Tyler Demery 11/7/13 Observation The room the session was held in was room 112c on the first

floor of the library. The setup of this room allows us all to sit around each other in a rectangular table. There were 8 people when the meeting first started. (NOTE)-This meeting began at 10pm. Which is later than the average meeting time at 8:30 (NOTE)-I choose not to alert the group that I was going to be observing them since I felt that it would compromise the integrity of the entire ethnography When 10pm first started, we didnt immediately begin to do our work. We talked and discussed random situations in which we all thought was funny. The discussion started off with TM talking about how she had a boy take her out to Chilis strictly because she was hungry, not because she liked him. The talking went on for about another 30 minutes until T got frustrated that no one was doing anything and decided to kick off the discussion T-Okay so what do yall want to start working on first. (She was refereeing to either math or political science) D-Dillon responded with I mean, we might as well just work on the math first since the homework is due at 11:30 10:50-Erin (Another usual member of the study group comes in) She explains that she was with her friends off campus and we continue about the session The rest of the group mutually agreed and we began to work on our math.

Tyler Demery The meetings usually begin with everyone doing the questions they know how to do individually and then helping the ones who dont know how to do those problems. This time in particular, the homework assignment was rather easy 10:55-TM- Okay so.have you guys finished your questions yet or am I ahead of the game. BD-Im done I was just waiting for yall (laughs) We begin to compare homework There is small irrelevant chatter through out the entire discussion. The conversation ranged from everything from weekend plans to personal relationships The conversation comes to a halt when we reach a question that none of us know how to do. The entire group gets frustrated, as none of us know exactly how to solve the problem. DA-Makes a smart remark about how we would all know how to do the homework if more of us attended class on a regular basis The entire group (along with myself) started getting aggravated. Especially since the homework closes down at 11:30 and we were running close to the deadline The entire group (aside from myself and D ) Decide to look up the lesson in the book TM-Well this s*** isnt even in the book. (She continues to go on a rant about how we get assigned work that isnt in the book or hasnt been taught to us yet) 11:20 comes around and none of us can find the answer. E-We should all just take a L. Since its the only problem that we havent done its not going to ruin our grade that much All but T agree and chose not to work. T continued to work but did not find the answer in time so she (along with the rest of the group) missed the question.

Tyler Demery As soon as 11:30 three of the members exclaimed that they were going to leave soon. The rest of the group decided that there is no point in continuing if everyone is leaving so we dicided to save Political science for another day. Observation 11/10/13 This meeting takes place on the third floor of the library on the tables that are directly off of the stairwell. We chose this location because our ususal location (any one of the meeting rooms) were being used at the time. (NOTE) This time, the entire usual group did not attend the meeting. There was only me,D, DA, T, and E We all got to the library at relatively the same time. E-Makes a comment at how this is one of the few times that we were all on time. D-Exclaims how he really doesnt feel like staying at the library for a long time and how hes only going to be their for a short amount of time. We first discus our grades on the previous test and laugh about how bad we all did. We all proceeded to open our textbooks and prepare to study for the quiz that was coming up the next day. We each went through a session of silent reading and decided to discuss what we learned from the chapter. D started off the discussion with first stating that we should start with the vocab words since he had a feeling that the quiz was going to be involving the words more than the actual content. E makes a smart remark about how she feels were going to fail the quiz anyway, regardless of how much we study. The group (including myself laughs but we continue to review the words)

Tyler Demery Me and E- exclaim that we are getting hungry and are planning to leave from the group soon. T-You know what guys, lets all just leave since none of us really feel like being here right now. The rest of the group agrees and we all leave on the joking note that were all going to fail the test when it comes Interview Q1- How would you describe the typical study session? Use as much detail as possible. Well on the typical day everything runs smoothly. We goof off for a bit until someone decides to get everyone on track. We each do our work individually and then help each other understand what ever it is that we originally understood. Q2-Do you find that this group was beneficial to you? If so then why I find it very helpful, if it wasnt for doing the work in a group, I would probably just miss multiple questions on my homework and get a lower grade in the two classes Q3-What type of role do you think reading and writing play in your study group? I would say they play a large role. Since the group meetings are school related, they are filled with moments where both reading and writing are necessary. For example, we have to read the text books, and write out the answers to the questions Q4- How does the group typically respond when they come across a problem that they dont know? Well, typically if we dont know the answer immediately we just open the book and try to look it up. If that doesnt work, we go on youtube and see if we can find it up there. We get frustrated throughout and if we still cant find the answer then we eventually just give up and move to the next question. Q5-Describe the study group as a whole Bascially, its just a group of friends that all have similar classes. I feel that this helps because since we all know each other, we all feel that we can be ourselves and have no need to hold back on what we want to say or do

