Project #2 involves the collection of primary data through archival research and artifact collection. It consists of seveveral steps:

1. You should use the group you've already identified for Project #1 (or now make the decision to change group for the rest of the semester - last chance), and discern a way to find this group "represented" or "active" in online spaces. To do so, you may have to move out a concentric circle. For example, if your group is the ECU men's basketball team, you will certainly find artifacts relating to this group online, but you will also want to find community spaces where "basketball players" interact.
2. Produce two different annotated collections of artifacts. You will use the detailed annotations like those on pages 182-183 in Chapter 4 of Fieldworking.
3. Two Research Reflections (3 - 4 double-spaced pages). These two "reflections" should be informal in nature, but that doesn't mean you won't demonstrate extensive engagement with your fieldnotes and annotations of artifacts. You should hand these in at two different points in the process, noted on the course schedule.

Although Project #2, at this stage, doesn't look like any "essay" you've probably had to write before, that's o.k. It can't because you haven't gotten enough information, most likely, to create a workable, supportable, readable essay. That will come later. For now, you should focus on "collecting" data and "reflecting" on data collection. (See below for Reflection assignments.)

Reflection #3

For homework, you created an annotated list of artifacts that you found that somehow connected to your chosen group(s). For this reflection, I want you to move beyond the individual annotations and reflect more broadly on how these items connect/disconnect to/from each other. To that end, write a one page (single-spaced) reflection/analysis on these two main questions:

1. How do these artifacts connect? What draws them together? How do they work together? OR how do they work against each other? What disconnections do you see? Why would one person/group have all these things?
2. What questions has this research into artifacts raised for you? What new questions might you ask interviews of your group members? What language/groups/acronyms/ideas/issues did you see in the artifacts that you might want to ask your interviewees about?

One page, single-spaced, please.

Reflection #4

By this point, you've gotten responses back from me on your first Research Packet, and you've also done substantial archival/artifact research. For this reflection, write a full page of all the possible topics you can think of that might grow out of this research. Clearly, you'll have to do much more research that's more focused on the topics you choose, but you should have enough work done by now to begin to suggest possible topics/avenues of inquiry. Write what they are, why you'd want to research them. You can respond to the suggestions I put in my response to Project 1 as well as news one.

If you have chosen a new group for Research Packet #2, that's fine. For Reflection #4, write one long paragraph on options that might come out of your first research packet; then write another long paragraph of options that might come from the artifacts/archives you've been working on for this packet.

Cover Memo

The purpose of the Cover Memo is to give you a chance to reflect and analyze your experience so far on this research project. It is not enough merely to list what you've done or thought, but also explain it, to make it make sense.

As you stop to take a snap-shot of your research project, consider some of the following questions:

1. Why did you choose the group you've selected? Have your reasons changed at all? Have you found different questions to ask through preliminary observations and interviews? OR have you chosen a different group? Why?
2. What pieces of data stand out for you now, seem most relevant? Why?
3. What was the easiest part of this project so far? Why?
4. What was the most difficult part so far? Why?
5. What has trying this sort of research done for you as a researcher? Has it changed, in any way, your assumptions about what research is, who can do/does research, what research might mean, what different sorts of research might be useful at what times?
6. If you could talk to a class like this, one just starting such a project, what recommendations would you make as a more experienced qualitative researcher?

This document should be typed, single-spaced, in Times New Roman 12 pt. font.

Research Packet #2

Please include the following items in your second Research Packet. Remember, this packet should be a two-pocket folder, preferably with NO hole-punch binder in the middle.

1. Cover Memo (we'll do this in class on the day you turn in the packet)
2. Reflection #4
3. Reflection #3
4. Blog Postings
5. Annotation of Artifacts (15 - 20)

In your folder, please put items 1 - 3 in the left-side pocket (make sure you name is on EVERYTHING); please put items 4 - 5in the right-side pocket. Please keep the items in the order they are listed above.