I want you to free write
about some subjects you might be interested in researching this
semester. Consider some of the inquiry based questions you have
generated in class on Monday and consider your own personal interests
as well. This is pretty open and the
content is really up to you, but here are a few examples of things you
might write about:
How might you conduct your own study? (consider how the first two
student examples pieces worked) Could a focus group work for your study?
Write
about what you already know about your subject and the stake holders in
the discussion you are entering into. Consider alternate ways to frame
the question to accentuate different aspects of the original idea. You
might also develop a research experiment to test your inquiry based
question.
If you are having a bit of trouble coming up with your research subject, consider the
research articles that are published on Stylus.
http://writingandrhetoric.cah.ucf.edu/stylus/issues.php
It is important to note that not all articles published on Stylus are
inquiry based studies, so be sure to look for articles published from
ENC 1102 classes. Also, you might try watching some of the videos posted
on the blog or reading some of the articles for invention strategies
that might help you.
The first topic I thought about was same sex marriage. The same sex marriage debate has been very strong the past ten to fifteen years and more so in the past five years. I thought about doing research on the same sex issue with people and their freedoms at stake for those individuals or couples. I want to look at the evolution for the fight of same sex marriage or even look at the acceptance of a gay or lesbian individuals and couples from the 1970’s to present. I could go about this by reading newspapers or journals of accounts from the past 3 or 4 decades. Also I could interview people from each decade and get a first hand view and collect years of beliefs for the fight of same sex or the attitudes of same sex couples or individuals. The question I could purpose could be “How have the rights or lack of rights and acceptance of same sex couples and homosexual individuals evolved from the 1970’s to present?”
ReplyDeleteThe second topic I thought of was gun laws or the lack of them. There have been or at least it has seemed a spike in mass murder of injury from guns in schools, the workplace and public forums. It has been a hot topic in political debate and on national news networks. I could study how gun laws wether present of not, have effected the rate at which violent crimes have been committed with guns. I could research different political backgrounds like liberal and conservative and how politics have a major role on gun laws or regulations. My question purposed could be “To what extent do gun laws or lack of gun laws have en effect on the use of them in violent crimes such as in the workplace, school and public forum?”
Hi Alex,
DeleteI think you have a pretty solid open ended question to work with here. Clearly, the gay rights movement has evolved since the 70's but what has the movement learned and how can progress be improved. You need to start snooping this conversation and delving into the issue from a range of different angles. You should check out some presentations on TED- one by Tillie Olsen and another by LZ Granderson are particularly useful. You should also look at some recent stories on NPR.
It may be interesting to do a textual analysis of media coverage of the gay rights movement. Perhaps examining newspaper articles from each decade could shed some light on the medias' framing of this issue.
Best,
Joseph
I have a few topics actually, but the top three would have to be:
ReplyDelete1. Our Government requires schooling up until a certain age. Since this is so mandatory and important, why are schools not so safe? Recently the Sandy Hook Elementary school shooting has captured the hearts of millions. This is another school shooting that should have been avoided by adding more security. What causes these shootings? Could it be bullying, psychological disorders, or attention?
2. Are men more or less of men today? In the past, men showed honor serving in the military when it seemed to be a country involvement. Men showed chivalry and leaders spoke with authority. Today, our leaders, such as Anthony Weiner the American former representative was involved in a sexting scandal. That does not show honor or statue to me. Are men changing with the generation? Or are women provoking this by changing their standards?
3. The controversies in Walt Disney's movies and rides. Ex. Splash Mountain based off of a questionable movie depicting Blacks as happy go lucky during a time of slavery. All of the princesses until recently have been white (Typical American ideals), The over use of culture in movies like Aladdin being portrayed too white but the villain is very dark and very ethnically fitting to his geographic location. Etc.
The first subject you are looking into (the security of schools) and the causes of mass shootings seems to be a huge subject to tackle for a one-semester project. These are certainly big questions that are of general public concern, but my concern for you is that a project like this would end up as a ball of disheveled yarn (mind you some cool ideas)--but a general lack of coherent direction.
DeleteThe second idea seems to have promise, but like the first, I think you need to do a bit of narrowing down. The emergent metro-sexual male seems to have burst onto the scene in the 2000s, but there are still many men who hold onto a hyper emasculated image (and many adverts selling men's apparel are still engendering masculinity as the muscle bound man's man). As for men in politics, I'm not so sure they are more scandalous today than in years past. It seems that with social media and cameras everywhere, they are getting caught in salacious acts more often, but I suppose the men of yesteryear were not much different than the men of today. You might be onto something in your look at shifting gender roles. Are hyper-femininity and and hyper-masculinity on the way out in favor of more nuance?
The third question you pose seems to have some legs as a research project too. It seems that Disney's latest release "Frozen" has broken some typical molds. In most cases, Disney is borrowing ideas from mythological motifs, and it might be interesting to explore the origins of some popular Disney stories. Briar Rose and the story of Sleeping Beauty has roots in older tales as do many other Disney stories. Perhaps you could analyze how Disney has changed and manipulated earlier forms of story to sell to contemporary audiences.
The key here is this: you need an open ended question without a canned answer. Your project needs to be doable within a 15 week period, so too broad is out of the question.
I hope this dialogue helps you in your project.
Best,
Joseph
Being a student who has always been interested in history, I thought a good topic for my Inquiry-based research paper would be identifying and analyzing history which was later regarded as myth. Our generation has become so advanced with our methods of research because of recent technological inventions and our growing sources of communication, that fact today is considered 100% certain with no chance of doubt. History has not always been this concrete because it was in earlier times passed down by oral communication or one-sided writings. I have seen several examples of this in various history classes I have taken throughout my career as a student and find it fascinating that previous generations were taught history which they believed to be certain and we today are disproving.
ReplyDeleteI would like to explore the effect that this constantly-changing awareness of history and its certainty has on generations. I could do a few different things to do this such as interviewing people from different generations and asking them about their knowledge on different historical events. Also by asking different history teachers their certainty on historical events to analyze how their answers differ.
I personally believe that today students are taught to be critical thinkers and use the socratic method of doubt when learning history because we have had trouble in the past deciphering what is fact and theory. The question is how has this new critical-thinking affected students today in regards to their historical knowledge?
Hi Laruen
DeleteI came to really dislike the very narrow version of history instruction I received in high school too. Once I got to college and started getting some reality, I was quite upset at the way history was taught.
History has always been subjective and it continues to be very subjective today. You have probably come to a more complete and comprehensive reading of history since coming to college and escaping the controlled versions of history people get in public school. When you claim that the fact today is considered 100% certain with no chance of doubt, I am left cringing. I am constantly doubting the messages I receive and the versions of stories as they are presented. What makes you so certain that the information you get about history today is so absolute?
My criticism about your perspective of certainty doesn't mean that you don't have some interesting angles to take with your project. In high school students are taught to regurgitate a very narrow version of history because they are being indoctrinated into a system of belief. What forces are shaping the content of history textbooks in the US? If you look into this question, you will start to find some answers as to why history is told in a certain way. What aspects of history are important for young people and new generations to study? How might history classes in high school present a more nuanced history curriculum? Are there examples of high-school history programs that teach history not as absolute but as subjective?
I hope this helps you to tease out your project.
Best,
Joseph
The first topic that I would be interested in is how girls and guys are different in relationships. I chose this topic because my best friend, who has a boyfriend who treats her really well, always complains about her boyfriend and it confuses me because she’s the only person who doesn’t understand how well her boyfriend treats her and I started to think it was because of the way they communicate with each other. To start, there is a huge communication barrier between females and males that tends to cause a lot of frustration to females when they are trying to communicate with the males. I don’t think that males are intentionally ignoring or being mean to their girlfriends, but I think that they just communicate differently and girls see this as the boyfriend ignoring them or not fully paying attention to them. Also, I think guys have a harder time expressing how they feel about certain things than girls do which can also cause frustration to the girl. To study this I can look at guys talk to their friends compared to how guys talk to their girlfriends and compare the differences in communication. I can also try to decipher what makes a successful relationship when it comes to communicating with a person’s significant other.
ReplyDeleteThe second topic I would find interesting is whether or not people are attracted to people who look similar to themselves. My friend brought up this topic to me one day and I found it interesting because when I thought about it, a lot of people I know are dating people that look similar to them. To research this I could go through my friends on Facebook and find couples and see how similar they look to each other.
Hi Sarah,
DeleteI think the gender gap regarding communication is certainly worthwhile as a research project. You should check out the work of Deborah Tannen. Much of her work was done in the 90's, but her work is the basis of many newer studies in gendered communication.
I think you should start by reading "Sex, Lies, and Conversation." From here, you need to start reading more current research into this subject. Pay close attention to how researchers conduct their studies. Are certain demographics left out? Are certain age groups underrepresented in research studies? Are shifts in gender identity also shifting communication dynamics?
I'm not sure if your second idea has legs as a project. At this point, I am much more confident with your first idea.
Best,
Joseph
I have been hearing a lot about the SeaWorld controversy lately, which brought me to think about animal cruelty. How has its meaning changed over the years? By examining movies from the 20th and 21st century and how they portray the characters' views and respect of animals could reveal people during that time period considered as humane or cruel. As the years go on, it appears that people are becoming more and more sensitive to the treatment of animals and I think movies and documentaries could provide strong background as to why that is so.
ReplyDeleteAnother topic that I am interested in is what makes a good teacher. A lot of students struggle in their classes and often blame the teacher, usually for lack of a better excuse, but is it really their fault? What is the style of teaching that resonates the most with students and how do students decide what makes a good teacher and what makes a bad teacher?
Hi Emily,
DeleteIt might be really interesting to explore the power of documentary films to encourage support for the animal rights movement. There have been protests outside of Sea World since the airing of "Black Fish," but Sea World recently reported record revenues for the last quarter.
What kinds of rhetoric are most influential for promoting the animal rights movement? It might be interesting to look at the rhetoric of the animal rights movement and analyze what approaches are most effective for changing audience perspectives in favor of better conditions for animals?
It seems that humankind has put itself above animals, and this wasn't the case many hundreds of years back. How effective are documentaries supporting animal rights at reaching target audiences and achieving desired outcomes?
