Observation Report
The observation report describes your observations and one interview among members of a local Hindu community during one of the annual celebrations, recorded at a local worship site, and relates these to the observations of other ethnographers who have observed the same celebration in India. You write as if you were articulating your thoughts not just for your own reflection for the professor to assess, but also to provide explanations for a peer (vs. a specialist) who is unfamiliar with the topic. NOTE: half a dozen student Observation Reports will be assigned as readings for the final TRA and application exercise.
IMPORTANT: you must observe one of the celebrations at one of the times listed under Local Sites, not simply visit the site and talk to people. Although you may at other times have interesting informal interactions with community members there, it will be difficult to tell what they normally do when outsiders are not present based exclusively on such interactions.
Step 1: Worksheet
Once you have selected a celebration to visit, print out the Observation Report Worksheet (ORW --> PDF/MS Word) and start generating the questions that you will attempt to answer when you attend the site. There are ten different topics to address in coming up with your questions, which will help you focus on
A. the way the practices you observe shape people's reflection;
B. the way peope's reflection shapes their practice; and
C. how your perceptions of practice & reflection compare with those of another outside observer.
The questions you generate need not be perfect, since you can revise your questions and/or come up with new ones during the visit itself (see "Advice about Observing"). But it's important to start coming up with questions beforehand to put yourself in the right frame of mind to gather evidence during the visit.
Unless you already know someone who reguarly visits the site you visit, you'll need to make sure to connect with someone there to set up an interview--either after the event or at a later time, in person or by phone (see Advice about Interviewing). As soon as possible after leaving, make notes to answer the questions you came up with before and/or during your visit. When you get to a computer, number the questions and type up your responses. When you finish, the last part of the worksheet will guide you in thinking about what to focus on for the final report (step 3).
IMPORTANT: the thinking process required for responding and responding to questions on the ORW is the most challenging task you will undertake for this course, requiring you to integrate many of the skills honed through team assignments. For this reason you will need some dedicated time to focus on completing the GRW, above and beyond completing the final report
As listed on the schedule, your ORW will be due **IN CLASS** the first day of the unit during which we will studying that celebration. For example, if you visit Shivaratri, your ORW will be due at the beginning of Unit 2. See schedule for the exact dates and also when to submit the final Observation Report product. A completed ORW will receive 25 out of the total number of points for the assignment. No partial credit will be given; incomplete forms will be returned for completion. Note that thoughtful responses on the worksheet will positively influence scoring of the final product (see step 3 below).