Olivia Soudah - FWP2-6

Anthropology 104 Fieldwork Project 2 | Participant Observation Project Journal Name: Olivia Soudah TA Name: N/A? Discussion Section Number: N/A? Semester and Year: Summer 2021 Getting Started Welcome to your journal assignments for Fieldwork Project 2! Please add your information to this template (above), rename and save it in Microsoft Word .docx or .doc format. Make sure the filename includes your name and the name of the assignment (FWP2). (Example) FWP2F Wendy Liu.docx Submission: The project journal will be completed in several steps. You will be submitting this same journal file multiple times in different stages of writing, in response to each journal assignment below. If you do not submit the file to Canvas by the deadline you will not be awarded points for that journal assignment. For example, for the first assignment you are only expected to complete Journal 2.1 (the others will still be blank). By the end of the project, all the assignments in your journal will be filled in. Journal 2.1 | Reading Response Instructions & Expectations Before you begin this writing assignment, read the excerpt from Number Our Days by Barbara Myerhoff (available as a PDF on Canvas). Write 2-4 sentences in response to each of the question below. The first question has been completed as an example. DUE DATE: This assignment needs to be completed by 11:59pm on July 1 st . (Example) Why was the Aliyah Center important to the elderly Jews that Myerhoff worked with for her research? During the time of Myerhoff’s research, the Jewish community in the neighborhood around the Center was growing smaller and many people were facing economic difficulties due to urban development. The Center provided hundreds of elderly Jews with a meaningful place to go each day. The Center gave out hot meals and offered a wide variety of activities for people to participate in. Going to the Center thus allowed people to be part of a supportive community and live a full life despite the difficulties they faced in their old age. 1. What were Myerhoff’s main research questions when she started her research with the Center? When Myerhoff started her research with the Center, one of her research questions was essentially “what role does the center play on this elderly Jewish group in Los Angeles,” which she helped explore by analyzing and studying the lives of members of the center. She also had a desire to explore the question “what life is like being an elderly and Jewish,” which she revealed to Basha while talking to her. Finally, Myerhoff has a desire to explore the question “what 1 Anthropology 104 | Field Work Project 2

makes Jewish people different from others” which seemed to be fueled by her Jewish heritage alongside her professional motive to understand the community. 2. Why did Myerhoff think the Center would be a good place for her to conduct research? I believe that Myerhoff thought the Center would be a good place for her to conduct her research because, as she states in the excerpt, the people of the center provided not a unique population to study, but also a model of alternative lifestyle. Essentially, this center is made up of a pocket of a certain demographic that goes beyond just old age, that allowed her to conduct her research on her “own people” in a way that was different and unique from other opportunities to do so. Also, since it serves a limited population of a certain age/generation, Myerhoff chose the Center as she viewed the Center’s people as different with their choices and values, providing this independent study of them. 3. What were Myerhoff’s key research methods? (Describe them). A couple of Myerhoff’s key research methods were having conversations with Center members, observing their everyday life and activities, and finally, physically replicating parts of their lives to better understand these members. First, Myerhoff most directly conducted research by questioning some of the Center members as well as outsiders who knew the members, interviewing them about their lives. Additionally, she observed their lives by going along on trips to the doctor, shopping, funerals, etc. to better understand what their daily lives looked like and how it may differ from those outside the community. Lastly, she also mimicked their lives by (quite literally) putting herself in their shoes to better understand their physical, emotional, and mental challenges, from exhaustion while walking to a conditioned fear of falling. One example was when she tried to garden like them. 4. What were some of the high points and challenges Myerhoff faced during her research? After reading the piece, some of the high points Myerhoff faced during her research were being able to establish a strong and gratifying attachment to community members like Schmuel, as well as be able to better understand people of a shared background as her. Myerhoff makes it clear that people and stories she encountered, like Schmuel, had a profound impact on her understanding and comprehension of what she saw, as well as reveals that this experience was deeply personal to her and that she found genuine connection to many of her findings. Two of the major challenges that Myerhoff faced in her research were being accepted into the group, as well as respecting their privacy while sharing what she learned. While it seems they were welcoming, by discussing her conversation with Basha, she makes it clear that she was at moments a bit interrogative and suspicious, making her slightly uncomfortable about being accepted into the group and nervous about doing things to jeopardize her welcome among them. Additionally, she reveals the rather sensitive relationship between including verbatim conversations and events to allow the reader some degree of direct participation while respecting the privacy of those who she studied, which became even more difficult with the documentary. 5. Based on this article, what do you think are some of the strengths and limitations of anthropological research methods? This article suggests that it is possible to observe and make connections directly through anthropological research methods. As anthropologists observe another group of individuals firsthand, they can gain a profound amount of knowledge that written accounts cannot provide, in addition to making meaningful and educational connections. Some limitations in this article revealed that when studying a population that isn't your own, you will always be limited by the fact that you will never be a part of that population. There is always a limitation on how much you can learn, as you can’t change who you are to identify more closely and better relate to a certain population. 2 Anthropology 104 | Field Work Project 2

