Observation Questions

For this in class assignment, take at least fifteen minutes to be in the space you have chosen. Stop
and watch it for 15 minutes (and take notes). As you observe the space, consider the following
questions, and complete the chart.

What does the space physically look like?

The dining room is occupied by a table with six chairs. The oldest son and the dad are at
either side of the table. The paint is light gray with matching gray linoleum on the
ground. The food spread is made up of leftovers from lunch: fried chicken, pasta salad,
homemade flour tortillas, rice, and no vegetables. The parents and siblings drink soda and
water.

How is it lit (lighting)?

All of the lights in the room are on, as well as the kitchen and living room, illuminating
everything.

What activities occur there?

During diner, his mom will make 6-8 tortillas and put them on the table. The family
members take turns warming up the tortillas on the stove as they run out.

How do the people interact in this space?

The family conversation is driven mostly by Jacob, the oldest son. Topics generally
revolve around topical subjects, like how everyone’s day has been and how school is
going for his siblings. Occasionally inappropriate jokes are brought up by the kids but
shut down by the mom but laughed at by everyone else.

What kinds of objects are in this space? Are there some objects that are used differently in this
space than in others? Can you locate objects that are only found in this space? Do objects help to
define this space (for instance: books in a library)

6 chaired, marble table with chairs, food, a water dispenser, a painting of apples. All of
the plates and some serving utensils are red.

How is your space marked? What are its boundaries?

 The space is fairly open but surrounded by the kitchen and living room. The walls are
distant from the table

Who is in the space at what time? Is there a change in the demographics (the age, gender,
ethnicity) of the people who use the space depending on the time of day?

During dinner, all the family members are present. They eat around 8:30 pm because the
family attends church from 6:30-7:30. The family also eats lunch in the dining room, but
at different times because both parents work, and the kids attend school. Sunday
afternoons are the only day the family eats lunch together.

What is the mood of the space? Does the use of the space change during different times of day?

The mood is very plain and boring. The family members don’t display all types of
emotion during dinner and the conversation is dull. The space is always used for eating.

How does the time of day affect the look of your place? Does sunlight affect the space? How
does the time of day affect the smell of the place?

During the day, the room is bright with sunlight. In the evening, the room smells like the
food the mom prepares. In the morning it smells like air freshener plug ins and in the afternoon it
becomes more musky as everyone returns from work and school.

Is the space a free space or restrained? Who is allowed in the space and who is not?

The dining room specifically is free, considering it is an open room. Family members are
allowed, and of course guests.

How are people reacting to time in the space? Are they rushed? Are they relaxed?

The family members seem to be rushed. They want to finish dinner quickly so that they
can escape and go and do their own thing.

Is your space a place where people are conscious of time (a waiting room or a classroom)?
 Yes, the people seem to be conscious of time. They don’t enjoy being there and are
constantly rushing to get away.

Is this a space that people only use at certain times? Or, a space that people avoid at certain
times?

Yes, it is mainly used at lunch and dinner time. It is not generally avoided by anyone.

How does time affect your relationship with this place?

The time I was there allowed me to observe dinner, as it was in the evening.

How does the space smell? Does that change throughout the day?

In the morning it smells like air freshener plug ins and, in the afternoon, it becomes
muskier as everyone returns from work and school.

Is the space messy or ordered? Does that change throughout the day?

The space is ordered until everyone is eating; during the meal there is some disorder.
After dinner is slightly disordered as everyone rushes away and leaves a bit of a mess on
the table.

How do you feel in this space?

I feel slightly uncomfortable in this space, because I feel I do not belong. My family is
very dysfunctional in comparison to this one.

Is there a sense of community in this space? How are the people who occupy this space reacting
to you?

The people are in the family community mindset but are very welcoming to me.

Why is the space significant?

It represents how the family interacts together on a daily basis. The room is not
particularly significant, but the act of communion is.
Interview Questions #1

1) How much do you contribute your perspective of family to your own?

Perspective: families are poorly oiled machines- dysfunction, conflict. Within the

dysfunction are close relationships and bonds. Parents and siblings always stay with you ,

unlike friends and material items.

2) What are some things you wish could be different about your family’s dynamic?

They are conservative and closed-minded. He fears rejection by his parents from his

language and sexual relationships. They have very traditional values.

How do they show you they disapprove: 14 year old brother was told to keep their

difference from him because she believes it make them stray from the church. Typical

accomplishments are not celebrated.

3) What do you appreciate most about your background?

He was taught to understand the religious perspective, but as he got older, his perspective

changed: he learned to not judge so harshly and let people be who they are

4) In what ways do you think your family’s religious affiliation influenced your upbringing?

God was always a motivator for him- being a good student and son to please him. E feels

he has both religious values and more modern values at the same time.

5) How have your future plans to start or not start a family been impacted by your parents

and siblings?

6) What do you value most about the concept of family?

Family acts as an emergency button for Jacob. If he needs them, they will be there to

support him.

7) How does your home affect your mood when you enter the space?
 He feels “cautious love” when he enters the home. Based on the facial expressions of his

parents, he sees that they are not as close with him as much as they used to be. He often

gets pressing questions about attending church. Ever since he stopped attending church,

they made him feel unwelcome in the home. While he felt sad at the beginning, he felt

relieved about not being held down by his religion.

8) How would you describe your relationship with your parents?

Their main connection was through church

9) What do you think would be different about you if you had grown up without organized

religion?

Religion has contributed to his structure as a person, and his goals and morals. If he had

grown up without it, he feels that he might be a worse person because god wouldn’t have

influenced him. He thinks he would have been able to focus more on himself. Church

limited his childhood experiences because the timing or attention would conflict with

things like sports and clubs.

10) How does your families religion differ from other religious families?

His family is very focused on religion and church, t goes above all else. Other

families/parents are more lenient when it comes to their religious practices. “Carnal

Pleasures”
Interview Questions #2

1) Do you feel that you were encouraged to formulate your own ideas as an individual

growing up in your house? No, he was encouraged to have the specific ideas that they

had. He feels they had mold for him to fit into, but he hardly ever did.

2) What was one event that turned you away from the church?

3) What do you think the main difference is between your family home and the home of a

non-religious family considering morality?

Everything is stricter and focused around God. As a child, they were unable to attend

movies in theaters because it was frowned upon by the church- even something as

harmless as lion king. Alcohol is never in the house, along with things like pool tables.

Girlfriends were never brought up, sports were not allowed because they would encroach

on his faith.

4) What kinds of differences have you noticed in the way your parents raise your siblings in

comparison to how they raised you?

He feels that the discipline factor was very different for him. He was physically

disciplined with “violence” very often in comparison to his siblings. His siblings hardly

ever get punished: they don’t have bedtimes, they have loose curfews, and are able to

choose if they want to attend church that day. Jacob, however was unable to skip church.