Chapter 8 - Summary (Beka W.)

The afterword of Nathan's book was very poignant and wrapped up her research and experience very well. It was interesting to note Nathan's commitment to honesty and ethics in regards to her researching. Most researchers would definitely consider the fact that their actions needed to be careful, however, Nathan was devoted to morals and wanted to pursue the highest ethics possible. Nathan also illustrated the fact that it is hard to keep a hidden identity in the course of the school year if one truly wants to make friends. Although she did tell one journalism student who she really was, she made it her motto "don't ask, don't tell" and that would definitely affect the results one has when researching with students. How could she really know the life of a student if she was trying to pretend she was someone else and keep her guard up? Nathan also acknowledges the fact that she must keep the confidence of her friends and also let some individuals know, such as her RA, so that she wouldn't be needlessly worrying the entire year about her. Altogether Nathan wrapped up the book in a nice way and provided helpful information, however, it would have been more beneficial to read some of the information in the introducion, instead of learning more about anthropology than the actual project.