Ethnography Piece

Tyler Demery The community that I am doing my ethnography on is a study group that I often participate in. The group contains me, and 10 of my friends who all have the same classes that I have. The meetings usually take place in whatever study room is available in the library, but on certain situations where there isnt one available, so we move to the third floor. The location of the meeting does play a small impact because it dictates exactly how loud we are allowed to be. We typically meet about twice a week at 8pm and meetings usually last no longer than two hours. However, there are days where the information that needs to be studied is of significant importance, so we sometimes extend the meeting session by an extra couple of hours. We all share the same math and Political science class, so those are the subjects that we typically circle the discussions around. During each meeting, there is a somewhat organized schedule that we follow. The meetings start off with everyone reading the chapters of the textbook and then taking notes. We then start our homework and do whatever work we know how to do individually. If we come across a question that no one knows how to solve, we reread the textbook to see if we can find a solution. Although there is a schedule to the meetings, no meeting is ever the exact same as the last. This is because at the very start of each meeting, we each talk about random situations that are happening in our lives until someone decides to start the discussion. Because of this, it is impossible to indicate exactly which direction each meeting will go. I had a brief interview with one of the members of the community, to try and figure out if the community helped her in her studies. Taylor stated that without the group study sessions, then she more than likely would be failing her classes. Communication happens to be the single most important aspect in our community. Often times, the way we communicate with each other can set the entire tone for what the rest of the meeting is going to be like. If one person begins to communicate in a negative or less than

Tyler Demery positive way, then it is greatly going effect the chemistry for the remainder of the group meeting. During my observation, I played very close attention to the way in which everyone communicated with each other, and what I noticed surprised me. It was clear in the conversations that were taken place that everyone viewed each other as a friend. Conversations in the group ranged from personal family situations all the way to relationship issues. I feel that means each of the group members trusted each other because I am sure that these conversations would no be held with just the average person. This shows that there is a certain circle of trust built between the people inside the community that may not be extended to the people who are outside of the community. On the first day of my observation, I waited until the group got to a point where we didnt know the answer to a problem, just to take note on if communication with one another changed during that time. During that brief moment of everyone being lost, I observed small alterations in the demeanor of those in the community. People started grinding their teeth, frustratingly looking through the books, and even tapping their pencils. These small signs made it clear that there was something bothering them. When it came time to discuss the problem aloud, everyone was speaking in a somewhat hostile voice. The voices raised a little and the tone of them became rather different than what they were at the beginning of the meeting. It was clear in the voices of the community that everyone was getting frustrated tensions began to rise. Some individuals even resorted to name-calling. I did, however, find it very interesting that during the entire duration of the meeting, everyone talked to each other as equals. There was no point in the conversation that one person tried to talk down to another or try to make them-selves seem more like a leader. This showed me that there is an understood mutual level of respect from everyone in the group, and that no one sees themselves above any other member in the group, and if they

Tyler Demery do, then they do not vocalize it. There is also certain vocabulary that is used in the group that may not be understood by others. Since everyone in the group knows each other, they typically use slang when referring to a lot of things. We have all been hanging around each other for a long enough time for everyone to know what the slang words mean. For example, when they are discussing getting a bad grade, they typically use the term take an L. The community also refers to things they dont like as a dub. I find that it would be pretty difficult for someone who is an outsider of the community to just come in and fully understand the dialect that is used in the meetings. Everyone knowing each other also adds on an added bonus. Since everyone is familiar with one another to a certain degree, the group knows the invisible boundaries about what can and what can not be said. This eliminates the possible chance of someone saying something than may emotionally hurt another member of the group. Reading also plays a very important aspect in the community. Since the community basis its meetings off of schoolwork, it is only natural that reading play a huge roll in each meeting. Throughout my observation of the community, there were several times where I witnessed everyone in the community just read there book. This is done to further gather notes, which will also help fuel, the discussion of the group. The reading doesnt always have to be out of the textbook. It works its way into several other situations as well. For example, once everyone is done reading the textbook, we all began to read off our notes to each other so we can make sure that everyone is on the same page and that no one is struggling behind. The next step is for everyone to begin working on the problems. We each go around and read the problems so we know exactly how to tackle them. During my observation, I even noticed moments where the

Tyler Demery community started reading things that had nothing to do with the material, such as text messages and posters that were hanging up around the library table. The reading done in the meetings isnt just limited to words from paper, but we also spend a lot of time reading each others current mood. Since the community is rather small, it is important for everyone who is a part of the community to be able to read what everyone else is feeling. Because of the small size, if one person says something wrong and hurts another, it can ruin the entire flow of the meeting and bring our progress to a halt. That is why everyone in the community usually reads what the other person is feeling before the make a sarcastic remark. I observed this when I was watching two of the group mates engage in a petty argument. Taylor made a slight remark about the way Dante has been acting the past couple of days. During the argument, Taylor noticed that the more she talked to him, the more upset he was getting so she decided to just drop the argument and the remainder of the meeting continued somewhat normally. If the argument persisted, then there is no telling what would have been said and how the remainder of the meeting would have went. Aside from communication, I would say that writing plays the most important role in the normality of each meeting. Writing effects just about every aspect of the meeting, since the main purpose of our meeting is school related. It plays a role in a variety of things. The most important aspect it plays is when it comes to notes. A huge chunk of time is used writing notes each meeting, so it is clear to see what type of role that writing plays. It also comes into affect when it comes time to actually work on problems. When everyone has completed their notes, we each grab our journals and begin working on the written assignment that comes with each textbook chapter. Although most of the writing done in the meetings is for academic purposes, there are some situations in which they are not. An example of this is when it comes to sending text

Tyler Demery messages. I noticed that everyone in the group texts, almost through out the entire meeting. It doesnt matter what exactly is being discussed at a specific moment, we would stop what were doing, respond to a text, and then get back to work.