Survey draft

1. What religion are you?
a. Christian (includes Catholic)
b. Jewish
c. Muslim
d. other: ____________
e. I’m not religious

2. How often do you practice your religion?
a. consistent
b. casually
c. hardly
d. not at all
e. I don’t practice a religion.

3. Has religion affected your moral perspective?
a. yes
b. no

4. Do your religious views affect your lifestyle choices?
a. yes
b. no

5. On a scale on 1-5 (1 being the lowest, and 5 the highest), to what degree does your faith affect your views on:
a. abortion
b. same-sex marriage
c. drug use
d. capital punishment
e. choosing a life partner
f. economic decisions
g. choosing STU
h. choosing your UG major

6. What do you believe most hinders students from practicing a religion?
a. time constraints
b. being career-oriented
c. lack of interest
d. lack of knowledge
e. Other: _____________

7. Have you taken any Religious courses at St. Thomas University? If so, has it positively affected your understanding of religion in general?
a. no
b. yes, and it has affected my understanding of religion positively.
c. yes, but it has not affected my understanding of religion positively.

8. What is most important to learn?
a. evolution
b. creationism
c. evolution, then creationism
d. creationism, then evolution.

9. Hypothetical situation:
A small market business owner is robbed. Should the thief be held legally accountable?
a. yes
b. no

10. The “thief” is a poverty-inflicted mother who steals bread from the market (think outside of U.S.) to feed her starving children. Is this morally acceptable?
a. yes
b. no

Interviews

I met with Dr. Carter Waren earlier this week and she really helped me see a different approach to my topic. We discussed the ways to word questions in the surveys and she mentioned she would give it to her the students in her classes to fill out. We agreed to meet next wednesday at 1:30pm at her office. My primary reason for her interview is to learn about her views on the topic of my paper. She teaches religious courses at the University and is very engaged in dialogue with her students. In fact, I remember it being a requirement in her class to meet with her at least once throughout the semester. She seemed really enthusiastic about helping me with my paper.

I spoke with our new priest, Father Loubriel, in the campus ministry in Kennedy. He also said he'd be interested in an interview. I believe he can offer his perspective on the students' engangement in religious practice. I will speak to him this week to set up a time and a date. Then I will email him.

I also want to choose students to interview but am not sure how to make my selection or if I should simply stick to the surveys.

my.. progress?

My original idea for this paper revolved around the psychology of God. How religion may have been used to influence people’s ideas and actions. In doing so, I hoped to contrast the role of God in the lives of individuals in western culture today. What I did know for sure was that I didn’t want to make this a paper on religion, but rather psychology.
The problem: how broad my topic was. This research paper requires me to conduct surveys and interviews; therefore I need a group of people I can observe and question. My topic eventually became “The Role of God in the Lives of Students at St. Thomas University”. At first, I was satisfied with the topic because it still centered on my general idea: the psychology of God. But when I began doing research, I became not only uninterested, but annoyed with it. I found that the UCLA was conducting a very similar study nationwide entitled: “The Spiritual Life of College Students: A National Study of College Students’ Search for Meaning and Purpose”. The surveys they’ve conducted could serve as a sort of blueprint (or should I say guide) for the questions I could provide in my own survey.
I remember the analogy used in one of the first readings for this class, the one comparing a research paper to a conversation in a parlor. Upon entering, you realize the conversation has begun. You listen and learn enough until you’ve acquired enough knowledge to form your own conclusions and take part in the discussion. However, whenever I’ve tried to work on this topic, I just wanted to leave that parlor.
Some of the questions in the UCLA survey consist of the students’: interest in spirituality, search of meaning/ purpose in life, having discussions about this with their peers, attending religious services, belief in God, and prayer. Another part of this survey sought to find correlation between the students who reported high engagement in religious/spiritual activity and their support/opposition for: legalized abortion, casual sex, same-sex marriage, legalizing marijuana. Furthermore, another section analyzed these students’ views on issues of race, the rights of criminals, women’s roles, and gun control.(http://www.spirituality.ucla.edu/news/Spirituality_2003-11-21.pdf)

The people I would interview for this research paper would be students attending this university. My interviews would consist of, not only these students, but also the faculty here, especially those in the ministry department, such as Carter-Waren. I know she is a professor who is very engaged in dialogue with her students and should thus be somewhat familiar with their views and how altered in the past few years.

Dr. Dvorak recommended the movie Religulous, but at the time it had not been released on DVD yet. It is out now, so I plan to rent it when I get back home tomorrow.Today, I was looking around the STU library books for sources for another paper and came across a book entitled “The Death of God” by Gabriel Vahanian. I started reading it and became really interested in it. This got me thinking about my research paper and my original idea for the topic. I want to find a way to incorporate this book and that movie into this paper. Maybe I should change the topic somehow or alter certain aspects of my research.

objective observation

I chose to observe the Law School at St. Thomas University. I chose this place because I knew it would most likely satisfy all, if not most, of the 5 senses.

