[(questions and other related material on these fieldnotes by Varenne)]

10/10

ITSF 5001

7:13pm.  When I walked in at 7:09pm there were 2 students present.  I set up Prof. Varenne’s website on the projector and sat down in the back of the class, and now there are 4 more students.  Florence approaches and speaks with me briefly.  At 7:17pm, V. has entered, arranged papers, and stands in front of the class.  He says “we are not quite a quorum” and all side conversations stop.  While he speaks, students are pulling out notebooks and looking through papers.  A student walks in at 7:18pm, sits near the door, takes out a notebook and looks attentively at V.

Student 1 asks a question about cyberspace, V. answers.  Almost everyone is looking at their notebooks right now – 7:20pm.  V. is telling a story about the Nuer and 5 students are looking at him, 3 looking at notes, one looking at her nails.  V. stops speaking, class is silent.  He asks if people are tired, some people laugh mildly (tiredly?).  V. explains that I’m writing fieldnotes and almost no one is looking at him.  One student looks over at me.

7:22 pm.  V. sits down and starts the lesson: “tonight I want to continue talking about fieldnotes”.  He states what he’s going to do and that he wants people to present at the end of class (this didn’t happen).  V. points at the projection on the wall; now 3 people are looking at the screen (same 3 that tend to be looking at him, also 3 that are closest to him).  They continue to look as he talks.  He is talking about where to stand when doing participant observation.  Student 2 is organizing a large stack of papers continually.  (I suspect they are unrelated – maybe student essays?).  Two people are taking notes (what of, I wonder?).  One person in front is still looking at the screen from time to time.

7:28pm.  Two more students walk in and sit as close to the door as possible, but I realize that I have seen these students sitting in these places before.  I look around the room and note that students 1, 2, 3, 12, and 10 are sitting in places where I’ve seen them sit before.  The students who have changed seats since last week (according to my memory) are 5, 6, and 11.  7 is sitting in her usual place.  7:30pm another student walks in, comes around the class and sits on the far side, in a spot where I’ve seen him before.  He pills his chair away from the table and is taking notes on his knee, looking at the screen.  9 students are looking at V. as he makes a point about temporality.  As soon as he is done making the point, all eyes drop away from him.  I feel that I can’t see people’s faces, so I move behind student four.

There is a question from student 11 about the accuracy of data.  Student 7 is eating something.  V. answers that there are two answers and points to the screen.  3 people look at the screen.  Student 6 nods as V. says informant says people will respond just as you want in controlled circumstances.  “On the other hand”, he says, “in a crowd…” two people nod, “you won’t have as much impact”.  V. points out again that I’m studying the class and no one looks at me.  Question from student 4 about effect over time, 5 students look at her.  V. answers – they all look back at him.  “3^rd graders will not ignore the video camera” he says, several people laugh.  V. makes the point that behavior on camera might be similar to behavior off camera and to use the change to your advantage.  Three people take notes.  Student 3 asks a question about interviewing.  S10 has her eyes closed.  S5, 6 & 13 are taking notes as V. answers.  S7 turns pages, gets something out of her bag and reads it.  S10 opens her eyes and nods at what V. is saying.  “How many of you… “ V. begins, and everyone looks at V., except S12, who looks around class.  “How many students talk about what happens in class?” V. asks, and S5&6 exchange glances, S8 says something, V. says “to whom”, S6 says “anyone who’ll listen”.  S5&6 are writing, along with S2, who seems to be grading papers.

V. is addressing S10&11, both are looking at him and nodding.  He looks at screen, 2 students look at screen.  No one in the back row looks at the screen (maybe they can’t see it?) except S13, who is on the corner at a better angle.  V. addresses S8, who responds softly.  7:48pm, another student walks in, sits in the seat right in front of the door, takes out a notebook, nods, and writes something.  Then she puts down the pad and pen and takes a drink out of her water bottle.

