Reflection

At the start of the research process, I knew I wanted to focus on Feminism and Technology, but within that there are so many different topics of interest and connections between the two. The more research I did, the more I came across a clear and concise topic to approach within my paper. Additionally, I was fairly confused on how to narrow down my sources and the information within them.There was so much interesting information contained within the pieces that I wanted to touch upon and draw conclusions from, but I did not know how to organize it. As I wrote the research proposal and my initial two drafts, slowly, buy surely, was I able to develop a clear thesis and learn how to organize six sources worth of information in a way that was more so analytical than summary-based.  

Since my first essay, and the beginning of the course, I feel as though my analytical skills, reading, writing, and thinking-wise, have improved significantly. With every essay read and assignment completed, I learned more about how to create organic ideas rather than pull from those of others. In that way, I have improved a lot as a result of Expos. 

Reflection

This semester has taught me much about my skills as a writer and has brought to my attention several areas in my reading and writing that could certainly improve. When I came into this class, I didn't really come into the class with an intention to improve my writing- I simply wanted the semester to be over with. Over time, however I learned that I needed to have an open mind if I was to improve my writing, which I realized was not perfect after receiving my first paper back and reading through it myself. I always thought that my papers sounded "good" but when it came to substance, I realized that I often wrote in a way that often did not follow the rubric and was often unorganized. Activities like the reverse outline definitely helped me see exactly what I was writing and where I had to make revisions for the sake of clarity, length, or fluidity. Throughout the semester I have also learned the important of reading through and annotating all the sources in order to more easily implement them into my paper. I also feel that when I read, I try to look for connections between texts that I can perhaps discuss further in my papers. Looking at my evolution as a writer throughout the semester, I can say with confidence that I am a better writer now, more organized and clear, than I was at the beginning of the semester.

Reflection

Over the course of the semester, the thing that has changed most for me is the way I think. At the beginning, I used to think about the general topics of works as a whole, and use this summation type of view to form an argument. Then, I would go back and look for specific evidence that supported by argument. This was a top-down style of thinking. However, I now use more of a bottom-up style of thinking. I look at the evidence on a more specific level before formulating my argument in accordance with the specific evidence. This shows through in my project, as well. At first, my topic was just two very broad topics which I had interest in: music and technology. However, as my research began to take shape, I narrowed down my topic based on the scholarly discussions taking place. Additionally, on a more general note, I think I approach assignments with a more open mind now. This may stem from my willingness to acknowledge the evidence. At the beginning, I wrote with a rather harsh bias, but now I tend to acknowledge both sides of issues. This is a skill that is very applicable to the real world, because it is important to try and empathize with both positions on an issue.

Reflection

At the beginning of this course, I didn’t really think much of peer review and the whole revision process, as all the writing courses I had taken previously tended to overlook the entire process. As the semester progressed, I found myself benefiting greatly from comments made by peers, reverse-outlining, and many other strategies I earned in this class. I often found myself reworking entire paragraphs, leaving nothing but one or two sentences unchanged, or scrapping paragraphs entirely. This led to my essays possessing a more coherent and logical flow, as well as clear sentences and wording (an issue I often found myself losing points over). I also was able to learn to use quotes better, as I tended to use them more purely for information, rather than for supporting my argument and introducing another point of view. I enjoyed the research process overall. At the beginning, I had a clear idea of my topic and where I wanted to take it, however, along the way, I discovered a number of perspectives that complicated my thesis, requiring me to rework my essay to address them. My outlook on the topic also changed as I gathered information and synthesized them together. Originally, I was going to argue that AI was intelligent when it could empathize, however, after reading a number of examples describing emotional emulation, I realized that my definition had to be more specific and complex to reflect the complex nature of the field, and instead shifted over to arguing that an AI is intelligent and alive when it developed an ego or personality. Over the course of this class, I believe my writing has developed favorably, which may help in the future, despite the fact that I’m not going to be doing as much writing in the future as an engineer.

Reflection

As I continue to edit my research paper and reread my previous blog posts, the focus of my paper has somewhat shifted away from simply focusing on how inequality affects communication, and now also looks at how inequality to used to divert responsibility. In the Matt Shepard case, I originally looked at how information was spread after his murder, and did not really analyze the inequality in the case.Rather than taking responsibility for the fact that a hate crime was committed in the town, the media first tried to claim that it was the result of an economic divide between the two sides of the crime, blaming the fact that those from the poorer side of town used Matt as a symbol of their vengeance towards those who were more well off. Similarly, in the pharmaceutical case, the drug companies do not take responsibility for their actions or the side effects their drugs may cause, and instead push the responsibility on the doctors prescribing them. My writing skills have changed over the semester because now when reading a text, I pay closer attention to possible connections, and spend more time analyzing those connections in my writing. In my first essays, it took much more time for me to get to my point in my writing while also connecting pieces, but now, my writing has become more succinct and I focus on getting to my point faster and with more concise language. 

