P1.2 Cross-Cultural Observation
Assignment P1.2: Cultural Observation
This experience of content analysis enables you to discover how important patterns can be found by comparing members of different cultures. You will carefully observe material gathered by interview and photograph for a family at the median income level in two nations.
You will use professional recording techniques.
Overview: You will systematically observe two families in Peter Menzel’s book The Material World, which is on reserve in the library. You will hand in a Log of your observations, and a 2-page paper that presents your analysis.
Getting started: Choose one nation from Column A and one nation from Column B
| Column A | Column B |
| Argentina | Albania |
| China | Bhutan |
| Iceland | Ethiopia |
| Israel | Guatemala |
| Italy | Haiti |
| Japan | Mali |
| Kuwait | Mongolia |
| South Africa | Uzbekistan |
| Thailand | Vietnam |
Observing: These families were chosen to be at the median income level in their country. That means that half of the people in the nation have more income than they do, and half of the people have less income.
The book provides information on the number, sex, and family roles (husband/wife, parent/child, etc.) of all the people in the household. Record them in your Log.
Observe the photos of each family in great detail – spend time really analyzing them. Which people stand together? Which ones look at each other? How do they spend their leisure time, and with whom? Who takes care of the children? Cooks and cleans? How does the amount of technology affect the way they do the work of being a family (cooking, cleaning, earning money, getting food)?
Write a Log of your observations of the first family, and then of your observations of the second family.
You cannot know everything about these families, because you only see this slice of their life, but you can note patterns of care, relationship, decision making, playfulness, etc.
YourData Log is your record of observations – the data for your study. It should include just the things that you can objectively observe: not what you think about them.
Your Report
2) Write a short (2 page) report. (a) For each family observed, describe any gender patterns and any interaction patterns within the family, using data to support your claim. (e.g., who is in charge of children? the household? earning money?). (b) Contrast the families you observed. What differences do you see between them? Again, use your data to support your claims. (E.g., “There was more parent-child interaction in the family where no grandparents were present.”) (c) End with a paragraph describing your experience of “paying attention in a disciplined way” — one sociologist’s term for research methods.
Format: Double-space your report, with 1″ margins, using an 11 or 12 point font. You do not need a References page on this paper. You must staple the pages together. Turn in your Log and your Report
Grading: An A paper provides a specific and clear description of patterns within families, and makes clear and direct comparisons of families, drawing on the data. Evaluative terms are avoided.
