Week 3

I've begun a little research on my subculture.  I have not interviewed anyone yet but take notes and observe at Cru's weekly meetings.  I am excited to interview because listening to people's opinions will be very interesting and insightful.  I plan to ask why students/staff members believe that Cru is important.  I want to know why outsiders do not want to attend Cru meetings or be apart of Cru.  I would like to ask insiders and outsiders why they have certain opinions about Cru.  I feel like there is an infinite amount of questions I could ask.  I think questions will build upon answers from the informants.  I believe these questions are important to ask because what I believe and others believe could be totally opposite.  It's important for me to hear the opinions of others instead of only using my own opinions or beliefs in my writing.  I have been to my cultural site, Pruis Hall, numerous times.  My observations have not raised questions because I understand why the stage is used and why Cru is held in Pruis.  I have not researched any academic materials.  I am hoping that there will be information to be found in the library but I am not sure quite yet.  I know I will be able to research online because Ball State's Cru has a website and Campus Crusade for Christ International also has one too.  I do believe there is a difference between academic and non-academic research because I know many academic works are peer reviewed and non-academic works may not be.  Prejudices and biases may be extracted from works if it's peer reviewed.  Non-academic materials may be very biased in nature because the author/researcher may write using only their experiences and opinions.  

Where, oh Where Will I Conduct my Fieldwork?

I plan to do fieldwork in the subculture, Campus Crusade for Christ (aka Cru).  One particular fieldsite I will research is Pruis Hall, where Cru meets every Thursday night at 9:15.  I may research at the Atrium, which is where many Cru members gather for lunch everyday or in Botsford Hall, where quite a few Cru women live and conduct bible studies, one of which I am a member of. 

         Every Thursday night in Pruis, hundreds of students are huddled in the lobby, meeting and greeting old and new friends.  It's always likely to see smiles and hugs in this tightly woven atmosphere of people.  As the rope is pulled back for everyone to enter the auditorium, the throng of people migrate toward the entrance.  Walking into the auditorium the speakers blare a song of praise.  The guitars, drum set, mikes, and amps are set up on the stage with cords tangled every which way.  The large screen above the stage displays a countdown of time till the meeting begins. 

         What more can I discover in this subculture that I don't already know?  I'm curious to find and unravel information I've never heard about Cru.  

Box 11

The subculture I plan to research is Ball State's Campus Crusade for Christ, also know as, Cru.  I chose this subculture because I am involved in it and think it would be interesting to write and research it.  I do not think my fixed positions will affect my research because Cru consists of men and women around the same age.  I also believe that my subjective positions will not affect my research either because Cru is a subculture based on truth and love.  I do not think my person experiences in the subculture will distort my research or become biased because I also represent the same aspects as the subculture I am researching.  Therefore, I would not degrade the subculture nor provide false information on the subculture.

Making the Ordinary Extraordinary

Everyday as I wake up, brush my teeth, wash my hands, walk to class, eat, talk to friends, do homework, read a book, and even during the last few moments before I fall asleep, I talk to a person whom I've never met before in my life.  I tell this person I love them dearly, that they are my life and all I want to do is live for them.  I ask this person for their forgiveness of things I've done during the day that are considered "above reproach."  I ask for this person to help me through my daily struggles.  I ask for them to also take care of my family, friends and even people I don't know in this world who have hope in nothing.  I thank this person for loving me in return. Although, I've never seen this person in my entire life and many people do not believe in this person's existence, I love this person more than I will ever love family, friends and even my future husband. 

My Writing Experience

My writing experience is very limited.  In high school I wrote, maybe, three papers.  Most of my experience in writing has been at Ball State, last semester, in English 103.  To be completely honest, I crammed my papers in at the last minute, usually the weekend before it was due and stayed up all hours of the night but received an "A" for the class.  Although I procrastinated, I worked extremely hard on the papers and would not rest until I was satisfied with them.  I wrote a memoir, an annotated bibliography,  and an informative research essay, all in MLA format.  

While writing my memoir, my favorite paper, I faced many challenges.  Although I had an infinite amount of information to write about, it was a very trying experience.  The paper was never pre-written nor did I make an outline.  I immediately began to jot memories down and started the paper over, I don't know how many times!  A major struggle for me was revising and editing while writing the paper.  If the instructor did not require a draft, I did not write one.  What I wrote was the finished product because I revised while writing.  I found it extremely difficult to write while there was background noise.  I did not listen to music, watch the television nor were there friends conversing around me while I wrote.  I had to be completely and utterly focused on the paper without distraction.

It's a little difficult for me to distinguish the difference between revising and editing but I believe that revising is proof reading and fixing errors while editing is changing, removing, rearranging or adding more sentences.