Social Experience: Field Research Proposal for Sociology Course

This research proposal outlines a study on social experience through non-participant observation, drawing upon the article "Field research as social experience: Learning to do Ethnography." The student proposes observing social interactions in a public park, focusing on verbal and non-verbal communication, and utilizing symbolic interactionism to interpret behaviors. The research aims to understand how individuals navigate social settings and make judgments based on others' actions, without direct involvement, and the proposal details the setting, methodology, and ethical considerations, including the timeline and required permissions. The student plans to observe interactions discreetly and anonymously, analyzing the data to gain insights into societal interpretations of human behavior. The study's significance lies in understanding how individuals' behaviors are influenced by their social environment and interactions.

Running head: SOCIAL EXPERIENCE – FIELD RESEARCH
Social experience – field research
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

1SOCIAL EXPERIENCE – FIELD RESEARCH
Summary
The article named “Field research as social experience: Learning to do Ethnography”
which was written by three writers namely Mary Lorentz Diuetz, William Shaffir and
William Shaffir. Here the above-mentioned article tries to highlight the field research as a
dynamic, ongoing and interactive process (Shaffir, Dietz & Stebbins, 1994). The author tries
to convey the message that it is significant for all the readers to take into account the
ethnographic enquiry’s features. The researcher of the field faces several difficulty in
achieving cherished familiarity without being in touch with all the members of the group. It is
essential for all the researchers to have a strong bond with their respective participants or
researched in such an order in order to increase the chances of being selected. There is also a
presence of an impact of gender and sex on the research field. It was found that the ethnicity
and race is also affecting the relationship among the participants and with their researcher
too. It is also pragmatic that access to the setting of research can be the gatekeepers who all
are holding the power so as to provide access to the current situation or people. This is
generally depended on the skill of negotiation of the researcher in order to get success in
conducting a field of research. A researcher must have to learn the various ways about how to
observe well. It is also depending upon modest basic problem that revolved around to
maintain a balance between acquiring and involvements information (Kraft-Todd et al.,
2015). This is the only reason behind the mentioning of the author about the maintenance of
the relations with their respective observant.
Proposal
When an observer observing a group or a particular person reflexively from a
remoteness with not participating, this is called non-participant observation (Laurier, 2016).
Non-participant observation had some advantages like it gave allowance to the researcher in

2SOCIAL EXPERIENCE – FIELD RESEARCH
order to see what is the thing that is going on around their eyes as well as it makes some
judgements, the body language that is used by the available observant are observed.
Researchers has no expectations to feel any sympathy towards them and as a result it
produced a data which is unbiased. If done openly, observations of non-participant are
ethical.
The theory of symbolic interactionism will be used to utilize in order to observe the
present participants as well as the genuine data will be observed with making the judgements
to be a hidden one. This is a useful theory in understanding the people’s reaction towards
their social setting as well as the way in which they made an impact on their own behaviour
(Rock, 2016). The type of people that they meet and the environment around them effects
their own behaviour with all of them.
The social behaviour that I am going to observe is interaction with multiple people
both verbally and non-verbally. The people’s social behaviour will be understanding,
interaction with different people and observed in their setting of social (Chang et al., 2013).
People become socialize with others for maintaining relation as well as interaction with them
regularly. The people’s body language around some other people will be generally observed
within a distance. Their interaction skills with different people will reveal the way they are
reacting with further people.
It has been selected in order to observe as the society thinks to be instructed socially
through interpretation of human. This thing is because nowadays people behave according to
what they believe and in sometimes they are not justified as well. People are making their
own judgements and interpret on behaviour of others and these interpretations helps to
connect them at a level of social. People act following the situation they are going through.

3SOCIAL EXPERIENCE – FIELD RESEARCH
I will observe the social verbal and non-verbal interaction of multiple people passing
by in a park which is not very far away from my house. The reason behind this is if I observe
a group or multiple different people on a daily basis, it means a lot of people making strong
their social circle as well as it helps in freely interact with them. As I am a college student,
and I am a regular student too and when I am coming back from college to home, on that time
I can sit in the park for few minutes or an hour and observe multiple people and also observe
their behaviour and interaction with another person they met in that area each and every day.
I have selected a park which is very close to my house to carry out the required
observation where multiple people meets with different people mostly at the time of sunset. I
selected a nearby park because there I can observe multiple people at the same time. It is a
place where I can go anytime I want, and whenever I goes, there will be few persons present
over there.
This experience on field will help me out in recognizing and understanding the
people’s behaviour with many other people. When someone meets with someone tries to
understand the body language of each other tends to change gradually there, this means they
are comfortable talking with each other. I shall be observing the behaviour of multiple people
interact with other peoples.
The dusk time will be the time for carrying out my observation at the park and
observe where different people goes and sits. I aim to carry out the above-mentioned
observation remain anonymously or secretly. No, I do not need a gatekeeper. But in order to
thoroughly observe a group of people or multiple people, I might need to have a granted
permission from my parents and my respected family members and if needed then sit with
them and discuss anything related to the subject. I will be sitting at the middle of the park and
anticipate to remain balanced in making some of the judgements to their behaviour. I will

4SOCIAL EXPERIENCE – FIELD RESEARCH
only merely observe their behaviour while interacting with other people, and their body
language.
Time line:
Date:
Place:
Time:
Bibliography
Chang, S. W., Brent, L. J., Adams, G. K., Klein, J. T., Pearson, J. M., Watson, K. K., & Platt,
M. L. (2013). Neuroethology of primate social behavior. Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, 110(Supplement 2), 10387-10394.
Kraft-Todd, G., Yoeli, E., Bhanot, S., & Rand, D. (2015). Promoting cooperation in the
field. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences, 3, 96-101.
Laurier, E. (2016). 11 Participant and Non-participant Observation. Key Methods in
Geography, 169.
Rock, P. (2016). Making of symbolic interactionism. 4th ed. Berlin, Germany: Springer.
Shaffir, W., Dietz, M. L., & Stebbins, R. (1994). Field research as social experience: learning
to do ethnography. Doing Everyday Life: Ethnography as Human Lived Experience,
30-54.