Field Research:
the Cleveland Area Local Religions Project

1. Library research regarding the historical background of the chosen ethnic parish. Helpful information will include the Catholic and/or cultural religious traditions of this ethnic group and demographic information concerning their immigration to the United States in general, and the Cleveland metropolitan area in particular.
2. Research on this parish at the archives of the Diocese of Cleveland and/or Cuyahoga County, particularly focusing on primary-source documents and artifacts.
3. Two interviews with paid employees of this parish, one of whom must be the current pastor or parish administrator. Some of the interview questions should include how the beliefs and practices (ethical and ritual) of the parish are related to one another and are transmitted to the younger generation. Several important questions are listed on a handout.
4. At least one "focus-group" session with other interested adult and youth members of the parish.
5. Observation of a Catholic Mass at the assigned parish, preferably conducted in the native language of this ethnic group.
6. For extra points, the group also can participate in four hours of community service work sponsored by and carried out by this parish. Include reflections upon this practice as an addendum to your basic field research report.

The entire project will be integrated into a Porfolio at the culmination of the CALRP. This will give an opportunity to edit and correct any individual components of the CALRP, and to review and assess the learning that took place through this project. The CALRP Portfolio must include:

1. The final edition of the CALRP Portfolio, including all five components listed above. For this edition, the interview and focus-group summaries/analyses should be included in the body of the report, while the transcripts and raw data should be relegated to the appropriate appendix. Ditto with the observation of the Mass.
2. Appendix A: Prior Drafts
   1. Any and all prior drafts of the various CALRP report components
3. Appendix B: Data
   1. The Mass Verbatim (but include the analysis in the body of the report)
   2. All original data collected through the interviews, regardless of the medium, and any copies that were made of these data
   3. All original data collected through the focus groups, regardless of the medium, and any copies that were made of these data
   4. All the appropriate consent forms and notices for the data in 1-2
   5. An original copy of the parish bulletin that includes the invitation to participate in the focus group(s).
4. Appendix C: Assessments
   1. All tbe the various group assessment forms from every member of the group, sorted according to assessment type
   2. Copies of all the CALRP group progress reports, in chronological order, and initialed by the GA who met with the group. Each report should include the names of group members who were present at that conference.
5. Appendix D: Portfolio Assessment
   1. Analysis of the learning that took place through this project, with specific reference to details in the various drafts and final edition of the CALRP report
   2. The group's class presentation plan (PPT or website). Given the later due date for this assignment, this part of Appendix D may be submitted separately, after the rest of the Portfolio. If your group chooses to do this, in order to ensure that the presentation is included in the final CALRP Portfolio grade, be sure you bind the Portfolio in a manner that permits the class presentation plan to be appended to it.

The results of this field research project will be integrated into a . A standard research paper is required for Parts 1-2. An exact transcript of the interviews is expected for parts 3-4, followed by a summative analysis of the interview or focus-group data. A verbatim analysis is most appropriate for part 5.

All group members are expected to participate in every CALRP activity, from archival research to site visits, and to contribute to each and every portion of the CALRP report. Team members should make corrections to other persons' work where necessary, including grammatical, syntactical, and other writing errors. All group members must be involved as co-authors of the entire report.

Check these resources for writing. Be sure to use inclusive language, and remember to proofread each section of your report before you submit it for a grade!