Reflection

I find that my ability to form cohesively progressive arguments has improved greatly. I see that in the beginning of the course that I had all sorts of ideas that I tried to link in some way, which developed very interesting essay topics. However, the way I expressed my ideas and supported them made them seem forced and not as cohesive as they were when I initially thought of them. This has been a problem I've had for a long time, and writing longer essays that require various claims centered on a thesis has helped me learn how to manage my ideas and organize them much better. When I worked on my second draft for my research paper, I found that simply reordering a few paragraphs created a much more logical argument. Going back even further, I remember starting my project with an amazingly wide topic that I had a great interest in, but I had no idea what to write about it. What I learned about narrowing topics allowed me to focus on a niche of my original topic and fully develop an effective argument. Learning how to focus on specific ideas is something I see that separates good essays from great essays, and this should be the next skill I should improve on.

Reflection

At the beginning of the semester, I did not truly understand how proper analysis should be used for building an argument. I always thought that my job as a reader and writer was only to understand an author, not to use their ideas to make my own original argument. Originally, I thought that making a refutable claim meant simply taking a obscure stance on an author’s writing and trying to support it. Through writing these papers, I have learned what my goal should be as a writer and how to use outside texts to support my own idea. In the research process specifically, I originally underestimated how much evidence I needed to truly develop my argument. I started off by filling my research plan with more ideas than I could handle. As I went through the process using a narrower topic, I realized that all the information that I needed to build my argument only became apparent as I went along. Specifically, I only recently realized that I need to address the fact that many students who meet educational standards do well in life. Addressing that issue is more complex than I originally realized. Though this is not exactly a case of prospective writing, I realized that writing completely off a rigid structure made in one sitting is not truly complete. The process to make insightful and comprehensive writing requires a lot of time to look back and constantly reevaluate what I previously thought was true.

Reflection

Looking back over past blog posts and my previous essays, I can see a difference in the way I constructed arguments within the paper and in the overall structure of the paper itself. As the semester continued, I started making more complex arguments by connecting different points within the essay more effectively, especially by allowing the argument to developed as the paper progressed in a more natural order, instead of waiting until the end of the paper to draw everything together. Also, I learned to introduce a counter argument to add more depth to the paper and explore the topic discussed further. Furthermore, I started integrating quotes into sentences to make the sentence about the quote, instead of the 'intro, lead in, quote, analyze' format of papers that I learned in high school. This also allowed the paper to flow better and to connect different aspects of my argument together in a format that is easier for a reader to follow, as well as increasing the analysis of the quote. In addition, the integration of the quotes into the sentence made my later papers sound more  like a discussion instead of  separate analysis`s. Finally, the biggest aspect of writing I learned was a better to organize my papers, both within a paragraph as well as the organization of the paragraphs as a whole, which adds depth to the argument and allows the topics to be more intricate without being confusing to a reader.  

Reflection

At the beginning of the research process I was pretty lost, I had trouble two good topics to integrate. It wasn't until the research proposal that I really developed something to write about. At that point I knew I would talk about technology in education, but no specifics. When looking up articles and other material about this topic I found how interesting the human component was because of Moerschells paper. Now I had a topic and was able to go ahead with my research. Personally I really think my writing has improved since the first essay we wrote, mostly in the way I am able to organize and utilise sources. I now know how to focus on the evidence from sources to develop ideas rather than use the sources to back up my ideas. I am a lot more confident in my writing skills than I was, because in high school I rarely managed to acheive a B on any essays or research papers.

Reflection

At the beginning of the year, reading the passages we were assigned and connecting them was much more of a challenge to me than it is now. I was not able to analyze and draw connections between texts as well as I could later on in the year. As time went on it became easier for me to explain unrelated concepts and connect them to each other while upholding an overall argument. I feel like my writing has improved as it has gotten more insightful and flows easier in terms of comprehensibility. When I started out, I would look at the texts at a very surface level and try to connect at the very basic level, while by the end I could connect several passages to a completely external text and draw connections between everything in a cohesive manner. Personally, I also feel as though I have improved in terms of transitions and syntax. Using wording and phrases to make my thoughts more clear has been something I've worked to improve on. Also, moving from one thought to another while still upholding and supporting the thesis was a skill I have had to work on and I feel as though I have developed and improved in this sense. I have learned to proofread my papers more carefully to make sure the overall message is cohesive. From reading one of the first papers I read to my final one I think the progression in skill in terms of writing is fairly evident. This class has definitely contributed to my development as a writer as well as reader.

