Download Ms. Crandell AP Eng Lit Grocery Store Field Trip and Psychic Data

Ms. Crandell
AP Eng Lit
Grocery Store Field Trip and Psychic Data Project
Your role: Today, you are astute anthropologists, keen observers of human behavior in the context
of the grocery store.
Your task: Explore Murray Jay Siskind’s statement that in a grocery store, ''Everything is concealed
in symbolism...It’s full of psychic data…The large doors slide open, they close unbidden. Energy
waves, incident radiation… code words and ceremonial phrases. It is just a question of
deciphering.”
Out of the classroom, you may closely observe or take pictures; record or carefully notice the
different sounds you hear. You may choose to purchase a snack or not. :)
When we return to the classroom, list the forms of “psychic data” you were exposed to in the
grocery store. (Advertisements, brand names, colors, the quality of the light, music, overheard
convos, people standing in line, etc.) In literature circles, compile your information and prepare a
mini-lesson for the class on Siskind’s statement in light of what you discovered. Possibilities: make
an infographic or a chart.
Group 1: Consider the information as Linguistic Anthropologists--focus on written and spoken
communication.

Linguistic anthropology is the study of ways in which language reflects and influences social
life. It explores communication, how we formulate categories of social identity and group
membership, organize large-scale cultural beliefs and ideologies, and, in conjunction with
other forms of meaning-making, equip people with common cultural representations of their
natural and social worlds. Linguistic anthropology shares with anthropology in general a
concern to understand power, inequality, and social change, particularly as these are
constructed and represented through language and discourse.
Ms. Crandell
AP Eng Lit
Grocery Store Field Trip and Psychic Data Project
Your role: Today, you are astute anthropologists, keen observers of human behavior in the context
of the grocery store.
Your task: Explore Murray Jay Siskind’s statement that in a grocery store, ''Everything is concealed
in symbolism...It’s full of psychic data…The large doors slide open, they close unbidden. Energy
waves, incident radiation… code words and ceremonial phrases. It is just a question of
deciphering.”
Out of the classroom, you may closely observe or take pictures; record or carefully notice the
different sounds you hear. You may choose to purchase a snack or not. :)
When we return to the classroom, list the forms of “psychic data” you were exposed to in the
grocery store. (Advertisements, brand names, colors, the quality of the light, music, overheard
convos, people standing in line, etc.) In literature circles, compile your information and prepare a
mini-lesson for the class on Siskind’s statement in light of what you discovered. Possibilities: make
an infographic or a chart.
Group 2: Consider the information as Biological (or Physical) Anthropologists

Biological anthropologists seek to understand how humans adapt to diverse environments,
how biological and cultural processes work together to shape growth, development and
behavior, and what causes disease and early death. They give primary attention to
investigating questions having to do with our place in nature, adaptation and human
biological variation. Notice the food choices the grocery store offers to shoppers and how
they are presented.
Ms. Crandell
AP Eng Lit
Grocery Store Field Trip and Psychic Data Project
Your role: Today, you are astute anthropologists, keen observers of human behavior in the context
of the grocery store.
Your task: Explore Murray Jay Siskind’s statement that in a grocery store, ''Everything is concealed
in symbolism...It’s full of psychic data…The large doors slide open, they close unbidden. Energy
waves, incident radiation… code words and ceremonial phrases. It is just a question of
deciphering.”
Out of the classroom, you may closely observe or take pictures; record or carefully notice the
different sounds you hear. You may choose to purchase a snack or not. :)
When we return to the classroom, list the forms of “psychic data” you were exposed to in the
grocery store. (Advertisements, brand names, colors, the quality of the light, music, overheard
convos, people standing in line, etc.) In literature circles, compile your information and prepare a
mini-lesson for the class on Siskind’s statement in light of what you discovered. Possibilities: make
an infographic or a chart.
Group 3: Consider the information as Sociocultural Anthropologists

Sociocultural anthropologists examine social patterns and practices, with a special interest
in how people live in particular places and how they organize, govern, and create meaning.

A hallmark of sociocultural anthropology is its attention to race, sexuality, class, gender, and
nationality. Research in sociocultural anthropology is distinguished by its emphasis on
participant observation, which involves placing oneself in the research context for extended
periods of time to gain a first-hand sense of how local knowledge is put to work in grappling
with practical problems of everyday life and with basic philosophical problems of knowledge,
truth, power, and justice.

Topics of concern to sociocultural anthropologists include such areas as health, work,
ecology and environment, education, agriculture and development, and social change
(notice consumption and exchange).
Ms. Crandell
AP Eng Lit
Grocery Store Field Trip and Psychic Data Project
Your role: Today, you are astute anthropologists, keen observers of human behavior in the context
of the grocery store.
Your task: Explore Murray Jay Siskind’s statement that in a grocery store, ''Everything is concealed
in symbolism...It’s full of psychic data…The large doors slide open, they close unbidden. Energy
waves, incident radiation… code words and ceremonial phrases. It is just a question of
deciphering.”
Out of the classroom, you may closely observe or take pictures; record or carefully notice the
different sounds you hear. You may choose to purchase a snack or not. :)
When we return to the classroom, list the forms of “psychic data” you were exposed to in the
grocery store. (Advertisements, brand names, colors, the quality of the light, music, overheard
convos, people standing in line, etc.) In literature circles, compile your information and prepare a
mini-lesson for the class on Siskind’s statement in light of what you discovered. Possibilities: make
an infographic or a chart.
Group 4: Consider the information as Linguistic Anthropologists studying Nonverbal
Communication
Linguistic anthropology shares with anthropology in general a concern to understand power,
inequality, and social change, particularly as these are constructed and represented through
discourse--in your case, through nonverbal communication. Notice how people communicate
nonverbally through facial expressions, bodily stances, gestures, and movements.