Best,
Joseph
I have narrowed down my ideas to three but I'm still undecided which one I really want to do:
ReplyDelete1- I'm always told that I speak "broken" english or "ghetto" from time to time by my friends and family. I never really thought much about it because slang is often used around me especially with my younger brothers and my male family members. I always find some of the new words that come out and what they mean to be funny and ridiculious. I was thinking about researching the development of slang over the decades and how it became a common use of communication for the younger generations and how these words come about. I also wanted to focus on the fact that in slang there is also a sense of grammar associated with along with terms females and males.
2- The next topic I had in mind is about viewpoints on makeup, I'm not one to always wear makeup but from time to time I do. I want to interview the male viewpoint on makeup and weather or not it is something they find attracted to or not. I want to it from a guys perspective because I think that it would be interesting to find about what guys really think about girls wearing make up and weather or not its a must or not for all girls.
3- My final topic focuses on drivers and their behaviors about their driving and other peoples' driving. I know I personally hate it when someone in front of me is driving below the speed limit. I understand that there are times when its a must and I have no protests to that but the rest of the time I don't agree it simply is a pet peeve of mine. I would like to ask experienced drivers (5 years min.) and new drivers (licensed, not permit) how they react and feel about the way they drive and other drivers on the road.
Hi Joseph,
DeleteI think it would be really fascinating to look into the grammar and origins of "ghetto talk," but in research circles you are going to call it Black English Vernacular. Also known as Ebonics, you will find a lot of interesting information about the aesthetic of the language. BEV traces back to slavery, and I think you might be into something interesting here. The databases for information about BEV should give you extensive resources to review. You might start with a question like this one: To what extent has BEV evolved and changed in the past decade and what factors are causing these changes?
I like your second idea too. I don't think guys really think about makeup much, but they certainly react to women they are attracted to. Do certain approaches to makeup draw more attention from males?
The third topic about driving is the weakest of the lot because there are so many variables involved in driving behaviors.
I hope this helps you in developing your project.
Best,
Joseph
A topic I am considering writing about has roots in gender equality but not in the way most would think. I believe that women are powerful and we can overcome anything if we would just get out of each other's way. Women in my opinion tend to be "catty" and put each other down. But why? If they decided to leave out the snarky remarks to one another and leave out the judging, we as an identity could become a greater unit. Woman have already faced criticism from men long enough, why from each other?
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel,
DeleteI think you are onto something related to stereotypes of women. Women, especially women in power, are perceived to be less nice than males in power. I'm not sure if this comes from the stereotypical cattiness or from something else. Perhaps some of the cattiness comes from the societal pressure calling women to be beautiful. From this perspective, jealousy would be a root to some of the cattiness.
I want you to check out this talk by Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook: http://www.ted.com/talks/sheryl_sandberg_why_we_have_too_few_women_leaders.html
Why haven't women gained more ground in the battle for gender equality? How much truth is there to the cattiness stereotype? I'm one to believe that there is usually some truth to stereotypes, but the problem with stereotypes, according to Chimamanda Adichie is that they are incomplete. There is always more to the story.
How accurate is this perceived cattiness? Has this perspective changed over time?
I think you are onto something very interesting here. You are going to have to play with search terms as you research this subject. It may take a bit of time, but I'm sure you will find some interesting research studies on this topic.
Best,
Joseph
Tristin Tadlock- 0048
ReplyDeleteI want to focus on education in the US. Some of the ideas that I am considering are: Is the US falling behind in education, Should people in the US be required to be fluent in at least two languages, Are education requirements in the US too low? Are US college students motivated by the desire for knowledge or social pressure to get a good job? Is education undervalued in the US?
There are plenty of videos on the internet that show American's answering basic questions wrong. Plus, I could conduct a study of my own around campus.
What got me interested in this topic is a girl in one of my classes, she said after she fulfills her language requirements she is not going to continue learning a second language because she is American. There are many benefits to learning a second language. I think education should be more important than just checking a box.
Hi Tristin,
DeleteI think America is falling behind in education, and one of the reasons is the teaching profession is professionalized. Politicians dictate education policy, and they don't know what they are doing. What are the differences between educational policies among the successful and unsuccessful countries? This project can get really big really quickly, but you can certainly find ways to narrow this down. Perhaps you can investigate the results of increased standardized testing. If you do a comparative analysis of differing national education policies among nations, you might focus on two or three nations to investigate.
At this point you should start reading some sources and thinking about how to narrow your project down.
I hope this helps.
Best,
Joseph
ENC 1102 Section--0048
ReplyDeleteEver since I was twelve years old, I have been extremely fascinated by crime tv shows, such as Law & Order and the The X Files. Inspired by the trial scenes in Law and Order, I had decided to declare a major in Criminal Justice and possibly consider going into law during fall semester. In my Introduction to Public Affairs Careers class last semester, I learned that tv shows based on FBI agents and lawyers are dramatizations and simplified versions of the actual careers a majority of the time.
In the public affairs class, I also learned that the way crime is depicted in the media, including the news, TV, and movies, is very different than it is in reality. A guest speaker who visited our class, Professor Surette (a professor that works with crime in the media), discussed and informed our class on the many well-known criminal psychological traits depicted in the media and in reality. An obvious fact that I can see the reasoning for this is to attract and keep a casual audience. Looking beyond that, my question is, what else is the media trying to say about the crimes being committed? Are they trying to say something about the Criminal Justice system? Are they trying to influence our society? I think that I could test some of these questions by watching a few episodes of Law & Order and a crime story in the news. In my experiment, I could pay special attention to what crimes are committed, how they are handled, what people have to say about them, the public’s reaction to the crime, and the officials’ possible resolution to the crimes. Once I get the results for my experiment, I could interview someone who works in the Criminal Justice field and/or who is knowledgeable about crimes in reality. With the information from the interview, I could then compare the way crimes are viewed in media to the way crimes are viewed in reality and then draw conclusions.
Another subject that I might be interested in researching this semester would be the extreme emphasis on high test scores in the state of Florida, particularly the FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) SAT, and ACT. Over the years, I have found that high test scores seem to speak louder for students than good GPAs, especially in college admissions middle/high school course selection. In public schools in Florida, I find that students who do poorly on the FCAT tests may be placed in remedial or lower level classes even if they have excellent grades. Students who score high on the FCAT are most likely placed in advanced classes despite having poor grades. I find the FCAT test results to be extremely misleading, especially when it comes to students who may struggle with the test who ‘had a bad day’ with the test. The same goes for high school students taking the SAT or ACT to get into college. My inquiry questions for this subject could be why is there such as high emphasis on high test scores in the state of Florida? Is it really necessary to break student decisions based on their test scores? Is it really the best thing for the students (especially the ones that slack off)? Are the test scores misleading? Does this influence on test scores help or hurt the education system? I might conduct this study by having a focus group of students who take the FCAT, a focus group of students who have or will take the SAT/ACT, or a focus group with a combination of both. If I decide to have one focus group of students over the other, I might consider having a group interview and/or discussion about their experiences with the FCAT or SAT/ACT. However, if I decide to have a combination of both groups of students, I will consider interviewing each one individually to talk about their experiences with the tests. I think the stakeholders in this discussion are students who have yet to take the FCAT.
Works Cited
Surette, Ray. “Media, Crime, and Criminal Justice.” University of Central Florida. College of Health and Public Affairs, Orlando, FL. 30 Sept. 2013. Guest Lecture.
The CSI effect is well documented and has been researched from many angles over the past decade. Forensics programs have grown tremendously and have generated spikes in enrollment for these fields, but those influenced by the glitz and glam of the hit television programs are in for a rude awakening.
DeleteThe offshoot of your original idea delves into the dynamism of media coverage of crimes and criminal activity. What's fascinating to me is that capitalism has taken over journalism to the extent that there is only one active team of investigative journalists operating in the US today- Frontline of PBS. CNN just recently disbanded its team of investigative reporters.
Infotainment seems to be the new mode of news delivery. How has the blurring of information and entertainment changed peoples' understanding of events?
It's interesting that only blonde haired little girls from the suburbs who go missing are the only ones who make national headlines. When was the last time a national network covered the disappearance of a young black girl?
Recently billionaires have started buying up small news companies across the country. What does this mean for the delivery of news? What has the commodification of news done to change the way news is delivered and received?
Keep playing with ideas and teasing things out. I'm sure you will come up with a cool angle to explore.
Best,
Joseph
After today’s class and the ideas my peers gave me I have narrowed the topic down to a paper on the Navy Seals and the benefits and/or disadvantages to being in a fraternity. The Navy Seals interest me because I want to pursue a career in the military and I would want to join only the best of the best. The only problem is creating a question but it would be along the lines of, are the Navy Seals the best fighting force in the military? I would conduct this study by comparing other special forces by their requirements, training, accomplishments etc. I already know that they are one of the best Special Forces that are given the most difficult/important tasks like the recent hit on bin laden. I know that they have a history of the hardest training and they are not easily defeated. My other idea is looking at the positives and negatives of being in a fraternity. I joined one here at UCF and I have firsthand experience in being in one. There would not be a problem getting ideas because I could also use fellow members to help shape my paper. I would go about researching this by getting personal experiences by members within and those that have graduated. My research question would look like, is being in a fraternity worth the money spent? Or something like what are the benefits of being in a fraternity? Both topics are great and would be no problem writing but I want to lean towards the topic of the Navy Seals because it is a future dream of mine. The only constraint keeping me is a great research question. The fraternity topic would just need some more ideas thrown at it.
ReplyDeleteLooking into the arts of being a soldier could be an interesting project, but the question about the Navy Seals being the best fighting force in the military is a yes-no question with a lot of subjective nuance. We pretty much know that the special forces agencies from major world powers are all elite. It is near impossible to access information that would allow a judgment about which is the best. The question you eventually pose must be open ended and should seek to investigate and delve into a subject.
DeleteYou will also have a lot of difficulty accessing Navy Seals to conduct primary research in terms of interviews and focus groups. The Seals are usually quite busy. If you are interested in looking at military discourse, perhaps you could look at training texts from soldiers past and present. How have military training guides and texts evolved over time and what kinds of new ideas have emerged in terms of best training practices?
