Blog #4 "Casing the Joint"

The different approaches used by Dyson and Genishi include maps, schedules, people, and the social dynamics of language use. This book is much easier to read and is quite informative of qualitative research design. This chapter focuses on “casing the joint” which offers researchers the ability to focus on elements pertaining to the situation at hand. I like how the environment is considered as a whole element from the buildings to the classroom setting inside. This provides a complete description of the situation, which offers researchers the most information and objectivity. This enabled me to think of a type of macro (large) to micro (small) environment that I studied in psychology. It also mimics the open-ended nature of data collection procedures which begins as a huge topic and eventually finds its subject in the details that researchers use.

        The social dynamics of language use are of particular interest to me. Dyson and Genishi state that “sociolinguistic tools can help researchers gain some sense of how social activity organizes time, space, and human action.” The interactions between the researcher and subjects are highly organized to the researcher and not overtly obvious to the subjects. For example, my research will involve asking adolescents about their identity development that appears open-ended but follows a specific format that is not readily apparent to my subjects.

The next aspect of social dynamics of language use involved immersion. I took several vacations to Mexico to visit my friends and had a desire to understand other cultures in my travels in the world. Mexico offered an interesting blend of culture and I was able to understand what the people were doing around me based on my situational observations. I like to watch people and see how they behave in certain circumstances. I was immersed in Mexico in the city of Fresnillo, close to Zacatecas. The people were very excited to meet an American, and it was a small town environment filled with good people. I was immersed in the culture before the violence escalated. I was able to understand some Spanish after a few months.

        Casing the joint enables researchers to learn and absorb the material around them using a qualitative based study. This situation is where true knowledge is and people can be categorized (based on the research conducted) into different groups. I almost always focus on the situation for the greatest amount of information.  Thanks for reading!