that I have managed to find through all my searching was a Thesis/Essay done by Nicole Steward titled "Religion and Undergraduates" She was a student at Ball State and was curious about the same question I was determined to answer, "Does religion, mainly Christianity, have an effect on students throughout college, or is it just another club?" She came to a conclusion through many hours of online research, flipping through books, long interviews, and many days spent at various christian groups observing. She came to the conclusion that yes, Christianity has a big effect on those who chose to take part in college. Effects related to social, physical, intellectual and emotional well-being. She based her conclusions on the wellness model that describes how to get ultimate health. She described the ways in which youth group members had less alcohol related diseases, felt less lonely having a "higher power" along with many other things. I enjoyed reading this because just like everyone else Im curious how to get that ultimate happiness, all the time, if at all possible. Reading through her research and explanations of worship and religion I realized maybe I had found an answer. Believing in a higher power and believing that there is life after earth was enough to change someone on various levels.

Penscape [Ex Credit Blog]

I walked into room 225 expecting to hear rhymes and rhythms, stories of childhood memories and long lost love. Only after 5 minutes did I realize I had fooled myself. All my life, since I knew how to make words with a pencil, I liked to express myself through art, mainly through writing. When I had a heart and mind full of strong emotions I would instantly grab a pen a pad to write the first words that came to mind. As I finished getting my first words of anger, love, or sadness out I started thinking about what I was writing. "Well, like 2 has to rhyme with line 4, and line 3 needs to rhyme with lines 1 and 5. Ok so...love, dove, above..." I would spend more time thinking of words to rhyme rather than what I was feeling. Listening to you [D.Disarro] showed me that good poetry does need a rhyming pattern. In a sense, yes I always knew that, but I never really understood how to do it. Listening to his piece gave me a bit more hope in my future poetry experiences. As the speakers progressed I saw a common theme. Sexuality. I understand that creative writing and poetry is a form of emotional expression, but honestly...I was a little taken back. One man began talking about the muffin purchased at Starbucks, ending with the quote "I was neutered, and left with a detached dick." Other people would be talking about a normal everyday topic and somehow relate it to sex or their sexuality. Personally, I don't think that's necessary in EVERY poem. Although the writing was obviously good I didn't like how they were all based around sex, their sexuality, and areas of the body. Besides the comments about sex, I liked how so many other metaphors were used. I really enjoy listening to peoples writings when their is such descriptive metaphors only a very talented individual can create in their mind.I really enjoyed listening to some of the works presented at the Penscape, it inspired me to revisit that stored pen and pad.

Cut Up

Every Tuesday afternoon, the little buddies and big buddies of College Mentors meet in TC112, and begin their activity for the week. / The chapter starts and all the girls simultaneously recite the opening ceremony rituals. / After the girls were done stretching I noticed some of the looks of their faces as if they wanted to just run and hide and not go through with this experience, possibly because of their nerves, I was not too sure./ The environment was one that was loud and intense. / Those people who had been through this type of thing before offered words of comfort and optimism. For the first time in two weeks, it was evident just how far we had come as a group.