Exposition and Argument Reflection

At the beginning of the year I was an extremely poor writer, still could be, but I feel as if I've improved a bit. Before this class I could not analyze a quote to save my life, but now analysis is much easier for me. Also, I feel as if I am able to make distinctions between two points in a more clear manner than I was capable of before. The majority of these improvements most likely came from the amount of writing and tutoring that I attended. Without the extra support from a tutor I would be completely lost in this class. Furthermore, I believe my reading comprehension has improved and my close-reading skills have become more efficient. At the beginning of the year I had to spend hours close reading the text, it now takes me about half the time to read that it did before (still takes a couple hours though). My view on writing has changed as well. At the beginning of the year I felt I would never be any good at it, and that for me, writing would be a waste of time. However, after practicing I noticed how my skills improved and realized being a decent writer is an important thing in everyday life, especially since I am a business major. I will have to be good at delivering speeches and sending well written emails or proposals depending on which route I choose. Overall, I feel this class has had a positive impact on my future.

Writing Prompts

1)  How does the dynamic of collaboration change when it is conducted online?

2) How do social movements prioritize the issues that they tackle?

3) How do "echo chambers" hinder social progress?

3 Writing Prompts

1. How does an active pursuit of fulfillment through religion differ from a more passive approach?
2. Why have the original goals and purposes of religion changed so much in the modern era?
3. How important is it for individuals to abandon the idea of "self" when hoping to achieve a religious type of self-realization?

Research Prompts

What do you make of the complex economic impacts associated with "free music"?

What kind of bias do you have in writing this, specifically as a young millennial who has grown up in a society of illegal music downloading? Is this something you should account for in your writing?

While your paper may be relevant in pointing out an unconsidered aspect of an everyday topic, how could this translate into action? How could it affect the way that people live their lives on a daily basis?

Research Prompts

Prompt 1:

What responsibilities should the citizens and government take to make a political process work? Why should these responsibilities be distributed this way? What is the impact of members of the political system neglecting those responsibilities?  

Prompt 2:

Why is a political process necessary? What happens in societies where the political process completely fails? How does a failed political process impact members of society?

Prompt 3:

Why is cynicism necessarily bad for the political process? What amount of cynicism can be considered healthy or manageable? How does cynicism affect the mentality of its citizens?

Research Prompts

1. How does communication between humans happen on the emotional scale and how could it be applied to AI?

2. How does the Turing Test fail to account for AI that merely imitates emotion and intelligent responses?

3. How does the implementation of emotions make AI any more alive than any other computer?

Research Prompts

How does society's perception of women's sexuality affect other members of society, besides women?

What role does the emergence of online dating have in the decreasing marriage rates?

Why is the impact of technology on how we trivialize women's sexual freedom a relevant/important issue?

Research Prompts

Economic inequality effects who information is disseminated. How does it do this and what implications does it have for society as a whole?

How does economic inequality play a role in social inequality?

Why is this an important issue? How big is the impact on society?

Research Questions

These three prompts are for my research paper.

How does culture interact with other effects that ultimately cause corporations to suffer? How significant is culture in general?

How should corporations respond to how Hostess is shown to have suffered due to a misunderstanding of cultural change?

How would critics respond to the claim that simply practicing better risk aversion would help corporations avoid the effects of culture?

Research Questions

How has the philosophy of self- identity affected the way individuals see this concept in present day life?

What are the implications of the existence of identity disorders on how the philosophy of Heidegger is interpreted?

Is Heidegger's philosophy justified in considering those unable to form an identity as inadequate?

Research Prompts

1. What makes technology important in the education system?

2. What are the consequences of the resistance to technology in education?

3. Is this resistance likely to change in the future naturally or is a push necessary?

Research Prompt Questions

1. Is creativity an effect solely due to the addition of technology to education, or does technology simply add on to how creative a student can become?
   
   
2. Why have funding to the arts been cut, who exactly finds them unimportant? What are the implications?
3. What do you make of Cathy Davidson's claims on the use of crowdsourcing? How do these claims relate to technology?

