Select a public setting where you will be able to unobtrusively observe a social group (family, peer group, etc.) with which you are not familiar interacting for 20-30 continuous minutes (examples: park/playground, restaurant/coffee shop, open AA or NA meeting). Keep a log during your observation (if you chose to attend an open AA or NA meeting, you should not take notes during the meeting, but rather record your observations immediately following the meeting). As a result of your observation describe and analyze the behaviors you observed, making connections to course material about human behavior and the social environment.
• The paper consists of two required sections—1) behavioral descriptions, and 2) behavioral analysis.
o Behavioral Description (worth up to 25 pts)
Describe the following:
• The setting/context for your observation.
• What you were doing during the observation (sitting at a table drinking coffee, sitting on park bench writing, etc.).
• The social unit---Who do they appear to be? (members, ages, apparent relationship, race/ethnicity/culture/socioeconomic status, gender, any other descriptive factors)
• What they did: activities engaged in, conversations, what seemed to be the purpose or focus of their engagement. What seemed important to you?
o Behavioral Analysis (worth up to 49pts)
Reflect on your descriptions and the following questions:
• How do you explain the behaviors that you observed?
• What do you think might have been going on?
• Did you observe any behaviors that you consider odd or unusual?
• How do your observations and analysis reflect an awareness of human behavior occurring in a social environment?
• How do your observations mesh with or contradict theories that we’ve studied thus far in class? (incluing but not limited to systems theory, crisis theory, human life span developmental theory, conception – middle childhood).
• What unanswered questions do you have about what you observed?
• What aspects did you like and/or dislike about this assignment?