As you approach this project, keep in mind that you must be able to complete this research with the tools you have. I'm not sure what kind of research you would do to investigate fraternities, but regardless of the one you choose, you need to approach it from a perspective of inquiry- a question, problem, or situation that needs further investigation. Approaching it from a perspective of I'm going to prove the Navy Seals are the best will not work.
You have something cool here, and I want you to research something related to the military. keep looking for angles towards an open ended question. Check out some articles in the library. Look at some books. Perhaps delving into the area can reveal something you can try.
Best,
Joseph
1.One of the area that seem interesting to me is the trigger of emotions in other people. I want to do an extensive background research on previous experiments on psychological trials. As well, I want to be able to gather a decent same size (roughly 10-20 people as a sample) and ask them a lay out questions that would reveal their emotions and what trigger them. The research for triggering emotions can also go as far as researching about some past and how their past could influence the emotions they feels now. Furthermore, emotions can be use as a tool for survival (e.g. heart broken, facing a sad times, reality of dying, etc.). I will also be doing a research on comparison of facial expression when it comes to emotions.
ReplyDelete2.Another interesting topic that I find is to research into the supplement energy that people takes before and after workout. I want to know if the supplement will really make you stronger or is it the ideas that by taking the supplement, a person will work out harder and longer. If possible, I would like to interview some of the sports player (UCF sport players or outside team) and ask them about their training manual and if they take supplement energy. I also want to do a cross references with the data to see if there is a correlation to those that workout with the supplement as compare to those that don't.
Hi Phong,
DeleteEmotional responses are certainly triggered by internal responses to outside stimuli, and there are tremendous variables associated with emotional responses. A neurotic can have a meltdown over the angle of the sun as it shines into his room in the morning. A Buddhist Monk can react calmly in the face of terrible insults. Perhaps you could look at how certain kinds of meditation allow people to exert a better sense of control over emotions.
This is a very interesting subject, but my concern is do you have the tools to conduct this kind of research. Furthermore, how would you narrow this down to make it more manageable? My worry is that you will end up with a giant ball of disheveled yarn--too many possible directions to go.
The second subject you delve into has a lot of scientific research demonstrating that supplements do indeed have positive effects. I think we pretty much know that many versions of different supplements are effective. This second research is not inquiry research because there is a canned answer. It is like asking has the internet made the transmission of information more effective? Of course it has.
You still have some work to do in terms of narrowing your topic and coming up with an open ended question that doesn't have a canned answer. Perhaps you could spend some time reading some psychology journals to look at particular angles related to emotional responses.
I hope this helps.
Best,
Joseph
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe first topic I found that I have interest in, and want to do research in is political corruption in the United States. In doing research on this I would also like to investigate how corruption in politics affects the American media. I hope to enter the conversation by asking does exposing scandals and corruption in the government really change the way Americans think? Engaging in a focus group would defiantly help me get more work and idea’s flowing. There is a lot of research already done on this topic. I think that taking this angle will enable me to engage in the conversation in a way that I can actually input my own opinion.
ReplyDeleteAnother subject I would like to do research on is sports. This was just a broad topic because I don’t know what original research I could do. There is also so much conversation about various things I feel as if I did this topic it would just come off as redundant.
Hi Corey,
DeleteYou are delving into a very interesting subject here, and in many regards, we are perhaps living in times that are witness to unprecedented corruption (though I must be cautious to say unprecedented because there are probably other times that witnessed tremendous corruption).
Do you think the corruption has reached a critical point that it is almost normalized? Are Americans tuning it out because it is now tacitly accepted?
You might be interested in a text: http://www.amazon.com/Dollarocracy-Election-Complex-Destroying-America/dp/1568587074
As of now, you are looking at topics from a pretty broad perspective, and you need to do a bit of narrowing. what's good though, is that you are looking at an important issue that needs to be addressed.
Best,
Joseph
Brainstorming in class today allowed me to think of a few topics to research further.
ReplyDeleteOne idea is how being in a sorority compares or contrasts to the stereotypes. I could ask my sisters how they feel about their sisterhood and contrast it with the opinions of fraternity gentleman. I can reference sources such as TFM and TSM for quotes and ideas. I could also ask those who aren't Greek their opinions about Greek Life.
My second idea was comparing reality tv and social media. It seems today everyone is seeking their 15 minutes of fame. Everyone uses filters and photoshop on their pictures to look glamorous to their followers. Social media is impersonal and anyone can become someone's 'friend' or 'follower'. Many people are overly open about their lives and share everything they can to obtain 'likes'. NOthing seems to be sacred or private anymore. Our generation is perceived as a social media generation, one where people ignore others in public, but are glued to their phones to text people or see what people are doing. I can explore the other side and see if it is a good or bad influence or a little bit of both.
Hi Becca,
DeleteI think we know there are distinctive stereotypes related to sorority and fraternity life. We also know that there is more to the story than those stereotypes would let on. There are many people in fraternities and sororities who don't drink at all. I would be very cautious about researching sororities and fraternities because this kind of research has been done time and time again. I'm not sure what kind of angle you could delve into here. What's most interesting about fraternities and sororities are the very things people in those organizations are forbidden to share- the secret rights of initiation and the history of how those secrets are passed along. I don't think you want to delve into that line of inquiry since doing so would mean certain expulsion from the community you are in.
Your second idea seems to have more potential for developing open ended lines of inquiry. It seems clear that many people in the 18-24 age range are not entirely concerned with privacy. What's also interesting is that people will sometimes develop different online personae than that of their identity in person to person situations. How are students forging and developing online personae through social media. Are they purposely and purposefully adopting different identities? Do they see those online identities as authentic versions of themselves?
You can, of course pursue, a project on any subject you wish, but you must demonstrate a line of inquiry that involves an open ended research question. What's more, you need to make sure there are not canned answers to the question you pose.
Best,
Joseph
ENC 1102-0048 Time: 0930-1020
ReplyDeleteThe first topic that I thought about was the loss of one’s culture vs. societal conformity. It is a subject that really touches me personally. I figured a way I could approach the topic could be an interview to find other people’s experiences and put in snip it’s of my own experiences within the paper. Another approach could be pulling out the science of social psychology of why conformity is so strong. Then I could also input what could occur from keeping traditions. However, my main thesis is still very unclear to me. So I will need to look up more research to find what approach I can take for my paper overall rather than writing a paper that is very unclear.
The second topic that caught my attention was eye sights of developed countries compared to rural areas. Since I also have near sighted-ness, I’ve always asked my parents why their eyesight is better than mine and why it didn’t pass down genetically to me. They responded that I should decrease my technology usage and eat more carrots. Some things that I would consider are the types of food present in each area. Then the environment that both of them live in. What could be the reason why that near sighted-ness in developed countries are higher? Why are the rural areas less prone to this problem? Can we change our lifestyle to help our eye sight now?
Hi Vicky,
DeleteThe social situation is very powerful. I watched a research project once where one test subject was put into a testing situation with 14 control subjects. The subjects sat in a small room and worked on a written test for a prospective job. When smoke was pumped into the room indicating a fire had started in the next room, the control subjects remained seated and stayed on completing the test. In every experiment, the test subject remained seated working on the test because all the control subjects remained seated.
In other tests where the test subject was by himself in the room, once the smoke came into the room, he stopped the test and left immediately through a door on the other side.
It seems that cultural conformity is also quite powerful regarding the adoption of the dominant culture. How do people successfully navigate the dynamism of conflicting cultures?
You mention that your main thesis is very unclear, and that is exactly as it should be at this point. You haven't completed your study yet, so how could you possibly know what your results are. Start looking at articles published in psychology and sociology journals to help you see some different angles to this situation.
I think you might start by watching this awesome TED talk by anthropologist Wade Davis: http://www.ted.com/talks/wade_davis_on_endangered_cultures.html
As for the second project, I think this one is harder to pull off because you don't have the tools to do it in a sophisticated way. You would need access to labs and technology that I don't think you have access to as an undergraduate.
I think you should proceed with cultural conformity because this is a subject that is really near and dear to your heart.
Best,
Joseph
0049
ReplyDeleteThe topic that I have given a lot of thought has to do with the psychology of only children. I've thought about my childhood and how certain aspects of it have made a huge impact on my personal growth (either positive or negative.) I have also wondered how being an only child has affected other only children.
I would like to focus on adult only children and how they feel their childhood was; specifically I could ask if they thought their childhood was loving or lonely. I want to get an idea of how they feel being an only child.
I was thinking about interviewing only children and giving them a set of questions that give insight to their feelings about how they grew up and how it has affected them. I feel that getting a range of perspectives is the best way to conduct the research. However, finding only children to interview will be the hard part.
Hi Megan,
DeleteI think you are onto something interesting here. Research on the psychology of only children is abound, but are new studies claiming about only children? It seems that you should start locating articles related to your ideas and start snooping the conversation.
Pay attention to the student papers that conducted focus groups. Conducting a focus group might be a great way to contribute to this conversation.
Best,
Joseph
Should the U.S. Military be responsible to help the many corrupt countries around the world? The United States is one or even the strongest country in the world and has the ability to stop the genocide that occurs in other third world countries but many say that this is not the U,S, responsibility, I would look at the records of military involvement in other wars in the past and how it either helped or hindered that countries development. Also, I can look at other wars that have been fought in the past that could have ended sooner with less bloodshed if the U.S. would have intervened, Can thousands of innocent people die everyday and the United States just turn the other cheek or should the United States focus on the problems within its self before lending a helping hand? Some countries, however, with the help of the United States can progress into a major world power and one day benefit the US in the future. I just want to know if it really is the US moral obligation to not sit back as massive genocides run rampant in less fortunate countries.
ReplyDeleteMy second topic is to research the male perspective on females soldier recently being able to fight in combat roles. I personally have gotten criticism from many male soldier saying that females do not belong in combat roles and that they do not trust us to carry them out of a combat zone. However, more and more females soldiers are proven themselves worthy everyday. Is this criticism a set back for females soldier? Would female soldier be able to perform better if they had the support of from their fellow military brothers? I will research the progression of females soldiers and study how future females soldiers will make a difference within the ranks of the military.
Hi Megan,
DeleteI think people who are well-informed that the idea of the US as the great savior of the world is an image perpetuated within this country as a mode of justifying the projection of American power around the globe. Clearly, if we were the moral police, we would have intervened in many a genocide that has happened since the end of WWII. We pretty much know that the military intervenes to accomplish geopolitical and commercial goals disguised to the American public as humanitarian aid.