Research Questions

1. How is the growing self esteem culture of the past 3-4 decades directly influential over the implementation of educational standards?
2. How do you account for high achieving students who meet educational standards who end up being successful? (A question for myself which brings into question the correlation between high test scores and later success in life)
3. What are the implications of the self esteem culture and standardization as they relate to college education and work thereafter?

Research Paper Introduction

Religion is one of those things that inevitably bring about discord and argument- throughout history, but especially today. This is especially ironic considering that religion was created by us as a means to grapple with unanswerable questions and as a tool for us to connect and speak with something much greater than ourselves. The role of religion in human life has changed over time and seems now more than ever to be fading, seemingly on attack by science and logic.  Religion for many people is still something they hold dearly to, for comfort, for answers, and for a deeper spirituality. Karen Armstrong, in her essay “Homo Religiosus” argues in favor of religion, acknowledging that its primary use is not one as a definitive answer guide, but rather as a tool that enabled individuals to live with that which they did not understand and perhaps even connect with the higher powers which explained those phenomenons. Even though religion has evolved into something that seems excess in pomp and pageantry and sometimes even resembles the governments which we have become so disenfranchised by, they central goal of religion remains the same as it was for our ancestors drawing fantastic beasts in caves only to the light of the torch. Religion for many is so intertwined with their day to day activity that spirituality for them is less an pursuit active than it is passive state of being. Research shows how an active pursuit of fulfillment and happiness is ill-fated, rarely leading to the satisfaction that individuals so desire. A belief in religion, I believe, allows individuals to achieve a happiness and fulfillment that is simply unattainable by “earthly means”.

Research Paper Intro

While the United States has historically stood as the world’s beacon of progress, American educational ideals threaten to hold back the next generation of students. Even though the public school system has had marked success, it now serves as a barrier for certain students who are unable to conform to its standards. In this case, the educational standards are at fault as opposed to the students. The current educational environment which promotes standardization in both education and in developing the personalities of the students is short sighted. Students who move from the American educational system into the real world are inadequately prepared for what is expected from them. In “Project Class Makeover”, Cathy Davidson points out the flaws in educational standards in terms of what the students are taught specifically. Such narrow standards end up leaving certain capable students behind. At the same time, while the students’ talents may not be fostered, they also are raised in such a way that their personalities are not compatible with the working world. As Jean Twenge describes in “An Army of One: Me”, schools excessively raise the self esteem of students which ends up having detrimental effects on their performance in the future. In order for the American educational system to improve, the nature of standardization needs to change to better foster talent and create more capable individuals for the future.

Research Paper Intro

As time progresses, many entities like technology, laws, and nature tend to progress, or at the very least change, as well. In the twenty-first century, there has been a significant focus on the changes that take place in technology specifically, and how we as a human culture can focus on advancing it, however do we truly analyze its implications, especially on our relationships and views of marginalized groups? As technology becomes better and more efficient, there is a plethora of new opportunities emerging for such groups, women in particular, to thrive and be more included in society. However, concurrently, there exists a paradox between women being successful in the professional world, but not having equality in the realm of sexual freedom and sexuality. This paradox exists for various psychological, societal, and scientific reasons, and as a direct result intimate relationships are harder to experience.

Research Paper Intro

Free is always better; few will argue that. From free shirts to free food, who would not want free stuff? With the internet making free music so readily available, why would anyone ever pay for music? The answer to this question must lie in the true cost of the music. In the words of poet Roger Hancock, “Nothing is ever free, though to you it be. Somewhere, somehow, someone paid.” Assuming this to be true, it certainly has to apply to illegal music downloading. This cost goes way beyond the traditional monetary value that people first think of; in fact, monetary cost may be the least of concerns.  Where the impact of illegal downloading really makes its mark is in the realm of creativity. There certainly exists a creative impact on both the production end consumption ends. As a result, illegal downloading creates a complex moral dilemma. Despite the illegality of online music downloading and its impact on the artists, the morality argument of it lies in its promotion of the creative process on the consumption end. 

Research Paper Intro

Over the past two decades technology’s everyday applications have grown exponentially, leaving certain parts of society behind. The education system has struggled to keep up with the rapid change, but as can be seen in Cathy Davidson’s essay “Project Classroom Makeover”, there are examples of success in incorporating technology into teaching and learning. The iPod Project at Duke, that is discussed in her essay, is one of the major pieces that will be examined in this paper because it was revolutionary, laying the groundwork for iTunesU and even the first Podcasting event. On the other hand, there are salient challenges posed by the introduction of technology into the large traditional education system. Some issues such as fiscal issues can be easily identified but here the focus will be on the human side of the challenges and resistance of a 21st century education that incorporates technology. Linda Moerschell describes in detail the resistance from within academia itself in her article “Resistance to Technological Change in Academia”. While the aforementioned texts focus are more narrow, Raymond Horn tackles the bigger picture in his book Understanding Educational Reform: A Reference Book  where he examines the problems with any restructuring of education. After looking at the challenges and the resistance to technological restructuring in the education system it becomes clear that the implementation of technology into education faces challenges due to human resistance, rather than limitations of the technology itself, and needs to be approached through a more collaborative methods in order to make the transition effective.

