class activity

Observation project 

The paper should be between 3 and 8 pages in length (excluding title page and reference page). It should include a minimum of 3 to 10 valid outside sources. Students will choose a setting or group and conduct an observation, focusing on noting deviant behavior in that setting or group. Suggested settings include busy street corners, malls, coffee shops or restaurants, airports, churches, public parks, courtrooms, etc. They will write a paper relating their observations and analyzing the deviant behavior using what they have learned in the course. Sociology majors will format their paper using the ASA style. Other majors may use the style they are most familiar with (APA, MLA, etc.).

Guidelines about how to conduct observations are presented at the end of this syllabus.

PLEASE NOTE: This project is classified as a “class activity” by the Saint Leo University Institutional Review Board. To respect this classification, the following parameters must be applied:

• Students will not interact directly with the people they observe, beyond answering basic questions or carrying casual conversations. They will not conduct lengthy interviews.

• The results will only be shared in the context of the class, excluding any presentation or report to an audience outside of the classroom for which it is completed.

• The goal of the activity is NOT to contribute to generalizable knowledge. Students may collect and analyze data using scientific methods, but the protocol is too limited to permit any valid contribution to the general body of scientific knowledge.

• The activity does not involve any risk to participants beyond those of daily life.

• If the observation takes place on private property, in a setting that is not open to the public: The student must provide proof of authorization to conduct their observation there. The participants do not belong to a sensitive population (such as individuals under 18 years of age, individuals diagnosed with a mental disorder or illness, terminally-ill patients, incarcerated individuals, undocumented immigrants, or convicted felons). Observations in public settings (including stores, restaurants, malls, coffee shops, airports) may involve any kind of participants.

• The project guarantees complete anonymity to the participants.