Activity 2

SOCY 101 Nicole Cousin- Gosset 18 September 2012Activity Two *What would he or she find? Based on your knowledge of your hometown, list out the positive and negative things you think the ethnographer might find. Positive: * Good amount of private owned businesses * High value for education (successful rates of graduates) Negative: * Low rate of diversity * Hard to find a job nowadays *What are some things that strike you about your hometown based on census data? What might the researcher learn if only reviewing the statistical data from census records?What are some things that might be misunderstood about your hometown from only reviewing census data? Positive: * 88. 8% High School Graduates, % of persons age 25+, 2006-2010 * Median Household income 2006-2010 is $63,959 * Living in the same house 1 year & over, 2006-2010 is 86. 6% Negative: * Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16+, 2006-2010 is 27. 9 * Persons below poverty level, percent, 2006-2010 is 8. 1% * Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2006-2010 is %35. Some of the things that surprised me by looking at the census data were the poverty level, number of foreign born persons and homeownership rate. They were each lower than what I had anticipated when I think about Baltimore County. The poverty level and homeownership rate struck me the most because they go hand in hand with showing how tough this bad economy has been on the county. I think the researcher would have only learned about the Business quick facts such as retail and merchant wholesaler sales because that isn’t something the average person living in Baltimore County would know.Something that might be understood just by viewing the statistical data on Baltimore County is that seeing as how we have a pretty large part of the population and a relatively high percentage of people below the poverty line, that we are mainly a lower-middle class region. When the fact is, that just like every other county, there a re places where that data might be true and places where it would be the exact opposite. * Discuss the utility of qualitative and quantitative research. How does one complement the other? Quantitative research is important to understand the core qualities something.No matter what we may like to think about a certain topic, the truth is a fact is the difference between an opinion and a statement. It can clear up any confusion that may arise when dealing with people and emotions. But likewise, the approach to understanding emotion can have its benefits as well. Quantitative research can be useful for getting into a deeper level of understanding, getting past the basic facts and taking a look as to the why, how, when, and what of the facts. The complement each other well because by using both research methods, you can completely understand each side of the topic in question.