“Do we have discussions?” V. asks.  People make noises.  S11 says “what do you mean by discussions?”.  V. says “precisely”.  S5&6 have a word with one another.  V. says something about not seeing colleagues teach at TC.  S7 digs in her bag and then starts writing.  S2 sits back and looks at V., then looks back at her papers.  S14 nods as V. says “how do I know what it is I’ve observed”.  V. says “let’s move on to the next step”.  He looks at the screen and 6 students follow his gaze.  S13 is the only one in the back row who does so.  All the students get out the book “Fieldnotes” and look at the page V. mentioned.  V. says the picture on that page is an example of classical Malinowskian ethnography.  (I can’t see it).  “Everybody will be in this position at some point in the field” says V.  He says that where people do fieldnotes is at home and Malinowski’s home was a tent.  S5 is looking steadily at V., as is S11 and S1.  S3 is now looking at him.  S14 is smiling while she takes notes.  V. says look at page 49.  People look at the book.  S7 is reading further ahead.  S12 looks at S11 as V. explains the picture.  V. talks about why he doesn’t like interviews, and says something about getting myths out of them rather than waiting for the myths to emerge.  He mentions page 48, and people look at the book, except for S7 who looks at me, then at the book.  S8, 9, 13, and 14 are writing.  S10 is nodding as V. describes the picture.  S10 and S14 are smiling and nodding.  Now S8 is nodding and saying “uh huh”.  V. is saying that the picture represents three events.  S14, 7 & 10 are looking at him.  S6 is turning pages in the book.  S14 looks between V. and the book, nods, then pushes the book aside and makes notes.  S4 & 13 and taking notes.  V. looks at the screen and all the students in the front row looks at the screen.  S6 and S13 look at the screen.  S6 is squinting a little.  S5 looks at the screen, S7 glances.  They look only very briefly (did I mean all of the back row?).  S11 is talking, S7 gets her coat on and leaves at 8:04pm while S11 is still talking.  V. says “what do you write”.  S14, 2, 5, 6, and 13 are writing.  S8 and S4 as well, I think, though I can’t see S4’s hand.  “What you have in your fieldnotes is what you will have” V. says.  “Be careful of evaluative terms” he says.  “It was a horrible day”.  S10 nods.  S5 , 14 and 13 are taking notes.  S8, 1, 9, 10 and 12 look at V.  V. is talking.  As he looks around the class, S1, 10, and 8 nod as he looks at them.  S2 is looking at V.  S13, 14 and 5 are taking notes, S1 is nodding.  S8-12 are looking at V. as he describes diaries versus fieldnotes and Malinowski’s different entries in both.  “You won’t like all your informants” V. says.  S14 nods, takes a drink and looks around the class.  (No one has looked at me, I wrote in my notes.  Why did I write that right here?).

8:10pm.  V. is telling an anecdote about observations: if you are trained in another field, unlearn it.  Everyone seems to be looking at him except S9, who is looking at the screen.  S14 & 13 are taking notes, but no one else is right now.  V. looks at the screen and everyone looks one by one, except S11 whose face I can’t see.  “Rather than remembering something, you can write it down” V. says, and S10 and 2 nod.  S4 is taking notes, S3 looking through the book.  S10 says she did a pilot study this summer and that her tape and notes didn’t match.  V. says “yes”.  S10 says she’ll try anything now, to which there is some laughter.  S13 is looking at V.  S9 has her head angled toward the screen, but might be looking at V., I can’t tell.  S10 is chewing her nails.  S13 asks a question and S2, 3, 5, 6 and 14 look at him.  V. clicks onto the next topic on the screen and looks up at it, S2, 5 and 6 look at the screen.  S1, 3, 8, 9 and 14 look at the screen.  S13 & 14 are taking notes.  S5 & 6 exchange comments.  V. points to the screen and people look, now everyone but S2 is looking.  (There seems to be a correlation between the amount of time V. looks or points to the screen and the number of students who look at the screen.  The longer he looks, the more people follow his gaze – or their classmates’ – to the screen). 