Blog 13

Before entering college I was already an insider to bible groups, however not an insider to a college level bible group. I had no idea what to expect. Being in a bible group in high school was something you didn't tell everyone, unless you wanted to hear some type of comment making fun of people who enjoy the environment in a bible group. Coming to college I wasn't sure if I should expect the same thing, or with so many varieties of people at Ball State, my hobbies wouldn't matter. I obviously hoped for the second choice. Going to my first meeting was exciting yet nerve racking. I was excited to see what all the hype was about CRU, I was excited to worship, and I was excited to meet new people! But in contrast, I was nervous that I would say something wrong or not be "christian enough" for someone I met. By going to CRU I realized that no one is not christian enough, everyone has their own journey and their own story to tell, and to write. I overhear so many conversations in the giant lecture hall at Pruis. I hear "are you going to the big party friday night?" and I look at the reactions of her friends. Some react with excitement, some simply say no, and others are disappointed in her choice of "fun" for her Friday night. I asked a member of CRU her opinion on people partying and still coming to CRU and calling themselves Christians. She replied with, "So many people outside of CRU get mad that our members do drink and party and call them selves a Christian, and that's where being a hypocrite comes from. But everyone is on a different page in their Christian life, that's one thing I wish outsiders could understand." Listening to her say that really clicked with me and it helped put things together. Because I as well get frustrated with the people named as hypocrites. After leaving CRU the one thing I hoped wouldn't happen, did. I was put under so much pressure to return to the meetings. If I didn't return, and I ran into someone at lunch they would immediately ask where I have been, and I would always in return disappoint them no matter what my excuse. That is something I have always felt being in youth groups before college. I feel a lot of pressure. Once I join a meeting it seems its a strict rule that I must go to every single event they hold. In the end a lot of my opinions have stayed the same but I also have been able to look at things from a different light.

Subculture: In the Sanctuary: Watch your words.

Personal: Keeps me grounded; always in line.

Blog 12

My understanding of the word rhetoric is it is a way of speaking well, being persuasive, and using symbols and ideas in your writing. rhetoric can be used in both a positive and negative way. In a positive way it can be used if someone were to address a classroom about a specific topic and listen to their opinions making connections between the argument and the audience. He never attacked his audience. A negative way of being rhetoric is to attack the audience's opinion demanding that you are right and they are wrong. I think there is a lot of negative rhetoric in my subculture. Religion is a very touchy topic and when people have a specific religion they believe in, the majority of the time they are very strong in believing their views are right and everyone else's views are wrong. In most cases, on the topic of religion, people are attacked for believing the "wrong" thing, rather than understanding the others views. That is definitely something I could bring up in my mini-ethnography because it is something dealt with almost every time you ever question someones faith in being a Christian. I am going to assume that Christianity is the most popular religion in America. When questioning someones faith, or saying that you think it's ridiculous and you don't believe you are immediately attacked and looked down upon. At least I think that is usually the case, but not always. This is definitely something new I can think about for my project!

Quote about writing

"Words are simply smudges of ink, that contains one persons in depth meaningful thought."

"Write with a pen, as you would speak with your lips"

Blog 11

My writing process has definitely changed. In this project I have gone a lot more in depth about what I am writing. We have done blogs like this to think about where we are and where we plan to go next in our writing. Doing this has taught me different techniques to better my writing. I have better techniques to brain storm and think through my process. I used to just start writing and let my fingers take me somewhere. Now I write down my topics, decide my purpose, plan my writing, find sources to create different angles to look at, interview, and write. The first essay was harder because I had no idea where I was going with my study. The annotated bibliography was easy. I found a lot of good sources and could easily relate them to my study. I love writing. I write because it's so much easier to express an opinion on paper than speaking in front of an audience. Writing has always been a time I use to express myself and sometimes relieve stress.

Relative Story

I don't really have a particular person or story about someone in my family that is the main story or funny relatives. My family is really big so a lot of stories are passed around orally. I have sort of made the conclusion that the relatives I never got to meet had their fare share of crazy moments. I do remember one, my Aunts always talk about my Great Aunt Mary always walking around the kitchen cooking in her bra. That was the first thing that came to my mind when this assignment was given, even though it isn't a real elaborate story.
Another joke we have in our family is about my grandma. She could easily win the funniest grandma award. We always joke about how she has everything in her house, and if it's not there, it's probably in her purse. When I was little, about 9, we took a family trip to the movies and I got there late. So she pulled out hot chocolate from her purse and said "go mix it with water from the fountain so you have something to drink!" And she always has some sort of little "goody" as she says, to snack on, such as gummy bears, nuts, and M&Ms.

