If you are citizen of an European Union member nation, you may not use this service unless you are at least 16 years old.
You already know Dokkio is an AI-powered assistant to organize & manage your digital files & messages. Very soon, Dokkio will support Outlook as well as One Drive. Check it out today!

Stranger Paper Lab

Page history last edited by crump 2 years, 8 months ago

Due date: TBA

This assignment may seem a bit weird, but I’ve used it for many years and it’s good. It immediately turns you into a social scientist. It forces you to pay attention to things you normally might not notice, it makes you back up statements with evidence, and therefore I.D. and cut down biases you may have.

Pick somebody that you don't know in order to observe him or her. Don't let the person know you're observing them. No stalking.

You can pick someone in one of your classes, or the cafeteria, or whatever.
You can pick someone outside of school, like at a restaurant, or anywhere else for that matter.

Take notes on your subject's behavior (body language, habits, etc.). No names, just refer to him/her with a fake name. This will all be kept confidential by the way.
Try to draw conclusions about the person based on your observations.

Think about clothes. What does what they chose to wear say about them?
Think about appearance. What does hair style, cosmetics, tattoos, etc. say?
Watch actions, especially facially expressions. And, when do they make these expressions? This all says something.

Write a paper on your observations and conclusions. The paper should be 2 pages--page 1 is just the observational notes that you took, page 2 is your analysis/your interpretation. The key is that your conclusions should be based on your observations.

Staple your notes to the front of your paper.
1 or 2 pages hand-written or 1 page single-spaced typed (Times, Arial, or Verdana font, size 10 or 12).

Grading Rubric
Points	Set-up	Notes	Conclusions based on observations?
4	Essay is on time, correct length, correct format, is neat, notes are attached, is clearly written.	Plentiful notes that are detailed and insightful.	Conclusions are clearly based on observations and are linked specifically to recorded notes.
3	One of the items above may be lacking/missing.	Adequate notes present.	Conclusions adequately based on observed notes.
2	2 or more of the items may be lacking/missing.	Some notes present.	Conclusions are somewhat based on observations but the link between the two may be weak/unclear.
1	Essay lacks or is weak in most items above.	Very minimal notes.	Conclusions are mostly just guessing/speculation without observation to justify the guess.
0	No essay.	None.	None.