Three people shift at the same time.  8:19pm.  S1, 8, and 9.  S13, 2, 5, and 6 are looking at V.  He is talking about keeping copies of fieldnotes.  S9’s eyes close for a moment, then she looks at the screen.  S13 nods.  S10 nods when V. says “buy a file cabinet”.  S13 takes notes, S14 looks at screen.  S2 looks back at her papers.  S4 seems to be looking at V. but I can’t see her face.  S13 asks about the essential part of fieldnotes (S14 looks up at me) being their effect on you.  V. says “that’s not your data”.  S10 clarifies by saying “your interpretation is not your data”.  V. says “not at this stage”.  S5 & 6 exchange comments while V. is talking about multiple interpretations.  “How many students should talk in a class for their to be a discussion” V asks.  There is silence.  Everyone looks as S1 says “not my 9^th graders this morning” and there is laughter.  V. changes the screen and people shift.  S10 and 11 have the same position, with their left hands supporting their faces.  S3 flexes his wrist.  S6, 13, and 4 are looking at V., S14 is poised for notes.  V. is talking about “where do adolescents sleep tonight” and S14 nods and smiles.  Everyone is looking at V. except for S1, who is taking notes, and S2, who is doing papers. 

V. is showing an example on the screen.  Everyone looks except S2.  He looks at the class and their attention to the screen wavers until he looks back at it, then they all look back at it.  (I wrote myself a note to count how many seconds it takes of V. looking at the screen to get the whole class looking).  V. wrote his fieldnotes by hand, he says.  Most people are looking at him, but S13 was looking around.  He goes back to the screen and everyone follows (I counted and by 3 everyone was looking at the screen).  “Anything people let you take, take” V. says.  S2 sneezes.

8:31pm.  “Collect texts” V. says, and begins reading off the screen.  Everyone looks at the screen, even S2.  V. talks about writing and S8 glances toward me.  V. is talking about how to “get a sense of what am I seeing” and I decide to inventory what everyone in the room is wearing.  S11 says something about body image in the west versus other cultures and some people are looking at her, but more are looking down.  I can’t tell who in the front line is taking notes because I can’t see their hands.  V. says “we have five minutes, someone wants to give details of their observations so far”.  S11 volunteers and begins talking.  No one looks at her for a while, then most people look.  She says she started to cramp up trying to take notes, there is laughter, “it was total chaos”.  She says she typed up five pages on 10 minutes of observation.  V. talks, then S1 talks about his interview, he took video, everyone is looking at him.  He wants to know how do you write notes to a video?  V. says you must write notes behind the camera.  S5 nods.  S10 nods.  S14 nods.

8:52pm.  S2 organizes her pile of papers and takes off her glasses.  “Don’t rely on technology” says V.  S4 is turning pages, S14 yawns, S13 leans forward, S5 has put away her notebook, S8 has closed her notebook.  S1 and S13 are taking notes.  S2 puts away her glasses, trying to be quiet.  S3 shakes his wrist.  V. steps up to the blackboard and people look at him except for S4 and S6  S11’s head is down on her fist parallel to the table.  S1 is taking notes.  Now everyone is looking at V. except S4.  S2 starts packing up her papers.  S8 stretches, S10 leaves the room, S13 is taking notes.  S4 is looking through her notebook.  S3 is looking around.  S10 comes back.  S8 blows nose.  S13 is the only person taking notes.  V. talks about who can interrupt.  S5 & 6 speak to each other.  S6 writes something.  S4 seems engrossed in her book.  S14 takes notes.  V. looks down at his papers, puts a hand on the back of his neck, and is silent.  People immediately begin packing up and talking amongst themselves softly.  V. says he has people’s proposals and puts them on his desk.  People begin to speak more loudly, pack up, push in their chairs, and leave.