Blog 10

I think I am going to break my paper up into headings. A few ideas are stereotypes, beliefs, effects on undergrads, the community, services CRU provides outside of Ball state, what I have gotten from being a part of CRU, and a few interviews. I plan on starting to mini-ethnography with a bit of an introduction to what I have been doing, how I approached things, and a general explanation about the effect it has had on me as well as where I fit in with the community. I don't have a very specific outline or order of my paper. I am hoping that as I write one topic will lead me to the next. I don't think the entire paper will be chronological more topical. I will try to make the first topic more broad and continue to get more into detail as I progress through the paper. To conclude the piece I am going to explain where I started and where I ended in the sub culture of CRU and religion. Right now that is one of the questions I cannot answer because I have so much new, confusing information and opinions to consider.I chose to put my final paper in more of a topic format because in my opinion I think it would be difficult to explain in chronological order. I have done more research and observing than I have interacting with people enough to tell a story.

Glossary of Terms

Worship; a time of worship. ex] singing
Quiet time; a time alone with God and/or your bible
Praise
Prayer
Sin; an act of sin. something ungodly or wrong.
Devotionals; reading a specific area of the bible and writing what you learned & what it means
Saved; to be saved. asking for forgiveness of sins to go to heaven
Altar; a place of sacrifice in a church or chapel
Lent; 40 days of sacrifice
Testimony
Cross; the most important christian symbol
Crucifixion- when Jesus was put to death on the cross
Heaven; the place where God lives
Preacher; a person who delivers a sermon
Sermon; talk given in church about a spiritual topic
Satan; the devil
Temptation
Ten Commandments

American Tongues

(Question 1): This research project was done in the 1986. If you were to re-do this project today, at the end of the first decade of the 21st century, what might you as a researcher do differently? What would you do the same?

They did a good job of interviewing and showing people in public situations. Something I would do different is showing other people in public. It seemed as if they used the same men over and over in the first clip to represent the public. If it was the 21st century, I would obviously use more update clothes and scenes.

(Question 2): What are some of the flaws with the study? Are there any groups that are under-represented? Over-represented? How might you make the study more appealing to an audience (visually, instructionally, etc?)

Thinking back on the videos, they mainly talked about southern accents. I remember them mentioning other accents such as new york or Manhattan only a few times. I think they could have used more examples showing how people talk rather than explaining it. They also should have had more of a variety.

(Question 3): In your opinion (and based on some of the things discussed in the clips), how important is language in terms of how we perceive others? What is revealed (or others think is revealed) about us when we talk?

I think a lot of people unfortunately think that if you have a VERY strong southern accent their education level might be lower. The last clip also said that having an Inner city Boston accent made woman assume he was Italian and like him, and men think he was from the city and would "pull a gun or shank on him".

In Class Questions, Page 306

1. In the scene of my ethnography I am on the edge of being an outsider and an insider. When I have done interviews with my informants I understand what they are saying. When speaking with an outsider I understand the stereotypes because I as well believe some of them. When speaking with an insider I understand because I have been a part of many youth groups.

2. I don't think that anything said really influences any fixed positions as it does subjective positions. The way someone looks at something can be somewhat changed after hearing opinions of others, testimonies, becoming a part of the scene, and supporting evidence in research. Between me and my informant, our relationship is very close to equal; neither one has much more power than the other. The only more power my informant may have is when talking about being completely submerged in the religious culture on campus, because I am only involved at times.

3. When I speak to a lot of my informants they are very confident in their responses, their opinions, beliefs, and just the general way they are speaking about the topic. Their voices are very powerful and almost in a persuasive tone hoping to reel me into their beliefs. The only gap I do see at times is the fact that some informants are very closed-minded, not willing to look at any other perspective and try to understand.

Posting 9

So far in my research the hardest thing is to not be bias or stereotypical. I have been around Christians of all types my whole life and have already formed my general opinion. I have heard so many opinions for other people that I accept, but I am trying to write my paper as if this is my first time in a christian/religious environment. The easiest thing in my research is learning about the statistics I have learned. For example, reading about a research done proving that religious groups have a positive effect on the lifestyle of an undergrad. I think that is the easiest for me because it is something I agree with, and has supporting evidence. If i could start over I don't know how much I would change. I have done a good job of being a part of several different religious groups, able to compare their routines. Keeping this blog has really helped me organize my thoughts. Writing here every week has made me think harder about where I am and what directions I need to be headed in. This blog will help me in my finished ethnography in finding the main points I dealt with.

