Week 15- Post 15

My writing has definitely improved after taking this course. One difference I’ve noticed between this class and most of the other English classes I’ve taken is this class allows us to turn in rough drafts and then final drafts. It’s been extremely helpful to know how to improve my writing instead of having to constantly guess on my own. In my previous classes I would usually write down a rough draft and not bother to look most of it over, and then turn it in as my final draft. Turning in a rough draft allows me to see what other readers think and get their opinions on how I can make my writing more enjoyable to read. Overall I though all the assignments were good and don’t need to be reworked. The only assignment that was somewhat difficult to do was the literature review, mainly because I’ve never written one before so it came across as new and somewhat difficult. I think it would have been nice to have a conference that goes over our mini-ethnography’s. I would have liked to get some verbal feedback about that paper. Otherwise, I think we had a good amount of conferences and each of them were beneficial.

Week 14- Post 14

My favorite data source for my mini-ethnography was the interviews that I conducted. I think that I gathered the most information for my fieldsite through these interviews. Also, it was nicer to get the personal opinions from people in the subculture at my actual fieldsite. I wasn’t able to find any academic research about the employees of Whispering Hills Golf Course, therefore the interviews were extremely helpful. I feel that the best piece of writing that I’ve done in this class was the Research Proposal. One of the main reasons for this was because I write better when the paper is divided up into sections. I don’t have to worry about transitions and when writing about a specific topic I can get much more information down. Along with this, the research proposal w/Literature Review was extremely helpful in writing my mini-ethnography. Most of the work that I put down in the mini-ethnography came directly from the lit review. The Research Proposal was probably the paper that I worked the hardest on, therefore I like to think of it as my best piece of writing of this class.

Week 2- Post 2

The subculture that I’ve chosen to study and observe is golf course employees. The main fieldsite that I would like to observe is Whispering Hills Golf Course in Indianapolis. I chose this site because this golf course is where I have worked as an employee for the past five years; therefore I have been there numerous times. The course and the club house are usually quiet, except of course for the select few loud individuals. However, down at the maintenance barn, which is the considered the central meeting point for the employees of the course, is usually loud from both workers talking and from the equipment (mowers, tools, etc.). I’m hoping to learn more about the members of my subculture than what I already know as an insider. I know most of the facts and opinions of these employees but there are still a few things that I’m not fully familiar with; for example, what my male co-workers think about the job that they hold and how they are affected by ‘false’ stereotypes. I would also like to find out why they chose to work at Whispering Hills, what they do on a day-to-day basis, and how are they different or even similar to people that are not a part of their working community.

Week 13- Post 13

It was a hot, humid day and the sun was beating down on my face. The only relief I could get from it was the roof of the golf cart, assuming the cart was at the right angle to the sun. I had my friend/co-worker Travis sitting next to me driving the cart. He had told me numerous times that when I was in the cart with him that he preferred to drive. I suppose it made him feel a little less manly if he had a girl driving him around the course, so I went along with it. We sped around the winding corners on the first hole and finally came to a stop next to the green. He got out and walked over to the pole that marked where the hole was. He pulled out a pocket knife and cut off a glow-in-the-dark stick from the top of the pole. When he came back to the cart he said that he meant to get those off earlier in the day but forgot. Apparently, the night before, Travis, my boss Mike and his family, and a group called Demolay had gotten together and played some night golf. Night golf has been a yearly tradition at Whispering Hills; not something I’ve personally witnessed but have heard a lot about. It seemed like a very interesting practice. Travis and I sped around to every hole to get the rest of the glow sticks. I could tell from the used fireworks and beer cans lying around the course that the boys had a pretty good time.

Week 12- Post 12

When I think of the word “rhetoric,” I think of it as the use of language as a means to persuade. Rhetoric, to me, is the way a person’s voice is presented to others, along with that person’s appearance, the things he or she says, and the way he or she acts. A person who acts mature and dresses nicely will probably be thought more highly of by others as opposed to a person who acts immature and dresses trashy. Rhetoric is commonly used in the media, which has brought it closer to people’s daily lives. I think for the most part that it is used in a positive way. Rhetoric can be found in my subculture through the movies that are made to satirized golf course employees. The movies persuade their audience to believe that members of my subculture look and act a certain way. I would like to use rhetoric in my mini-ethnography to persuade people not to believe the stereotypes that are directed at golf course employees. I can use my research and interviews as a way of persuasion as well.