I'm not sure if Americans are aware of this perspective (the one I present above) in part because it seems that Americans are genuinely misinformed. Perhaps you could investigate the public's opinion about foreign wars and conflict abroad. What kinds of anti-war newspaper articles are showing up across time in for different wars? Do the opinions of the wars at the time line up with later perspectives with the benefit of historical perspective? How well does misinformation about foreign policy and wars abroad work?
You're looking at a cool subject, but you have to develop an angle for your inquiry project that allows for an open ended question that you can follow through on over the course of the next fourteen weeks.
I hope this helps.
Best,
Joseph
The topic I am really interested in is the neurological effects of music on individuals. How do certain elements in music affect people, and what part of the brain does the music affect. Parents make their toddlers listen to classical music such as Beethoven and Mozart because it apparently makes them smarter in the long run, but how can simply listening to a specific type of music actually effect the mental stimulation of a child once they've developed? Different kinds of music help us feel different emotions, such as sadness, anger, happiness, etc. But how do our minds register the music we listen to as a specific emotion that we are supposed to feel?
ReplyDeleteHi Brian,
DeleteThe research about music and the brain has grown tremendously over the past ten years. This certainly doesn't mean there isn't room for more research. Some of the questions you are asking would require the use of MRI machines. Do you have some connections that would get you access to use an MRI machine?
I think you can still develop a pretty cool project that looks into the ways that music affects the brain. Start by looking at articles in cognition and music. Then you might also look at psychology journals as well. You're going to find an abundance of research on this topic, so your goal is going to be finding a way to narrow things down to something that is manageable.
Best,
Joseph
My first idea, is to look at women’s position/role in the Olympic Games. Specifically, Women’s gymnastics. I feel that no one really pays attention to men’s gymnastics anymore and I want to find out why that is. Is men’s gymnastics uninteresting? How have women’s status impacted their role on television? I want to conduct a survey that will show what people’s preferences are when watching gymnastics. I will also compare the types of routines that women and men do because I think routines greatly impact the popularity between women and men.
ReplyDeleteMy second idea, is to look at how comical films have changed over the years. I believe that a shift in culture has greatly impacted society’s thoughts/perspectives of what people find to be funny. Dating back from Charlie Chaplin to movies like 21 Jump Street and We are the Millers, comedy tactics have changed. The vulgar scenes depicted in recent movies would be deemed as hilarious, but back then I think obscene moments would have been censored or not even shown. I want to go into more depth on why comedy tactics have evolved.
Hi Greta,
DeleteIt seems that the US broadcasts of Olympics sell certain angles to the games and one of the favorites seems to be women's gymnastics. You might start this research by looking at coverage figures for the Olympics. Do women's gymnastics get more air time than men's gymnastics, and if so, why is women's gymnastics selling more than men's?
It seems that women gymnasts do gain more notoriety, but how far can you take this project? Are women is sports always marketed in ways to leverage in sexualized ways? I'm not saying that gymnastics is overly sexualized, but the outfits are a bit skimpy- the women's outfits are way skimpier than the men's.
Does this have more to do with very few women climbing to higher roles in television (like program director)?
Perhaps you could start looking at scholarly articles that deal with women's gymnastics.
Your second research subject seems interesting too. How much of a shift has occurred in the comedy people are consuming? This seems a bit subjective at this juncture, but it also seems interesting. How has comedy evolved in the past few decades, and to what extent has it been transformed?
Keep grappling with these ideas and start reading articles.
Best,
Joseph
I would like to study the difference in opinions in social issues between parents and their children. How can this occur if one directly influenced the other? Also with a broader look at it how did friends, events or other generations such as grandparents effect this as well? Another angle that could be pursued is to study if their is a trend in how open minded generations are if each generation over comes a social issue such as racial integration and the development of gay acceptance now a days. I can conduct the research by interviewing family's that have multiple generations and see how beliefs progressed. I would accompany this with articles as well.
ReplyDeleteHi Christopher,
DeleteDifferences in social perspectives among kids and parents might be an interesting subject to broach. It may be even more interesting to look at this from a generational perspective. For example, you might look at baby boomers, generation y, millennials, and see what kinds of differences in social philosophy took shape. It seems that new technology marks the upcoming generations as coming to age in a different era.
From a mythological perspective, the older generation dies to the emergence of the new generation. Perhaps this conflict plays itself out in different ways between different generations.
You should start reading articles about sociological rebellion and shifts in social positioning across generations.
You might have a really cool project here, but narrowing it down is important.
Best,
Joseph
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ReplyDeleteThe topic I decided to do my research on is about the anatomy of the brain but specifically how each lobe is linked to our different emotions. I’ve always had the curiosity to know how a mass of meat with electrical impulses works and controls everything we do, giving us the ability to think and have a conscience. If someone in an accident got brain damage or was born with something different, how could that affect their emotions, relationships and actions towards other people? I currently volunteer at a hospital so I hope that I can get the opportunity to talk to a doctor or someone about the topic and hopefully develop my research. Apart from that, I will also do research about recent studies that I have seen related to the topic and will also look more information about a book of psychopaths that I’m reading which also addresses how damages to our brains or maybe just genetic factors impact our actions and emotions.
ReplyDeleteHi Arnaldo,
DeleteI am certainly impressed with your ambition to research the operations of the brain, but my concern is that you will not have access to the kinds of technology that would allow you to contribute to this conversation. Most of the research you would be reading will have been conducted by doctors who have serious research grants and amazing technology to image the brain.
I wish you could do research with sophisticated equipment, but you have to work with the tools you have. If you are interested in becoming a doctor, perhaps you could look at some social issues related to the medical field. At least with this research, you have some tools to actually contribute to the conversation.
What factors contribute to positive patient-doctor relationships in family medicine? What practices have emerged to improve child-doctor relationships, and how are best practices implemented within doctor's offices?
Remember Arnaldo, you need to have the tools to contribute to the conversation. I don't want you just reading into the studies completed by others and reporting on their findings. I want you to actually do something to contribute to the conversation.
Best,
Joseph
My first idea that i would want to closely examine would be the stereotypes and their influence in society. There are two directions that I have considered. The first would be the basic idea that stereotypes play a key role when people judge each other. Although society has taken steps to become more open-minded, people still immediately judge a new person by the way they look, how they talk, or even their ethnicity. I would conduct an experiment that tests diverse subjects on first impressions of different pictures. I'd have them say the first thing that comes to mind, and see if it relates to certain stereotypes of the picture.
ReplyDeleteThe topic that I am more interested in will be a little bit harder to prove. I believe that stereotypes play a huge role in helping children develop their own identity. They feel as if they need to belong to a certain group, and change themselves to fit regardless of their own interests. I believe that children and teens are afraid of being different and therefore use stereotypes to make them blend into a specific category. I am not sure if I want to conduct an experiment or interview with this topic. I feel that an experiment will not help my argument and that an interview would be more appropriate.
Hi Madison,
DeleteI think your best bet is to delve into the way stereotypes influence identity development. Perhaps you are also delving into social conformity here, but in many regards, it seems that social conformity and stereotypes are relational in some way (though I can't exactly place the relationship now). It seems that kids are socially conditioned to buy into particular versions of stereotypes which can also play a role in identity development.
I recommend you start looking through psychology journals and read up on identity and stereotypes. To what extent do the social pressures of stereotypes play roles in identity development through the late teenage and early adult years?
I like where you are going with this.
Best,
Joseph
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ReplyDeleteThe first topic that came to mind is the Lion Whisperer, Kevin Richardson and his unique relationship to wild animals. This includes lions, hyenas, and soon, the Ingwe Leopard. I found it exceptionally remarkable that a person can create such an intimate relationship to untamed animals as if he is training them like his own pets. Not only does he name them according to their personality, he treats them like fellow human beings. These endangered species are my favorite animals, and in my opinion he is extremely lucky these lions are comfortable enough to snuggle up to him. Other questions came into consideration is if we could tame sharks as well. To what extent can wild animals be tamed anyways? Should they even be tamed by humans or leave them to roam wild and free?
ReplyDeleteMy second topic is the psychology of color. This is also known as Colorology. I cannot help but to wonder how color affects us as Art Majors. I have noticed that certain colors tend to cause an emotional response in people (this is coming from a girl who was voted Coloring Queen in Kindergarten). I have noticed men are kinder to me when I wear red, and at times I am taken more seriously when I wear black. Why does this happen? I could possibly do a survey and ask people of all ages about their reactions and feelings to color. Some questions include: Why is this your favorite color? Why do you dislike that color? Why did you decide to have your room painted that color? And so on.
Another issue that immediately caught my attention is that Florida is normally voted as one of the worst dressed states. I immediately asked myself “What is wrong with how we dress?” From then on I cannot help but to notice what people wear when I am in crowded places such as at the mall or even on UCF campus. Maybe I should just remove my award on my wall for being voted “Most Fashionable” in my 2013 International Baccalaureate Senior class. I just assume tourists and the weather are to blame.
One last topic is the twelve signs of the Zodiac. It came to my attention that people tend to overly believe the information about them. With that in mind I grow curious about if some signs do not mesh well together in real life and why. Personally, my zodiac sign for July 27th, Leo, is surprisingly accurate. I am pretty sure I am adventurous, positive, and secretly wanting to be famous. But on the other hand, what if someone is completely opposite of their sign? Then what happens? And how common does this occur?
A few other issues that appeal to me are why people do not take action when they witness the unjust. Why some people pursue jobs they completely dislike, only to fulfill their parents wishes. The subject of how women in bikinis are instantly perceived as objects to men. I am sure other curiosities will come to mind sooner or later making the decision-making difficult.
ENC 1102-0048
Hi Christina,
DeleteIt seems that you have a whole host of ideas for your project. Out of all of these, you need to think critically about what you will get the most out of.
I think colorism is interesting, but but I'm not sure how you would avoid the pitfalls of too many variables when judging the impact of colors.
One interesting question that might work for animals involves the approaches in promoting the animal rights agenda. To what extent are animal rights advocates successful in delivering better conditions for animals? How effective are different kinds of rhetoric in convincing animal rights supporters to become animal rights activists?