Research Question 1 How have social norms between genders changed during our post pandemic recovery? Activity & Location With this question, I want to focus on interactions between people in public settings. I typically errands for my family all the time, and I will pay attention to what gender is wearing masks more. The locations will be places such as Target, grocery stores, sport events, etc. I will also pay attention to if people not wearing masks asked for help by people also not wearing masks. For example, I want to see if people wearing masks went to check out at the registers of people also wearing masks. Research Question 2 How do different genders react when asked to put on a mask? Activity & Location A noticeable difference we have all seen with COVID-19 is the restrictions in the food industry. I work in the food industry and with COVID-19, we are seeing weekly changes. The restaurant that I work at still has a mask policy where we ask guests to wear a mask if they haven’t been vaccinated. I want to see how different genders react to this! Note: I am not trying to be rude during this process, but I will be ‘assuming’ genders. Journal 2.3 | 1 st Fieldnotes Instructions & Expectations Participant Observation It’s now time to conduct your first participant observation based on your research question and the activity/location you have chosen.  Do your activity for one hour.  Next week you will return to the same location for a second round of participant observation. Taking Field Notes Field notes are what anthropologists write down in response to what they do, see, hear, and think. They are a form of recorded data, and anthropologists can continue to analyze them long after they have completed their participant observation.  Take field notes while you do you your activity, or immediately after completing the activity. Everyone writes field notes differently. Some anthropologists make very detailed notes. Others just jot down quick points to help jog their memory later. Some people's notes describe what they observe quite literally , while others are more abstract (for example, they might include drawings or charts). It's up to you to decide how to take field notes and you may want to experiment with different styles. Succeeding in your Participant Observation Here are some questions & ideas that may help you:  What is your activity like, physically? How do you feel doing it? How might the way you are experiencing this activity be different from the ways other people experience it?  What are other people doing? Why are they doing it? How are other people interacting with each other? What do you think the relationships between the other people are? How might aspects of other people’s identities (e.g. gender, age, etc.) be shaping their involvement in the activity and their interactions with one another?  What's the space around you like? How do the characteristics of the space – for example, if it’s inside or outside, big or small – shape what people are doing there? What are the sights, sounds, and smells?  How does what you're noticing help you answer your research question? What ideas do you have at this point? 4 Anthropology 104 | Field Work Project 2