In Class Questions

1. My readers will care about this issue because it is such a big part of how things are run in this country. For example, wanting to take "under God" out of the pledge of allegiance or being allowed to pray in school. Religion is something many people stereotype because they don't understand it and don't understand the similarities between all religions and each one's purpose.

2. My readers will want to know statistics, proven facts through research, interview answers, and testimonies. I can give the reader a list of statistics but I can not change their beliefs without proven research to support them. I think the one thing most readers will be interested in is the impact religion has on undergraduates.

3. My readers already know the general information of Christian beliefs; you go to church on Sunday, Jesus died on the cross for our sins, prayer, being a good person etc. They also know some of the more common stereotypes such as Christians being hypocrites or goody-goodys.

4. I want my readers to finish searching through my research and come out with a better understanding of religion. I want their stereotypes to change.I want my readers to look at religion as what someone uses as a positive distraction in life to full fill their needs in the sense of knowing there's a high power of some kind, having someone/something to rely on in times of need, something to keep them from making bad lifestyle choices. It is more than just a belief in something, it's a lifestyle change.

5. I feel like the stereotypes will be the hardest to persuade my reader to change. After my 8 weeks of research my feelings have changed very little. I have had experiences that have shaped my stereotypical beliefs and that makes it harder for me to think different.

6. My readers will use my writing to learn and understand as well as use it for a reference to another research.

Posting 8

Through my research the main theme I have seen is the effects religion has on undergrads on campus. I don't want to sound stereotypical, but while speaking with people involved in CRU, the majority are focused students filling their time with healthy and safe activities. They use religion as a somewhat of a positive distraction from negative choices. Coming into this project I felt in the middle of an insider and an outsider. I still feel like I am in the same position, but am somewhat more informed, and gained more knowledge about the relationship between religion, values, and lifestyles from different angels. I almost feel more confused because there are so many views and theories I have never thought about or let alone looked at. I think that I have become more open minded. After researching this topic for almost eight weeks, I feel like there will never be a definite answer to how people look at and feel about religious views, or how the effect people.

Blog 8

A main theme I see through search I see a theme in why people do and don't attend bible study, as well as how people in bible studies are looked at. Going into this project as an insider, but an outsider to CRU I thought the majority of outsiders would view Christians and members of CRU as goody-goodys, no fun, and bible pushers. Come to find out through research the majority of people see Christians as good and nice people, while there are few with a negative opinion. Most people also commented they don't attend CRU simply because it's not their "thing", are too busy, would like to but never have; no one commented that they thought people in CRU were bad people in any way. Through the field site I have noticed people with all different beliefs, interpretations, and hobbies that attend CRU. Some people are very strong believers and are careful with their words and actions where other people still believe but are more lenient in what they do such as parties. Now that I have been working on this project for so long I feel I have learned more about the general opinion of Christians, mainly in a college campus setting. I thought I have always been an insider, but I have learned that being an insider in a bible study group is much different from a small high school to a large college campus. I think I was more of an outsider than I realized and have learned a lot of things about the thoughts and opinions of others on this topic.

Blog 7

By doing my fieldwork I can give back to not only my subculture but more to the outsiders. Doing research on a religious group creates a lot of different opinions. I want to help outsiders understand why people worship who/what they do, particularly Christianity. Religion is such a touchy subject for the entire nation because of how many different types there are. I want to show people how they might all connect, the reasoning behind worship, and looking beyond what outsiders see. I hope that by giving opinions, stories, and examples of christian worship will not only give and understanding of Christianity but to stop judging of different people in general. When it comes to what I can give to the subculture; I want to give them a more open mind. I feel sometimes they are as well judgmental and I want to clear that up. I feel there is confusion on both sides of the line.