There are clearly many paths to take, but ultimately, you will have to decide which one is right for you.
Best,
Joseph
I am honestly not too sure what I want to do my inquiry based research project on, but one idea that I have been thinking about is how social media has changed over the past 10-15 years, and how it has affected our life today. I realize this is a very broad topic, so I am thinking about just focusing on certain aspects of it. One point I was thinking about talking about is something that could be controversial. In the past few years, I have noticed that many people post pictures and or statuses about their deceased loved ones and the caption talks about how much they miss them. Is this just a way to get attention on social media? Or do they use social media as a coping mechanism to reach out to others for guidance and therapy? I myself found out my aunt died because my cousin posted a status on Facebook shortly after her death. Social Media is changing how people think and talk. It is doing a lot of good in our society and a lot of bad. I am interested to see how the older generation perceives it versus how the younger generation sees it.
ReplyDeleteHi Joseph,
DeleteI think exploring the dynamics of disclosure of personal information on social media is an interesting angle to look into. You might also examine identity of online personae. There are a lot of possibilities, but you already know that you need to narrow this down a bit. Try looking at some scholarly articles about social media to catch the tenner of the varying conversations that are percolating. Form here, you could develop some angle and an open ended question to guide your project.
Best,
Joseph
The first subject that I found interesting was the psychological connection between colors and a person's comfortability. I recently came across an article that talked about how people are more likely to trust someone with brown eyes rather than other color eyes. This would raise the question: Why do we view certain colors as more welcoming than others? Some of you suggested doing a study where I choose three different interviewers(one brown eyes, one blue eyes, one green eyes) and have them interview a stranger. At the end of the interview, the stranger would then answer the question “Which interviewer did you trust more?” The hard part in this is toning out the interviewer’s personality, which can play a big role in the participants comfortability. Gender and race are also factors to consider. I think this topic could work after putting more thought into it.
ReplyDeleteThe second topic that caught my attention was the psychological study of height and success. Some studies have shown that people who are taller become more successful-better jobs, earn more money, win Presidential Elections, ect. I haven't explored this topic as much as the previous, but this is definitely worth considering given that I am on the tall side :).
Hi Joseph,
DeleteIt seems that you have some decent ideas here, and you have already identified some methodological flaws with the interview process (which is a good thing because it shows you are thinking critically about the other variables that could come into play). it seems interesting to look at perception of likability and the factors that lead to these perceptions. There are probably many variables that contribute to a perception of trust even though some of these factors are probably based on preconceived and unconscious stereotypes. I'm not sure how you would contribute to the discussion of height unless you are doing a longitudinal study (which we don't have time for given we have fourteen weeks left).
Keep playing with these ideas and start looking at scholarly articles to help you on your way.
Best,
Joseph
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ReplyDeleteThere are two topics that I have thought about a lot and the first topic has to deal with marijuana and the other one is about steroids in sports. I've thought about the different uses and ways that marijuana can actually help you. For example with cancer patients the marijuana helps them through the painful process of chemotherapy. I have an aunt who has had breast cancer twice and she said that marijuana is the only thing she uses because its the only medicine that can make her feel good about herself. I also have an uncle who has had back surgery a numerous amount of times and he also states that marijuana is the only thing that makes the pain go away. Another topic that has caught my interest is steroids in sports. I believe that its honestly useless to take steroids while in sports since your main goal was to be a professional basketball or football player or whatever sport you're interested in. Why would you take steroids to risk everything you've ever worked for, the only thing you ever knew growing up just because you want to produce better numbers. There is plenty of research on both of these topics and the only topic I feel that would be difficult would be to find and interview someone who actually takes steroids. Despite the possible difficulties that could arise, both would be very interesting topics to do research about.
ReplyDeleteHi Marcus,
DeleteI don't object to you doing research about marijuana or steroids, but I want you to find an angle that could lead to something interesting. The issue comes in when you try to find and interview people who are using illegal substances. When you research these topics, you are somewhat limited to doing textual analysis for your primary research.
Your biggest difficulty is that you must make this an inquiry based project--you have to start with an open ended question that there are no canned answers for. Setting out to make the argument for the legalization of medical marijuana is not an option for this project.
Overall- this kind of research (about illegal substances) operates along a very slippery slope.
Best,
Joseph
Ever since middle school, the fashion industry has taken over my life. I always hoped one day I would get the opportunity to become apart of it. However, the one thing that has always bothered me is the message they portray. Especially when it mostly affects the younger generation. Although more average size models were considered to be perfect decades ago, the body image has progressively leaned toward the skinnier the better. Fashion advertisements today, seem to depict the "perfect body" as being almost six feet tall and a size double zero, a body that is not only majorly unhealthy but it nearly impossible to attain unless one was born that way or one starves themselves. The younger generation that isn't born with this "perfect body" in return are stripped of being completely comfortable in their skin and resort to some drastic measures to try to change that. If companies were to use more average size models, would the younger generation have more self confidence? But would the companies as a result sell less products compared to companies who continue to use skinnier models?
ReplyDeleteHi Baily,
DeleteIt seems that media images are more and more prevalent in the lives of people as technology becomes more imbedded in the daily lives of people. Perhaps more exposure to certain images of 'the ideal' paired with a higher frequency of exposure to these images are resulting in more issues with body image. It seems that there are whole lines of products that really leverage fear of looking too far from the ideal as a mode of selling.
I'm not so sure men are attracted to the excessively skinny models (I know I am not). What benefits to the designers see in projecting this singular image of the ultra skinny and size 00 6' models? Did all the designers get together and have a meeting that no one else was invited to?
You are onto something interesting here. Start looking at articles that delve into the images of fashion, and go on from there.
Best,
Joseph
One passion of mine and hopefully the topic for my paper will be mission work. I am curious to see what studies have been done about this and what new things I could do research on. Having been on trips before it is always apparent to me the people who are there to accomplish the goals set out for the group and those who are there for other reasons, or who don’t even want to be there. In the back of my mind I always wondered why they even fundraised or paid money to go if the reason they were there was to “vacation”.
ReplyDeleteAn idea for the paper that I have been thinking about is how short term mission trips have an effect on missionaries (the participants) versus long term missions. Do long term trips have more of a lasting impression just simply because they are longer? Or do the trips differ because of the type of people that choose to participate in them? Maybe even ask if the idea of a mission trip has changed from generation to generation. Researching which one is more “effective” or if they equally get their goals done is another possibility.
I could interview different participants of these trips along with the missionaries that help, and the people in charge to get different views. I could then see if the differences in age have any effect on their responses. Also, connecting with a focus group could benefit me by receiving feedback on my work and running ideas by people with similar topics.
Hi Monica,
DeleteWe talked about your project in office hours, and I think you are onto something that could be quite excellent. tracing the dynamism of mission work across a generation or two might give you an interesting perspective into this important work. Perhaps if you look at how it has changed over the past two decades as you literature review, you could then contribute to the conversation by looking into the current state of mission work.
Best,
Joseph
I have a few topics I’ve been debating to do my research assignment on.
ReplyDelete1.) Why are emotions so different between guys and girls? Is what triggers the emotions different in girls than what triggers guys emotions? What makes relationships successful since there is such a huge difference in how girls and guys handle their emotions?
2.) Another topic I was thinking about going off of is why less college students/young adults seem to date compared to before? Does it have to do with female equality and women being more independent? Do divorces being more common now also have an effect on relationships now? What long term effect does divorce have on future relationships?
3.) And the last topic I’ve been debating doing research on was the movie Blackfish/ what actually goes on in the Sea World program?
Hi Kristin,
DeleteYou have some very interesting ideas for your project. Has the idea of what it means to be dating changed with the advent of new social media and new identities forming within these online spaces. It is interesting that women are pegged to be more emotional than men, but is this really accurate? What does the psychology literature say about this issue? Is it socially conditioned or biological? Are women capable of experiencing more complex emotions than men?
I'm not sure if you can actually get access to the third question you pose. It seems that Sea World is going to hold their hand close to the chest because those whales are huge cash cows (which they are not planning to give up any time soon).
Start reading some academic journals to snoop the conversation a bit.
Best,
Joseph
Kelly Costa
ReplyDeleteBlog Post 2
Inquiry Ideas
In a family of multiple siblings there have been a lot of inquiries and myths about the birth order of siblings. One of these common ideas is saying that middle children can often be overlooked as compared to the other siblings, another one saying that the youngest is most spoiled. I am the youngest of 3, plus I am the only girl. Both of my own brothers have said, “I have it easier” because I am the youngest of 3, plus I am the only girl. So I would like to research these ideas, as well as interview other families with multiple siblings, like my own, and if they think there is any truth to this idea. I would also like to see if gender of the siblings has any effect on these ideas. I would also like to find out if these ideas do occur in siblings, as they grow older do they still play a part amongst siblings.
I too am from a family of three. I'm the oldest. My brother is 18 months younger than me, and my sister is nearly 10 years younger. When my sister came along my parents had started earning much more money than when I was a kid, so my sister certainly had a different upbringing than my brother and I did.
DeleteMy sister was indeed spoiled. While my brother and I started working by age twelve (with the encouragement of our father), my sister upon turning sixteen was discouraged from working in favor of my father giving her money. My sister actually complains about this because she actually wanted to start working.
I think you should start reading some literature from psychology journals on this issue. You should also start thinking about an open ended question to guide your project.
Best,
Joseph
I am interested in two topics,
ReplyDelete1- Endangered animals, what is being done to protect them? What made these animals become endangered and what can we do to help prevent that? As for the animals that are already endangered what can we do to help bring their population back?
2- Slaughter houses / food production. Places like slaughter houses mistreat animals beyond belief. They could care less about the animals, all they want is more money for each pound of meat that they are killing the animal for. Places like this make me sick and I honestly feel like they should be illegal. No I am not a vegetarian, I do eat meat but I believe in animals being raised in the proper environment and fed appropriate food. Cows are raised in muddy paddocks that are never cleaned of waste and fed corn which isn't a sufficient diet for such a large animal. Chickens are kept in cages that are barely big enough for them to stand up in and given hormones to make their breasts grow faster than the rest of their body does causing their legs to break. These animals are basically tortured at such facilities. Is there anything being done to stop this? What can we do to make a difference?
