Choosing Your Fieldsite

Pirkle ENG 1302— SPR 2011

Choosing Your Field Site

 Choose a site you feel a connection with. This may mean choosing a site with a subculture you had a lifelong interest in, or it may mean picking a site with a subculture you have recently become curious about. You may choose to “step in” to a site that is unfamiliar to you, or you may choose to “step out” of a more familiar site. You cannot choose your home, whether on campus or not.  Choose a site that is easy for you to access. You must pick a site that you can access numerous times throughout the semester. You may be interested in mountain climbers or circus clowns, but if you cannot easily access these people throughout the semester, you will not be able to complete your research. Also, you may need special permission to conduct research at some sites, such as public schools. If you cannot quickly and easily obtain permission for your research, you will not be able to finish assignments.  Choose a site with a distinct subculture. Sites like airports, malls, and restaurants may cause problems for you because the people who frequent them have no connection to the sites. The more public a site is, the more difficult it can be to find a subculture. Also, if a site is too private, it can also prove difficult to research. Ask yourself these questions when choosing your site: do people at the site share feelings of belonging? Would they identify themselves as part of a group linked to a site? Do they use insider language? If your answer is no, your site does not have a distinct subculture.  Choose a site that you can enter. Some field sites contain a subculture that is so closely knit that you cannot “step in” enough to conduct your research. Such a site might have a subculture that is too private or too hostile for you to talk to people or to just hang around and observe. Make sure your site has people that will be willing to give you information.  Choose a site, rather than a topic. In this class, you will need to conduct field research, which means that you should start with a specific place you are going to research. Having a specific site will give you the opportunity to observe a subculture and interview its members, as well as to conduct library research and develop theories. Simply having a topic will lead you to a typical library research paper, which is not the object of this class. Having a specific topic or idea in mind before you start researching could also bias your observations, so try to approach it with as open a mind as possible.  Choose a safe field site. Some field sites may seem like interesting topics for your research, but illegal or dangerous activities that go on there make your research a hazard. Other sites might be dangerous to visit alone or at night. Think carefully about whether your site is safe enough to visit with no worries.  Possibly choose a site that relates to your future career. Previous students have had success networking and learning more about a future career by choosing a field site related to that area of study. One student even found an internship this way.  Be unconventional and creative. If you have an original idea for a field site that sounds interesting to you, I am willing to work with you if at all possible to make it happen. Research can by very enjoyable if you are excited about your topic of study.

by Christy Foreman