Click here to take my Online Survey

Blog 6

Little, Michael “Bill Bright: A Slave for Christ.” CBN.com. 2009. 16 Feb. 2009. .
CBN gave a story as well as an interview of Bill Bright, the founder of Campus Crusade for Christ. The article was written by Michael Little and is titled “Bill Bright: A Slave for Christ.” Bill Bright was interviewed by Michael Little who is the CBN president.
Knowing why Campus Crusade for Christ was created will help me understand its purpose better. This particular website will give me a lot of background knowledge about where the program started, who created it, and what his intentions were. This website will help me in my fieldwork but helping me understand why some rituals are done in each meeting and what type of Christianity CRU is preaching and why. With a program like CRU being nationwide and so powerful, I am interested in the type of person Bill Bright is, and what made him pursue such a big goal. Reading the interview with Bill Bright helps me learn more about the people that have a big interest in CRU.

Hopkins, Michael. “The Antichristian Phenomenon.” last.fm. 2009. 16 Feb. 2009. .
The antichristian Phenomenon website last.fm has over 2,000 members discussing their opinions about Christianity and why they are against it. The website includes discussion boards, articles, a list of all the members, and different music supporting the members’ beliefs. The discussion boards have a variety of different topics.
While exploring this website I hope to connect to the people on the other side of the Christian wall. With such a variety of places to read people’s opinions on this website, I am sure I will find important statements and opinions. A lot of the discussion boards show a picture of a Christian or anti-Christian even or picture, letting all of the members comment on them. The articles are more of one person’s beliefs, and opinion why Christianity is not real or not worth their time.

Box 18

A focal point for my field site is the auditorium in Pruis Hall. The auditorium is a place where everyone gathers for worship, the preaching, and greeting everyone. I think this is the most important place CRU meets because it is where the majority of everything takes place. I think this is a very significant place for all of the members because this is where they meet so this is the place they feel welcome and ready to worship. This is where I will conduct my interviews because I think this is where the interviewees will feel the most comfortable answering my questions.

Somewhere I recently visited.

Only 15 min ago I traveled from my room on the fifth floor down the abandoned hall to the sounds of blow driers and alarm clocks. As I turn down the steps I began walking the 5 flights of steps that now seem so routine. The temperature soon changes as I walk out the door into the front lobby as I feel the wind rushing in as people open and close the outside doors. As I walk to the basement the sound of wet shoes squeaking across the tile floor becomes faint. I see people sitting at tables filling their stomachs with cereal, power bars, muffins, and coffee. I pull against the heavy, resisting, glass door and enter a completely different atmosphere. Instead of the small sounds I heard over the quietness of the hallway and lobby, my ears were now exploding with sounds. I enter Out of Bounds and see lines of people waiting to pay and others hurrying around to find breakfast in time before class. I hear freezer doors shutting, glass bottles hitting one another, and people chatting. I reach into the very cold cooler and grab a bottle of water. As I walk and search for something else the water begins to make my palm uncomfortably cold. I switch hands. I grab muffins and a Snapple Peach Tea. I head for the register. I wait in line continuing to rearrange my bottles so my hands stayed a decent temperature to stand. I reach the cashier and he says his routine, "4.97...the rest on your dinning?...Have a good day." I leave the chaos and loud noise entering back into the clam world or hungry students, scurrying off to class.

Blog

I think I definitely need more time to research my field site. CRU only meets once a week and there are around 300 people there and that is a lot of people in a short amount of time. I obviously don't plan to talk to each and everyone of them but I want enough people and time to get a good amount of feed back. I want to spend my time at the CRU meeting taking in the atmosphere and watching others reactions and taking notes on the type of sermon given. I am hoping to find several people I can interview. I hope the people i interview vary in interests, hobbies, weekend activities, and their beliefs. I think observing is what will take the longest, and I hope I have enough time since it only meets once a week. Interviewing is somethingI need to do on my own time. I also want to find people outside of crew, and how other CRU clubs are organized in other colleges.

