Field note policies

FIELDNOTE POLICIES:

Fieldnotes are a record of your experiences at your volunteer site this term. They are an important way for you to reflect on what you are doing and learning. They will also be the most important source of data for your case study project.

Logistics of submitting fieldnotes

Please submit your fieldnotes electronically to your GSI or Nora. Detailed directions for this will be provided in  class. Turn in separate FIELDNOTES for each visit. Remember to copy and paste the Fieldnote into the body of the email, AND send an attachment. Do BOTH.

Important: To ensure you are given full credit for your fieldnotes, you must format the fieldnote and  the emil subject line correctly, as detailed in this syllabus. The email subject line must include the following:

First_name Last_name Fieldnote #  (for example: Gilbert Goldenbar, Fieldnote #2)

           

Requirements and Due Dates

A total of ten fieldnotes are required. Each Fieldnote is worth three points (for a total of 30 points). Fieldnotes should be completed as early in the term as possible so you can concentrate on writing your case study. Collectively, fieldnotes represent 15% of your grade. Here is a word of advice: Write your fieldnotes AS SOON AS POSSIBLE after you get home from volunteering. You will remember the key details MUCH BETTER than if you wait even a day or two. Fieldnotes are due Saturday by 11:59 p.m. ONLY ONE FIELDNOTE PER WEEK WILL BE ACCEPTED; NO LATE FIELDNOTES WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Fieldnote heading

Please include your name, your email address, the site, the date, the main activities you took part in, and the names of the people you interacted with. See examples in the reader; you will not receive full credit for your fieldnote if you do not format the fieldnote in the manner detailed in this syllabus and modeled in the course reader.

Fieldnote format

Fieldnotes have 3 sections and should be labeled with each of the following headings:

            A) General Observations. This section is particularly important at the very beginning of the semester as you become familiar with your volunteer site. In your first fieldnote, give a DETAILED description of your volunteer site and its neighborhood based on your first impressions. Also provide a general description of all the activities you took part in that day. Update the description of the volunteer site (and the neighborhood) as things change or as you notice new things. In every installment, give a general description of all the activities you participated in. In this section you are providing a context for the rest of the fieldnotes. Focus on what you saw and heard (and maybe smelled, touched or tasted).

            B) Focused Observations. This will normally be the longest part of each fieldnote (perhaps 2-3 good paragraphs, but you can write more). For each site visit, pick out the one activity that was most interesting, significant, harrowing, insightful, humorous, etc. Give a DETAILED description of this activity and the people participating (names if possible – no pseudonyms, please). Describe the participants’ appearance: age, clothing, gestures, hairstyle, mannerisms, etc. Describe exactly what happened, blow by blow. Report anything significant that was said, in as close as possible to the exact words.           

C) Reflections. Finally, write at least one good detailed paragraph on what you thought and felt about your visit, and especially what happened in the activity described in your Focused Observations section. What did you learn from this activity? If possible, relate (or contrast) your experiences to any of the EDUC 140AC readings from the term and/or to class discussions. After WEEK 3, in preparation for writing your case study, you must at least briefly relate your experiences to class readings, videos, or discussions in order to get full points for your fieldnotes. As much as possible, please keep personal value judgments out of your General Observations and Focused Observations sections. We will discuss this further in class and in sections.