Code of Ethics

Code of Ethics and Consent

I am working with the Hindu Temple of Dallas to better learn about Hinduism and the way of life associated with the beliefs. I will be inquiring information about literacy practices that take place on a daily basis throughout the life of someone who practices Hinduism. I hope to find the reasons behind why people choose this religion as their own. I want to better understand why someone chooses to follow the unique guidelines and rules surrounding this literacy practice. I will be using the American Folklore Society code of ethics to assist me in my research. I will follow these guidelines to help me better understand ethics and the way to go about researching my site. I will be conducting this research on my own, forming my own conclusions from the information I receive. However I will be receiving guidance at my site from Venkata Tumati who has given me permission to conduct my research. I will also be receiving guidance from my instructor Jennifer Jones. I will consult with her on anything that I find difficult to understand or if I am in need of advise.

            I will be doing my research at the Hindu Temple in Dallas Texas. I will be collaborating with my informant Venkata Tumati every Saturday or Sunday for the rest of the semester. This will be about 6 weeks. The times will vary depending on his schedule. He will be taking me to the Temple and allowing me to observe the service. My informant will work as my insider to better help me navigate the temple. He will be guiding me in this process of field working since I am considered an outsider. I have gained permission from the Temple to observe the services and interview the members. I will get the signed consent form for everyone that participates in my studies.

I plan on engaging in temple activities and watching how the service is ran. If there are any possible opportunities for me to participate in I will most likely do so. I want to feel as if I am part of the community in every way possible in order to get the true experience the members have in order to see their point of view. I will sit quietly in the temple and observe until the service is over. I will be collecting my data by interviewing the different members after the service is complete. Since I will be an outsider in the Hindu temple, my position may influence the way I perceive the literacy practices. I might questions more situations rather then just accepting them as the social “norm” like an insider would. I will be trying to interview as many people as possible to get the many perspectives of different individuals. I will choose people of good heath. This being said the elderly whom are considered at risk would not be in my interviews. I will only interview people 18 years or older also excluding pregnant women. I will interview a variety of people this being said I will not discriminate against people with different beliefs and views of the temple or religion. I want to gather as many different perspectives as possible. Interviewers should participate in my research because raising awareness of such cultures is important in today’s world. Being in the state of Texas, where Christianity is strongly urged and practiced, I believe more religions should make themselves known to the public giving ample opportunity for outsiders to consider this as a possibility for their beliefs. 

To present my information ethically in my write-up I will not disclose any information such as names and age to the public. I will only be using this information for the reasons stated on the consent form.  The risks for participating in this research might be minimal however if any risks do happen to occur the interview will be stopped and the information given will no longer be used in my research. For example some risks that might occur, but are not limited to, could be psychological stress, or ostracism by peers in the community. The Data I collect will be stored in my computer along with a notebook and tape recorder. All data is password protected and also on a password protected back up hard drive. It will not be sold or given to any other party. However my instructor Jennifer Jones will have access to some of the data if any questions or concerns arise forcing me to ask her for advise. I will also allow the interviewee to read the notes I took on their specific interview before being published in my final research paper.

I will follow these guidelines along with the American Folklore Society code of ethics in order to maintain a safe environment for every one participating. Consent forms will be signed and documented before any information is given. I will ensure that all parties feel safe with my research while I am in the field.

Name of Researcher: Jacqueline Caravano

Purpose of Research: The research being conducted will be to better understand the religious views and literacy practices of Hinduism. I will be observing and conducting interviews in order to understand how members of this literary practice live. I will be following a code of ethics in order to obtain safe information protecting both parties.

I understand that I am assisting in an ethnographic research project conducted by Jacqueline Caravano for English 1302 at Texas A&M University-Commerce taught by Jennifer Jones. I agree to let her use the interview (or any other materials agreed upon) to write a paper for the class, which will later be presented at the Celebration of Student Writing. It will not be used for any other purpose. I have been informed that if I become uncomfortable at any time during the interview, I do not have to answer questions or I can ask to have the tape or video recorder (if used) turned off. I am aware that I can request that a pseudonym be used. I understand that by signing this form, I give permission for the interview to be used for the purposes stated above.

If I have any questions about this project and/or the research data I have given or if I decide against participating, I can contact:

Ms. Jennifer Jones or Jacqueline Caravano

jennifer.jones8888@gmail.com

Jcaravano@leomail.tamuc.edu


Do you agree to participate in the interview (_) YES (_) NO

Can the interview be recorded (audio and/or video)? (_) YES (_) NO

Should a pseudonym be used? (_) YES (_) NO

Signed:

Date:

Literacy within Religion

Literacy within Religion

Hinduism has always been a topic of interest and misconception for many people. I will be researching the literacy within this subculture of religion. I will be visiting a Hindu temple in Dallas. I chose this site because of the many misconception the world has on this religion. I also have many family friends that participate in this religion and since I do not know much about it I would like to get to know what it actually is. I will be researching the beliefs and views Hinduism places on the world and how this culture lives compared to Christianity. I would like to understand what they think about a God or Gods and make the public understand that one religion isn’t any better then another religion just because of a disagreement of beliefs.

I aim to discover the common misconceptions of this religion and to expose what the true purpose is. Some questions to be answered will be, Is Hinduism considered a religion or a culture/ way of life, does it contain Monotheism or Polytheism, what is the difference between a God and Brahman, what is the structure of the temple, and what exactly is being worshiped. I might also ask how the religion is practiced outside the temple and in the individuals home, what holidays, if any, are celebrated and the meaning behind those special days, and I will also ask about the main rules that are followed in order to participate and become a member of this specific religion. I became interested in this religion/culture when a family friend was to be engaged. The parents, with out any argument from the couple, arranged the marriage. This is just one of the many customs that are practiced. I want to find out if this is something that falls under religion or is it a cultural aspect that is specific to certain families. I also want to find out the roll of men and women in this society. I want to see if the men are the dominant figures and if the women are more submissive. Because of these factors I became interested in the way people who practice Hinduism live. It made me question whether this is a way of life or a religion or maybe even both.

