General Ickyness
Sep. 29th, 2004 09:57 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
miss_ytWhat started as a scratchy throat yesterday became a slightly stuffy nose and, later, stuffed sinuses today. At least I think it was stuffed sinuses. Whatever it was, it gave me a headache around my left eye and the bridge of my nose, where I get ice-cream headaches, and being in brightly lit rooms (such as where I had classes, oh joy) made it worse. Somehow I made it through the afternoon, and after my last class and doing a little reading, I took a nap. I feel somewhat better now and I'm going to do homework.
I had a good idea for my thesis. If I can, I'm going to do group interviews with volunteers from among the congregations I study next semester. Not only will this reduce the scheduling and logistics problems that I'd have with individual interviews, but it would have other benefits as well. For Jews, I've realized, asking and discussing questions of identity and views of tradition forms a large part of cultural and religious education, both in childhood and adulthood. So if I held a group discussion at a synagogue with some people, they'd probably be comfortable talking about things that might otherwise be sensitive, because of the setting. Somehow I think I would learn more from a group interview than a one-on-one session, because everyone would be bouncing things off each other.
It also helps that I'm Jewish but not very religious. The people I talk to will be able to identify with me and won't feel weird discussing religion with me. I know just enough to know what to ask (like the "simple son" mentioned in the Haggadah), but am ignorant enough that adults participating in my group will want to educate me. And believe me, they will. I still have to discuss the idea with my advisors, but I think they'll like it too. It just means that I have to put up announcements in my places of study before winter break. And of course I have to find the places first.
I had a good idea for my thesis. If I can, I'm going to do group interviews with volunteers from among the congregations I study next semester. Not only will this reduce the scheduling and logistics problems that I'd have with individual interviews, but it would have other benefits as well. For Jews, I've realized, asking and discussing questions of identity and views of tradition forms a large part of cultural and religious education, both in childhood and adulthood. So if I held a group discussion at a synagogue with some people, they'd probably be comfortable talking about things that might otherwise be sensitive, because of the setting. Somehow I think I would learn more from a group interview than a one-on-one session, because everyone would be bouncing things off each other.
It also helps that I'm Jewish but not very religious. The people I talk to will be able to identify with me and won't feel weird discussing religion with me. I know just enough to know what to ask (like the "simple son" mentioned in the Haggadah), but am ignorant enough that adults participating in my group will want to educate me. And believe me, they will. I still have to discuss the idea with my advisors, but I think they'll like it too. It just means that I have to put up announcements in my places of study before winter break. And of course I have to find the places first.
