Community Proposal

Choosing a Community

The first thing you will do is choose a community to observe for the next few weeks. You will be observing, researching, and writing about this community for the entire semester, so choose wisely!

I recommend prioritizing your interests over convenience when selecting a community to study. Students who choose communities they find engaging tend to do better than those who choose communities simply because they are easy to access. For instance, while selecting the McDonald's next door might seem convenient, you might end up feeling bored with very little to write about. On the other hand, selecting a more interesting community will often make writing and conducting additional research much easier and more enjoyable.

Things to Consider When Choosing Your Community

Your community needs to be in-person, with a few possible and specific exceptions.
- - Think about what areas of your local area and/or metro Detroit you have access to (i.e. Do you have a car? Do you have a friend or family member who could reliably drive you?)
  - Consider trying something new or choosing a community you are really into! This will be a much more positive experience if you aren't bored by the second week.
This community should be a community that you have access to regularly.
- - You will need to do weekly observations and responses for four weeks. If you are interested in a community that isn’t available to you weekly, but meets biweekly, for example, you will need to talk to me about this and we can work out a plan to accommodate this schedule.
You will also eventually need to interview someone in your community.
Be thoughtful about the ethics of observing people when choosing a community.
- - Is the community clearly public (i.e. the zoo, a mall, a food court, etc.)? If it's a private community, can you get consent to observe (i.e. a club or group you belong to)?
  - I recommend avoiding "in-between" spaces, such as privately owned coffee shops or arcades. These are spaces where people may not consider themselves in public, and would not appreciate being observed.
  - Is there the potential to cause harm? Will you be able to maintain people's privacy and anonymity?
Don’t worry about your eventual scholarly research topic at this time. It will eventually come from your observations in your community.
You cannot observe an underage community.
- - For example, if you work at a daycare, you cannot observe the children. They cannot consent to being observed, and getting consent from parents/guardians is beyond the scope of this class.
  - Public communities with kids around are fine (i.e. if you are observing the zoo, you can discuss what families seem to be doing there).
  - Exception: if you are also underage (for example, you are a dual-enrolled or early college student), you can observe a community of your peers with permission. For example, a club or team at your school.
You cannot observe illegal activities. This adds layers of complications that are beyond the scope of this class.

Example Communities

Some communities students have chosen for this project in past semesters:

Detroit Institute of the Arts (DIA)
High school basketball fans; student observed attendees at basketball games (not the team) for a specific high school
VFW Hall; with permission/consent to observe
Detroit Zoo; student purchased an individual membership pass to be able to go as needed
Great Skate Roller Rink
EDM community; student went to a specific 18 and older EDM dance club for several weeks
Nursing Home; student observed public lounge area in the nursing home with the permission of the director of the facility
A fraternity or sorority; with permission and the student observed events and/or meetings (not parties where underage drinking may have occurred)
LGBT night at a bar/club
Death Metal concerts; student was responsible for cost for attending concerts
Somerset Mall Food Court
Elementary school parking lot (The student stayed in their car and observed how other parents behaved and interacted with one another during pick-up time.)
Local park; students have observed areas where people tend to be during the current season (For example, one student primarily observed people ice fishing at Lake St. Clair Metropark).
Starbucks
1. 1. Note: I don't recommend local privately owned coffee shops (in our current TikTok/social media era, many owners are concerned about privacy for both themselves and their patrons. Former students have not been able to receive permission to observe at several local places).

If you have an idea that you aren’t sure will fulfill the requirements or work for this assignment, come talk to me! I’m open to suggestions.

Online Communities

As a general rule, the community you choose will need to be an in-person community. Occasionally, I have approved an online community that meets certain requirements and functions similarly to in-person communities. For example, MMO sandbox/open-world games that have avatars that can be observed.

Examples of Online Communities from Past Students

World of Warcraft players
A public Virtual Reality (VR) Lounge

For online games:

1. 1. The game must be a massively multiplayer game (MMO) with observable areas where you can "sit" as your character and watch other players and read/listen to conversations.
  2. The game must be a sandbox or open-world game that you can explore at your leisure.
  3. Players/community must be observed in non-combat areas or when combat is not occurring. (i.e. you need to be able to sit and take observation notes; you will not be able to be actively playing while you are observing.
  4. You can observe a specific group or guild that you regularly play with as long as you have permission from the other members.