As I sit alone on my peaceful, calming porch swing, I close my eyes. The sun illuminates the darkness of my mind. I see sand and water. This is where I long to be. This is my peaceful beach, my front porch swing.

Box 15 "Recalling a Sense of Place"

I spend an average of 6 months a year longing for my place of peace to be capable of a visit. The other 6 months, I spend in peace, awe, and wonder. The most vivid memory I get when I close my eyes is the warm air surrounding my body and the cool breeze blowing my hair into my face. I lean back onto the soft green cushion and prop my feet on the empty white rocking chair in front of me. I relax and take in every smell and every sound hoping to keep them safe for the next 6 months I will be away. I can smell fresh cut grass from the neighbors long day at work in their yard, the flowers my mother has planted only 6 feet ahead of me, the gas and smoke from the disruptive cars that pass by. Hearing nature, hearing animals play out their life is one of the most amazing sounds. I heard the claws of small, furry, brown and sometimes black squirrels scrambling up the large old tree that lives on the edge of the road. I wonder what they are saying as I hear the high pitched squealing coming from their such small bodies. As they run by, the neighbor's dogs begin to bark. The sounds from each dog are so different, creating a musical of sound. And then I am sent back to reality as a loud, rusty truck sends gas fumes into my nose, and the sound of spinning tires into my ears. I open my eyes and look around taking one last glance. I stand up and let my bare feet walk the 10 feet of cold cement leading to my front door. This is my last night, until spring returns, that I can sit on that comfortable, green, rocking chair.

Dogtown and the Z-boys

Dogtown and Z-Boys
“we live in the moment”
Started in a place that looked like California
Related it to being a rock star
Girls and guys both had long hair
Route 66
Dogtown was dirty, filthy, had to have eyes in the back of your head…”paradise”
Run down surfer resort
Surfers used to be looked at as drop outs, it wasn’t the thing to be doing back then
Jeff Ho was a big designer of surf boards
His surf boards reflected dog town- gang graffiti
Zephyr Surf Team created by Jeff Ho [from Venice]
Venice, California became an amusement park in the water and later became no man’s land
Zephyr Team did not let other surfers in on “their water” [old amusement park] they had to earn their way in
The kids on the zephyr surf team were mostly kids from a broken home. Jeff Ho was like a parent to them.
Soon skating became popular “sidewalk surfboards”
1963 skateboarding became a sport and teams began to form- crashed in 1965
Larry Birdleman made a lot of new moves on a surfboard kids wanted to copy on their skate boards [cut back, touching the wave]
California’s drought served as a revolution for skate boarders- using dried up pools
Spontaneous

Questions
1. I think this ethnographic study is more towards entertainment rather than a study.

2. The individuals interviewed in this documentary are the boys that were a part of the skate and surf teams in California. It was important to interview them because they had the best insider perspective compared to anyone else. They helped the viewers to understand not only the sports they were doing but why it happened and the kind of people that were involved with it.

3. The documentary made me believe that the people involved in surfing and skating were spontaneous kids from a rundown household looking for something better in life. They were crazy and their plan for their future relied on one word…”fun”

4. The organization is in chorological order and it helps to understand how one even evolved from another and how things end up where they did and where they are today.

5. I had the stereotype that the majority of skateboarders were kids that skated instead of doing homework, joined skate teams instead of colleges. I never thought they were “bad” kids, they just had a different outlook on life. I think that the movie somewhat agreed with my belief that skaters were spontaneous and did not plan out their future.

6. I think the writer/speakers are very credible because they are the ones that were a part of the whole skater/surf scene.

