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CHAPTER 3

INTERNAL ASSESSMENT

Observation Report

The IBSCA Internal Assessment equals 20% of your IBSCA grade. During the first few weeks of the course, your instructor will tell you to observe a place where humans interacting with their environment and each other. You will be asked to take notes and write a report of the observation that is between 600-700 words. Suggested venues could be a classroom, bus stop, airport, restaurant, train station, park, nursing home, sporting event, or just about anywhere where human social interactions are taking place. However, make sure that you have permission from your instructor before committing to a location. I remember one of my students decided to observe a ladies’ restroom. She hid in a restroom stall and peeked out to observe the women. She wanted to see if women were more likely to wash their hands when others were present. Interesting idea, but she clearly violated anthropological ethics because she invaded their privacy. More importantly she failed to criticize her methods in her critique. Because of these shortcomings, she was severely penalized in her Internal Assessment score. Make sure to check with your teacher if you have any doubt about ethical violations.

The only criterion for the observation is to be detailed and organized. This may sound simple and straightforward, but it is more complicated than meets the eye. First, you must decide if your observation will be context or issue-based. Context-based means you are focusing on a place be it a classroom, bus stop, et cetera. Issue-based means that you are focusing on an issue such as ethnicity, gender, or rites of passage. The important point is that you focus sharply on whatever you choose. For example, if you choose context-based, make sure you focus on a small enough area that can be easily managed. If you choose a restaurant, for example, focus on a specific section of the restaurant such as the bar, dining, waiting, or kitchen area (if available), et cetera. Do not try to write about the entire restaurant, unless, of course, it is very small. Also, avoid observing a place where you work, because it is difficult to work and fully observe at the same time. If you did do this, however, you must address the difficulties entrenched in this methodology such as inherent distractions and bias.

Second, let us reflect on the word detailed. A detailed observation report should provide the reader a clear and concise image of the area that you have observed. In fact, there will be so many details that you should have a difficult time confining your write-up to 700 words. So, observe very closely. Thoroughly describe the setting, time-frame, and actors. Note interactions between actors and between actors and cultural artifacts. Note anything that stands out, referred to as outcroppings by anthropologists.

Third, we need to examine the word organized. In the context of writing your observation/report, organized means to put your notes into some kind of logical order. An ineffective order that some students have chosen in the past is to merely describe observations in chronological order. I would not recommend this method, as these students tend to score low for Criterion A. Instead I suggest that you think about some logical categories. For example, you may begin your observation by describing the setting in terms of where (specific place) and when (time and date) you observed your subjects. You could even include your methodology or how you went about observing such as focus (context or issued-based) and materials used (notepad, smart phone, et cetera), and your physical position (where you were sitting when you recorded the event). Depending on how much detail you use for each of these topics, you could describe them in either one or two paragraphs. Of course, if you do not include these topics, you should deal with their exclusion in your critique on your paragraph about methodology. The last sentence of your introductory paragraph should be your thesis statement. In one sentence the thesis statement tells the reader the focus of the observation. Refer to Appendix C to see an example of a thesis statement, which in this case is the next to the last sentence of the introductory paragraph.

The next paragraphs could be devoted to the interactions you observed. Here you could organize your observations into two paragraphs: (1) actors’ interactions with artifacts; and (2) actors’ interactions with other actors. Subsequent paragraphs could be devoted to any behaviors that stood out to you or patterns that you noticed. Finally, you could do a bit of analysis of what you saw. I state could because this is neither required nor necessary. However, if you have not reached the 700 word limit, you may want to consider doing a bit of analysis. Do not worry about a formal conclusion, because with an observation report, you do not need one. If you want to have a concluding statement, you could state what time the observation ended as your final statement.

What to avoid in your observation

There are a few common errors I have observed through years of teaching IBSCA. First, avoid multi-tasking while observing. You may be tempted to look at your phone or some other device or listen to music during your observation. I would strongly advise against this, because it may cause you to miss important details. Remember sight is not the only sense you should use when observing. What you hear and even smell are critical and could provide important details for your observation. Generally, electronic devices distract from being fully aware of your surroundings, so I suggest turning all electronic devices off as they could distract you from being fully aware of important details.

As mentioned, I would also avoid conducting your observation at your place of employment or at any place where you have had some kind of personal participation. Again, it is nearly impossible to focus on your subjects and perform another activity at the same time. Similarly, observing a classroom while being a student in that classroom is also difficult and apt to be filled with assumptions and bias. For example, observing a religious service in which you are a participant is rife with limitations and distractions. One of the problems is that not only are you distracted by having to participate, but your vantage point may be blocked or limited in some way, again curtailing the details of the observation. Therefore, the best observations are at locations where you can have the most objective and unvarnished view as possible. Keep in mind that if you do observe a familiar situation in which you are also a participant, you can always address these inherent biases and assumptions in the critique.

Next, do not procrastinate. Transcribe your notes into your very rough first draft as quickly as possible. I advise this because the scene will be fresh in your mind, and you are more likely to accurately record your notes and to remember important details. Remember, that when you perform your observation, you are taking notes, which means writing fast and making abbreviations. Sometimes, you will be forced to leave out some details. If too much time elapses between the actual observation and the writeup, you are more likely to forget details. Remember, this will be your first draft, so it does not have to be perfect. Just try to organize it into some logical fashion and write about what you saw. Deletions, rearrangements, and additions can be done at a later time.

Summary of Observation Report

Notice that the directions and rubric for this activity are brief. This is done intentionally, because the point of the observation is for you to see how your views of human behavior will change after having had a social and cultural anthropology class. Do not worry about producing an anthropologically inspired observation. You are only required to observe for one hour and write about your observation in a detailed and organized manner and limited to 600-700 words. Lastly, be sure to insert the word count at the end of the document.