Week 11- Post 11

So far I’ve noticed that my writing style has improved quite a bit since last semester. However most of that has come from elaborating even more on writing styles that I learned in English 103. The assignment that has given me the most trouble this semester was probably the literature review. I’ve never written a lit review before so it came across as difficult to me. Surprisingly, the assignment that I found to be one of the easiest was the annotated bibliography. Last semester I had a teacher that was really strict about the formatting and content of the paper, so her teaching style sort of carried over to this semester. I was able to remember almost every rule that she taught us on how to write annotated bibliographies, so it made the assignment much easier to do. Outside of the classroom I don’t write too much mainly because I don’t like it. However there are those certain occasions where I do write out of boredom. I usually write about an important event that has happened in my life recently. I use the writing as a memory chip because I know that I’ll easily forget it if I don’t write it down. I’m sure that I’ll have to do some type of writing with my future career, which is why I try to take in as much knowledge as I can right now about writing styles; it can only benefit me.

Week 10- Post 10

For my mini-ethnography I plan to structure it based on themes. I want to start the paper out discussing the visits I took to my site. Along with this theme I will include my observations and first impressions of my site through my study. I would like to discuss the differences I see in the site when studying it as opposed to when I’m there doing my job. After this theme I want to talk about the interviews I conducted, with both co-workers and golfers. From there I would like to include some of my own experiences that I’ve had at the golf course. I would add in how those experiences have caused me to develop certain biases towards my study. Finally to end my paper, I want to add in any final observations that I noticed while I was at my site, and put down my overall thoughts and opinions about the course. I will probably change up this order a little bit when I actually start writing the mini-ethnography, but for now this is the basic structure that I plan to use.

In Class (3/19/09)

(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?
I would study all parts of the United States, not just areas that are commonly known for having unusual accents. I would want to study the north and southwest areas such as Washington, Oregon, New Mexico, and Arizona. I would also interview more people in Texas and Kentucky, and try to find people that don’t have the heavy accents of their area. Beyond that I thought the study was well done and it was nice to get the opinions of actual residents of people in the stereotypical areas of the US.
(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?)
Some of the flaws of the study is they choose only a few areas of the United States to study. These areas have well-know stereotypes for being places with people that have unusual accents. The groups that are over-represented are the people in Texas, Kentucky, and the New Englanders. I think that it would have been more interesting if the one’s doing the study would have interviewed more people from the different areas. They only chose people with heavy accents from each specific area’s, especially in Texas.
(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?
To me language is important because people judge others based on the way they talk. Some consider southern accents to be associated with racism and Civil War era thinking. In Boston, the residents there have an accent that makes them out to seem tough-city people. When we talk, it also shows signs of our intelligence, or what most people would consider intelligent. Areas of the United States to have people with different dialects tend to be thought of an unintelligent.

Week 9- Post 9

The hardest part of the research was finding sources that actually pertained to golf course employees and stereotypes associated with them. Also, I had trouble finding people’s opinion’s about employees that came from sources other than interviews and surveys. I finally was able to find a blog posting on the Internet that gave plenty of opinions about golf course employees, both negative and positive. The easiest part of the research was finding sources on the BSU’s database. The database was by far the most helpful resource I used. If I could start over, I would choose an entirely different subculture, preferably one that’s easier to find academic research. However, on the same token, through the research I did for my subculture, I learned quite a few details that I didn’t already know. The blog posting that I’ve done previously weren’t too helpful because I never really looked back at any of my blog postings. I was able to remember most of the research that I found. I do think that the blogs will help in my mini-ethnography because most of the information that I want to put in my paper is already in my blogs. Therefore it will be much easier to look back at the blogs and write the info in my final paper rather than trying to remember it all and starting from scratch.