            I will be conducting a survey to ask the common people what they believe Hinduism is. I will ask who they think practices the religion and what they think is idolized.  I will ask for there honest opinions about the subject. I will then interview a person from the Hindu religion and ask them the true answers for the questions. Meanwhile I will be in the temple observing the services and the way the people in this culture respond and act in this setting. I will be getting the true view on Hinduism by actually being the outsider looking in on the service.

            My research site is a culture in its own. It will show the less common types of literacy’s in the community. The religions and cultures that are looked at as “wrong” by the Christian views need to be observed and explained to the community so every one can be literate in different ideals and values. The community needs to see that one religion isn’t right or wrong and there are many types of cultures that are not understood. Being literate in a subject that makes one uncomfortable is power in its own. Everyone should learn new things if they want to continue to grow with the different literacy’s in the community. It is important for me to explain Hinduism to the community because of the misconceptions people have. It is important to understand the things that are different because ignorance is just a way of judging something with out knowledge of the subject.

Literacy: The Path to New Understandings

 Literacy: The Path to New Understandings

The concept of literacy is one that is not easily understood. It has many definitions that change with the individual. Being literate can come in different forms besides the usual reading and writing. “The definitions of reading and writing, then, must include social content and function (use) as well as the reader and the text of what is being read and written” (Szwed 6). Using this quote Szwed realized that the definition of literacy for reading and writing changes due to the many factors of a human being. For example literacy is also found in video gaming, hunting, sports, organizations, groups, and the ever so complicated religious views. Literacy does not have a set definition due to these many reasons; it has countless diverse perceptions, which are literate to the specific individual participating in these literacy events and practices. 

Literacy isn’t something that has to do with reading and writing all of the time. Being literate in reading and writing is a concept in its own and might even measure intelligence in some educator’s eyes. However literacy is a notion that changes with the environment. “There are different literacy’s associated with different domains of life.”(Barton 22). This is saying that every particular setting has a new set of “laws” that the public goes by, even if they aren’t legally a law. This means that the public is constantly learning new literacy’s to follow during their life. For example, in the men’s restroom there is a unwritten “rule” to skip a urinal in-between each person. This isn’t a real rule it is a literacy that is just supposed to be known in the discourse community of men. If a particular literacy isn’t easily understood due to an environment change, then that doesn’t necessarily make the person any less then the one who knows the literacy’s. That individual just needs to grasp the new concept in order to understand. For example, to be literate while living in the United States one might need to understand the concept of using indoor plumbing and modern technology. However being literate while living in the Amazon Rainforest might mean hunting for your own food or even just surviving the elements with out a newly constructed roof over head. Both situations describe literacy and do not make one individual any smarter then the other. Literacy isn’t a measure of intelligence it’s a way to survive in the environment an individual is placed in.

Literacy practices can be best described as the factors that build up to the literacy event. The event is the actual participation in the particular literacy. The practicing of the literacy is something that has to be done in order to understand and learn how the literacy event will happen. For example, living everyday in the Amazon Rainforest might be considered a literacy practice, and the literacy event might be the actual hunt of game in order to survive. With out the experience of living in that harsh environment there would be no way of learning how to hunt and actually get the kill to survive. Another example could be the individual practice of Buddhism and the literacy event would be attending the service with the other members of this religion. The religion can be practiced everyday on the individual’s own time, therefore making the event the actual gathering of the group members whom practice the religion.

“Related to the constructed nature of literacy, any theory of literacy implies a theory of learning” (Barton 31). Learning is the key concept in becoming literate in a specific topic that the individual seems illiterate in. It is almost inevitable to be literate with out learning. If the goal is looking for literacy in its “natural habitat”, then it has to be done with an open mind and willingness to take in new concepts of something that is illiterate to the observing party at the moment. It would have to be done in many steps. First a specific literacy would have to be assigned. This meaning, out of all the literacy’s in the world one specific literacy will have to be given. An example of this will be the religion of Buddhism. After that, observation needs to take place. Observing and watching how things occur with out the pressure of research would be the best way to find how it naturally occurs in its atmosphere. Going to the actual temple, while the event is going on, to observe the way the service goes about would be a good way to find it in its natural habitat. This will be confusing and will not come naturally to the observer however it doesn’t mean the individual is less intelligent then the members of the religion. This is where the new environment concept comes into play. Finally, research and surveying needs to take place. Interviewing the participants and learning about their literacy is the only way to understand this event and become literate in that specific literacy. Speaking to the members and maybe even observing them outside of the event would be a great way to learn. Following their ways and practices would make the concept understood and literate in the observing eye.

Literacy is something that is changing everyday. Agreeing with David Barton and Mary Hamilton, literacy is defiantly changing just as quickly as the lives in the societies they belong to.  Because of that not one person can decide a set definition for the term. It has changing factors due to environment, culture and people. By observing an event and taking part in the practices one can learn the literacy and become literate in that particular subject. Whether it is a sport, game, or something so complex as a religion like Buddhism, the term will conform to that setting and change with the ever-shifting rules given in that environment. Literacy will always be a path to new understandings.

Works Cited

Barton, David. Hamilton, Mary. “Literacy Practices.” Ethnographic Inquires In Writing. Tabitha Adkins. 2010. Print 22.

Szwed, John F. “The Ethnography of Literacy.” Ethnographic Inquires In Writing. Tabitha Adkins. 2010. Print 3-18.