Research Paper Introduction

It is widely accepted that the success of a product or an idea is how well it is marketed. Companies use psychological, social, and cultural concepts in order to optimize the success of their products. Extensive research has been performed to discover all of these optimizations, making marketing one of the most studied fields in the financial realm. Through a simple internet search, on can find literature spanning all aspects of how cultural dynamics are used to market products, yet, interestingly, there is little to no research on how marketing decisions affect cultures. The limited literature does show, however, that there are drastic effects on culture as a result of marketing decisions; these effects have changed the identity of cultures from the bottom up. Furthermore, through further inspection, these effects, seem to be a result of a lack of information. Decision making in general is fueled by the collection of information; the more information n individuals, he or she would generally be able to make a better decision. Likewise, Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s “The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable” argues that such effects, called “Black Swans” are due to us not preparing ourselves for the unexpected. Through the collection of information, companies and individuals would make better marketing decisions, and consequently protect the sanctity of cultures; companies and individuals should adopt this strategy since the effects on culture may ultimately come back around and harm them.

Research Intro

Going back to the roots of philosophy with Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, the importance of the establishment of self- identity has always been emphasized and evident. Every great philosopher in history has capitalized on this subject, discussing how an individual’s development of an identity for him or herself and acknowledgment of one’s true self is crucial to a fulfilled life. Someone who addresses this issue fairly in depth is Martin Heidegger, a German philosopher of the early twentieth century. By Heidegger’s philosophy, self- identity is the ability to differentiate yourself from common life, (“das man”), and be able to form and acknowledge who you are as a person introspectively through experience, openness and caring. Personal growth is achieved through being open to experiences, which then allow for a more well-rounded formation of an identity. This sort of process is shown in Jonathon Lethem’s essay, “The Ecstasy of Influence: A Plagiarism” as well as Andrew Solomon’s piece, “Son”. Where Lethem supports the importance of experience to build an identity, Solomon discusses the idea that no one’s perception or idea of another person can shape how that individual forms his or her own identity.  In contrast, Heidegger defines “das man” as being the inauthentic man who is ever present in society who cannot fulfill his life due to lack of care and ignorance through life, thus incapable of forming a “self-identity” and falling into the pattern of common life (Heidegger 256). Heidegger looks down upon such a lifestyle, as differentiating oneself is one of the most important point Heidegger highlights. He believes that in society everything exists in order to distract one from fulfilling life. To apply this to present day, this would include social media, public radio, reality television, talk shows, anything that ultimately engages in banter that Heidegger would deem “stupid”. While much of recent generations have been shown to fall into this pattern and and lose sense of their true self, Heidegger sees this as simply a product of neglect, ignorance, and carelessness. This sort of attitude and personality is exemplified in Jean Twenge’s essay, “An Army of One: Me”. However, in certain cases, it is unfair for Heidegger to look down and demean people who cannot form a self-identity. People with Dissociative Identity Disorders have a biological impediment to being able to establish a self- identity due to the implications of such disorders which can include memory loss, dissociation from reality, and altered consciousness, such as the character in Martha Stout’s “When I Woke Up Tuesday Morning, It Was Friday”. The philosophical approach of Heidegger, among many other philosophers, in regards to self identity fails when it comes to people with a dissociative identity disorder as it does not take into account that the implications are biological and cannot be helped. 