Tuesday March 17 Post

1.) Why will my readers care about this issue?
Golf course employees are not a very well-known subculture. Most people seem unfamiliar with the people and traditions that are associated with these employees. Therefore readers my read it to satisfy a curiousity they have about something they're not fully familiar with.
2.) What will my readers want or need ot know about this issue?
They will probably need to know the background of Whispering Hills Golf Course, who the people are that work there, and what type of stereotypes are directed at this subculture. Knowing the stereotypes will help them understand why I'm writing a paper to break people's negative thoughts about my subculture.
3.) What do my readrs already know about this issue?
If the reader has seen the movie Caddyshack, they may be persuaded to believe the stereotypes that are formed in that movie. Even though there is some truth to the humor that is displayed throughout the movie, viewers may be mislead to believe that employees in real life act as crazy as the actors.
4.) What do I want my readers to learn about the issue?
I want to readers to understand my subculture and hear the facts, not assumptions. I would like to tell them about the rituals and traditions that employees have and why they do them. Also, that not all the sterotypes about these workers are true.
5.) If I'm tryin gto persuade my readers of something, how easily will they be persuaded?
I'm hoping that they will be persuaded easily, but at the same time it's alright to ahve your own opinion about certain topics. I'd just like to inform my readers with the facts about the members of my subculture.
6.) What will my readers use my writing for?
They may use it as research for any projects that may turn up, or possibly they may read it and think more positively about employees; assuming if they had any negative opinions to begin with. Readers can also use the facts in my writing as future reference if they venture out to a golf course.

Week 8- Post 8

The main theme that I see forming through my research is that golf course employees are misunderstood and often unappreciated for their work. Also, I would like to integrate the theme of family to my subculture. Most of the people that I work with I would consider to be like a second family to me. A majority of the older men that work there have known each other for over 20 years, and they’ve told me that they consider one another as family. As of today, I feel like more of an insider as opposed to eight weeks ago. Through my observations I’ve learned things that I didn’t know before. I sort of feel like I’ve been left out of the loop for all these years but now I’m finally getting an insight. I also feel closer to my co-workers in that they now feel comfortable giving me information that they wouldn’t normally give. Overall, this research has brought me closer to my subculture.

Week 7- Post 7

I’m hoping that through this research I can eliminate some of the stereotypes directed at golf course employees. I can give this positive aspect back to my subculture. Numerous golfers that I have talked to can only tell me about negative encounters that they’ve had with people of my subculture, which I think is unfortunate. As in any subculture, there will be a few individuals that are not likeable, but that shouldn’t create a stereotype of disliking of an entire group. Therefore, I can possibly give people the truth about my subculture and remove some of the negative opinions about it.
So far this mini-ethnography has improved my interviewing and research skills. I’ve learned so much more information on how to research a topic, and what type of questions to ask for an interview and to get the answers that I need. I hope that through this min-ethnography I can inform the class and others about what golf course employees are really made of, and that the majority of us are good, down to earth people. We don’t fall into most of the stereotypes that surround our subculture.

Week 6- Post 6

Wiscombe, Janet. “Creative Hiring on the Green.” Workforce. 81 (February 2002): 21. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. 18 Feb. 2009 http://www.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail.

This article contains information that may lead people to the common stereotype that only older retired men are employed at golf courses. Greg Searle is the manager at a golf course in New England, and describes that for several years he has only hired retired men because they tend to “more reliable, trustworthy, and enthusiastic.” This article leads people to believe that younger individuals who work at golf courses are rude and irresponsible. Therefore this article can cause people to create a bias towards golf course employees, even when these people are not fully aware of the realistic characteristics of these workers.

I plan on using this article in my mini-ethnography when I talk about the stereotypes pointed towards golf course employees. Outsiders to this subculture may form a bias based on this one site that only hires older retired men. There’s proof at most golf courses around the country that all sorts of people are hired at courses. These people range from teenagers, to older people, to the middle-aged, and those of different races and classes. In other words, any type of person can be found working at a golf course.


