Morriah 1

Ethnography Rough Draft 1 + outline Morriah Striplin ENGL 1102 Proff. Hinnant 2/24/2014 Outline [to be removed upon 2nd draft, does not count towards page number] I almost always begin writing with a rough outline, as it is part of my method I thought I should leave it in the paper and remove it later if it becomes an eye-sore. I. II. Introduction Environmental Factors a. The Class b. The Teacher c. The Room Chem 2131 a. Attentiveness b. Note taking c. Focus Chem 2132 a. Attentiveness b. Notes c. Focus Expectations Introduction [Ill think of a catchy title later] The class room mild as I prepare, a lecture hall located in a corner of the Burson Building: home of Physics and Chemistry Majors. The students arrive in mass at 12:20 many still carrying their lunch as they fill the classroom. The first few rows are quickly filled to capacity and at 12:30 almost every chair is occupied as Professor Horger begins his class, Organic Chemistry I. I too sit with a chair in the back corner of the room, where my view is unobscured and I can see the entire student body, as well as the teacher. Within the limited times I observed both Organic classes there is a discernable difference in the focus and work ethic of the respective student bodies. Even though the teacher and class
Commented [MS1]: Remove, start the intro with an introduction into the subject, else it will get confusing

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room is the same the feel of both classes in immensely different. This aura is not made by the teacher, who teaches with the same consistency, but by the students.

Environmental Factors: CHEM 2131 is as the name implies a 2000 level course with its prerequisites being a C or higher in CHEM 1251 and 1252 as well as their corresponding labs. This means that all students attending Organic Chemistry I have the General Chemistry background as well as Calculus I math (a requirement for 1252) [UNCC.edu]. Organic Chemistry II, of course, has passing Organic Chemistry I as its prerequisite. Despite the math requirement by Organics predecessor, Organic Chemistry itself is not math based, only basic algebra is necessary and the bulk of organic chemistry is depicting and understanding the molecular structures and how the geometry of a molecule effects how it reacts to its environment. That being said, Organic Chemistry I and II are required for the UNCC Biology and Chemistry Majors and Minors regardless of whether the major is a BS or BA. The requirements give some depiction on the quality of work ethic within a student that is needed to gain access to the Organic course that I subjected to study. In order to keep consistency both Organic Chemistry I and II that I subjected to my observations were taught by the same teacher: Prof Horger. Prof Horger I observed is a wellmannered man of about six feet tall with thinning red hair and a well-trimmed beard. He is a young professor being thirty-five at the oldest and a good one. In both classes I observed Horgers teaching style was largely the same, he lectures using the board to draw pictures of the molecules he is discussing and the concepts he is representing. He seldom wrote out sentences on the board,

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but when he did they were clear definitions or summaries of concepts. When asked a question by a student Horger was concise with his answers, and kept his lectures going at a good pace. Similarly consistent with my observations was the room in which the classes took place. Room 115 is located in the Burson Building on campus as most chemistry classes are. The room is well lighted and arranged in an open auditorium manner. The seating of permanent seats are arranged in seven even rows with twelve seats per row, with the addition of about ten seats located on the back wall. Additionally, several movable desks are in the class lining the walls and back for extra seating. I approximated that the total seating was roughly ninety seats. During the 12:30 class for Organic I almost every seat was filled making the class roughly eighty students strong.

Organic Chemistry I: My quarry began arriving some fifteen minutes before 12:30 and the start of class. Students, many still carrying their lunches, came filtering into the classroom. The front two rows were filled up almost immediately and by class period almost eighty students inhabited the room. Prof Horger who had been in the room since 12:20 covered with any students who came to him with questions as he set up for the lesson. The student body armed with notepads and pencils or pens talked among themselves, filling the air with the hum of conversation. At 12:29 the class quiets considerable as the time of learning becomes eminent. The last few stragglers enter and take up the empty seats as the teacher begins class. The class at large has about equal numbers of girls and boys. Most are young, in their twenties but there are a few older, my guess is forties. The level of ambient noise in the class is minimal the beginning of class holds the students at attention. The front row students almost constantly write on their papers, some students listen and watch the lesson as they eat quietly. A student in the front row takes notes with colored pencils,
Commented [MS2]: Very good start of observations!

