Dear Reader,
This project revolves around the idea of the coffee shop, and I would like to emphasize the “idea” aspect of that topic. There seems to me to be some sort of mythological aura surrounding the idea of gathering at a coffee shop for reasons far from just buying quality coffee or pastries. People go there by themselves for hours just to study, which they could do at the library. They go with one friend or prospective client, etc., and sit for hours talking about something they could talk about just as easily in a more familiar setting like their office or home. So the question I have is simply, “Why do people in Denver gather go to coffee shops?”
This question has purpose for me, because my brother, a sociology graduate student, and I are two of those people that will go to the coffee shop to do nothing more than plug in our headphones and read or surf the internet while sitting across from each other. We always discuss this very topic and how we would love to do research on it. Moreover, we like to think of ourselves as very observant people, and when we are in the coffee shop we do as much looking and judging of fellow patrons as we do reading and surfing.
For the project I intend to go to two different coffee shops close to the DU campus at two different times and simply observe the flow of patrons. Furthermore, I will have a sort of checklist to work with and make tabs on peoples overall appearance and actions with. Also, I will interview five to ten people to get a bit more in depth of a look on the motives for coming to the coffee shop.
Scott Haraway
Scooter,
ReplyDeleteI like the language you use. I don’t know if that helps you write the paper any more but the way you write and the word usage is incredible. I would like to compliment you on that aspect of your writing. The topic you are researching is an interesting one because it presents an idea that people do all the time but don’t think about. I think that your introduction is clear in that it presents the reader with your thought process as well as a way that you will continue your thoughts and make then data. When you say the flow of patrons, what exactly does this mean? Think about that aspect before going. I assume that you have questions, are there any type of specific questions or just asking, “Why are you in here?” Make sure that you have 3-5 questions before asking the one you want to know, it makes the questioned feel less like they are being interviewed and its more like a conversation.