Research Paper Introduction

Many people in the world today feel the effects of the harshness of social and economic inequality. In society, inequality creates hierarchies. Those with wealth and power are at the top while the general public suffers at the bottom. The consequences of economic inequality can best be summarized by Oliver Goldsmith: “Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates, and men decay.” Society’s wealth is concentrated at the top, owned almost entirely by a wealthy few, while those at the bottom suffer. In America, the top 1% holds more wealth than all of the bottom 90%. In this hierarchy, the top 1% has an astounding amount of control over the bottom 90% as a result of their wealth. Much of this control is through their ability to use their wealth to manipulate and control the information that the general public receives. The top of the hierarchy gains more power and wealth by using their resources to control the masses, strategically sharing only certain aspects of the truth to skew the public’s perspective. Not only is this an issue in the United States, but throughout the globe as well. Those at the top of society’s economic and social ladders, regardless of country of origin, use their existing resources to further their own interests and gain even more power and wealth. This manipulation is shown in the following works: Joseph Stiglitz’s “Rent Seeking and the Making of an Unequal Society,” Ethan Watters’ “The Mega Marketing of Depression in Japan,” and Beth Loffreda’s “Losing Matt Shepard: Life and Politics in the Aftermath of Anti-Gay Murder.” Specifically, these works detail how exactly those at the top manipulate those on the bottom. “The Mega Marketing of Depression in Japan” exposes the greedy nature of the pharmaceutical industry and how they social stigma surrounding mental illness to their advantage for their own economic gain. “Losing Matt Shepard” looks at the darker side of the media, revealing how information is often manipulated to control the public and their opinions. This paper will explore how those on top of the economic and social hierarchies use their wealth and power to control how information is disseminated throughout the general public while also exploring  the effect that this manipulation of information has on society as a whole.

Research Paper Intro

Currently, technological advancement is increasing at an incredible pace. Computers become obsolete after merely one or two years, and newer versions of software are outperforming the older ones, doing twice as much in half the time. In the field of artificial intelligence, newer, more developed AI are able to perform “human” tasks with greater and greater accuracy: driving cars, recognizing handwriting, and identifying voices to name a few. As technological progress inevitably marches on, AI interaction will inevitably reach a point where it can no longer be distinguishable from human interaction. This will inevitably raise the question: when do these AI stop being “programs” and become “alive,” full-fledged living beings which should be treated as sentient equals? Research in the area suggests sentience is tied to emotion, as evidenced in the article, “Emotion in Human and Artificial Intelligence” written by Juan Martinéz-Miranda and Arantza Aldea, which talks about the relations between the two and some of the practical applications of human emotion in artificial intelligence. However, some argue otherwise, such as Sherry Turkle in her essay “Alone Together,” which insinuates that technology can be considered “alive” with human interaction and time, much like how a stuffed animal becomes just as real to a child as any living animal. However, this view ignores emotion, which is an integral part of what makes people and other living creatures “alive.” More specifically, the ability to empathize is what allows humans to understand others’ emotions and to be “alive.” This claim is supported by O’Brien’s essay “How to Tell a True War Story,” which emphasizes the ability to empathize as a concrete part of human interaction. What this means for AI development is that emotion is a definite requirement along the path to becoming “alive,” moreover research in the area of neuroscience has been able to isolate the processes which generate emotion as described in “Love 2.0” by Barbara Fredrickson. The application of this research into AI development paves the way for AI to begin to learn how to feel, and more importantly, how to empathize, which will allow it to hold “human” interactions with others. Though, just possessing the ability to empathize would be a huge achievement for AI development, it doesn’t mean the AI has truly become alive just yet. For the AI to become “alive,” it must form a unique consciousness using its ability to feel and empathize. Much like how biology gives humans the architecture, then experiences build character, these basic abilities must be programmed into an AI, then and only then will the AI be able to develop a personality and consciousness, becoming “alive” beyond the basic biological meaning.

Intro Paragraph

One of the most important traits to gain from school is creativity. Creativity leads to new creations and innovations. It is what allows technology to improve and move forward instead of staying stationary. It for these reasons that technology should be integrated into music education. Music education without the use of any programs or technology already form creative minds and children who can make connections between the sciences. Science students are creative in a more practical sense--- they can construct buildings and models. While on the other hand, music students are more imaginative in their creations and problem solving. A study done by John L. Vitale proves that “music makes you smarter” (Vitale). After doing extensive research he found learning how to perform music leads to increased general cognitive abilities and cognitive abilities in the fields of math and science. Therefore, the advent of technology into this type of education would spur creativity immensely in the sense of problem solving and music. Traditional education is failing in the arts so it is important to add in technology to these classes. Technology will engage the students more and lead them to being more creative than they are right now. For some reason, once a student figures out how to play an instrument, they can draw connections between problems to solve them. They can easily see how the idea of an atom mixes with atomic numbers through the use of mathematics. Therefore, I hope to prove in this paper that music education with the use of technology is capable of making children into more creative thinkers musically and have improved problem solving skills in comparison with non-musically inclined students. To do this I will discuss the studies of Luc Nijs, CARLabs, and Hatice Selen Takin. All of which display how art spurs creativeness and argues that the use of technology improves upon that function.

