- When did you start playing video games?
- What do you use video games for (entertainment, socialization, etc.)?
- What is your favorite genre of video games?
- Do you believe in any of the stereotypes surrounding video games?
- Do you know anyone who fits a gaming stereotype?
- Do you think that video games can be harmful?
- Do you believe that video games inspire violent behavior?
- Do you believe that video games inspire any negative behavior?
- Do you think that video games are beneficial in any way?
- What do you think of society's view on video games?
- Have video games ever been detrimental to you?
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Group selection and Class interviews
Electronic Gaming League:
1. I myself enjoy video games and have a good understanding of the subculture which it defines.
2. There is a wide range of people who play video games because of its wide range of genres. There the more social gamers who normally only play if it is with someone else. These types normally play sports games and online first person shooters. Another type of gamer is the more reclusive and quiet type. They often play one player games like role-playing games. Those are just a few general stereotypes though.
3. Stepping in would be simple because I already consider myself a gamer. Stepping out however would require me asking very basic and general questions of some of the members.
4. No
5. I would most likely cast the group is a positive light in my research. I may even make some friends that share similar interests.
Anthropomorphic Art Society
1. This group is pretty controversial in today's society and I would like to know more about what kind of people associate themselves with this group.
2. Apart from an episode of CSI, which showed the subculture negatively, I know very little about this group. I know that there are negative stereotypes that follow this group around.
3. Stepping in would be fairly difficult as I don't share the common interest of the group, but I can easily be an outsider.
4. No
5. From what I've read about their Ball State organization, they are trying to break "negative stereotypes." If anything, I'm searching to break stereotypes too, so I may try to help them with that.
Japanese Animation Society
1. I don't know very much about this subculture either and would like to learn more about it.
2. I know the stereotypes of this group which are mostly negative. When I was younger I watched some Japanese Animation as well, so I guess I know a little about what can be expected from its content.
3. I can step in by taking part in some of the activities, and stepping out would be simple as I am already an outsider.
4. No
5. I guess I would try to break negative stereotypes of this group as well.
The support of the civil rights movement is high even though most of its supporters remain uninvolved with group activities. An African American undergraduate at Ball State University states that "without it, the United States wouldn't be as progressed as it is today." That's not to say that there isn't still problems with racism today in America. That same student has experienced racism first hand. While shopping at a grocery store, he reports being followed around to make sure he wasn't stealing. Caucasian undergraduate students report being exposed to racism as well in small country schools and from acquaintances. While everyone I interviewed expressed distaste for these behaviors, none were actively involved in the civil rights movement even though all claimed no objection to getting involved.
1. I myself enjoy video games and have a good understanding of the subculture which it defines.
2. There is a wide range of people who play video games because of its wide range of genres. There the more social gamers who normally only play if it is with someone else. These types normally play sports games and online first person shooters. Another type of gamer is the more reclusive and quiet type. They often play one player games like role-playing games. Those are just a few general stereotypes though.
3. Stepping in would be simple because I already consider myself a gamer. Stepping out however would require me asking very basic and general questions of some of the members.
4. No
5. I would most likely cast the group is a positive light in my research. I may even make some friends that share similar interests.
Anthropomorphic Art Society
1. This group is pretty controversial in today's society and I would like to know more about what kind of people associate themselves with this group.
2. Apart from an episode of CSI, which showed the subculture negatively, I know very little about this group. I know that there are negative stereotypes that follow this group around.
3. Stepping in would be fairly difficult as I don't share the common interest of the group, but I can easily be an outsider.
4. No
5. From what I've read about their Ball State organization, they are trying to break "negative stereotypes." If anything, I'm searching to break stereotypes too, so I may try to help them with that.
Japanese Animation Society
1. I don't know very much about this subculture either and would like to learn more about it.
2. I know the stereotypes of this group which are mostly negative. When I was younger I watched some Japanese Animation as well, so I guess I know a little about what can be expected from its content.
3. I can step in by taking part in some of the activities, and stepping out would be simple as I am already an outsider.
4. No
5. I guess I would try to break negative stereotypes of this group as well.
The support of the civil rights movement is high even though most of its supporters remain uninvolved with group activities. An African American undergraduate at Ball State University states that "without it, the United States wouldn't be as progressed as it is today." That's not to say that there isn't still problems with racism today in America. That same student has experienced racism first hand. While shopping at a grocery store, he reports being followed around to make sure he wasn't stealing. Caucasian undergraduate students report being exposed to racism as well in small country schools and from acquaintances. While everyone I interviewed expressed distaste for these behaviors, none were actively involved in the civil rights movement even though all claimed no objection to getting involved.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Box 3
Multicultural Center organizes unity march
By Sarah Boswell
The streets looked empty Monday afternoon, except for about 20 minutes during which students and Muncie citizens participated in a unity march down McKinley Avenue.
Multicultural Center director Patricia Lovett said 101 people took part in the march, which was a huge improvement from the nearly 20 people who were at the march last year in downtown Muncie. “Attendance was low, so we took it to Ball State,” she said. Lovett said the march started after people got back from doing projects through Student Voluntary Services.
