My name is Mia Santos, and I am majoring in Psychology on a pre-Physician Assistant track. My pronouns are she/her. Starting this course, my first impression is that it will challenge me to think more deeply about how I observe, listen, and interpret the world around me. The syllabus shows that we will not only write but also reflect critically on our own perspectives, which excites me because I know that writing is more than just putting words on paper—it’s a way of engaging with communities, cultures, and ideas.

I have used observation and reflection before in meaningful ways. For example, in Peer Group Counseling during high school, I worked with younger students who were nervous about starting high school. I had to pay close attention to their body language, tone, and interactions to really understand what they needed. From that experience, I learned that sometimes people don’t say everything directly, and careful observation helps uncover what is left unsaid. Reflection afterward helped me adjust how I communicated and supported them.

Currently, I observe and engage with communities in a few different ways. In my church, I help lead Bible study for younger kids. I’ve noticed that the way they respond to stories depends a lot on how I connect the lessons to their everyday lives. That has taught me the importance of linking abstract ideas to personal experience. In my family, being Dominican-American, I’ve also paid attention to how language, traditions, and even jokes shape identity. Observing those patterns has made me more proud of my bilingualism and more intentional about preserving culture.

Overall, I’m looking forward to how this class will help me build on these skills, especially as we move into interview-based assignments. I expect it will make me more confident not just as a student but also as a future healthcare professional, where observation, reflection, and understanding people are essential.

My name is Justine, but my whole family only calls me Anabel (my middle name), and the major I am pursuing is Civil Engineering; I know it may fall far from this class, but besides the credit requirements, I found myself inspired by my previous English course, specially our assigments that involved interchanging our own personal experiences and those from other classmates. So, here I am, excited to learn and to take on this challenge that seems more of a delight after these past few classes; Professor Harris has been welcoming and clear on what she expects from our work.

As a first generation immigrant, and the only member of my family living in the U.S. – most of my family resides in Ecuador or Spain- observation and adaptability to this society’s norms have been key to my success. I love to compare and contrast the different cultural groups I come across, to absorb new traditions, even starting some of my own, and keeping and sharing some from home.

At work, most of my colleagues are Korean, some others are from different Latin American countries, but none of them are my same age, which means a lot of generational differences. I in fact learn something new every day, or we debate whether our view of society is closer to the truth than the other’s point of view. I find it fascinating, and while I enjoy disagreeing, I prefer to observe and understand the reasons behind  that stance any of my coworkers might be defending so much. At the end of the day there is not such thing as one only truth to the world.

I started thinking of this class as a way to develop that sense of curiosity in a much mature way (not only for my own nosyness or questioning, but for a greater understanding of society and communities). I am looking forward to expading my view of the world through the lense of others’ experiences, and to one day build a space that represents more than just my work, but the fulfillment of the community’s needs, whether it be a school, a shelter, or a place to gather socially.

Haiii!!  My name is Frida, I am a Psychology major and my preferred pronouns are they/she. After reading the syllabus, I felt a sense of relief because everything is quite clear and Professor Harris seems like she will guide us through every part of the class. As a writer who longs to become better and improve my skills, I am confident that I will leave this course with not only writing skills under my sleeve but also different perspectives on the cultures of the world. As someone who is passionate about learning of those around me, their way of living and believing- I am especially excited to start the first major writing assignment. I like that there is a form of journalism involved in the first assignment, interviewing someone in real time is a much more intimate experience than if we were to just research a certain culture. I’ve set some goals for myself this year and that includes taking advantage of the resources that are provided and we pay for and forming more connections on campus. Therefore, I believe this is the perfect class for just that! Since we will be exploring the library and how they can be a great resource to bette our writing. Hearing everyones thoughts on the reading of last week, has me eager to get to know everyone and perspectives on the on upcoming topics.

Hi everyone! My name is Jacob Vazquez, and I am currently a freshman at CCNY, where I am undeclared in my major, exploring my academic and professional interests in college. I prefer to be referred to with he/him pronouns.

After attending the first day of class, it was very new to me. I was stunned, uncertain, nervous –but quite curious about what the vibe of the class would be and what we would cover throughout this semester. As soon as we were all looking at the syllabus, I was surprised to learn that sociology would bring up society as a part of the bigger focus of the subject, rather than just focusing on people as individuals it raises my understanding of people in general, and gets broader as it dives deeper into people’s background, culture, race, gender, sexuality, and more.

I once observed a group setting during a family gathering, and it made me realize how different generations communicate in unique ways. I noticed this when I was watching my sister arguing with my father about human rights, and right away, I saw the gap between their social behaviors—the way in which they communicated their ideas by exploring the differing factors that influenced their identity as they expressed themselves. I discovered how different dynamics played a crucial role in expressing identity, the shared values, and different sets of beliefs in many given spaces. At the time, it gave me time to think about how often group behavior is shaped by individual strengths, comfort levels, and unspoken social cues. It also helped me better appreciate how roles and dynamics form, even in short-term or informal groups.