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as do some others. When the teacher asks a question and woman in the front row answers, asking one of her own. The teacher responds with a concise answer and continues with the lesson. While observing I found two students both in the fifth row on their phones, I suspect that the anonymity has given them confidence, still I found the sight irksome. Some ten minutes later in the lecture a student in the front row asks a question and the teacher and him discuss the answer briefly before continuing with the lesson. The teacher shows a neat hand trick to distinguish between an S and an R for molecule geometry. The lesson centers on stereochemistry. At 12:48 one fifth row student previously mentioned is still on his phone, he does take occasional notes, though. A student in the front row asks question about molecule naming, and the teacher shows an example. This days class appears to be focused on how to name complex molecules using parts of the molecules structure to identify it. The names give information about the molecular structure with different names giving different information. At 1:08 the teacher calls for a break. Some students in the first row start to ask questions, a few students leave the room either to smoke or go to the bathroom. The majority of the class stays in their seats and the room fills with quiet chatter from the students. A pair of first row students begin discussing some problem or concept together and some students from various rows begin looking on their phones. The teacher himself does not leave the room, instead conversing with some front row students. The conversations stay at low volume, occasionally rising and falling. The teacher continues the lesson at 1:14 and the students quiet immediately as the students who left filter in. The break period does well in refocusing most of the students for the class however by 1:32 most students are showing signs of tire. At least half of the class only takes occasional notes, and many
Commented [MS3]: Is this necessary? It is very cool though

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are content to listen. The first row seems to still be focused on the lesson as does most of the second and third row. A student asks how polarized light helps distinguish Enantiomers (the original subject) and the teacher explains. Enantiomers rotate polarized light by the same magnitude but in opposite directions (degrees). Another question is asked by a second rower and the teacher shows and explains. Prof Horger gives a brief history lesson about Lui Pascrell, the man who started the study of chirality and enantiomers. As Horger dismisses class the room bursts into noise as the students pack and filter out. None of the students began packing until the teacher dismissed them. Some students come to the front and began asking about the finer points of the lesson.
Commented [MS5]: This might be too much info focus on the students not the subject of discussion Commented [MS4]: Get rid of parenthesis, rephrase

Organic Chemistry II: Organic Chemistry II starts fifteen minutes after Organic I ends, because of this at 1:46 there are still some students talking to the teacher and the early students for the 2:00 class begin to arrive and be seated. The students convers as the get ready for class, the overall volume steadily increasing as more students arrive. The seating of this class is also peculiar; in Organic I the class room was almost at full capacity with easily eighty students attending, in Organic II there were around forty students in the class. The majority of the yearly students inhabit the front three rows filling them almost to capacity. There is a group of students than fill up half of the forth row and weirdly the 7th row is almost completely filled. This leaves a gap of almost unused rows 5 and 6. The student body for the most part is young most being not older than thirty. A few students come to the teacher to ask about homework questions. All students have a paper with an image on the first page. Many
Commented [MS6]: seventh Commented [MS7R6]: do for all numbers Commented [MS8]: Change to word five and six

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students come up asking questions about some problem or other on the paper. At two minutes from 2:00 the student group sat at between forty to fifty students. The teacher begins class with the Ednoro Rule. The silence is eminent as the lesson starts. Almost everyone has a notebook and writing utensil handy, many of the students have multicolored pencils or pens. Almost everyone is taking notes on paper as most of the notes are drawings of molecular structures. When the teacher asks a question one of the students in the 7th row answer it. Over the course of the lesson many students ask questions and from everywhere in class. The entire class is engaged in the lesson. Teacher starts discussing the history of Benzene and the first hypotheses on how it was shaped. The class is quiet and attentive. Most of them are taking notes and copying the molecular structures the teacher puts on the board. When the teacher writes a law on the board the students are quick to be copying. A question from a student from the 2nd row. Two students from the 4th row ask about compound naming. The teacher calls break at 2:48. Many of the students leave for break, most get up and stretch. Conversation ensues between students. Many students go up to ask the teacher questions. The teacher opens the door to the back and front of the room to encourage air flow. By the end of break the room is cool. The teacher continues class at 2:52 and the class quiets. As the class continues there is no conversation (even subtle) among the students. Almost all are focused on the material presented. A question to clarify comes from a student in the 1st row. Teacher moves onto the Polygon Rule for MO diagrams. A student in the 2nd row asks a question about the general rule. At 3:11 the students are starting to relax, some talk very quietly but most are still diligently taking notes. A student from the 1st row asks a question about the aromatic compounds.
Commented [MS10]: tab Commented [MS9]: Change numbers into the words

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Teacher has a last call for questions as he dismisses class a student from the 3rd row asks a question. All the students begin packing up, some students come to the teacher for quick explanations. Students converse as they pack up and leave at 3:15.

Group Focus:

Commented [MS11]: Need to finish the paper. Strong emphasis on the differences between the observations