Pappelardo 1 Paige Pappelardo Professor DiSarro English 101: American Subcultures 9 September 2013 Behind the Walls of Reynolds

Hall Position in Subculture I have just started my freshmen year here at Endicott College. I am residing in Reynolds Hall, therefore, I have chosen Reynolds as the subculture that I am going to explore. The people in this subculture are starting an important part of their life. They are going through a big transition because they are now living on their own. It will be interesting to find out how everybody is adjusting to their new life away from their families. I am going to observe as many people as I can, so I will be able to present my findings to others as accurately as possible. Also, I will try my best to be nonjudgmental when observing the people in my subculture. I know I have a lot in common with these people, so I must watch out for possible biases I might have. In the short amount of time that I have been living here, there have been different experiences that I have observed and taken part in. Some of these activities I was expecting and others came as a surprise. I am going to analyze the different possibilities for certain actions and behaviors and do some background research if available. I am learning something new about this subculture that I have recently become an insider of every day. I know as time goes by I will eventually become aware and understand the majority of the behaviors, patterns, rules, and rituals of Reynolds Halls subculture. Field Sites and Informants Possible field sites in Reynolds Hall include individual dorm rooms, the hallway, the kitchen, the laundry room, the common area, the Oak Room, and the bathrooms. In the short amount of time I have been living here, some sensory details I have encountered include groups of students sitting squished together on the common room couches, girls dressed up and taking pictures in the hallways, the slimy floor of the showers on my bare feet, and the aroma of freshly popped popcorn mixed with body sprays and other products drifting into the hallways. Also, I have met other insiders who are now my friends. These people include my roommate and several other girls on the first and second floor. They can provide me with information I might have otherwise missed out on. A couple of them are different majors than I, so they take different classes and get different amounts of work than I do. I will learn how they manage their time between homework and other activities. Knowing these other insiders can be useful if I need help seeing something from somebody elses point of view or if I need help facing certain stereotypes. Stereotypes Many people believe the myths and stereotypes they hear about Reynolds Hall. It is rumored that everybody here is quiet and stays to themselves. I do not find this to be true. This subculture might be quieter than other traditional dorms, but there are still times when it gets

Pappelardo 2 kind of loud and endless chatter echoes down the hallways. Also, some people believe that guys dorms tend to be messier than girls dorms, but from what I observed so far the opposite was true. That might just be a coincidence because I have not seen most of the dorms, but as time goes on it will be easier to tell. Another statement I heard is that all communal bathrooms are gross. This is not necessarily true from the ones I have seen in Reynolds. Occasionally, trash may clutter on the ground, but the bathrooms are not as bad as they are made out to be. My Initial Assumptions Other people may believe the myths and stereotypes they hear, but I have my own assumptions about my subculture. So far, the residents of Reynolds Hall all seem friendly and willing to meet new people. Although with this being said, I feel like everybody in this subculture has already established their friend group. Also, I assume that as the year goes on the people will have less free time than they do now because their classes will likely get harder. More of their time will be spent studying and less will be spent socializing. My assumptions may end up being incorrect, but as time goes on the way things are now will change. All I can hope is that my biases dont block my ability to efficiently do fieldwork. Fixed Positions Some factors, such as age, race, and gender may influence and create biases in my fieldwork. I am an eighteen year old freshmen which is the about the same age as my peers who are residing in Reynolds Hall. This makes it easier for me to connect and understand the actions of the other residents, but it could also create some biases. I may overlook certain actions of my peers or not recognize a behavior as important because that action or behavior might be a norm for me as well. Also, I am Caucasian just like the majority of the students here. I do not believe that this will have a major influence on my fieldwork, but it could slightly. Someone of a different ethnicity might bring their own traditions and rituals into Reynolds that are unfamiliar to me. I might end up learning something new that does not necessarily impact or influence the whole subculture, but a few select individuals. Gender is another factor that might play a role in my empathy and understanding of this subculture or even my biases of it. As a female, I tend to relate to other females better than males. We seem to have more in common such as our daily routine, behavior, interests, attitudes, and ways of thinking. Also, I might come across some obstacles and restrictions while making observations of the opposite gender because some guys act different when there are girls around, and I also will not be going into any of the mens bathrooms. These fixed positions all have their own way to help me empathize and understand this particular subculture, as well as create biases due to my similarities with the residents. Subjective Positions More influences on my fieldwork are the subjective positions to which I belong. Being part of a middle class family has allowed me to be able to afford Endicott College. I assume that most of the students in Reynolds hall and Endicott College in general are from middle to high income families. I think this will probably make it slightly easier for us to relate because we will most likely have the same life experiences and be able to afford a lot of the same activities, although, this might create biases if I assume that everyone can afford something. In general, Beverly

Pappelardo 3 seems to be an affluent town. There are a lot of places in Beverly to hangout and to eat. Our location influences my fieldwork because there are many surrounding areas for the people of Reynolds Hall to travel. Another influential factor is my upbringing. I was raised to treat everyone equally and with respect. I think this will help me be nonjudgmental while observing the people in my subculture. A bias I might come across is if I was raised to do something one way and somebody else was raised to do the same thing a different way, I will probably think my way is the right or better way. The last subjective position that could affect my fieldwork is my education level. I have earned my high school diploma and am now working towards my Bachelors degree. A bias I might have is that everyone in Reynolds Hall is equally intelligent because they were accepted into this college. This could cause problems because everyone has different levels of intelligence and thinks in different ways. Some people might have more common sense than others, but not be as school smart as others. Peoples intelligence influences the decisions they make that can affect everyone. I hope these biases do not get in the way of my field work. Cultural Positions The last factors that influence my fieldwork are my cultural positions. I assume my moral values are not exactly the same as anybody elses in this subculture. I might find somebodys behavior immoral and vice versa could be true about how somebody else views me. This might create biases because what I consider unacceptable behavior, others might not. It might give me the wrong impression and leave me more vulnerable if my morals are too high and expect the same from others. Also, every person has traditions that are unique to their family. I will not understand everybodys traditions, but they will continue to do them regardless. I must accept that fact and not judge other people for their traditions that may seem strange to me. Conclusion My recent insider status at Reynolds Hall led me to choose it as my subculture to do fieldwork. I have been residing here for only a little over a week and I have already begun to see behaviors, patterns, rules, and rituals of some of my subcultures people. Although, I have also already made certain assumptions and heard other rumors about Reynolds Hall which arent all necessarily true. Because I have many things in common with the other residents, I must be extremely careful to not be bias when observing them. Through observation, I will learn many new characteristics about the residents. I will try to see everything through their eyes and be nonjudgmental when I observe anything I do not understand or agree with.