Chloé Lagacé
300050843
Research paper assignment: human behaviour observed in a specific social setting
Submitted to
Professor Dr. Adolphine Aggor-Boateng
For the course
Principles of Sociology
(SOC 1101 H)
University of Ottawa
March 19, 2019
This study source was downloaded by 100000850872992 from CourseHero.com on 02-10-2023 22:04:33 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/57992784/Research-paperdocx/
, The dynamics observed within a university campus is composed of individuals walking
around, going to class, interacting with each other, studying and so on. There are endless
interactions that happen throughout the day, ranking from small talk with a stranger to big group
meetings. How do these interactions affect individuals in their everyday lives? Sociologists often
use direct systematic observations as a way to conduct research, and all-in-all, understand
society. Usually, these observations are made to understand a certain social phenomenon, such as
the ripple effect. Sociologists analyse their findings using a theoretical framework, which will aid
them with the perspective they are using.
To conduct a direct systematic observation of human behaviour and social interactions, it
was required to observe interactions on a normal campus setting. The observations were made
from 10:30am to 11:00 am on Tuesday, February 12th to February 15th 2019, at Café Alt, on the
uOttawa campus. It was winter, therefore snowy and cold outside. The observers sat at a table
near the entrance, all four days. The café is situated in a basement, so it is hidden, which makes
its existence unknown to a big portion of the students. There was a common pattern observed all
four days. There were always some students focusing on their own work whereas the others were
communicating between themselves.
On the first day, the café was rather empty and quiet. At the booths, there were people,
usually sitting alone, on their computers with their headphones in doing work. On the couches
and the middle tables, there were groups of two or three socializing between themselves. There’s
a mix of French and English around the café, and the conversations were starting to grow louder.
The majority of conversations revolved around school work and midterms. However, the coffee
shop section of the café was closed. As the bigger groups leave, conversations die down and the
café grows quieter.
This study source was downloaded by 100000850872992 from CourseHero.com on 02-10-2023 22:04:33 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/57992784/Research-paperdocx/
300050843
Research paper assignment: human behaviour observed in a specific social setting
Submitted to
Professor Dr. Adolphine Aggor-Boateng
For the course
Principles of Sociology
(SOC 1101 H)
University of Ottawa
March 19, 2019
This study source was downloaded by 100000850872992 from CourseHero.com on 02-10-2023 22:04:33 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/57992784/Research-paperdocx/
, The dynamics observed within a university campus is composed of individuals walking
around, going to class, interacting with each other, studying and so on. There are endless
interactions that happen throughout the day, ranking from small talk with a stranger to big group
meetings. How do these interactions affect individuals in their everyday lives? Sociologists often
use direct systematic observations as a way to conduct research, and all-in-all, understand
society. Usually, these observations are made to understand a certain social phenomenon, such as
the ripple effect. Sociologists analyse their findings using a theoretical framework, which will aid
them with the perspective they are using.
To conduct a direct systematic observation of human behaviour and social interactions, it
was required to observe interactions on a normal campus setting. The observations were made
from 10:30am to 11:00 am on Tuesday, February 12th to February 15th 2019, at Café Alt, on the
uOttawa campus. It was winter, therefore snowy and cold outside. The observers sat at a table
near the entrance, all four days. The café is situated in a basement, so it is hidden, which makes
its existence unknown to a big portion of the students. There was a common pattern observed all
four days. There were always some students focusing on their own work whereas the others were
communicating between themselves.
On the first day, the café was rather empty and quiet. At the booths, there were people,
usually sitting alone, on their computers with their headphones in doing work. On the couches
and the middle tables, there were groups of two or three socializing between themselves. There’s
a mix of French and English around the café, and the conversations were starting to grow louder.
The majority of conversations revolved around school work and midterms. However, the coffee
shop section of the café was closed. As the bigger groups leave, conversations die down and the
café grows quieter.
This study source was downloaded by 100000850872992 from CourseHero.com on 02-10-2023 22:04:33 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/57992784/Research-paperdocx/
