Qual 2/Dissertation Fieldnotes

I finally got the electronic file of the interview and I spent the next 16 hours typing when I had moments here and there.  I got it done, thank heavens.  But in the typing I had thoughts emerge...(emic?)  I am thinking that when people consider if objectives are being met, they also have to consider what KIND of class is being taught!! Is it a lecture class?  Is it based on discussion or community? 

Pasted below is my description.  Laced into the official description are my withheld evaluative comments.  I would like to do the same thing with the interview in a later post.

Transcription of interview with Brian Montegue on February 14, 2008.

Location: This interview took place on Thursday, February 14, 2008 in the office of Brian Montegue at Heartland University. 

Setting:  The interview I had of Brian Montegue occurred at his office in the Lawrence Religion Building on the campus of Heartland University.  The day I walked from Hammond (my building) to his building was crisp, sunny and beautiful.  I entered the religion building through the front door, which is ‘no man’s land’ in that building – you have to go up stairs or down stairs to get anywhere. 

            I paused for a moment and thought about where Brian’s office was – I had never been to his office, but I had noticed his name plate on an office door when I had been to Marshall’s office to discuss the big ‘Is there a God?’ questions of life. All these folks down here are philosohically bent.  So heaven bound they're no earthly good, some would say.  But I wouldn't say that.  I like that they can shift gears quickly into that world of thought and discussion and figuring stuff out. I descended the stairs to my left, walked through Waiting Room #1 and looked to my left where I knew professors’ offices to be. I could see Brian’s office door through the outer office windows, so I opened the heavy outer door and went into the lobby area.    His office door was closed, so I snooped around and looked at all of the graffiti kinds of stuff outside of his door, on the frame and on the wall next to his door.  Comic clippings, photos, philosophical jokes and stuff were stuck all around – collage style. Seeing all his cartoons and quips and stuff about philosophy makes me consider all the stuff that profs put around their doors.  This would make an interesting study in itself.  Either he wants to be seen as a philosopher or he just has philosophical clippings/stuff everywhere because it's who he is.  Or both.

            I was a few minutes early (something that rarely happens for me) and I thought I should stand and wait until he arrived.  I heard a noise from inside his office, and I realized he was in there, so I knocked.  He made a humorous comment in a commanding voice… “Enter!”  … or something like that,Honestly.  His voice just intimidates me.  And so does his communication style.  Very in control.  Very knowledgeable.  I almost wonder if it's an "I  know stuff and you know nothing" perspective he has.  I can't tell. But he is kind, and that's nice. I can see why he's comfortable with a 100% lecture style class and measuring learning curves and keeping records and such. I also know that his upper division courses are the complete opposite of his Intro to Phil course.  and I opened the door and went on in.  Since I had come downstairs, I shouldn’t have been surprised to see that his office was a ‘concrete box’ (his description) and every wall was lined with bookshelves and books.  Floor to almost-ceiling, except for the wall that had the entry door.  His desk was in the middle of the office and he had a computer on a table to his left, another computer on his desk, and a laptop computer on his desk.  There were bookshelves built/set around all of this paraphernalia and posters on the small amounts of available wall space.  Three waiting room types of chairs were positioned opposite his desk to accommodate me and any other visitors who might arrive.  I couldn’t decide which chair to sit in, so I just stood there for a moment as he hastily made an issue of clearing his desk of every single paper and utensil except for the laptop computer. By the time he was satisfied with the emptiness of his desk, I had decided on which chair would be the best for me to occupy.  I had no idea where to sit.  And since he scares me a bit, I really wanted to make the right decision.  It's kind of like interviewing a shrink or a counsellor -- you wonder if they are analyzing you while you interview them. 

            The bookshelves lining the walls, the absence of any windows, the dark carpet, all seemed dungeon-like to me.  The desk and chairs were throwbacks to the 60s.  A clock with cats on every hour hung over the largest bookcase.  He had a few photos of his wife and their three sons scattered about on spaces of the bookshelves where there was enough room for a frame.Definitely a concrete box, but I think he liked that image.  I think he liked the cluttered shelves and the clean/clear desk.  What a dichotomy.

Description of Brian:  Brian wears the same type of clothes that most men wear.  Collared shirts –either button down or pullover and casual cotton slacks. He’s mid-forties and has dark thick hair in kind of a little boy or bowl cut.  He wears non-descript glasses with dark wire rims, comfortable shoes, and a wedding ring  He’s fair skinned,  probably six feet tall, about 200 pounds, solid but not fat and healthy looking. Brian’s voice is commanding and his articulation exact – he says exactly what he thinks and he appears very confident in what he has to say.  His facial expressions may seem exaggerated compared to many, and he often uses his hands to gesture.

            As for his demeanor, Brian seems a bit quirky perhaps, but he also appears interested in other people.  He made eye contact with me when he answered my questions, and he also would gesture and look to the ceiling during the funny parts of our discussion.  Brian has the stereotypical characteristics of someone who is smart or very brainy. The haircut.  The vocabulary. I probably should have been descriptive of his laugh. He would laugh or chuckle during our interview and I could tell it was genuine and that he enjoyed our conversation.   I wouldn’t be surprised to see a bunch of pens in his shirt pocket, except that he’s so technologically involved that writing with pen and paper doesn’t happen for him.

            Brian has been the entire Department of Philosophy at HU for a more than 10 years.  He teaches the General Education core class – Introduction to Philosophy – every semester and in summer session as well.  He also teaches two or three other classes each semester.  He has a well-established, positive reputation at HU and appears to have plans to complete his career there.

The interview began a few moments before noon, after Brian had cleared his desk and tested two computers for digitally recording our interview session.  He suggested that he would like to record this interview and then send the file to me electronically later. The interview concluded about 12:40.  The electronic file he sent to me had eliminated our chatty, preliminary exchange as well as the ‘Have a nice Valentine’s Day’ conclusion. I have learned a huge lesson.  I have GOT to stand up for myself.  I knew at the moment he offered that I should have just said, no, let's burn a CD now and I'll be out of your hair.  I was trying to accommodate his wishes.  It worked out okay, but I probably lost a few hours off of the end of my life...