I am a huge animal lover so that is why these two topics are very important to me and I feel that I would be able to write a lot about the and even learn more things that I didn't know about it.
Hi Audry,
DeleteYou should check out this video:
http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_pollan_gives_a_plant_s_eye_view.html
This video presents an offshoot of what you are delving into, and I think this video can really help you to think about a dynamic way to approach conservation. Why have people developed an attitude of man versus nature? Why doesn't man see nature and himself as one and the same? What could be done to shift this perspective?
After you watch the above video, please start looking at potential articles to help you on your way.
Best,
Joseph
I have searched a couple of topics for this research paper and most of them spike my interest. I want to choose a topic that no one else will be researching as well as a topic that I will have ample sources to search from. In addition, I want to be able to perform research questionnaires for people to answer through media sources on Facebook and Twitter.
ReplyDeleteOne of the first issues that is a probable candidate for my research paper is the issue concerning whether it is right or wrong for people to donate to animal charities before children charities. Giving up your money for a charity is never a bad thing, however, is putting an animal’s life before a child’s life morally correct? Why donate to the ASPCA before donating to UNICEF or St. Jude’s hospital? This also brings up the question of are god’s creature equal or is one more deserving of care. For this topic I would make a survey with questions asking which charity someone would donate to and how much they donate.
Another topic I would be interested in researching is the airports’ security system. Are the TSA random tests really random, or is stereotyping still involved? Are “non-whites” pegged for a special searches or random checks more often than Caucasians? For this topic I would like to post a survey on my Facebook and Twitter asking people if they have ever got searched in the airport and if so, what race they are.
A third topic I am interested in why men are still being paid more in the workforce than women. If women oppression has already been dealt with than why are women still underdogs when it comes to men? If a woman and a man had the same qualifications in a work place, the male would probably get the higher pay.
Lastly, is freedom of speech really “free” or do you have the pay the price when it comes down to it? For example, Phil Robertson from Duck Dynasty recently had an old video revealed about his beliefs, now he is being penalized by getting removed from the show. If freedom of speech was really free this wouldn’t be the circumstance. Moreover, are public figures more in the spot light for getting penalized?
Hi Amanda,
DeleteThe psychology behind donating time and money seems like an interesting subject to delve into. You should definitely check out this TED video: http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pallotta_the_way_we_think_about_charity_is_dead_wrong.html
The second topic you look at is one that I think you already know the answer to. Indeed, racial profiling is a part of airport security, but is it tacitly mandated or is it written in manuals? This research would be tough because you are not going to get much access to the inside workings of the TSA; however, you can certainly look at this from the angle of the people who are profiled. Perhaps it is better to look at profiling in more common situations.
In sum, each of your topics seems interesting, so you should pick one that you see as most interesting.
Best,
Joseph
The topic that I will most likely be writing about is whether or not technological advancement is infinite or if it has a definite end point. The question is based around the scientific statement that nothing with mass can travel faster then the speed of light. If that is a fact then does that mean that we can already see the end point of all major technological advancement? Can we really never achieve anything beyond that point? I plan to go through the history of scientific and technological advancements throughout the world and see how major advancements we take for granted today looked to people in the past who witnessed them occur. I want to see if every generation of technology believes it is at the peak until it is eventually surpassed in a manner most did not think was possible. Just as something like traveling faster then the speed of light would appear to people today.
ReplyDeleteHi Sean,
DeleteI think we know that scientific and technological prowess is an ever achieving endeavor. Scientific discourse is constantly being updated and it endlessly evolves because new breakthroughs are always coming through. I don't think this question is really a question at all. Though many scientists will declare there are rarely absolute certainties, it seems quite certain to me that technology will never hit a complete standstill.
As of now you are looking at a ginormous project that will need some serious narrowing down. The question you use to delve into this conversation need to be explored and tweaked. The video we watched about technological innovation and where good ideas come from is an interesting one to revisit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU
You might also want to check out this one:
http://www.ted.com/talks/scott_mccloud_on_comics.html
Best,
Joseph
The main topic I wrote down and discussed in class with my peers was regarding the economy in the 21st century. Recently I've gotten very interested with business, and the future economy of our society. With the rise of the internet and globalization, more has changed in the past 10 years than people realize, things are moving faster than ever, yet not everyone is keeping up with or staying ahead of the curve. Specifically, I read a book called the Business of the 21st century by Robert Kiyosaki which really opened my mind among other things with what’s to come. Many people predict that we are moving towards a performance based economy, instead of traditional salary and wage based economy. Here you would get paid not just for the work you do, but how well you do it. Similar to how waitress’s get paid, except for everyone. This gives huge incentives for people to work harder, especially with technology continuing to replace jobs each year. That isn't going to stop, as it becomes more affordable for businesses. With labor jobs slowly being phased out, people will begin to be paid more for their intelligence and creativity of their mind, rather than their physical actions. Human interaction and emotion will be another big factor I think for certain businesses however. It’s weird to think that most of the jobs our generation will work haven't even been created yet, almost scary for some who are trying to prepare themselves for the future. This topic really interests me and I think about it daily, but I am still trying to decide what exactly I would like to research, or the best questions I could raise to start brainstorming with. With everything moving towards electronics and computers, it is definitely an area where the more you know about them, the more value you can provide to society. I wonder what certain qualities and skills will be timeless as we move into next era of our planet?
ReplyDeleteHi Nathan,
DeleteYou have some cool ideas here.
I want you to check out some TED talks:
http://www.ted.com/talks/alain_de_botton_a_kinder_gentler_philosophy_of_success.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/simon_sinek_how_great_leaders_inspire_action.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/scott_mccloud_on_comics.html
We both know you have a bit of narrowing to do, and hopefully the above videos help you to think of ways to narrow your project down a bit.
Best,
Joseph
Thanks for reply Professor Longhany,
DeleteI'm excited to check out these videos to help narrow down my topic. Thanks for the suggestions!
Nathan
Music has always been a big part of my life. Since I was young I have always had music in my household. Whether it was listening or hearing it sung, it has always been a very important apart of my life. So for my research paper I want to analyze music and all it's affects. How music has been effectively used in history and it's historical events it's influence. Politically how music has affected or changed things. It's psychological affect on people. It's personal affect on people. How music can emotionally affect people in different ways. Music's affect worldwide.
ReplyDeleteHi Malcolm,
DeleteThere are innumerable projects you can do to explore music. Certainly, many people are currently interested in music and the brain. Why do people like sad songs? Are they all self deprecating people who just want to feel bad? What about the development of certain kinds of music? What factors influenced certain musical movements? Why has a certain brand of pop music invaded mainstream radio?
The main issue for you, like that of your peers, involves narrowing down your topic. I recommend you start reading some academic articles about music. Look at some different areas and see what you like.
Best,
Joseph
I have 2 main topics I have been focusing on...
ReplyDeleteThe first is about soccer and the recent incidents with goal line technology being called into play. Refs these days are very easily bought off and bribed by big clubs and a lot of goals have been allowed or disallowed when they shouldn't have been. There are very many examples of when this technology is needed, especially in the world cup of 2010 when England scored a goal, or should have, to move on to the final four. Unfortunately it was not given even though it clearly went in. This topic can also contain the corruption that undergoes in many countries around the world with the sport.
My second topic is a bit more testy, it has to do with the catholic religion and the reform its starting to go under and some of the things that are still in place that are controversial. I grew up going to church and church school and eventually I got confirmed but after a while i started looking deeper into the church and realized there were somethings i didn't really agree with that made me distance myself from it. I'd like to be able to analyze some of the factors of the church and the ups and downs of it. I would like to get invested into my religion again and i feel writing a paper about it would allow me to reorganize my thoughts and figure my own way out.
Hi Peter,
DeleteI think the introduction of goal line technology is interesting, but do you think this subject is robust enough for a semester long research project? I think goal line technology for soccer is similar to a topic about new replay in baseball. Both are interesting topics, but I don't see what your end product would be. I'm also hard pressed to think of how you might come up with an open ended question for this issue. It's pretty much accepted that replay, when done properly, helps enhance the quality of sports.
The research about the church seems much more interesting to me. Now that a new Pope is really starting to change things, this research could be very interesting. Is the catholic church starting to see people return to church as a result of the new philosophy? What factors contributed to many people leaving the church over the past few decades?
I certainly like the second idea better than the first.
Best,
Joseph
Due to my vast interest in professional sports and the histories of the MLB, NHL, NBA, and NFL I was thinking of a project that would concentrate on this category. I think that an interesting topic may be researching whether or not the payroll of professional franchises effects the overall success of the team whether it be overall record, or championships. A drawback to this topic would be that I would not be able to interview those who are in direct affiliation with the topic.
ReplyDeleteAnother field that I am interested in is the environment, though I only have a rough idea of what I would do with it. Possibly something concerning the development of technology and it's effect on the environment.
Hi Jarrett,
DeleteIt seems plausible that payroll does have some impact on franchise success (see New York Yankees circa George Steinbrenner's takeover of the team). It seems that in today's world, the NFL has become the king of American sport, but it wasn't always this way. What is it about the NFL that Americans love? Regular season NFL games crush MLB playoff games in ratings. During the summer when pennant races are in full swing for baseball, it seems ESPN spends more time covering training camps for the NFL.
What's interesting is that in a three hour broadcast of an NFL game, there is actually about eleven real minutes of game action. Much of the time involves teams huddling up, shots of drunk fans in the crowd, shots of coaches on the sideline, and nearly sixty minutes of commercials.
Keep teasing out ideas for your project, and start reading some academic articles.
Best,
Joseph
I've had many different topics that I wanted to do my project on, with the most relevant to me being the portrayal of the forensic specialist and crime scene investigator in entertainment. We've all watched all those action packed movies and TV shows about murder and crime stopping. The detectives and lab analysts all seem to be field agents, dressed nicely and sworn, with crimes solved instantaneously, usually within the same episode within a span of a few days. But what's the reality? Crime investigation is mostly paperwork and court sessions, giant lab coats or specialty outfits, and many specialists don't even carry a gun. These blurred lines between what the media portrays crime scene investigations and the reality of it has been dubbed as the "CSI Effect." How does this affect the work of forensic specialists? Why is the media only showing the exciting part of such a serious profession?