I often engage with different communities through social media, where I notice how people express their identity and shared values in digital spaces. I became reliant on recent news from many social media platforms that have allowed me to interact and look at different viewpoints from diverse communities. Taking the information given, seeing how multifaceted the news was, soon I started making ideas of my own that encouraged me to express how I felt about these topics intuitively, respectfully, and appropriately to coexist in the digital age.

To improve my writing is one key opportunity in this course. That is by doing the research, presenting the research, and analyzing topics like psychology and other related fields that study the social, cultural, and human patterns of communication. It is definitely something to look forward to, wondering what conducting ethnographic research will be like and how I can best prepare for the different types of essays that will be assigned. Also, the idea of doing fieldwork and interviewing people from different backgrounds seems both challenging and rewarding, from a personal and literary lens.

My name is Ahmed Javaid. I am a senior and majoring in Business administration.

Yeah, I have. One time I joined a student group, and instead of talking a lot, I just watched how people acted. I noticed who was always leading, who was quiet, and how people reacted when someone threw out an idea. It kind of showed me that not everyone’s voice is treated the same, and sometimes the quiet people actually had the smartest thoughts. By just paying attention, I learned how groups work and how people’s little actions say a lot about them.

Right now I mostly notice people at school and online. I pay attention to how people make friends fast, like in class, everyone bonds right away over being stressed, or online, a meme can connect strangers in seconds. That stood out to me because it shows culture isn’t only about big traditions like holidays, but also about small things people do every day. I like watching that and trying to understand what makes people click.

I’m excited to learn more about ethnographic research. I already like noticing how people act and the little rules everyone follows without saying them out loud. It’ll be cool to study that on purpose instead of just thinking about it in my head. I want to explore how culture shows up in simple stuff, like food, music, or even inside jokes. I feel like this class will help me look at people in a deeper way.

Hey everyone, my name is Avery Sessler. I’m starting my sophomore year at City College and I’m majoring in Economics. I used to be in Business Administration but I switched last semester because I realized economics felt like a better fit for me. I like the mix of math and real world problem solving and I feel like it connects better to the things I’m actually interested in. My pronouns are he/him. I often pay attention to the people around me in everyday situations like on campus or on the train. I don’t always get a deep understanding, but I notice things like their mood or the energy of the group. Paying attention like this helps me be more aware of how people express themselves and how different situations affect behavior. I connect with different cultures mostly through everyday interaction. Talking to people is the best way but I also learn a lot through media like movies, social media, and even the news. That gives me different perspectives I wouldn’t get otherwise. What I’m most excited for in this class is improving my writing. I know I still have a lot to learn with grammar and expressing myself clearly and I want to get better at that. I’m also looking forward to meeting everyone here and seeing different points of view.

Hello, my name is Somaia Tasfi, and my pronouns are she/her. I intend to major in Political Science, possibly minoring in Legal Studies.

When I reviewed the class syllabus, my mind was prone to reviewing the course policies first. I found that in terms of attendance, lateness, and grading, to was very fair. The document was neatly laid out with details about the main essays with submission dates included. After attending the first day of class, I had the impression that it would become an environment where I could comfortably share my opinions. Professor Harris seemed very friendly, enough to be approachable at any time. It makes me excited to attain knowledge from her in our upcoming class lectures. I’m excited to explore more writing techniques and learn how to find credible evidence sources to include in my ethnographic research. A project I’m most excited for is the digital community ethnography because I spend a lot of time on social media, so I have an idea of what subculture I want to explore. 

There have been instances where I was in a new environment that enabled me to observe my surroundings as well as the people around me. In 2022, I lived in Sylhet, Bangladesh, for a few months. Compared to New York City, living in the town of Sylhet was different based on how they commuted daily due to a lack of street crossings and narrow sidewalks, so they relied on rickshaws, bike-ridden carriages, or automobiles referred to as CNGs. I still reminisce about the wind grazing on every ride, cutting through the heat. Recalling all the people I’ve spoken to, the best part of Bangladesh would be the fresh fruit produced agriculturally. Bangladesh has six seasons, so after the monsoon season, there is an abundance of fruits from jackfruits, mangos, lychees, etc. The fresh fruit from my grandparents’ home was delicious. It was shocking to me that some Bangladeshis view living in the United States or London as a high status due to the surplus of opportunities. I later realized it is because some people often spend their whole lives working towards migrating, trying to obtain student visas. 

Recently, I’ve been trying to get back into a consistent gym routine because it would help me gain confidence, feel healthier, and relieve stress. There is a gym near my home, along with the gym at CCNY, that is accessible to me. From what I’ve noticed from the gym community, they have discipline. They come to the gym multiple days a week to work out a part of their body on a designated day of the week. People who aspire to build muscle break down their focus to the upper body, back, glutes, and legs/quads. Some prefer cardio over weights or choose to do cardio after weights to maintain more muscle or burn more fat. Over time, I learned from them that working out is eighty percent diet and twenty percent working out.