Queens College has various clubs with each association having beliefs, values, practices, and routines that govern the operations of individuals in college. For this assignment, there is a need for identifying a particular club at Queens College . Anthropology refers to the scientific study of human behavior and societies covering both the past and the present (Miller, 2017). The research focuses on understanding different aspects such as norms, values, and language used by people in communication. The study of norms and values is categorized as cultural anthropology while a study of literature is under the linguistic anthropology (Oksiloff, 2016). Culture refers to the general way of life especially focusing on culture, beliefs, customs, and norms governing the interaction of people in the community (Seaver, 2017). As a result, ethnography is perceived as the quantitative research used by anthropologists and researchers from other disciplines to understand the general way of social life. In this assignment, I chose to study the interaction among people in the Muslim Student Association club. The club meets on Friday in a room that has carpet in an organized event to create an inclusive and welcoming event.
The meeting I attended was on a Friday night where there were ten members of the Muslim association executive. The participants consisted of people from different ethnicities who had converted to Muslims (Queens College, 2018). The ratio of women to girls was equal because there were five girls and men who formed the executive committee for Muslim association. This information was essential to record because it provided quantitative data about the interaction of people association. Quantitative data gives statistical information about a particular group and this made it possible to record statistical information regarding the ratio of men and women in the group. One of the participants in the Muslim association revealed that they do not feed on pork showing that the Muslims do not eat pork. This information sends adequate information related to the customs of the Muslim association thus determining the way of life among members.
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Several methodologies are applicable in collecting information from the target study group. For example, an ethnographer can collect information from the target population by interacting and observing the behavior of individuals, asking questions, and living with the people to identify their way of living. Since the ethnography was set in a college, it was difficult to visit the group and live with the people to identify their entire way of life. As a result, I decided to visit the Muslim association once and ask several questions regarding their themes and interactions (Queens College, 2018). As a result, I asked many questions and got involved in the discussion. I chose a Muslim association club because my Muslim friend would provide relevant information about the group. After entering the prayer room I noticed that the room had carpets and well arranged. Asking my friend the reasons behind the well-arranged room, he told me that it is designed to make the hall comfortable and create a welcoming mood for people who would like to participate in the event. The speakers surrounded in the room were for ensuring effective flow of sound such that every person hard what was said. I also asked how the association helps the lives of people in the college. The informant responded that the Muslim association strengthened the bond between Muslim students and increased awareness of any form of misunderstanding about the Islamic religion.
Vignette is a brief description or an episode about an event. During the meeting, the president of the association played music which described the dressing code of the Muslim community. The dressing code for women in the video reflected the dressing of women in the meeting. After asking a friend the reason as to why women had to wear their outer garment that covered their body, he answered that Islamic women have to cover their body while in public places. Though the dressing code may appear to be insignificant, it is essential because it sends sends information about the Islamic tradition.
References
Miller, B. D. (2017). Cultural anthropology. Pearson.
Queens College (2018). Student Population at Queens College: Retrieved from: https://www.collegetuitioncompare.com/edu/190664/cuny-queens-college/enrollment/
Queens College, (2018). Total Enrollment by Ethnicity/race and college. Retrieved from: https://www.collegefactual.com/colleges/cuny-queens-college/student-life/diversity/
Seaver, N. (2017). Algorithms as culture: Some tactics for the ethnography of algorithmic systems. Big Data & Society, 4(2), 2053951717738104.