Research Process Evaluation

The research process overall has been quite enjoyable for me. My paper topic pertains to religion and human emotion. In order to fully understand the relationship between the two I plan to look at religion's role in human life through various time periods in history and how religion plays a role in human happiness and fulfillment. When I began looking through the New Humanities Reader, I was surprised to see how many of the essays in it actually were quite related to my subject matter. I found that actually reading the articles in the New Humanities Reader was quite enriching and provided arguments and viewpoints that were formative in my ideation process. The online research seminar we had one week ago was also quite helpful because it provided me with a look at the online resources and databases Rutgers has to offer. Before I began looking through the online databases, I expected few scholarly, peer-reviewed in the specific topics I was researching, but I found a wealth of publications that extended far beyond the scope of my paper. Understanding that there were so many resources out there to enrich my paper was quite welcoming.

Research progress

So far I have been very surprised at how well the whole research process is going. I may have left out quite a bit of information in my first draft but the presentations last week showed me what I needed to add in. I now have a much more concise thesis and frame for my project. Finding information for my topic, affects of technology in music education, is surprisingly much easier than I thought it would be. However, it is a little difficult to find solid connections between the NHR and some of the studies I found. I think I found a connection too Davidson and a possible one to Lethem but it's still a little fuzzy. All I have left to do is pick out quotes that are important to my topic and analyze them. Hopefully after some analysis I will come up with stronger connections. As of right now there is once source that I feel is important but it does not have quite enough data to make any assumptions. I'm not sure if I should replace it or try and see if there is a connection.

Research Process

For this draft of my proposal, I took out a significant chunk of my original idea which ended up streamlining my proposal. In writing a research paper from scratch, I realized that I cannot make assumptions when I make a claim. Even though this is the case for any normal paper, in a research paper the sources used are perhaps not familiar to the reader. As a result, I have to back every claim I make with direct evidence. While I make assumptions in crafting my argument, I find that there is trouble in actually finding the sources which agree with those loose assumptions. For example, I still need to find a source that shows that privileged students from wealthy backgrounds are naturally more capable as they come out of high school and have more achievements. Once I find this source, I can link the wealth the positive factors such as high self esteem. In creating this argument, I am questioning the importance of self esteem in different contexts which might not end up being consistent. Furthermore, I encountered a problem when trying to compare the way more “expensive” education differs from “cheaper” education. Expensive education refers to private schools or wealthy public schools in rich towns while cheaper schools may refer to inner city public schools. In my paper, I want to make the claim that the education itself is the variable which changes a student's self esteem, not other factors that may come from privilege such as parents pushing their children in certain ways.

Research Process

The more research I conduct, the more I am finding it difficult to make my points conceptually complex, yet concise. Additionally, it has been difficult thus far to choose which articles and pieces of information to reference specifically. The topic of feminine sexuality and technology's implications on it, so far, has been really interesting to research, however so much so that I am I am beginning to get lost within my bibliography of sources and am becoming overwhelmed with all of the information that currently exists. Finally, a decent portion of my sources is composed of books, so highlighting the most important information from, while also being able to adequately read the books, has proven to be a challenge, but within the coming days should become an easier task.  

Research Process

I am finding it difficult to guess how long it takes me to explain topics in my research paper. I also find it difficult to narrow down to a few articles to reference, when I want to use multiple articles once, rather than a few articles many times. I think I still need to remove one of the sources I have in my research proposal because I think I should only have 2 or 3 journal articles and I have 4 there currently and I am considering using 2 more, so I am not sure which I should prioritize. I am also surprised that there are no articles already directly exploring AI and empathy already. AI is a huge field with lots of growth to be had so I am sure that this idea will be explored more fully in the next coming months or years. Also I am still not sure if my topic is too narrow. But I will not be sure of that until I have my first draft completed.

Research Process

So far the research process has been difficult because for me it has been more about narrowing down a topic than anything else. However, I think that I have some good core sources for my research paper now I need to get some more sources to make sure that my paper flows as a scholarly debate and doesn't become too one sided. The sources I have are substantial, but probably need to be reinforced if I am going to be able to make a compelling argument. I definitely have more research to do in order to add more substance to my argument, but personally I think it will be easier to realize where I'm lacking facts or knowledge once I have started writing my rough draft. Once I have began writing I also think that a thesis will be easier to produce, because in my opinion it is hard to write a thesis or an introduction without having any body paragraphs to go off of.

