Off Campus Observations

Choose a place like a Starbucks Coffee Shop, Small Cafe, or other public place like a retail store. Take note as to whether or not the customers interact with one another and special note of how the workers interact with the customers.

Off Campus Observations

Time: 30 minutes or more Location: Off Campus

This observation should be done somewhere other than on campus. Try to choose a place where people from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds gather and interact. You are observing to see how they engage in intercultural communication and interaction. You are looking to see if certain ethnic or cultural groups tend to sit and interact together, are there people of different cultures or ethnic backgrounds sitting near one another but not interacting to communicating.

Conducting an effective observation requires the special skill of paying close attention to details. Unlike interviewing people, much of data gained through observation is subjected to your preconceived beliefs or ideas. Below are a few steps for conducting an observation:

Select a site to be observed. Try to stay in the back ground. Unless you have obtained permission to observe a particular person or group, try not to make it obvious you are observing a particular group or person.

Design an observation protocol as a method for recording notes. Include descriptive and reflective notes (for examples: note about their relationships, hunches, and experiences.)