ReplyDeleteBrittany,
DeleteThis is an extensively researched topic, and you should have no trouble finding articles that delve into this issue from many perspectives. The problem you might run into is that there is so much written about this topic that it may be hard to get your own perspective into the mix.
Perhaps you could look at the CSI effect as it relates to jurors. it seems to me that forensics specialists probably enjoy their work and might be mildly annoyed at the television portrayals of their field. There is certainly potential for a project on the CSI effect, but finding your own angle will be the challenge.
Best,
Joseph
My first idea is to research animal cruelty in entertainment. Someone suggested that I look up the documentary Blackfish, and I found the idea to be very interesting. I’m interested in finding out what type of behavior animals have that affect them and cause them to hurt the people that take care of them and/or train them. I will hopefully try to compare and contrast the animals that are taken from the wild and put into captivity, and those that are born in captivity.
ReplyDeleteMy second idea comes from a TED talk that I watched. It had to do with memory and the false memory that people often have. It is so simple as to just plant a memory in someone’s head and then they will most likely believe that memory to be true, and may even change their behavior due to that memory. What I would like to research is if your mood or other factors at the time of an event, affects the memory that you have of the event.
Hi Stephanie,
DeleteI think we know that captive animals are prone to attacking trainers because they are stressed by the conditions of living within unnatural confines. The question you might look into involves how effective certain modes of communication are in developing and perpetuating the animal rights movement. What kinds of messages are successful in changing peoples' attitudes about animals?
You might want to check out this video:
http://www.ted.com/talks/michael_pollan_gives_a_plant_s_eye_view.html
Best,
Joseph
One topic that I am interested in researching is the pressure to decide what you are going to do with the rest of your life at such a young age. As an undeclared freshman, the decision on what to major in and do for a sizeable portion of my life looms ahead. Why is it that society expects us to decide on what and who they are going to be at age 17, 18, or 19? Going to college is what was heavily pushed in my high school. That’s ok to an extent, but what if college isn’t the right choice for you? I also want to look at examining why there aren’t more options and opportunities for students to explore careers in high school. If you have to know so soon after graduation what you are going to do, why aren’t they preparing students better before they leave?
ReplyDeleteAnother topic that interests me is celebrities and the effects fame and stardom have on them. We constantly see celebrities on the news and in the magazines for snapping and doing completely crazy things. Why is this? It is because they have an existing condition that causes them to act this way? Or does the fame and everything that comes with it take a toll on these individuals and turn them into something they are not? I am not sure how I would perform a study yet, due to the fact that I cannot interview celebrities but it is something that I am thinking about.
Hi Brianna,
DeleteI think you are onto a very interesting subject here. Why are schools pushing students into majors as early as seventh grade? Are we heading towards a future where first graders are declaring majors? Shuffling people into categories seems to be in the DNA of education, but where did it come from?
You should check out these two talks:
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_how_to_escape_education_s_death_valley.html
I think you are onto something with this idea. Start looking for some scholarly articles and delving further into this.
Best,
Joseph
One of the topics that i came up with to write about for my research paper was the prospect of ones future at an early age and what it actually comes to be. as far as the specific topic within this broad range researchable ideas i do not know. there are many different ways you could go about this such as: earnings, lifestyle , spouse, children, degree/career field relationship, following passion or money, ones freedoms etc. i know that this topic has been researched in the past and studys have been conducted so it will not be hard to find supporting material for my paper but i am still not sure how i would conduct my own research. A focus group could work for college students but that only really provides the future projection side of the research if i were to complete the research i feel like a survey of older 35-60 year old people would better do the trick.
ReplyDeleteThe other topic that i thought about was why drugs are so prevalent in teens lives today, and whether it was due to boredom and such created by the limited freedom of a child still living under their parents roof and such. Just a thought i haven't really thought about it too much though.
Hi Jesse,
DeleteIt is interesting to think about how people come to choose their career path and the future they want. What are people following, and what have people followed in the past. If you're interested in time perspective, you might want to check out the work of Philip Zimbardo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3oIiH7BLmg
It might be really interesting to interview older people to find out how their journeys to specific careers unfolded. Are there patterns that people of younger generations should pay attention to?
You might also want to look at Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth" or "The Hero With a Thousand Faces;" both of these titles really look at the transformation of people over a lifetime.
I look froward to seeing what you do with this project.
Best,
Joseph
0049
ReplyDeleteMy topic is about the Joker and questioning whether he is a genius or he is what most people believe insane. The Joker is the main antagonist of the Batman comics and as his arch-nemesis he must be able to match "the world's greatest detective". It is a well stated fact in the DC Universe that the Joker is extremely smart, in some of his comics he adopted a gorilla for a son and taught him how to be a nuclear engineer. Without a doubt his level of intellect is on par with that of Batman's but the problem then the question of his sanity comes to mind. Throughout the many years that the Joker has existed there have been many doctors that have tried to help him and diagnose him to understand why he does what he does. In the many diagnoses the Joker has been given almost every known mental disease known to man. In some cases he has been diagnosed with "super-sanity", this means that he is so far gone that he actually isn't crazy anymore. One moment he can be completely fine and the other he could be his old self fighting Batman. Personally I believe that he reflects the world for what it truly is. My research question is: Is the Joker clinically insane or is he just the world's greatest mind?
Hi Juan,
DeleteThe balance of genius and madness is something that fascinates many people. In many cases, the genius sees what others cannot, and by default he is rendered as a insane. Many wonderful geniuses are seen as crazy or a bit off by their contemporaries, but posthumously, they are often celebrated as geniuses. Part of this is that geniuses are often ahead of their time.
I think it is interesting to explore the development of the Joker as a character. It might be interesting to look at the character from both a perspective of the psyche and from a mythological perspective. What aspects of mythological import does the Joker represent?
I think you should run with this project. I look forward to seeing what you do with it.
Best,
Joseph
I have considered writing about a few different topics. The first one that I'm most likely going to write about is about jobs and their hiring preferences. The question that I'm going to be investigating is if the skills that workplaces are looking for are changing as we move from the Intelligence Age to the Conceptual Age. The ideology of the Intelligence age is focused on left-brained thinking and the ability to crunch numbers. But while reading the book, A Whole New Mind, I read of the new age we are coming on, an age focused on creativity: the Conceptual Age. While considering this I would like to research how job hirers are changing what they are looking for. I would like to know if the shift has been made and whether or not communication is a more important than the ability to do calculations in the modern day workplace.
ReplyDeleteThe second topic that I'm considering is the up and coming generation's new form of literacy. A literacy in which we are shifting from formal letters to abbreviations and emoticons. The question I will be investigating is whether or not our generation's literacy is devolving(skill-wise), or whether it's evolving into a different type of literacy that will be the essence of communication in the future.
Hi Niles,
DeleteYou have two interesting topics to look at here. What is driving the new demands for literacy in the workplace? It seems that more and more sophisticated communication and critical thinking skills are demanded of individuals. While companies are certainly demanding more creativity from workers, to what extent are companies developing environments that foster creativity?
If creativity is the mainstay of what new business wants, how come there are few course offerings in high school and college that focus strictly on creativity? How effective are emerging programs at leveraging applied creativity? Can creativity be taught, or is it something that defies the confines of a traditional classroom?
I'm giving you a lot of angles to look into here; you should think and read a lot about this over the next week or so.
I look forward to seeing where you go with this.
Best,
Joseph
Adam Tran
ReplyDeleteENC 1102
When asked what I am passionate about, soccer and technology come to my mind. Working off of that, a topic I have considered for this project is the effect of technology on teenagers and the young children of our generation. There has been a lot of debate about whether technology is harming our generation, arguing that we are on our phones too much and may not interact as much. On the other hand, others argue that technology can give us access to information and can even strengthen (or harm) relationships through the ease of communication. This could also lead me into the broader topic of whether or not technology would one day replace human aspects of life, such as jobs. I could basically talk about technology and its effects on people, as well as its future. Thinking about my passion for soccer, I am also considering researching what factors play into successful motivational speeches and what effect these speeches have on the audience. My soccer soccer coaches have always been role models to me. I always had a high level of respect for them and was always anxious to learn from them and their expertise. Countless times, coaches have lifted my spirits, given me determination, and encouraged me to be eager to improve myself. Through their words, whether it be a simple one on one talk or a half-time speech, these coaches moved me and had an effect on me through their words. I am curious to see how these motivational speeches can draw such emotion from its audience. I also would be interested in seeing how these speeches have an effect on the speaker. For example, when some coaches give these speeches, they may be brought back in time and remember when they were young athletes and would hear speeches like that. I’m sure speakers too are moved by their speeches and that they invoke some sort of emotion, and I’m interested in learning all about it. It would be nice to possibly meet up with my old coaches and speak with them in order to further my research.
Hi Adam,
DeleteIndeed the technology's affect on individuals is something that many people are interested in understanding. Of course, technology in general is so broad that your project would end up being a volume of several thousand pages. Perhaps it might be prudent to narrow your question down to focus on particular kinds of technology or a particular angle related to technology. For example, technology continues to present very difficult questions related to privacy. This issue seems to be one that many in older generations are concerned with, but younger generations seem to not care about as much.
New marketing and advertising through handheld technology is changing with more and more rapidity. How are people affected by the new personalized modes of advertisements?
You can certainly do something cool here, but your immediate task is to narrow your field down.
Best,
Joseph
Topics I may consider researching for a research paper would probably be in the field of quick service restaurants and the environment and interaction between the workers. The reason I would choose to research this focus group is because I work in the quick serve industry and I believe the interactions between the workers expedite the processes they are trying to accomplish. Also when in an environment where you are trying to work with other people I find that you may use a unique lexis in order to pass information on to others much more efficiently. I would research my focus group by giving employees of a quick serve restaurant a survey that questions the different stations people work at and how communication between workers is accomplished. A second idea I am interesting in researching is the different types of effects that advertisements have on college aged consumers. Also which types of advertisements are the most effective in persuading consumers to purchase on company’s products over another’s? I could research this topic by interviewing multiple students at UCF and Valencia. I feel as though this would be an interesting topic because there are so many local businesses in the area and it would explain how one business might receive more income than another.
