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.