Scott, Shane. “Female Caddy Counters ‘Caddychicks’ Stereotype.” Adobe. 2007. 18 Feb. 2009

This article describes the stereotypes that are directed at women who work at golf courses. The author describes how a female caddy is treated by the golfers that she has to assist. The caddy, Molly, says in the article that the golfers treat her like she doesn’t know anything. She feels that the golfers think that she’s only there to be pretty, and they don’t take her seriously when she gives advice on which club to use for certain plays. She mentions, which I personally find to be true, that the only ones who treat her with respect are women golfers. This describes in good detail the stereotypes that are pointed at female employees.

I want to use this article in my mini-ethnography when I describe the differences between being a man and a woman working at a golf course. I know from personal experience how men and women employees are treated differently by customers. I’m still need to get the opinions of other female workers when I conduct my interviews, but I’m almost sure that most of their opinions will be close to that of my own.

Week 6- Box #18

My site that I'm researching is Whispering Hills Golf Course. I guess most people would consider that the actually course where I do most of my work would be the focal point. However, I consider the maintenace barn to be the focal point of the course. A road divides the club house and maintenance barn from the playing course, which is nice. The barn is kind of a safe haven for the employees when we need to escape the customers. There are occcasions when the golfers give us a tough time and don't want to follow the rules of the course. The barn serves as a place where we employees can take a break, talk with each other, and get out of the humid heat. The barn is filled with equipment and tools; not what you might call a great atomosphere but I've come to call it my second home in recent years. Also, when we're down at the barn we can act like our normal selves, meaning that we don't have to put on a forced smile and be nice to customers who are being a pain. My favorite part of the maintenance barn is the lake beside it. Around the Fourth of July my co-workers and I set of fireworks around the lake. This past summer we discovered that if you throw the firwork in the pond at the right moment, it will shoot off as a torpedo underwater. I bring this story up because this place on the course is one of the few places where I can actually enjoy being at work. It's a great place to spend my free time and to socialize with my co-workers.

Week 5- Post 5/ How to finish project

So far I’ve noticed that I’m going to have trouble getting direct research about golf course employees. However, one form of research I intend to do it to look up the websites of all the golf courses around Indianapolis. Each website allows its viewers to leave comment about their experiences at that course. I’ve noticed that most of the comments have something to do with the employees and how they treat customers. This could definitely contribute to my research. Along with this, to finish this mini-ethnography by interviewing anyone who golf’s on a regular basis and has had any type of experience with the employees of the golf courses that they’ve played at (whether the experience was good or bad). Also, I’d like to observe other golf course besides mine, if possible. I’m hoping the weather improves in order for me to do that. All of the ideas above are how I intend to finish my mini-ethnography.

Week 5- Post 6

One spot that brings back of rush of sensory details is my Grandma's livingroom and kitchen at her old house. The livingroom had a patio door that let large amounts of sunlight in, but made it scary to look out of at night. When I was little I was convinced that one night I would look out the door's windows and see a monster or something standing on the other side. Her living room also had the scent of cigarette smoke. On the table beside the couch their was always a lit cigarette, and for some reason I was fascinated watching it burn down. I remember sitting at the kitchen table in the room right next door hearing the sounds of my grandma nagging my grandpa about teaching me how to play poker. He is my main memory of that house. After he died I remember walking into the house always hoping that I'd see him sitting at the table with a deck of cards playing solitaire. I was only six years old at the time, but these certain details stick with me even today. Anytime I smell cigarette smoke, or hear a voice that sounds like my Grandpa's, or play solitaire I think of my Grandma and Grandpa's livingroom and dining.

Week 4- In Class Writing

1.) I think the film was both an ethnographic study and a work of entertainment. They were exploring a subculture that has numerous stereotypes and were trying to find out the customs and rituals of skateboarders. It was also a form of entertainment in a sense that they used plenty of footage and pictures to surround the interviews that they conducted.
2.) The interview subjects were the actual skateboarders who started the revolution of skateboarding. That in itself makes them significant because we get the insiders point of views about the subculture, not the opinions of outsiders.
3.) The skateboarders had a solid belief about “members only.” They mentioned in the documentary that anyone who decided to surf in their area that didn’t live there were harassed. They would throw objects at them until they’d leave the surf area. Same went with skateboarding.
4.) The piece is organized in chronological order. They start the film out by describing how skateboarding began and continue on showing out it evolved. Seeing where the sport began helped me gain a better understanding of the subculture.
5.) I always considered skateboarders to be punks who were anti-social. In a sense I still hold this stereotype because in the film they mentioned that they hung around the same people, which was a pretty small group. They weren’t very friendly with people who weren’t a part of their subculture.
6.) I trust that the creator is telling the truth because he’s an insider and knows the facts of the subculture. However, at the same time his opinions could be considered bias because he could be persuading his audience to see only his views on the subculture.