 What else do you notice? Write down anything that sticks out to you as interesting or important. You have two options for submitting your field notes: You can type your notes into the space below and upload your journal to the Canvas assignment for Journal 2.3 (doc, docx, PDF) OR you can submit a photo or scan (pdf, jpg, jpeg, png, tiff) of your handwritten notes to the Canvas assignment for Journal 2.3. DUE DATE: This assignment needs to be completed by 11:59pm on July 5 th . Field Notes OBSERVATIONS:  I see more people not wearing masks versus wearing masks – so far at grocery store, its more women  Most of the places I’ve gone to today do not have a mask policy  Most of the cashiers are not wearing masks  The lines are very long and not many people are social distancing  I doubt that all of these people have gotten their vaccine  I still have my mask on, and I feel like I am getting stared at  Self-checkout seems to be more popular  More people wearing masks are just doing self-checkout – more men at self-checkout! – I didn’t expect this  I saw one woman (wearing a mask) as for help from an employee (also wearing a mask). The women walked past a different employee (not wearing a mask) and didn’t ask for help from her first. Basically, the masked woman went to the masked employee  I like self-checkout – its quicker and less interactions which is probably the same thinking as everyone else  I see hand sanitizer stations, and I only saw 2 women using them  More women wearing masks  More women in the store in general – target and grocery store  At Target, the dressing rooms opened so more women were going in there – the women that went in the fitting room didn’t have a mask on when they came out to show their friends  I went to Home Depot to buy plants which, stereotypically is more men, which it was more men  In Home Depot, I genuinely think I was the only person wearing a mask  I can understand why people don’t want to wear masks outdoors – like in the Home Depot outdoors by the trees and big plants  It was also very hot outside…  At all of the stores, I don’t see any more of those social distancing stickers on the ground  More of the female teenagers/younger women are wearing masks more than anyone  Overall, more women wearing masks then men today  I also saw both genders, mostly women, take their mask off right as they walk out of the store AT THE RESTAURANT I WORK AT:  I am a hostess, and we ask people to wear a mask if they haven’t been vaccinated before we seat them. Then they can take off the mask when we get to their table. It’s like a 30 second walk to the table  I saw both genders complain about it  Not to be stereotypical but this is an old, fancy steakhouse, so most of our customers are elderly. Both genders complained about wearing a mask. Both genders also ‘probably’ lied about getting vaccinated, so they didn’t have to wear a mask.  Even though it’s not mask mandated, I still like to social distance. Mostly women got super close and personal when speaking to us, and even if I backed up, they still came closer in. 5 Anthropology 104 | Field Work Project 2

 How does what you're learning help you answer your research question? What new ideas do you have this time, versus during your first hour of participant observation?  What else do you notice? Write down anything that seems interesting or important. You have two options for submitting your field notes: You can type your notes into the space below and upload your journal to the Canvas assignment for Journal 2.4 (doc, docx, PDF) OR you can submit a photo or scan (pdf, jpg, jpeg, png, tiff) of your handwritten notes to the Canvas assignment for Journal 2.4. DUE DATE: This assignment needs to be completed by 11:59pm on July 8 th . Field Notes OBSERVATIONS:  I dislocated my knee, so I went to the orthopedic office – there were 3 men and 2 female patients waiting by me  Both females had their masks on but only 1 of the men had their mask on. The other 2 men were asked to wear a mask, but they refused  I went with my mom to the grocery store and like the other day, mostly females were at the store. Any males I saw did not wear masks. The females were about 50/50  I still have not seen any social distancing stickers on the ground  Mostly female cashiers  The masked females went to self-checkout for the most part  Men went to self-check-out too  Overall, more females than men wearing masks  Pretty much the same thing as yesterday HOW I FEEL  I think I expected more females to wear mask than men  I wasn’t completely shocked  The difference between men and women wearing masks was not significant – they were even, but more females wearing them still  I felt weird spying and noticing these things about people Journal 2.5 | Final Analysis & Reflection Instructions & Expectations Write your analysis & reflection by responding to each of the questions below. Use your field notes to help you develop your responses. Each response should be 150 – 250 words, unless otherwise noted . DUE DATE: This assignment needs to be completed by 11:59pm on July 8 th . 1. What was your research question? (1 sentence) How have social norms between genders changed during our post pandemic recovery? 2. Describe | Describe your experience conducting participant observation (e.g. where you were, what happened, who was involved, etc.). 7 Anthropology 104 | Field Work Project 2

