Fieldwork Project 1: Dinnertime You will submit, via this Bb assignment page, a brainstorm, a list of questions, and 400-word essay on your fieldwork and your results.
READ CAREFULLY AND MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS. Doing the assignment is as much a test your ability to follow directions as it is of your fieldwork project! 1. Prepare with a Brainstorm:
Ask yourself your family’s dinnertime habits, meal-sharing at home, and customs at your table, who eats when, what it means to have food and share it, what it means to gather at a table with family, who is your dinnertime family, and what expectations or ideals you have for dinnertime. Think carefully about your own dinnertime experiences BEFORE you ask your interview questions.
Brainstorm by typing for 4 minutes--save this work, as you will need to turn it in with the rest of your assignment.

2. Interview a classmate (or friend):
Now you have thought about how dinnertime and meal-sharing works in your family. So, next you will develop 5 interview questions. Your goal is to learn how someone else experiences dinnertime and meal-sharing with his/her family.
I want you to attempt an anthropological view of dinnertime practices. You will need to choose a focus, but you could explore many different questions. Here are some ideas (you may choose from this list or come up with your own questions):
How are your dinnertimes organized?
Who attends? Who cooks? Who cleans?
Do you all eat together? Does it matter?
Do you have special traditions at the dinner table (like reviewing the day or praying)?
What gender roles are learned and taught at the table? Do the women cook? Do the men do dishes?
How does age matter? Do the elders eat first?
What does dinnertime mean for you?
What does it mean to share food together with family?
Does it mean something different to share food with friends than it does to share it with family?
Once you have chosen FIVE questions that you want to ask, you will need to interview a friend/classmate. Spend 10-15 minutes interviewing. Take notes! Write down and use at least one quote!

3. Organize key points and write a 400-word paper:
Write a brief paper---make it a proper paper with an introduction/topic paragraph, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
Your paper should address:
1. who you interviewed,
2. what you learned in your interview,
3. and you should also include comparisons to your own dinnertime experiences.
Demonstrate that you worked hard at understanding someone else’s dinnertime! Was it what you expected?

SUBMIT YOUR PAPER INTO THE BLACKBOARD ASSIGNMENT PAGE.
You must submit AS ONE ASSIGNMENT:
1. Brain storm
2. List of 5 interview questions
3. A 400-word paper as explained above
Have some fun with this! Interview a friend and tell me what you learned… about yourself as well as your friend.