Blog Posting 4

As of now I have already been proven wrong on what I believe about my subculture. I am doing my fieldwork with CRU. I was under the assumption that there are more white Christians in America compared to other races, assuming whites would be the larger population at CRU. After doing some research I learned that blacks dominate the number of whites in Christianity 87 to 62 percent. Even though I was proven wrong about that I still have many other conclusions I have came to. I think that I will meet people on all different levels. I think there are people attending that only practice their religion at CRU meetings and party on the weekends. I also think there are people who practice their religion everyday being a lot more strict about their actions. By asking people their opinion, stereotype, and typical "look" of a person attending CRU I hope to get a common answer amongst everyone I ask. I think there is an over all stereotype linked with religion. The location and type of school Ball State is should have an effect on the people I meet at CRU. Ball State is located in a city area and is one of the larger schools in the nation with a population around 20,000.

Box 12

Some Privilege's I enjoy are:
1. Being a female- Men are suppose to respect me, and treat me better than another man [opening doors, being extra polite, pulling out chairs]
2. Born an American Citizen- the country is so much better here compared to a third world country. Even though our economy is so terrible right now, compared to other places we are stil so much better off.
3. Born in the north- Traveling south I know unfortunately there are still people who are very racist, more older people rather than people in my generation.
4. Being in college- I am lucky to be smart and have a supporting family that push me and have there for made me WANT to further my education.
5. Financial Aid- without financial aid, me and many other people would not have the opportunity to attend college and better our future.
6. Women's rights
7. 19 years old- having the write to vote and be considered an "adult" in our country
8. Enrolled in a public high school- taught me more than a private school ever would when it came to dealing with different races, ethnicities, styles, behaviors, and situations to prepare me for real world situations.

Some of the privileges I have will effect me in my field work. Being a female I will be treated with more respect than a male. I think that people might take me more seriously because it is maybe a stereotype but when a man is compared to a woman at the age of 19, the woman will be considered much more mature. I'm also glad that I am in the north, even though the majority of racism is gone, I will feel more comfortable. There are still people in the south who feel afraid to speak with someone of a different race. I think being in the north where people are more open and feeling equal to one another I can speak with all different races to get a better variety of opinions. A long time ago I would not even have the opportunity to do this project being a woman. I would be forced to stay home as a house wife and cook, clean, and take care of children; I would not be allowed an education. So I am thankful for the privilege to be in college, able to learn, and research other people.

Posting 3

So far I have not done any research about my subculture [CRU] except where they meet and what time. I plan to attend my first meeting this coming Thursday night at 9pm at Pruis Hall. About 300 students meet there every week for worship. A friend I plan to go with attends the group regularly. I am going to interview her along with others I meet at CRU. I want to ask questions such as 1. what made you come and join CRU? 2. What makes you keep coming back? 3. What do you get out of these meetings? 4. How do you apply these club meetings to your life and personal relationships? 5. Do you ever feel stereotyped for being here? If so, like what? Those are some of the questions I plan to ask. I also plan to interview outsiders of different race, sex, and hobbies. I want to ask them their views on someone attending a bible study, why they don't go, their beliefs etc. I hope that I can get an overall common view about how a "believer" is looked upon. I expect to hear that individuals attending CRU or any bible study are usually "different" in a way that there sense of fun is different from most people because they enjoy sitting at home talking about the bible "all the time" and they don't enjoy shopping for high dollar clothes or partying. Some may be true in some situations and some may not. But I expect to hear a variety of different views hopefully all with a common similarity. I plan to do only a small amount of research on different types of religion and how different types of Christianity can all become "one" in a large setting. I think really all research is the same. The only difference in research is the purpose in which you are doing it. I think if you are doing for school, or hoping to learn it is academic. If you are looking into something for other reasons not intending to learn anything I suppose that would be "non-academic" but really in most cases any research will result in some sort of learning.

Box 8 "Questioning Your Fieldnotes"

When observing the objects laid out along the front board things did surprise and intrigue me. The two most intriguing objects at the front board for me were the journal and the book "A Bullshit night in Suck City" by Nick Flyn. The journal intrigued me so much because I absolutely love to write and love to be creative with my words. I used to spend a lot of my free time at night writing poetry and that is something I have let slip away from me in the past few years. Opening the journal I then saw there was a page of scribbled notes. I did not read the page but remember the first words being something along the lines of "I am addicted to her" and it sounded like a thought on how to start a poem. I was also surprised that this page was left in here because I am very protective over my writing and keep it to myself; very rarely did anyone ever read my poetry. The novel at the board somewhat surprised me because it was a funny title. It intrigued me because like writing, I love to read. I read the back of the book learning that it was about a boy in a homeless shelter receiving letters from his "stranger dad" and one day meeting him. The book sounded good and as I got to my seat i immediately looked on Ball States Library website to see if it was in their collection. Unfortunately It isn't.

