Favorite Concept: Ethnography

One of my favorite concepts throughout this course was the concept of ethnography. Research is such an important part of learning about new things so I find all areas of research somewhat interesting. What makes ethnography stand out to me is that it involves the researcher going "undercover" to conduct the research. The researcher actually gets involved in the group they are studying. However, since the researcher can get involved with relationships there is the possibility that the research may end up being a little biased. Even though researchers try their best to conduct reliable research it is possible that this method may provide contaminated evidence.

I chose this concept because I find it so interesting. I like the fact that the researcher actually shares some of the experiences with those being observed. I also think that it is the best research method to produce authentic results. For example, if the researcher can keep his or her personal feelings out of the research, and the subjects don't know they are being observed, the researcher is able to observe people in their natural environment.

My Thoughts on This Class

I have learned so much from this class. The course material is very interesting and is also quite diverse. Since there were so many topics covered I did not get bored and was constantly learning new things. Overall, the biggest thing I learned from this class was how to succeed in an online class. This was my first online class and I was a little nervous going into it. I am a little embarrassed to say that this is first time I have read an entire text book. Because there is no lecture portion to this class, it is completely up to me to learn the material.

My favorite thing about this class was probably the fact that I could go at my own pace. Even though we had things due every week, it was nice to be able to turn assignments in at any time of day. I also really enjoyed reading all of the posts. It was interesting to find out what everybody thought about some of the course concepts.

I don't necessarily have a least favorite thing about this class. Something that I had a hard time getting used to though was relying solely on the text book to learn the material. In the past I have been heavily reliant on lecture notes. I am glad that I was able to learn a new way to study.

I don't really think anything can be done to improve this class. Professor Perez was very responsive and helpful. I am very glad that I took this class.

Concept I Found Most Interesting: Nonverbal Communication

I found nonverbal communication to be the most interesting concept from this class. I have always known that people communicated nonverbally however, I never fully understood how big of an impact it can have. I also thought that the eyes were the part of the body that gave away if a person was lying, when in fact, it is a person's body language. A person simply playing with their jewelry or hair can indicate that they are nervous or uncomfortable. Nonverbal communication is basically a whole other language that needs to be studied. I also found it interesting that there is debate about who is communicating in nonverbal communication, whether it is the sender or the receiver. In some cases, the sender doesn't even realize they are sending a message and the person receiving the message may not be the intended receiver.

The whole idea of nonverbal communication is fascinating. There are so many aspects about it that can be studied. I really enjoyed doing the journal on this topic because I found it so interesting. After learning about nonverbal communication I have been extra conscious about my own body language and the nonverbal messages I send people. However, I am sure that I still send nonverbal messages without even realizing.

Concept from Chapter 2: Speech Community

I found the idea of a speech community particularly interesting. A speech community is when people share common styles of communication along with common ways of thinking about it. I found it interesting that there can be small speech communities along with larger ones. I find small speech communities fascinating. The way that a small group of people can develop almost a language that only they understand. I like that the book pointed out locker room talk as a speech community. It is no secret that locker room talk occurs but until you are actually in the locker room an outsider can only guess what is being said. Excluding locker room talk, athletes come up with their own "language" on the field. I played soccer for a number of years and if we wanted the ball we would just yell "yea, yea yea" until we received it or the ball was passed to someone else. Or if the other team was getting close to the person with the ball we would say "man on." Now if we were talking in a normal conversation we wouldn't talk like we do on the field. Also, if someone were to play a game with us and they weren't an athlete and hadn't been around soccer players in the past they would have no idea what some of the things being said on the field meant. A speech community is a special thing to be a part of.

The Pragmatic Perspective

The pragmatic perspective is an interesting concept. The idea is to look at communication as a pattern of interlocking "moves." I think that it definitely makes sense to view communication as a patterned interaction. After all, when people communicate they follow rules and norms. Communication typically follows the same patterns. For example, when beginning a conversation, people typically exchange pleasantries and when ending a conversation they typically bid each other farewell.

The book compares this perspective to playing a game. This makes sense to me because when people play games they take turns and follow a set of rules. The same thing goes for communicating. When people communicate, they don't typically talk at the same time. One person talks while the other person listens and then they switch roles. Communicators also follow a set of rules when talking. For example, people don't typically talk to people they don't know about religion, politics, and money. Those subjects are usually reserved for deeper conversations, not small talk. One difference between communicating and playing a game is that sometimes people don't always follow the rules or take turns while communicating. Sometimes people talk about inappropriate things or talk over other people. These people are typically frowned upon though.

Social Constructionist Perspective

The social constructionist perspective is very interesting to look at. It views "communication as a process" (p. 24). It also emphasizes the relationship between communication and culture. This brings us to how we "build worlds" through communication. Since the social constructionist perspective links communication and culture, that basically means that communication develops who we are as people. A person's culture shapes who they are as a person. It determines how they dress, how they behave, and most every about them. The relationship goes both ways though. What we say may influence our culture but our culture definitely influences what we say. It is almost like what came first, the chicken or the egg :)

The American culture is very outspoken. If we disapprove of our government we can say so publicly without being thrown in jail. This is not the case in some other countries. In America we have freedom of speech so we can say just about anything we want to, excluding saying things like "fire" in a crowded theater. I think that because we can say what we want we are happy. It is reassuring to know that we are allowed to have opinions and state them freely. Also, since everyone is allowed to have a different opinion we are successful because we can explore all options of a problem. If we all just followed one person's vision and accepted their views, things would not be done as efficiently.

Concept from Chapter 13: Triangulation

I thought the mixed methods of research was an interesting idea. I like the fact that the research is being conducted in different ways. This can also be known as triangulation. That means that a research question is being examined from different perspectives. I feel that this could produce some interesting results. Sometimes research can produce inconclusive results and I think this could be avoided somewhat if different methods are being used.

One way we can use mixed methods is by combining experimental research and content analysis. Experimental research is great for first hand results. It also can be very useful. After the experimental research is completed and the results have been found, the researcher could then start content analysis. The researcher would read through text that focused on what they conducted their experiments on. Both forms of research compliment each other and the content analysis could provide support for the experimental research. On the other hand, the results could be contradictory which might be discouraging for the researcher.