Brief, safe and, inexpensive way to acquire a sense of what participant observation in ethnographic fieldwork is like and to evaluate its strengths and limitations as a method.
Participant Observation Exercise
General Instructions:
This exercise provides a relatively brief, safe and, inexpensive way to acquire a sense of what participant observation in ethnographic fieldwork is like and to evaluate its strengths and limitations as a method.
Select an event or activity specifically for this project to observe and, ideally, to participate in at some level. The event or activity may be quite simple, common, small, or frequent—or it may be elaborate, unusual, and different from your own cultural tradition—but it must meet these criteria:
➢ You have a right to be there, or you have secured permission or an invitation to attend from persons in charge.
➢ It is not familiar to you.
➢ It has a clear beginning and end.
➢ It is limited in time so you can observe the entire event.
➢ It is legal and risks little harm.
➢ You are curious about it.
➢ You have a trusted acquaintance familiar with the event -your key informant- who will accompany you or host you at the event and answer your questions about it.
Examples of events on/around campus that could meet these criteria:
➢ Athletic team/club practice (not of a game you have played before)
➢ Habitat for humanity project
➢ Religious service outside of your own religion
Observe the event and take notes if this can be done unobtrusively, to refresh your memory during debriefing soon after. Request to participate in some way: to throw the ball, wield a hammer, pour the punch, and so on. During the event or the debriefing, ask your key informant to explain what you observed.
After the event and after consulting your field notes and discussing the event with your key informant, debrief yourself by composing a typed document of notes. Include in these notes:
➢ What happened at the activity? Include sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile memories.
➢ How you felt during the activity?
➢ How people responded to you?
➢ What your key informant told you.
➢ Evidence that your presence influenced the scene.
Answer the following questions and turn them in along with your field notes, typed notes and any other documentation you feel compliments the assignment.
1. What event/activity did you observe and how/why was it a new experience for you?
2. What understanding was gained from participation compared to just observing?
3. What did having a key informant add to your understanding?
4. What was learned from participant observation at this event that a questionnaire or interview about it might miss?
5. For what purposes might a questionnaire or interview be better than participant observation?
Some information about me. My religion is Islam and my mother language is Arabic. I live in Dayton, Ohio. For complete this exercise, I must choose an event that must be different from my culture. I will choose religious service outside of my own religion. So, I went to Hindu Temple of Dayton. Because it belief Hinduism and Indian culture. That totally different for my beliefs, religion and culture. My key informant is a priest who works in Temple. His name is Ashwani Kumar.
Hindu Temple of Dayton
First of all, I entrance the temple from basement and leave my shoes beside the entrance door because it is not allowed to walk in temple with shoes. Next, I walk through stairs that lead me to worship area for Hindu people. Then, I met the Priest. He gives me some information about Hinduism and a tour in temple. The temple consists of five small cabins or rooms and a big cabin that located in center of temple. Also temple has pictures and Hindu statues in everywhere. Also there are chairs in middle of temple and some bells hanging from the ceiling of temple. As priest told me the God has different forms and every form has different job and meaning. So, I think every cabin in temple define some forms of God in Hinduism. Next, priest give me some information about every cabin and what meaning of every one. First cabin, it is called Ganesh or Ganesha. It has elephant headed god. Second cabin, it is called Raja Nilaya. It has mother symbol. Third cabin, it is called Sita Ram. It has three women. Fourth cabin, it is called Radha Karishna. It has two women. Fifth cabin, it is called Lord Siva. In the corner of temple, there is Navagraha. It is symbol of planet, sun, and moon. In the center of temple, there was a big cabin. It is called Lord Venkateswara. Priest told me people focus most their worship on it. It like a big god and the temple base on it. While I take a tour in temple, I see some people came and did worship. One of them, use a bell and most of them circling around cabins or statues. Also, some of them prostrate and bowed down at the front of cabin. Also, some of them sat and read from books. Also, the priest blesses them by give them water and food.
➢ What happened at the activity? Include sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile memories.
Temple has a nice good smile. It is like a perfume. The sound, there was Indian music that played all the time.
➢ How you felt during the activity?
Good feeling for discover new things and impressive feeling for what the people do.
➢ How people responded to you?
Priest was kind and friendly person. He was answer all my questions. The people there were smiling and welcoming me.
In this paper define and explain what are Ganesh, Raja Nilaya, Sita Ram, Radha Karishna, Lord Siva, Navagraha, and Lord Venkateswara in Hinduism. Also define and explain the Hinduism. The length of paper is 9 pages. Follow the all instructions in the first page. Answer all the questions in the first page. I will upload some picture of temple from inside. Use credible sources only and give me work cited and upload for me the sources. I want free plagiarism work. If you need anything, contact with me.
The Website of Hindu Temple of Dayton is
