Spacing on the College Campus
Personal space is a necessary aspect of life that we all have, yet don’t all respect. The decision to examine personal space and potential violation evolved from previous experiences in different locations throughout Grand Valley State University; the topic was of great interest due to the multiple instances in which there appeared to be “rules” governing actions for violation of space. Following research focused around personal space and violation, experiments were done in order to understand the factors related to personal space and violation within the fieldhouse as well as the library elevator. After the experiments, reflecting on the research done allowed for understanding of interactions. The specific situation in which individuals are involved in plays a large role
…show more content…
The purpose of this research is to examine and understand the motivations or factors contributing to the behaviors observed in various settings based on notions of violation and personal space.
Literature Review
Nearly everyone is familiar with the terms space and the ways in which it impacts daily lives especially when there is the potential for it to be violated. Upon examination of various studies, research done by Buchanan, Juhnke, and Goldman (1976) indicated that when violation is not required in the situation, people will respect the space of others. However, it was noted that when violation had to occur, female personal space was violated more than male personal space (Buchanan, Juhnke, & Goldman, 1976). Sex is not the only factor that has an impact on personal space; another factor influencing
However, one area that we did not have enough time to cover in depth would be the interaction of gender. This is a large topic, and though we were able to touch on it there was simply not enough time to give it a full analysis. Therefore, I will attempt
I expect that few people will react and attempt to rectify the social norm by either asking why I 've sat next to them or even moving away from me. The best way to gather data for studying social norms through a symbolic interactionalism lens is through qualitative data. Observation will be they major tell in this experiment because ironically it would break more important more in society; not to act out or make a scene. Meaning that observation will show the subtle reactions the person may exhibit.
Some parents are reacting to an outdated perception that there will be a lack of discipline when students have too much free time, and this lack of discipline will keep them from getting the best possible education. We all know there are only a few kids who are irresponsible in their behavior at Monarch, and it is these students who should not be allowed off campus. An open campus should be an earned privilege based on the student’s maturity and good
I will argue for speech codes on college campuses because they create more good than harm to students on college campuses. The two reasons in support of speech codes on college campuses are that hate speech is prohibitive to a learning environment and secondly that hate speech does cause harm to the person or persons being attacked. The strongest objection against speech codes on college campuses is that speech codes are illegal because they infringe upon the rights of US citizens because of the US Constitutions first amendment. My first reason for speech codes on college campuses is that hate speech is prohibitive to a learning environment. My reasoning for believing so is because the primary purpose of colleges/universities and general education is to promote learning and knowledge while individuals can broaden their mental horizons and develop their own opinions.
Through our experiences growing up in a certain society, we form schemas about different situations, and these schemas influence our actions. At first, these societal norms are often thought of as common knowledge, and breaking them is considered “strange” or “weird,” but it is necessary to acknowledge that all of these norms are created by society collectively, and that breaking them is only thought of as unusual because it doesn’t conform to any standards or expectations. While breaking the societal norm of holding the door open by holding it open for a longer period of time, I observed the confused and surprised reactions of individuals who weren’t used to this deviation in behavior pattern. Through observing people’s changes in behavior during the task, it is evident that people’s initial reactions to breaking societal norms is a state of anxiety and confusion. This state of anxiety causes people to immediately make internal attributions about those who break societal norms that they are bizarre.
“It also matters how comfortable you are being alone.” To answer means stereotyping not one, but two nationalities of women. No easy task, but my answer is an opinion and I am generalizing for the purpose of discussion. Men and women have their share of differences, but
She compares the “physical positon” between male and female during a conversation. Women talk face-to-face, while men look everywhere. The “physical position” cause women to consider men are not listening. As Tannen states, “The impression of not listening results from misalignments in the mechanics of conversation” (264). Besides, Tannen claims that men change a number of topics in a conversation, but women stay one topic instead.
Our deviant field observation act was playing cards in the middle of a shopping aisle in a big store. This is deviant due to the violation of social expectations of what to do in a normal grocery store. Trent and I both played the classic game of “Go fish” sitting across from each other horizontally so it blocked the aisle and made the situation uncomfortable for anyone wanting to go down the aisle. Our hypothesis was that everyone would be extremely uncomfortable and would most likely turn away and not say anything. We first started our act of deviance in the toy aisle with Trent’s little brother filming the experiment.
Social mores are those unwritten rules that dictate how we act in public. They are the things that irritate the general public, like when a person is walking on the “wrong side” of the sidewalk. No law governs which side a person should use, but society expects that one would use the same as what they would drive. If a person enters an elevator and faces the back rather than the front, not only will it make others uncomfortable, but it will be uncomfortable for that person as well. In a similar fashion, attempting to go against the socially expected behaviors for one’s gender is uncomfortable to the point of avoidance.
As the generation pass by, the society gets better. Sexism and otherness reduces and equality becomes more transparent in the society. In conclusion, as we can see, “otherness” has a great impact in the society. In Society, men and women are never been treated equally. Women always have less rights in the society.
In Derek Bok’s, Protecting Freedom of Expression On The Campus, he brings light to the issue of censorship in universities. He states that students at Harvard University got offended after a few students displayed the confederate flag. There have been many cases in which people have tried to censor offensive material however; the Supreme Court preferred to conserve the freedom of expression. He believes that if censorship starts to take place, it will be difficult to know when to cross the line. In addition, it will not fix the initial problem since the offenders will continue to abuse others using different means.
Deviance can be broadly defined as the transgressions of social norms. It is a concept in sociology that has drawn many different analytical perspectives. This includes perspectives such as the reactivist, normative, statistical and absolutist. In his work, Liazos attempts to define the current state of the field of study by analyzing works of different authors in the field. Through this unconventional approach of studying deviance, Liazos attempted to bring light to the common approach sociologists take in studying more about the topic.
Some of this behavior seemed to be normal while others, I noticed that were different and I have never noticed it before. Some behaviors also bothered me. Public spaces are generally social places where there is open and accessible space to everyone (Definitions.net). In the University Center at Ferris, there is open and accessible space to the public of Big Rapids in the lobby area. There were plenty of people walking around and socializing.
Social norms are rules that have been ingrained in society and people for hundreds of years. These societal rules can be anything from not talking to strangers on the subway to wearing weather appropriate clothes in public. Yet, when these societal norms are broken, the observers, as well as the person who destroyed the norm, are affected. Societal norms play in large role in how a person conducts him or herself when interacting with others. When deciding what social interaction, I would break, I wanted to do something that would be easy for me to fully commit to without facing too much embarrassment.
As previously mentioned, Hannah Miller asserts that the incorporation of safe spaces is a beneficial and advantageous asset for students. Safe spaces yield an opportunity to garner sympathy and understanding from compassionate peers who have undergone similar experiences, as a result, these supportive environments increase the happiness of marginalized students (Source A). While this may be true, safe spaces impede fully inclusive dialogue, which allows students to protect themselves from engaging in difficult topics. This ignorance hinders the expansion of knowledge and aids the development of myopic views which students acquire through the use of safe spaces. Not only do safe spaces promote close- mindedness, but they also encourage isolation between students and BLANK subjects, as illustrated in Matt Davies cartoon (Source D).