At the beginning I sat with Alexis in the northern tables of the Law school courtyard. Towards the end, I walked around to see if the different angles would alter my view of the environment I found myself in.

I was conducting and objective observation and remained as unnoticed as I could. I believe it's important to first observe subjects in their natural environment, without involvement from the researcher. This way you can understand how they behave naturally and then, once you perform and involved observation, the changes and affect of your intervention is more apparent.

Originally I planned to use my phone as a means of recording my observations. Primary for convenience, because I didn't have a pen or paper on me. But, most importantly, it would contribute to my objective observation because I could pretend to be text messaging and thus go unnoticed more easily. But, since Kevin provided me with a pen and paper, I used those.

I recorded my notes in bullets, with numbers as introduction (1. sight 2. smell 3. taste 4. hearing 5. touch).

The first thing i focused on was the environment. The courtyard consisted of multiple tables and chairs. In the middle, was a big plant that rose towards the second floor (which was visible in the middle of the courtyard). Flags surrounded this space in the center, representing multiple countries. The surrounding offices had glass separating their interiors from the courtyard, hence they were easily visible to the students there. These consisted of: the law school library, the cafeteria and the student center. The stairs were visible. Two hallways led to hidden bathrooms and later to classrooms. There was a long table where 3 ladies with laptops sat, the sign on the table read "BLSA Student Organization". There were also posters on the walls reading "Vote for... for Secretary" and so on. A banner read "Summer in Spain program". The set up of the courtyard provides two exits, producing the vacuum air effect (ventilation). On both ends of the couryard (as well as within) nature in emphasized; plants, trees, bushes (the color purple within the scenery).

There were few people present at the courtyard yet, despite their engagement, they were all really scattered. No two groups were sitting close together. One group consisted of four people actively engaged in a casual conversation. They were discussing the "fault in law..". One seldomly interrupted the other and, when this occurred, the former resigned. Two men were standing towards one end of the law school and in the other was a man smoking while texting.

The smell consisted of the law school bakery.

Avoiding Trap Question In Interviews

double question
Do you attend stu or do you work?

wrong choice question
is your skin black, brown or yellow?

'fuzzy word' question
should coaches relax on their training techniques?

cover the world question
What do you think about stu?

jargon question
what they do?

kitchen sink question
Explain the techniques used in soccer practice, how often you get water breaks, time spent in drill and overall record?

dream question
How far would you like to go with your soccer career?

leading question
How are you glad Obama was elected as president of the US?

hearsay question
do you believe the Iraqi citizens benefit from US presence in their country?

fallout question

do you play a sport?
if yes, do you play soccer?
if so, what position do you play?

interview w/ L.

L wore a loose green shirt with blue jeans and cacky sandals. This goes well with the personality that came across during his interview. He also has a tattoo on his left arm and muscles, maybe from working out at the gym or from all of the extreme sports he enjoys taking part in.
He initially appears to be a reserved individual. Throughout the interview I realize he is an accomplished person who appears to have experienced some hardships in life. “I’m an observer,” he says, he prefers to study his surrounding before taking part in it. Despite this he faced me during my questioning him and although answered truthfully, kept to himself, not elaborating further. It wasn’t until the end of the interview that he returned to the previous questions I’d presented and shared more stories.
When asked about his nationality he answered “I am American, and I have my reasons for saying that”. His ancestry, however, is Irish. His answer is surely due to his participation and dedication to the United States Army.
L attended a private high school about an hour away from his home. He lived with the desdeSancits, a couple. The wife was a pastor and the husband, Julio desdeSancits, a defense attorney who he claims to admire to this day. L worked 30-40 hour weeks while in high school.
His hobbies and sports during his high school years were writing, Mountain bik,. Rock climbing, Camping, hiking, and playing soccer for his high school. He also enjoyed Football, Wrestling, Baseball, taking part in the school play and chorus.
L’s mother is a registered nurse. He does not know what occupation his father has because they no longer speak to each other. The reason being his dropping out of college to join the army when he was younger.
The reason for L attending stu is because his wife works at the law school so he benefits from not having to pay for tuition. He plans to go to Law school in the future but is very selective about his options, not considering the most approximate institution to meet the standards. L also works in the writing center and is a member of the Army reserve.
L grew up in Maine. Both his parents were divorced but shared joint custody. He also is the oldest of three brothers, all with three year difference.
Currently L lives in Miami Lakes. Although he’s also lived in places such as Fort Meyers, Fort Lauderdale, and Cape Coral. The five words he chose to describe his childhood were: difficult, fun. Learning, growth, troubled.

Nelson is right!!

All throughout the years of school, whether in grade school or college level, research papers are necessary. Professors believe it's the most efficient way for students to learn and produce the knowledge they've acquired. Like I mentioned in class, it's just another version of the banking system. It wasn't until courses like the Rhetoric course I took last semester with you that I really learned to think for myself. Before, in high school and my freshman year at stu, most of my opinions about literature were based on theories of others and input by professors. In my opinion, research papers are boring and counterproductive. It builds a dependency on outside information rather than one's own conclusions.