RJ 26

My preparations for WA5 are coming along, slowly but surely. I am focusing on WA5 first, and then I will move into my online portfolio. I have already made my portfolio and added all the necessary pages. It is now a matter of filling it in and making it perfect! My WA5 is rough so far, I feel like I have a lot of questions on it. What confuses me is that I thought we were supposed to do a written research portfolio, so I have a three-ring binder filled with all my organized information. Then I found out it is an online portfolio, and I do not know yet how I am going to translate my information from written form to online in the format that Dr. Carter wants. I am working extremely hard and will be glad when this project is over! I feel like I never put it down. I do not need to worry about not having enough sources for WA5, I think I have well over 25. This makes my life easier when writing the final ethnography, but it makes it harder when I have to write annotations for all of them for WA5. The work will be worth it. I am overwhelmed at this point. I feel as though there is so much to be done and not enough time to do it in. All of my other classes have tests and finals I need to get ready for as well. So these next two weeks will probably be a living hell. Another question I came across is how do I cite a set of fieldnotes? or a research journal? To complete a draft of my Research Portfolio by Friday at noon, I need to get WA5 done, create an abstract, fill in the pages for research tools, artifacts, research journal, and my WAs. This sounds like so much to do in two days! I need to figure out how to link all of my material to it. If I have it saved in a word document on my computer, is there any way I can link it to that? Or do I have to upload it to the internet in order to link it? I am focusing on WA5 and my research portfolio for now, but then I will move into an outline of my final project. I already have a few ideas on how I want to organize it. I have a visual aid in mind for my presentations as well. I have plenty of information to compute data from, it is just a matter of organizing my data into a paper that is easy to follow, enjoyable to read, and has a good format. I plan to keep chugging through the hard times and make my way out on top! Positive attitudes have a lot of power, as does prayer!

Add a comment December 2, 2009

RJ 25

SO much is here! I have a filled research portfolio. Nine interview scripts complete with side fieldnotes, eleven sets of fieldnotes (post-ited and coded), numerous artifacts, permission slips, and the like. I feel so complete now that my research is over and I can compile my data and draw conclusions to develop a full, rich ethnographic project. My portfolio clearly shows the amount of time I have put into the research. Each fieldnote set covers at least an hour and a half of time, and each interview was between 30 minutes and two hours. I have spent a lot of time developing those, expanding them, post-iting them, and coding them. I hope they yield a fabulous final project, as I am sure they will. While coding my many pages of research, I came up with many codes and reoccurring themes. This society isn’t pleased with rules, restrictions, and boring masses. They strive for entertaining and instant gratification. Catholicism may restrict such secularism. People cannot do just whatever they want. The 10 Commandments are LAWS of the church, not mere SUGGESTIONS. Some of my artifacts enrich my study, while others do not expand my research. I think I have reached a level of saturation enough so that I can compile my data. I have indicated below my final updated codebook, with 20+ codes that are evident throughout my research.

Codebook:

CP: from a Catholic Perspective; this needs to be clarified because I am getting viewpoints from both Catholics and Non-Catholics.
NP: from a Non-Catholic Perspective; this needs to be clarified because I am getting viewpoints from both Catholics and Non-Catholics.
LK: Lack of knowledge; this is a main cause of Catholic discrimination.
Rit: Ritualistic; this is a main point of discrimination.
TD:  Tradition; this is one of the three prongs of the leadership of the church (the other two being scripture and the magisterium). Most other churches rely more on scripture than tradition, but our old tradition that has been passed down account for why our church is ritualistic and old in format.
Comm: Community; the small-town community of St. Joe’s is so welcoming and friendly. This describes the people of the town.
Env: Environment; this describes the environment that the Catholics create at St. Joe’s in masses and Bible studies. The environment has a huge impact on my research.
CinE: Christ in Eucharist; this is a concept many don’t understand, and therefore a cause of discrimination. Christ is truly present in the Eucharist.
Bel: Belonging; this is a main reason people flock to the church, CSO, and Bible studies. They enjoy a sense of belonging and a comfortable zone to share information.
ST: Strict; Many people describe Catholicism as too strict with many rules. It is a reason for discrimination.
EX: Explanation; this shows up many times in my fieldnotes when the Bible study leader or the campus minister explained an aspect of our faith or a mass reading.
Char: Character; I used this to indicate when I was describing the members of CSO in my fieldnotes.
CON: Confession; this raises many problems and controversy, and causes discrimination.
P: Papal authority (the Pope); many people think we worship him. This is a cause for discrimination.
M: Mary, Mother of God; people think we put too much emphasis on her and “worship” her as well. This is a problem for discrimination.
R: Rosary; this is a wonderful, meditative prayer. It is misunderstood and a cause of discrimination.
S: Saints; Many people also think we worship the saints and put them in high regards. This is a cause of discrimination. In reality, they intercede for us. There is a difference between worship and intercession.
CSO: Catholic Student Organization; this organization is open to any college student wishing to acquire faith knowledge and fellowship through events and Bible studies.
BS: Bible Study; this occurs on Wednesday nights after mass. We meet and eat and share in Bible readings from the mass the following Sunday. It enriches our faith, fills our tummies, and allows us to discuss the readings and other faith (or non-faith) matters.
Pur: Purpose; I used this is my fieldnotes to when I explained why certain events occurred.
MED: Media; this is a main form of transportation of discrimination. The media tends to blow things out of proportion. Any small discriminatory factor can be blown up to a huge deal through the media.
Ent: Entertainment; So many people today strive to be entertained and seek fulfillment through this. People who truly understand their Catholic religion appreciate the mass and find it rewarding. Others see the mass as boring and old; these people are never satisfied unless entertainment is provided.
Mat: Materialistic; many people think the Catholic church is materialistic and rich due to the big, lavish churches. They think we get wrapped up in the money issues.
Att: Attitude; attitudes are contagious, and I see this within the members of the church and CSO.
Rel: Relation to current time; this is used in my fieldnotes when at Bible studies they always relate the Bible readings to current themes that we can relate to, and it is so much easier to understand once they put it into a perspective we can understand.
Phy: Physical religion; Catholicism is a “physical” religion. It is sensual; it applies to the senses. We touch the holy water. We eat the Body and Blood of Christ. We tell the priests of our sins (Confession). We see the consecration. God knows we interpret things through all our senses, so he uses that to the church’s advantage. He allows us to really get involved using everything we have.

These codes should explain some recurring themes in my research and main topics of my project!

Add a comment December 2, 2009