In order to learn more about dress practices at USU, you will work in groups of three to explore this phenomenon.

Each group will investigate the dress practices of students to tell a story in the form of a research symposium and short article focused on your findings.

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IRB Certification: You must have a valid IRB certification to participate in this project so be sure to complete this by Friday, January 20. Note: this process will take between 2-4 hours to complete.

the facts: Research the facts about USU’s history. What impact, if any, do the facts have on the decisions made about what students wear each day at USU? Research the facts about what college students across the country are wearing. How does this compare to USU?

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Data collection: Conduct a series of field observations and interviews with students on the USU campus. Focus your observations and interviews on their dress practices using a culturally neutral lens. Be sure to collect your data in both formats and in several different locations throughout the campus in order to capture a diverse sample.   

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Field observations:  Record what you observe without being obtrusive. Take detailed notes that will help you to later reconstruct what you observed and interpret the data (gender, ethnicity, body modifications, body supplements, fashion fundamentals, etc.).

Be sure to first determine that an individual is affiliated with USU since there are also faculty, staff, and visitors on campus. Next, secure permission and consent from individuals before taking their picture and asking questions about their dress practices. Suggested demographic information to collect: name, age, major, year, and hometown. Suggested questions to ask: How would you describe what you are wearing today? What/who inspires your dress practices? Do you practice different dress for different occasions? How so? Be sure to ask the same questions of each person. 

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The choices: Identify and discuss the choices each individual made in relation to what they wear while on the USU campus. Use pictures to showcase their choices and describe what they are wearing using concepts discussed throughout this course.

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The comparison: Based on the information you gather, compare and contrast the choices the individuals made with regards to their dress practices. How are they similar within the same groups? How do they differ? How are they similar across groups? How do they differ across groups? How similar or different are they when compared to the dress practices of other universities and colleges?  

final thoughts: Briefly reflect on the assignment and your findings.

Article:  The article needs to be a collaborative effort of the group that is composed using academic writing in APA format; 1” margins, double spaced,12 pt. font, 3-5 pages in length (not including cover page, tables, pictures, and reference page). Be sure to use APA citation for all references and images.

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Format:

Cover Page (title, group members, course, date

I. Introduction (gives the reader a brief overview of the entire article)

II. Background (summary of your fact research)

III. Methods (overview/demographics of data collection)

IV. Results (report the findings)

V. Discussion (compare and contrast)

VI. Final Thoughts (reflections)

Use tables to provide the reader with a demographic profile of the individuals you interview and/or your findings. Use pictures ONLY of the individuals you interview, not the individuals you observe during field observations.

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Research Symposium:   Prepare a poster that measures 42” x 42” and includes the following information: Introduction, Background, Methods, Results, and Discussion. All posters must be hung at the Taggart Student Center no later than 9:00 am on Monday, March 20. Reserve a judging session for your group to present during the symposium. Sessions range from 10:00 am until 3:30 pm.