Blog 2

I have decided to study the subculture of a nurse either in a hospital or at the health center. Both field sites have similar aspects but the differences they have can make a huge difference. In the hospital the nurses deal with long term patients and 24 hour emergencies. At a health center it is more of a come and go basis each day. I would prefer to do the hospital where there is more going on and a bigger environment. I have been to the ER but I have never been a patient at a hospital. In the ER I found that the nurses/doctors were very slow, grouchy, and were not very aware of your feelings; they simply wanted to get their job done. From talking to family members and friends, most people agree on the overall view of the ER. When speaking to patients some enjoy their experience and others have a terrible experience. When talking to nurses I expect to find that they have different feelings towards their patients. They may not like working with long term patients because they get attached, or are not very good at carrying a conversation with a stranger. I hope to learn how the nurses and doctors deal with angry, upset, or very sick patients.

Box 11 "Positioning Yourself"

I chose the subculture of a Health Center/Hospital because I hope to one day work in this area. Before I chose this path for my career choice I have always wondered what happens "behind the scenes" at a hospital that has so many things going on at once. I personally do not think that my gender, or race will effect my studies. My age might have a small effect on my studies because I am a young college student with plenty of question and not very much prior knowledge walking into a hospital. Walking into a hospital the majority of people have subjective positions. The stereotype of a the ER is that they are very slow, expensive, and grouchy. That all depends on the individuals experiences. Walking into the ER I do expect slow and terrible service because that is how I was treated my first and only time being taken to the ER. I have never been an actual patient in the hospital but I think asking a wide variety of patients about their experience will give me plenty of different responses. Some people really enjoy their time there, receiving great service from very friendly nurses. Others get the bad end of the deal and end of with complications, mix-ups, and very unfriendly nurses. Going into this field site I hope to get a wide variety of responses from patients, but a general feel from the nurse environment itself.

Box 2 "Making the Ordinary Extraordinary"

I wake up much earlier than my body wants, dragging my feet to prepare for a long day. I enter a room of a hundred tired faces. We all grab our metal, wood, or brass, and head into the blazing sun and heat, already quenched for thirst. For hours upon hours I march quickly across gravel, quickly turning my body in different directions, blowing fast air to make music, yet still trying to catch my breath. I take advantage of the short 30 seconds I get to walk back to where I began, until I do the marching routine again, until it is close to perfection. I head indoors and dress myself in hot, wool, one piece outfits with a large hat to make my head sweat. I head back out into the heat and enter the field. I march as fast and as straight as I can, blowing wind, and searching for my breath, all to get an applause at the sound of our music, and the shapes we created.

Posting 1

A specific paper I wrote in the past was about my major here at Ball State. It was a research paper and I had to not only do research but interview someone who works in my field, which is radiography. Typically when I write a paper I start with a basic layout of my paper. I find a topic sentence and decided which subtopics I will discuss in my body of the paper. Under each subtopic I write a few ideas to help write the paragraph later. For the conclusion I restate my topic sentence and also restate the important parts in my essay. I never listen to music when I write my papers because it distracts me. I like to sit in a very quiet room where I have a clear mind and can concentrate. I also like to write my paper early so I have plenty of time to edit and review my essay to make changes. I don't think I have ever waited until the last minute to write a paper because I like to get all my ideas down on paper and have time to think of ideas and find all of the different directions I can go with my paper. I enjoy writing and I enjoy learning new ways to write. Writing has taught me a lot about myself, others, and many things in this world that interest me.