Tiffany Washington, assistant director of Student Life, said it was a great kickoff for Unity Week. “The concert Thursday was the real kickoff, but this was a good way to kick off the actual week and the numbers were high,” she said.
Participants marched from the Multicultural Center to the Scramble Light and back, singing “Happy Birthday” for Martin Luther King, Jr., “We Shall Overcome” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” considered the Black National Anthem.
The Union Missionary Baptist Church hosted a memorial service at 6 p.m. to conclude the day’s events, which was run by the Coalition of Collective Concerned Clergy.
Graduate student Brett Watson, who works in the Office of Student Life, said he was impressed with the turnout. “You saw everyone — African-American students, Caucasians and Latinos — coming out and it was a great feeling to unite the campus,” he said.
Some obvious representations of culture can be seen in this article. The sense of unity and community expressed by this group in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day gives us insight into the values of some Muncie citizens. Civil Rights has always been a big issue in United States culture and continues to be as represented by this march. The article mentions that there was a mix of races, but no exact ratios. An ethnographer would probably be interested in answering the following questions:
- What race was in the majority in the march? Which was in the minority?
- Were those in attendance actively involved in other ethnic based groups?
- What was the general appearance of the group (i.e. clothing)?
- Have any of the members experienced racial inequalities personally?
- What were the backgrounds of the members.
- What do the members think about the current state of civil equality?
- How involved are some of the members involved with the Civil Rights movement?
- How did members view each other?
- Were races social with each other?
Fieldworkers would want to interview as many of the members of the march as possible. He would be much more interested in what marchers thought than the number in attendance. A fieldworker would ask why they were there, what their social background is and what they thought of the civil rights movement in general. By trying to find out more about the people in the unity march, a fieldworker would gather information about the implications of race and civil rights. Other sources the fieldworker might use are other groups involved in civil rights or even just a spectator of the march to get an outsider perspective.
By Sarah Boswell
The streets looked empty Monday afternoon, except for about 20 minutes during which students and Muncie citizens participated in a unity march down McKinley Avenue.
Multicultural Center director Patricia Lovett said 101 people took part in the march, which was a huge improvement from the nearly 20 people who were at the march last year in downtown Muncie. “Attendance was low, so we took it to Ball State,” she said. Lovett said the march started after people got back from doing projects through Student Voluntary Services.
Tiffany Washington, assistant director of Student Life, said it was a great kickoff for Unity Week. “The concert Thursday was the real kickoff, but this was a good way to kick off the actual week and the numbers were high,” she said.
Participants marched from the Multicultural Center to the Scramble Light and back, singing “Happy Birthday” for Martin Luther King, Jr., “We Shall Overcome” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” considered the Black National Anthem.
The Union Missionary Baptist Church hosted a memorial service at 6 p.m. to conclude the day’s events, which was run by the Coalition of Collective Concerned Clergy.
Graduate student Brett Watson, who works in the Office of Student Life, said he was impressed with the turnout. “You saw everyone — African-American students, Caucasians and Latinos — coming out and it was a great feeling to unite the campus,” he said.
Some obvious representations of culture can be seen in this article. The sense of unity and community expressed by this group in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day gives us insight into the values of some Muncie citizens. Civil Rights has always been a big issue in United States culture and continues to be as represented by this march. The article mentions that there was a mix of races, but no exact ratios. An ethnographer would probably be interested in answering the following questions:
- What race was in the majority in the march? Which was in the minority?
- Were those in attendance actively involved in other ethnic based groups?
- What was the general appearance of the group (i.e. clothing)?
- Have any of the members experienced racial inequalities personally?
- What were the backgrounds of the members.
- What do the members think about the current state of civil equality?
- How involved are some of the members involved with the Civil Rights movement?
- How did members view each other?
- Were races social with each other?
Fieldworkers would want to interview as many of the members of the march as possible. He would be much more interested in what marchers thought than the number in attendance. A fieldworker would ask why they were there, what their social background is and what they thought of the civil rights movement in general. By trying to find out more about the people in the unity march, a fieldworker would gather information about the implications of race and civil rights. Other sources the fieldworker might use are other groups involved in civil rights or even just a spectator of the march to get an outsider perspective.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Subculture Brainstorm
1.Animal Rights Activists (PETA)
2.Men's Soccer Club
3.Mac User Group
4.Quidditch Leauge
5.Wal-Mart Employees
6.Electronic Gaming League
7.Body Modification Community
8.Comic Book Club (Excelsior)
9.Chess Club
10.Video Game Developers group
11.Bowling Club
12.Feminists Group
13.Storm Chase Team
14.Anthropomorphic Art Society
15.Ball State Paranormal Research Society
16.Japanese Animation Society
17.Poetic Summit
18.Continuum
19.Ballroom Dance League
20.ABSO Improve group
2.Men's Soccer Club
3.Mac User Group
4.Quidditch Leauge
5.Wal-Mart Employees
6.Electronic Gaming League
7.Body Modification Community
8.Comic Book Club (Excelsior)
9.Chess Club
10.Video Game Developers group
11.Bowling Club
12.Feminists Group
13.Storm Chase Team
14.Anthropomorphic Art Society
15.Ball State Paranormal Research Society
16.Japanese Animation Society
17.Poetic Summit
18.Continuum
19.Ballroom Dance League
20.ABSO Improve group
Monday, January 18, 2010
A Homeless Sport's Bar (Reflection)
I was impressed with Ivana Nikolic's determination to learn more about her selected subculture by volunteering to help them. Getting involved gave her an opportunity to better understand the true circumstances of the homeless. I'm sure that her interviewees were more open to her because she was a familiar face rather than a stranger asking a bunch of questions. I also liked the fact that she focused on how, just because these people were homeless, they followed no strict stereotype. From Hope and her difficult past to the older man who had an optimistic future, each person in the essay were completely different apart from the fact that they were homeless.
