- 22 Mar, 2021
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Social and Political Sciences
Data Workshop 1: Analyzing Everyday Life Doing Nothing
The first chapter of The Real World emphasizes the importance of taking the sociological perspective, which allows a new way of looking at and thinking about the social world. The purpose of this exercise is to get you to see that changing your perspective from “doing something” to “doing nothing” makes everything different. It helps to turn the ordinary world into a strange place. It makes you more aware of your sense of self (or lack thereof) and how identity is constructed in society. You cannot take for granted that you “just know” what other people are doing or thinking or how they define or interpret the meaning of a situation. Divested of your usual perspective as an everyday actor, you will learn how the most mundane activities (such as just standing around) can become major objects of critical inquiry. In this exercise, you will be collecting data and writing up the results of your data analysis.
Step 1: Conducting the Experiment
This exercise requires that you go to a relatively busy public space (for example, a mall, square, plaza, street corner, park, or sidewalk) and do nothing for 10 minutes. That means stand there and be unoccupied. Do not hide in a corner—you must be visible to everyone; do not wait for someone, take a break, sightsee, or appear otherwise engaged in the normal activity. Also, do not daydream, fantasize, think about the past or the future; do not entertain yourself with plans or internal messages. Don’t whistle, hum, fidget, look in your bag, play with your phone, keys, take notes, listen to your Ipod, text message, talk on the phone, or do anything else that might distract you from just being there and doing nothing. You should observe the reactions of others to you, and pay attention to your thoughts and feelings during these 10 minutes.
Step 2: Thinking and Writing about the Experiment
Immediately after the experience (perhaps while you are still at the site), fill out the data-collection form. Later, use your data-collection form to write a journal entry (casual in tone and written in the first person) describing the experience and its meaning to you. Describe other people’s reactions and your thoughts in as much detail as possible. Your journal entry should be at least two pages and include four sociological terms from chapters one and two of your text. When submitting your assignment to make sure your paper is 2-3 pages long, double-spaced, 12-point font. You should spell, and grammar check your document.