Norm-Breaking Research Paper Assignment

To complte this assignment, First must break a norm--i.e. not coform to some social rule. It is up to you what norm you break. Examples of a behavior that is non-normative are:

1) sitting at your dinner table and ignoring the serving utensils and silverware by using only your hands to serve and eat your meal;

2) refuse to "turn take" or listen in a conversation and talk over anyone who begins to speak;

3) face the back rather than front of an elevator when riding it;

4) haggle over the price of a candy bar or soda in a store; and

5) wear your underwear on the outside of your regular clothing.

If you pick an llegal or unethical behavioras part of breakiyour norm, you must live with the legal and morl consequences (I accept NO responsibility and will not come bail you out of jail!). There are plenty of norms you can break that will NOT cause legal repercussions or harm to others. Try your best to avoid discomfort to other people in performing this assignment. Remember, researchers must take ethics into account when conducting research. You may find it helpful to explain to anyone involved what you were doing after you are finished breaking the norm (i.e. you might want to "debrief" those who saw you do the assignment), and if they are your family members or friends, you may want to reassure them so that you don't lose their family support or friendship. During the process of norm breaking they may decide you are temporarily crazy.

OBSERVATION OF YOUR NORM-BREAKING BEHAVIOR

On a daily bass, we as human beings continually observe social life and draw inferences and conclusions fro our observations. One f the goals of this assignment is to "fine-tune" these natural observational skills, and as a result, heighten your awareness of dimensions of social interaction that are often taken for granted. This fieldwork assignment is also intended to sensitize you to the difference between observation and interpretation so you will be able to evaluate more critically what others present as "objective" evidence-a major skill in utilizing critical thinking.

Use the following steps in conducting your norm breaking and observation:
1) Observe and take mental notes (or hide a notebook for brief, rough notes if possible) during your twenty minutes (or more) with a maximum of 30 minutes of norm-breaking activity. You may also choose to break up your time into several smaller observations. The size of your group should have at least two (2) people and up to about fifteen (15). Groups larger than approximately fifteen may be too difficult to observe. Pay attention to some of the following aspects of noted reactions: questions, gestures, nonverbal cues, spatial behavior, emotions, attributions and/or other dimensions of social reactions. A confederate (observational assistant) may also be a part of your research. However, the confederate is only a helpful tool in observation and may not help you with the writing of your report.
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2) As soon as the norm-breaking activity is over, be sure to make rough notes on the spot describing the setting and what happens. Soon after you return from the norm-breaking site write a full description of the physical setting, the participants, and the events (so someone who was not there could picture them). The description will take at least three times longer than the observation. Avoid interpreting what you have witnessed in this descriptive section.

3) Next, attempt to interpret the meaning of the activities, the intentions of the actors, and their relations with each other and you as they observed your social disruption. Link your observations to course materials (lectures, texts, readings, videos, handouts, etc.) when possible. Be aware of the difficulty of making observations that are uncontaminated by assumptions or inferences.

REPORT YOUR FINDINGS IN A PAPER:
In your paper, you should cover (at least generally) all of the major issues from each of the four points listed below, and be certain to integrate point number five and include point number six. Incorporate relevant concepts and theories from the readings and lecture when applicable (The points are numbered, but your paper should not include these numbers or necessarily be broken up according to the points--it should flow as an integrated whole). Do not use subheadings.

1) Describe what you did to break the norm. Describe the situation, and what is normally expected, and what you did that was not consistent with those expectations. If your norm is one that people outside a particular group would be unfamiliar with (for example, you are a member of a sports team that has a certain pre-game ritual that you broke), you may have to go into some detail to set the stage so that people outside the group can comprehend how what you did constituted breaking a norm.

2) Describe other people's reactions to what you did. Were there any objects or symbols that gave you clues as to who they were? Consider integrating the use of symbolic interaction theory here. Did you think they behaved the same way they would have if you had not broken the norm? Or did they respond differently? Did they ignore you? Did they sanction you, and if so, how--verbally? Non-verbally?

3) Describe how you felt. Did you "chicken out?" at some point? Start laughing? Blush? Was it fun? Exhilarating? Mortifying? Did you feel like your behavior looked natural or staged and deliberate as you were breaking the norm?

4) Describe anything else of note that occurred. Is it possible that your perceptions of what other people were thinking were biased by the fact that you were embarrassed? Did anyone else follow your lead (i.e., did you set a NEW norm, by breaking an old one)?

5) Integrate well-defined sociological theories and concepts in a seamless, relevant way throughout the paper.

WRITING THE REPORT IN SUMMARY:
First, briefly define the setting in which you took these notes and describe how you conducted your observation.

Second, describe the general characteristics and behaviors of the members of the group you observed. What sorts of objects or symbols gave you clues as to who they were?

Third, based on information you have in your notes, characterize the nature of the interaction in the group. How might the actions that occurred have been interpreted? Give specific examples from your observations to support these claims.

Fourth, discuss how your findings relate to course materials-lectures, texts, videos, reading, handouts, etc. Do these findings support, contradict, or alter any of the various sociological theories and claims that we have been studying?

Make sure that you have integrated your application of symbolic interaction theory and other supporting theories presented in this course such as (but not limited to) cognitive dissonance. dramaturgy, attribution, deterrence, equity, frustration-aggression, implicit personality, reactance, self-affirmation, self-awareness, self-perception, social comparison, social exchange, social impact, social learning, social role, appraisal of emotion, contingency of leadership, and planned behavior theories. Be certain the theories and concepts that you use are well defined and indicate where they refute or substantiate your analysis.

PAPER FORMAT AND ORGANIZATION
1) The length of your paper should be 8-10 pages (plus citations) and the format requires double-spacing on the pages and using a 12-point font. Do not use subtitles.

2) You may write in the first person (i.e. I observed....).

3) Put your name, ID#, TA name and discussion section you attended in the top right corner of your first page.

4) Center your title in the middle of the first page (no title page please).

5) Although you are only required to use lectures, texts, course readings, videos, handouts, etc. for resources, please include a "references cited" page using the ASA references style. See our Soc 2 SmartSite Resources page for a ASA reference style primer.