ReplyDeleteHi Joshua,
DeleteThe first project you mention seems very close to something you might have done in an 1101 class here at UCF. I certainly thing there is a lot to explore related to the quick service food industry, and clearly the continued growth of this sector shows an increased demand.
I like your second topic a bit more because it seems you will be able to generate some excellent open ended questions about the way advertisers are effective in persuading consumers. Perhaps you could look at the marketing and selling strategies of quick service food industries and their modes of overcoming constraints.
Best,
Joseph
my topic will be on the differences in family dynamics across cultures. In my own family we have a good mixture of cultures that have collide but then have joined together to create a new unique “culture” that is unique to my family. How my grandmother grew up in Japan and that way that I grew up and was raised are worlds apart. I am going to explore this subject by delving deeper into the details about the differences in cultures and family dynamics by using my grandmother and my own family as a main example. I can interview my grandmother first hand about her childhood and Japanese traditions. My open ended question I came up with is “to what extent does culture family dynamics?”. More ideas provided to me by my classmates are exploring if a clashing of cultures really does create a more unique individual and comparing how my grandmother was raised in comparison of how I was raised. Since this subject is so close to home and very special to me since my grandmother is a huge inspiration to me doing this research should be fun and having a person to interview and get a first hand account of will make things easier and more special.
ReplyDeleteHi Natalie,
DeleteI think you have a really interesting project here. Looking at family dynamics and culture could become a really interesting project. You should be able to find many students here at UCF who have come from multicultural families. A project like this is important because it seems that more and more cultures are continuing to co-mingle in cross cultural marriages. What does it mean for the kids who are carrying on hybrid cultures? What kinds of clashes are inevitable, and how are disagreements related to culture overcome?
Go ahead and start reading some articles about your topic.
Best,
Joseph
I have a few ideas but the one I'm mainly interested in would be trying to find out what the best/healthiest alternative source of protein is for people who don't eat meat or anyone in general who wants to consume them. There are a lot of products out there that are based off of different sources including soy, mushrooms, eggs, whey etc. I would also like to find out if powdered/liquid proteins are better absorbed in the body than the plant based proteins. There are a lot of other foods besides meat that do contain protein, however it does not contain nearly as much protein as meat does which is why a lot of vegetarians or vegans don't really get as much protein as they should. Soy based proteins are one of the more common types as well but there have been concerns with consuming too much soy and it causing problems. That's another reason why I would like to figure out if it's better for people to just avoid it all together and what other alternative sources could replace it. The way I could go about finding this information is maybe interviewing the nutritionist on campus, or people at the gym since a lot of people that workout also tend to take protein supplements. I could also try to find and interview vegetarians to see what types of alternative sources they mostly consume and if they know the downsides or upsides to it.
ReplyDeleteAnother idea I had was are people today more open to long distance relationships because of the advancements in technology? What forms of communication work best for them?Also if women or men would be more open to this type of relationship? I could have people fill out a brief survey to find out their views and opinions on this topic and if they are in a long distance relationship. I could ask to what extent of the distance would people be open to as well. I could also try to figure out if men or women would be more likely to move to where their girlfriend or boyfriend lives. I could also try to see if different age groups more likely to be okay with long distance relationships. At least to me, it seems as though a lot more people now are involved in long distance relationships than before because of the internet and also because of the transition from high school to college and couples venturing apart from each other but still trying to be committed to one another.
The last idea I had was if people today are more likely to follow in their parent's or other family members footsteps or make their own path when choosing a career field to get involved in. I could maybe study the different factors that could effect this decision such as family culture, divorced parents, different types of parenting, success of their own parents/family members, family pressures, technology widening perspectives and introducing different fields, etc. Or are people today solely motivated by how much money they'll make? I could do this by either interviewing people or having them fill out a survey to find out their own background information for what influenced them to picking their career field of interest. This would be interesting to me because I am still undecided in my major even though I have a general idea about the fields that interest me. I tend to be more interested in fields my mother has been involved in so I would like to see how others approach this big decision.
Hi Maria,
DeleteYou have some interesting ideas for a potential research project, and each one could work out nicely. The first one seems like one that might require a bit of scientific research (which you can probably find in the literature). My concern about looking into the most effective alternate forms of protein involves the space where you will enter the conversation. Of course, you could do a textual analysis comparing medical journals to nutritional journals.
Each of the other ideas are also viable, but at this point you should start thinking about which subject is most interesting to you. Start reading some academic articles related to the one you are most interested in.
Best,
Joseph
0048
ReplyDeleteTwo fields that highly interest me are music and psychology. Although these are rather broad topics, they can both be narrowed down into more focused ideas and even become connected. Some ideas for musical inquiries revolve around how modern music, or any specific time frame of music, progress and evolved. A question could follow as, “how has music changed in the last 60 years and to what extent has it effected culture?” This, again, is a vague question, so some boundaries would need to be set such as which culture, which time frame, and which aspects of culture. A step forward with this question could follow as, “are we capable of manipulating our society solely through musical expression?” Questions like these mainly focus on a historical research and therefore, conducting a case study would be more difficult to come by. In order to compensate for this obstacle, I think it is important to focus on something that combines the previous questions with a new question. That is, “how does music effect our behavior, emotions, and perception of the world and is it able to effect our own culture?” There exists research of the psychology of music and the history of music, but no one combines the two ideas and addresses how our history has changed because of how we perceive certain music. A study could be conducted by finding people to interview and look for how different kinds of music can affect their mood and/or actions. If I were to do something like this, I would not necessarily focus so much on the historical events but more so on how people respond to music in society. This, I feel, is an important topic of discussion because if we understand, more clearly, what effects music has on us, we can possibly change future events using the power of music.
Ron,
DeleteI think you are approaching this project in a very effective way. I love that you recognize the initial question as being a bit broad, and I also like the open ended questions you are coming up with here. Music certainly has an effect on behavior, and corporate marketing offices are very well acquainted with how music affects behavior. When people go into department stores or restaurants, they are often not thinking consciously about the music playing in the background, but the music certainly has a distinctive purpose.
How and to what extent could music be used as therapy? I know artistic expression is often used to deal with PTSD, but does music offer other healing qualities that art doesn't.
What I like most about your piece is that you are really looking at this as an adventure.
Start reading some articles and get this thing going!
Best,
Joseph
1) I've always been fascinated by the undying and never-ending debate between science and religion and how cultures reacted to certain controversial situations in history. I'm pro-science and I believe that science is the blunt answer to the many questions that religions couldn't solve. I'm amused by history and how famous astronomers held back their scientific evidence that proved the heliocentric solar system model, for example, away from the public because they feared punishment by priests/popes for going against religious beliefs that the Earth was the center of the universe or that the Earth was flat. Those who studied science against religious beliefs were the greatest minds to think outside of brainwashed populations. I would also bring up the advantages and disadvantages that both science and religion has played on certain cultures. For example, religion has been a great thing because it probably prevented many crimes from happening. The more people believe certain actions are sinful to their beliefs, the less sins would be committed. I would also mention how physical fossil evidence out-date the religiously believed aged of Earth itself. There will always be Jesus lovers and biology freaks but it's ignorant to be blind of the physical truth.
ReplyDelete2) Another topic that I have been considering is that money is the root of all evil. I constantly think about it almost every day. It's disgusting to see people waste such a beautiful day only to work jobs they hate in order to "live". Americans brain wash their children to believe that going to school, going to college, and getting a job/career that pays well is the only way to be "successful". There are different meanings to that. People most likely go to college just for the money they can earn in the future. Maybe that's why I resent school so much. As on the other hand, kids who want to earn an education sometimes can't afford it. What if the cure for cancer is in the mind of an individual who can't afford to go to school? Money controls our lives directly and indirectly. I couldn't go out-of-state because I couldn't afford to. I can't go travel the world because I don't have the money. I'm revolted by the idea that a piece of paper can affect how my life can be from one day to the next. There is so much beauty and excitement to live and explore in this world that it's sad that most people spend their lives in the same place, doing the same boring thing in order to earn pieces of paper that prevent them doing what they consider the impossible. As the Dalai Lama once said, "What surprises me the most is man...because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then he dies having never really lived."
Hi Andrea,
DeleteYou are looking at two very interesting projects, and I'd like you to watch two videos.
http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_piff_does_money_make_you_mean.html
http://www.ted.com/talks/scott_mccloud_on_comics.html
I think you can do something cool no matter which area you look into.
Best,
Joseph
The topic I am most interested in is pertaining to tattoos. I am curious about what inspires people to get tattoos but also what beliefs or ideologies that make tattoos acceptable to them. I also want to research why people disapprove tattoos and what guides their opinion on tattoos. I want to look into the history of tattoos, media, religion, and other internal or external influences. I also will interview people with tattoos and without tattoos.
ReplyDeleteMy other topic is comparing the athletes at ucf to non athletes at ucf. I want to know if the athletes experience some sort of elitism and claim themselves too good to associated with non athletes. (They call non athletes NARP's- Non- Athlete Regular Person).
Hi Emily,
DeleteI'm glad you made it to the board even if it was a bit late. Looking into tattoos could be a very interesting project. Certainly, there are many research studies regarding the development of tattoos over time and tattoos from different points of view. For different cultures, tattoos have come to mean different things.
The second idea you have seems like it could have legs, but I'm not sure how you would set it up.
I recommend you start reading some articles about tattoos.
Best,
Joseph
I've got my two topics, for sure! The first being "The Law of Attraction". What is the Law of Attraction? How does it effect us in our everyday lives? How can we harness the Law of Attraction to benefit our lives? These are all questions I would look into. I would research people who have used this idea, how they did so, and what it did for them. I would also delve into personal experience with it.
ReplyDeleteMy second topic would have to be "What makes a good actor?" I've always had a passion for acting. And it is something that comes naturally for me, yet there are others who would rather die before letting a camera's view fall on them. I would look into into the psychology of acting. I would research questions like "Is acting relative to one's capacity to lie?" I would also look into the effects of Role-Playing on the mind.
Hi Jared,
ReplyDeleteEach of your topics seems like they could yield a solid research project. I think the one about acting might be of a closer personal interest and the one about attraction might be a stronger curiosity. Either way, I think both projects could be really cool.
Best,
Joseph