I admired the fact that Cindie Marshall was able to brave new waters and enter a place that society would deem loathsome. Obviously, she did not fit in at the bar, but that didn't stop her from trying to understand the regular patrons of Ralph's Sports Bar. It was strange how the different groups in the bar could be so easily categorized. Unlike Nikolic's essay, Marshall's text was devoted to how people actually fit stereotypes.
I admired the fact that Cindie Marshall was able to brave new waters and enter a place that society would deem loathsome. Obviously, she did not fit in at the bar, but that didn't stop her from trying to understand the regular patrons of Ralph's Sports Bar. It was strange how the different groups in the bar could be so easily categorized. Unlike Nikolic's essay, Marshall's text was devoted to how people actually fit stereotypes.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Chapter 1: Box 1
Marching Band- Rituals: Senior speeches at end of marching season, hold hats up in the air if the last performance was our best; Insider Phrases: "Reset" "Okay guys, one more time" "Set!" Behaviors: Understanding of taking directions from those in charge, "crunking" our hats, always help those who are having trouble, goofing off whenever possible.
Drama- Rituals: Funny awards for each person for every show, actors ticking off the tech crew, flowers for the directors on the last performance of the show, gifts for graduating seniors. Insider Phrases: "Face the audience!" "Cut!" "Bring out the understudy!" Behaviors: High tensions between the actors and the tech crew, cliques within the actors, bad talking other members behind their backs (a whole lot of drama in Drama).
Marching Band has always been a big family. Sure there are lots of different sections with all their quirks, like the clarinets being wacky and friendly or the drum line always making up only the most immature jokes. The entire group all gets along though. It would be nearly impossible to create a marching band show if it didn't. Band members spend the entire summer and the first eight weeks of school together and if they didn't get along, everything would be quite hectic.
The summer begins with learning the music of the show for that year. Members are split into individual sections where they can learn their part with those who play the same instrument. Every section often has its own reserved spot, such as the alto saxophones using the hallway connecting to the pool. After sectional time the groups come back together to form large sections of winds, drum line, and pit. Eventually, the entire band has all the music memorized. During this ongoing process, the band is also learning how to march the show.
Under the hot Indiana sun, the band uses paint markers to mark individual spots for each set on an empty parking lot. A set is a movement from one point to the next. All these sets come together to form an entire show. During this process, the band director often calls "reset" to tell the band to go back to the last set accompanied by the words "one more time" which almost always guarantees that the band will have to repeat the last set at least three more times. Towards the end of the summer, the members begin playing their memorized music while marching the sets. Once the entire show has been memorized, and all the major mistakes cleaned, the show is ready for performance.
Drama- Rituals: Funny awards for each person for every show, actors ticking off the tech crew, flowers for the directors on the last performance of the show, gifts for graduating seniors. Insider Phrases: "Face the audience!" "Cut!" "Bring out the understudy!" Behaviors: High tensions between the actors and the tech crew, cliques within the actors, bad talking other members behind their backs (a whole lot of drama in Drama).
Marching Band has always been a big family. Sure there are lots of different sections with all their quirks, like the clarinets being wacky and friendly or the drum line always making up only the most immature jokes. The entire group all gets along though. It would be nearly impossible to create a marching band show if it didn't. Band members spend the entire summer and the first eight weeks of school together and if they didn't get along, everything would be quite hectic.
The summer begins with learning the music of the show for that year. Members are split into individual sections where they can learn their part with those who play the same instrument. Every section often has its own reserved spot, such as the alto saxophones using the hallway connecting to the pool. After sectional time the groups come back together to form large sections of winds, drum line, and pit. Eventually, the entire band has all the music memorized. During this ongoing process, the band is also learning how to march the show.
Under the hot Indiana sun, the band uses paint markers to mark individual spots for each set on an empty parking lot. A set is a movement from one point to the next. All these sets come together to form an entire show. During this process, the band director often calls "reset" to tell the band to go back to the last set accompanied by the words "one more time" which almost always guarantees that the band will have to repeat the last set at least three more times. Towards the end of the summer, the members begin playing their memorized music while marching the sets. Once the entire show has been memorized, and all the major mistakes cleaned, the show is ready for performance.
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