My locations were places like the grocery store, doctor’s office, Target, the restaurant I work at, etc. I observed people at these locations and was watching to see what each gender did, and which gender wore their masks more. I noticed which gender wore mask, which gender went to more self-checkout, which gender wore a mask when asked to because of policy, and which gender still followed social distancing rules. I noticed many people, mostly men, didn’t really wear masks anymore. Most of the people I saw wear masks were women. Another thing I noticed was that most of the mask wearers (women) went to self-checkout more often. I assume this is because it was less interactions that with the cashiers. Most of the cashiers did not wear masks, and they were split 50/50 between males and females. I specifically focused on the ratio of mask wearers vs. non-mask wearers for each gender. My community is mostly right-leaning, so I expected the majority of both genders to not wear masks. The ratio for women was probably around 30% and for men, it was probably 10%. I also suspected women to wear masks more, just because I think there is an ‘ego’ sense with men who don’t want to wear masks. I also noticed fewer social interactions between genders and everyone, most likely due to the ingrained social distancing. 3. Respond | Based on your participant observation, write an answer to your research question. I believe social norms between genders have changed during our post pandemic recovery, but I believe we will go back to how things were before the pandemic. Some social norms I have seen that have changed is whether or not you wear a mask, self-checkout becoming more popular, social distancing, etc. With females, I have seen a greater change, especially with wearing masks and using self-checkout. While majority of women I observed weren’t wearing masks, it was still much more significant than men wearing masks. While I practiced social distancing and wore a mask the whole time, I noticed how I was in the minority in my community when it came to wearing PPE and following guidelines and restrictions have had less of an impact on daily life. In this more right-leaning community, I also noticed the attitude was different. There were more females at Target and seemed to be there for leisure rather than out of necessity. The electronics, toys, and clothing section had a decent amount of people walking around, mostly women. Overall, it seems that coronavirus restrictions have impacted men more and they were quicker to remove their masks than women. Maybe more men got the vaccine? Many of the questions I have cannot be solved through observation. All in all, my conclusion is that, while it was close, mostly females wore masks and practiced our pandemic norms. I believe that these norms will fade once more people get vaccinated and more time passes by. 4. Connect | How does your answer to your research question connect to concepts about gender discussed in class (i.e. in the lectures, discussion section, or textbook)? My answer to my research question connects to some gender concepts we discussed in class. Gender can cause unconscious assumptions about people. For example, someone could see a mom not wearing a mask and think she’s being a bad mom because she could get COVID and pass it to her kids. We can also see a man and think that it’s his choice not to wear a mask. Of course, not everyone thinks like this, but gender can cause some prejudice thinking of others. We also learned about participant observations in general. As we saw in the textbook, participant observations allow you to answer questions that are outside of yes and no. With traditional “scientific” research, it feels like you are studying a series of yes or no questions to achieve a final answer to your research question. With participant observation, it feels more like you are analyzing a multitude of different factors and parts from different sources to reach a more objective and comprehensive understanding. 8 Anthropology 104 | Field Work Project 2

is more objective to whoever is interpreting it. 8. Reflect | What have you learned about yourself while completing this project? (1-3 sentences) In completing this project, I learned that I do have much more of an interest in this kind of research. I have always considered myself to be someone more science, but I liked this way of thinking and research much more than I thought I would. 9. Advise | What would you do differently if you did this assignment again to achieve a more in-depth answer to your research question? (1-3 sentences) If I did this assignment again, I would probably observe an additional location in this community where I could see an even amount of each gender. Many of the place I went to wear mostly female or mostly male. It was difficult to compare them. I think this would provide me with new information, as well as solidify my understanding. 10 Anthropology 104 | Field Work Project 2