Sociology and Social Science - Conducting a Mini-Field Study

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Sociology and Social Science: Conducting a Mini-Field Study
Part 1: Gathering Background Information
The following table includes comprehensive demographic information about the zip code of 11368
through the years 2000, 2010 and 2017.
Demographic Information Data (2000) Data (2010) Data (2017)
Total Population 98,841 109,931 114,647
Persons 18 years and over 72,445 34.9% 83,966
Female Persons (percent) 48.8% 46.9% 47.2%
White Alone (percent) 40.4% 26.7% 4.4%
Black or African-American Alone (percent) 19.1% 2.2% 9.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone
(percent)
1.6% 1.3% 0.2%
Asian Alone (percent) 11% 0.2% 11.5%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone
(percent)
0.3% 0% 0%
Two or More Races (percent) 6.4% 5.2% 0.5%
Hispanic or Latino (percent) 64.4% 73.8% 73.2%

The following table includes comprehensive demographic information about the zip code of 10007
through the years 2000, 2010 and 2017.
Demographic Information Data (2000) Data (2010) Data (2017)
Total Population 3,522 6,988 7,036
Persons 18 years and over 3,080 2,431 5,662
Female Persons (percent) 31% 43.4% 41.4%
White Alone (percent) 58.4% 75.6% 67.6%
Black or African-American Alone (percent) 12.6% 6.7% 4.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone
(percent)
0.1% 0.1% 0%
Asian Alone (percent) 10.6% 12.6% 13.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone
(percent)
0.1% 0.1% 0%
Two or More Races (percent) 2.7% 3.7% 5.5%
Hispanic or Latino (percent) 17.8% 10.2% 8.9%
Part 2: Describe the Place You are Observing
The specific aspect of the school under observation is the exterior and the overall infrastructural
developments that have surfaced over time. The Borough of Manhattan Community College
(BMCC) is in the New York City. The college was founded in the year 1963, but it wasn’t until the
mid-1970s that the college had a proper infrastructure. Unit then, the campus was in different parts of
Manhattan and struggling to take care of proper management. By 1983, the college managed to open
its formal infrastructure with its primary focus on the Fiterman Hall. With the 9/11 attacks, the
infrastructure of the school had been gravely damaged. However, the college managed to pull down

the building and rebuild it by 2012. The location is sociologically interesting due to the history of the
building and the historical sites that are surrounding the building.
The surrounding area of the school includes terrorist damaged buildings in Manhattan during the
9/11 attacks. Another historical site around the area is the Indiana Cunard Building at 25 Broadway.
The sociological question that can be taken under question for this report is the significance and
impact of the external or terrorism on the educational infrastructure.
Part 3: Conduct Your Field Study
The field study involved the analysis of the infrastructure in today’s time and the analysis of the
building of Fiterman Hall in 1983 through pictures and other descriptions. The analysis was done for
about 60 minutes and a comparison was made to comprehend the changes that have occurred in the
infrastructure over time. The community college has had to face a large number of difficulties in
getting a stable infrastructure since its inception. With the Fiterman Hall donation, the destruction,
movement to a smaller temporary location and then reinstatement of the college in a brand-new
building are some of the challenges that the college has had to face over time.
Part 4: Write a Sociological Analysis
The methodology that was used for the analysis was field study and online gathering of information
on the transformation of the entire campus over time. The overall population at 10007 has increased,
however, the major growth was witnessed post 2010. Although the demographics showcase a lower
percentage of females in the region, but it is almost equal to men with a difference of 9%. The
dominance of the white people is present in the demographic data with only 13% Asians. The
contributions of other races to the demographics is very less with only 8.9% Hispanics or Latinos,

4.4% blacks or African Americans and 5.5% of people from other races. The social identity of the
building is very powerful as there is a direct reflection of the historical difficulties that the college
has had to go through in order to reach the place where it is today. Having a stable infrastructure and
comforting the educational requirements of thousands of students needed hard work and
perseverance.
There were very few problems faced with the collection of information on the history and
infrastructural journey of the BMCC. There are a wide number of news articles and other sources of
information made available on the web, that shed light on the journey of the college over time. Since
its inception, the infrastructural challenges that were faced by the college are large. The
establishment of a stable campus has been a strong challenge since the very beginning. However, it
has managed to offer the students, the much-needed secure environment to grow and study in the
best possible manner.
The resolution of all the problems were done with extensive research and a short discussion with the
principal. The thoughts that flourished my mind during the observations was nostalgia and a
throwback of all the images that come to mind of the 9/11 attacks. Terrorism has caused a great deal
of trauma to the citizens of New York. The reestablishment of a significant building and its
restructuring has assisted in reducing the overall impact of the nostalgia but the growth of the
institution is evident through the building and the surrounding areas.
The field study has enabled me to get a closer perspective onto the history and overall growth of the
building in which I studied at one time. The growth of the campus has been exponential with the
addition of several new features that assist in the provision of exceptional opportunities for students
who come from different parts of the world to study here. The Fiterman Hall already had a great
significance as it was the biggest real estate donation made to a school in history. The supplement of
the damage it incurred in the 9/11 attacks make the building a landmark.