Sample Field Log
Below is a brief field log to give you an idea of the social interactions and institutions you might look for in your
day. With the observations are sample course concepts that relate to the observations. Be creative in exploring
and applying concepts- we will all apply concepts differently even if the scenes we observe are very similar.
5:45am: Wake up, interact with children.
Gender roles, nuclear family, folkways
6:30am: Interact with spouse and children. Eat breakfast, run, shower.
8:00am: Arrive at airport, check in interaction with airline customer service; interaction with TSA.
Social structure, bureaucracy, norms, mores, social control
9:00am: Wait with other passengers to board flight; purchase a drink at coffee shop; employees have a tip jar; a
family sitting close by is watching the news and commenting on what they think is wrong with other cultures.
Emotional labor, ethnocentrism, Piaget’s stages of development
9:30am: On flight with family having a difficult time with small children; flight attendant offers to help them.
Emotional labor, gender roles, family
12pm: Arrive at destination airport; drive two hours to see extended family. Along the road there are farmers
with fruit stands. See homeless person asking for assistance in exchange for work.
Poverty, inequality
4pm: Extended family arrives for potluck dinner; look at family photos together and share family memories.
Watch evening news- local robbery and assault.
Social deviance, material culture
6pm: Stop at church to meet family friend, see a bible study group inside; lots of religious symbols; someone
remarks on a new church being built to accommodate a different racial group.
Religion, race, monotheism
Assignment Details
Assignment 3: Field Analysis
Purpose
The purpose of this assignment is to recognize sociological concepts at play in your lived experience.
Keeping a field log of your social and institutional experiences for one day, you will critically discuss how
your daily life is shaped and constrained by society. This will allow you engage with many of the
sociological concepts learned in class.
Writing expectations
The paper should be 4-6 typed pages, double-spaced, 12-point font, with 1″ margins. Remember to use
APA format to cite and reference your sources.
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A presentation that offers additional assistance in completing the assignment is available at
https://prezi.com/view/DTakPcZ9NlkobNn93EMi/
Instructions
1) Observation
Create a field log (example). For one day, observe and record the key interactions and institutions in your
lived experience. Starting with waking up, who is the first person you talk to? What do you do next- take
family members to school, go to the gym, go to work and interact with coworkers? Throughout the day
you will take on different roles by interacting with different people and in different situations, and be in
contact with different social institutions (education, government, health, etc). Type or photograph your
field log and submit it with your written Assignment.
2) Application
Try to wait one or more days before starting this step. Revisit your field log and apply sociological
analysis to your observations.
• Describe how our day is shaped and constrained by social norms. • Analyze how at least four sociological concepts learned in class (eg. roles, institutions,
interactions, impression management, stage theory, emotional labor) apply to your field log
observations. This part of the paper should not be focused on the general social norms you
described earlier, dig in with specific concepts in this from our text (refrain from using dictionaries).
• For at least two of the concepts, find and incorporate an appropriate source that highlights how sociologists study this concept in everyday society (for example, emotional labor in the restaurant
industry). Not sure what constitutes an appropriate source? See our Announcement on this in the
classroom- tips and a learning module are provided there. For example, we discussed gender
socialization:
◦ In an article by Crespi (2011) that studied gender socialization and gender roles within the family, results showed that a cross-gender relationship between fathers and daughters,
mothers and sons has emerged as significant in determining traditional and non-traditional
gender attitudes. The research suggested that the relationship with the parent of the
opposite sex could be a strong factor in reducing stereotyped attitudes regarding gender
roles (Crespi, 2011). *Use a different example in your paper, the purpose here is to show
your research skills rather than repeat my research skills.*
3) Reflection
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Reflect on your role as a larger part of society (i.e. your motives, instincts, feelings, and/or structural
constraints). Discuss ways other people affected you and the ways you affected others in the social
experiences of your day.
Sample Field Log
Below is a brief field log to give you an idea of the social interactions and institutions you might look for in
your day. With the observations are sample course concepts that relate to the observations. Be creative
in exploring and applying concepts- we will all apply concepts differently even if the scenes we observe
are very similar.
5:45am: Wake up, interact with children.
Gender roles, nuclear family, folkways
6:30am: Interact with spouse and children. Eat breakfast, run, shower.
8:00am: Arrive at airport, check in interaction with airline customer service; interaction with TSA.
Social structure, bureaucracy, norms, mores, social control
9:00am: Wait with other passengers to board flight; purchase a drink at coffee shop; employees have a tip
jar; a family sitting close by is watching the news and commenting on what they think is wrong with other
cultures.
Emotional labor, ethnocentrism, Piaget’s stages of development
9:30am: On flight with family having a difficult time with small children; flight attendant offers to help
them.
Emotional labor, gender roles, family
12pm: Arrive at destination airport; drive two hours to see extended family. Along the road there are
farmers with fruit stands. See homeless person asking for assistance in exchange for work.
Poverty, inequality
4pm: Extended family arrives for potluck dinner; look at family photos together and share family
memories. Watch evening news- local robbery and assault.
Social deviance, material culture
Page 3 of 5
6pm: Stop at church to meet family friend, see a bible study group inside; lots of religious symbols;
someone remarks on a new church being built to accommodate a different racial group.
Religion, race, monotheism
This course has “Resubmission” status enabled to help you if you realize you submitted an incorrect or
blank file, or if you need to submit multiple documents as part of your Assignment. Resubmission of an
Assignment after it is graded, to attempt a better grade, is not permitted.
Assignment 3 meets the following course objectives:
• Apply a sociological perspective to the social world. • Analyze contemporary social issues using the sociological imagination and use sociological
theories and concepts to analyze everyday life.
• Recognize and define social structure and social interaction • Explain the reciprocal relationship in the influence between societal and structural factors,
individual behavior and the self’s development
Page 4 of 5
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