Week 4- Post 4

From what I’ve observed so far and with my prior knowledge of my subculture, and can conclude that I can overturn some of the stereotypes that surround golf course employees. With my specific site, Whispering Hills Golf Course in Indianapolis, not all of the workers are retired men, and that all of us aren’t there for the benefit of having free golf. However, I can only make those conclusions based on one golf course. I’m sure that the way that my co-workers act is not the same as the other employees that work at other golf courses around Indianapolis. I’m sure that not all the pros at the other courses are as lenient as my boss, in regards to how many breaks we are allowed to have, what time we arrive and leave work, and how much work gets done each day. I can say that there maybe some similarities between all the golf courses around Indianapolis, but I’m almost certain that we all have our differences.

Post 3- Research and interviews

If I haven’t stated already, my research will be about golf course employees. I work at a golf course in Indianapolis and am hoping to get viewpoints of my co-workers. So far I haven’t conducted any interviews for this project. However, I’m planning on getting in touch with my co-workers and setting up interview times with them. I would like to ask them what their first impressions of the place were, how they were at adapting to the working conditions, why they chose to work there, etc. I feel that these questions are important because these were questions that I asked myself and am curious to know how my co-workers will respond. Since I’ve worked at the golf course in Indianapolis for five years I’ve obviously become quite familiar with what my cultural site is like. However there are quite a number of things that I still don’t understand and have questions about. I’ve attempted some academic research but so far it’s been difficult to find any solid research about my subculture. Most of my research will have to be done through interviews and observations. Lastly, I do consider that there’s a difference between “academic” and “non-academic” research because I personally feel that getting research from the actual spot is much more educational than reading it out of a book. For example, I took a trip to Germany a year ago and got to visit most of the places that we studied in my German class. Even with the information that I was given in the classroom, nothing compared to actually seeing the cities that I studied.

Post 2- Walking to Class

No matter what class I'm walking to, the walk is always the same. While I'm still in my dorm room I load up my bookbag with three different types of items: my cell phone, my books for which ever class I'm going to, and my iPod. I can't leave the room without any of those items. Once I make my way down the hallway, down the five flights of stairs and out the double doors, I throw on my iPod and begin the walk to class. The music that I listen to depends on the mood I'm in. If I'm sad I'll throw on slow depressing music, and if I'm happy I'll usually listen to pop music. No matter what though I have to have my iPod with me wherever I go. I'm what you might call an addict to my iPod. I can't live without it. The music keeps me motivated and helps me to think. Millions of thoughts run through my mind while and walk and hear the music. I think of anything and everything. But before I know it I've reached my destination, and always think to myself, "I hope this class flies by so I can finish listening to this song."

Week 1- Post 1

The first paper that I wrote last semester in English 103 was a memoir. I wrote several drafts before completing the final paper. Usually when I write a paper, I write down any ideas that I have without having any specific order. In the case of my memoir, I wrote down any main events that have happened in my life that would be worth writing about, and from there I revised the paper.
I have a specific way in which I write papers for classes. I always need some type of noise in the background, whether it’s music or the TV. If the room is completely silent I can’t stay focused and I wind up procrastinating until the night before the papers due. However for my memoir I started the paper two weeks before the due date because I had the background noise and also it was a paper that I wanted write. I find it much easier to write when it’s a topic that is more personal to myself.
I feel the difference between editing and revising is that editing is more about correcting grammer errors. Editing is usually done right before the paper is due. Revising is more about rereading in order to improve or correct. This process is usually done while making drafts for the final paper.