Research Process

Since I have written a number of research papers in the past, nothing about the process was all that surprising. Of course, this paper requires a higher demand for quality and the sources I draw from are a much higher level, but the processes are almost identical to the ones I have done in the past. The most difficult part of this research process so far is finding the specific research question. It’s really difficult to narrow down my topic when even I don’t have a clear view of how I will address and tackle the topic. Another difficulty is the greater amount of information available to me. Although this means I can more easily find materials relevant to my topic, it also means that many more things to sift through. Right now, I still need to look for more sources which could help guide my paper. Moreover, I still need to formulate a coherent argument to address my question with. I definitely have a few arguments I’m leaning towards, but I’m sure that as I write my paper and synthesize my sources, I will be able to find a solid point to argue.

Research Process

The most surprising part of the research process so far is how little information there is out there on how economics has affected culture, yet there is a slew of sources on how culture is used to improve economics decision making. This has led to me spending a lot of time simply finding sources that are relevant to my research question. I already have the plan for my paper laid out; I just need to find a sufficient number of sources for my paper so I can move on and make an outline. I have tried using many different keyword combinations and databases, yet I still see the same pattern wherever I search. I am currently looking for different ways to research. Right now, I am looking at the references of papers that are slightly related to my research question in order to find sources that are related. I am having a little success with this method. I am worried that, after I start writing my paper, I will have to find sources to fill holes in my arguments, and I will have to go through the research process again where I will likely experience the same problems I have currently.

Research Process

So far, the research process has been a bit overwhelming. There is just so much information out there that is related to my topic in some form or another, so it becomes hard to sort through it all and really stay true to one specific focus. I know that I am going to have to decide to cut some sources that do not truly fit my specific focus, and this is something that will be difficult for me. Additionally, I have found the sheer volume of some of the works to be a bit much. For example, my book that I took out from the library has relevant information, but I am not sure that I can truly read hundreds of pages in the limited time that we have. As a result, I am fearful of missing out on information that would be useful in my paper. All of this is both a blessing and a curse. Despite the negatives that I have mentioned, they all stem from the presence of a large quantity of information. As a result, I think that if I can figure out away to better organize the information that I find, it will not be too hard to accumulate relevant sources. This gives me confidence in the topic that I chose, but there is still more work to do in the research process.

Research Process

What surprised me about the research process so far is how much information there is on this topic and how difficult it was to narrow it down and find a focus. There is a lot to be said about this topic, and there is a lot of information from many different perspectives, so it was difficult to find works that were helpful and specific to what I wanted my paper to focus on. On the other hand, I was surprised at how easy it was for me to find connections between works. At first, I thought it would be very difficult to connect some of the essays, but after reading them through a couple times it was very easy to spot connections between the works that would be helpful for my paper. I'm still not sure about how I'm going to structure my paper. I have a frame and cases, but I am unsure about how I can tie all of these things together to have a research paper that flows and supports my claims. I don't know if I should keep my focus specifically on the economic aspects or if I should focus on the social implications as well. As to what I still have left to do, I need to find more sources and cases to support my paper, and then narrow down which sources will be most helpful to me when writing my research paper. I also need to find a way to organize my thoughts so that the writing process will be as efficient as possible, so I will need to create an outline to help plan out what points I want to make throughout my research paper.

Revised Research Question

How does the advancement of technology affect the way we form and view relationships? Additionally, how does it morph our view of the sexuality and sexual behavior of women?

Research Process

The research process for this paper has been very in depth and takes time and effort. It's easy to find articles that mention certain topics of my paper, such as identity or dissociative disorders but its difficult to find articles where they are talked about in a manner where it relates to my thesis so that i can connect it to philosophy. The process takes time to find the perfect article and multiple sources are needed such as one that discusses the science side of it vs one that discusses the experiential side. This actually surprised me as I expected finding sources to be fairly simpler and more straightforward, and while it could've been, I would rather have had more in depth sources that I can use a lot of information from as opposed to many different sources where I can only really get one or two quotes. As far as further steps I have to take, I definitely need to do more research in terms of the dissociative disorders and try to tie them in with the identity theories of philosophers in a fluid and coherent way. This part is a little difficult since most of sources in terms of dissociative disorders are very scientific and finding one that looks at it from a philosophical perspective is very difficult to do. What I think I will end up doing is simply logically drawing the connection from the scientific to the philosophical perspective through my own train of thought. Overall, however, the process has been fairly interesting in drawing connections and learning more about the subjects.

Research Question

Can computers, human level AI specifically, emulate human empathy? What are the principals that make empathy possible and how computers could emulate that feeling? Computers can learn by emulation, but what separates that from understanding another separate entity?

Revised Research Question

How does the philosophical standpoint of self- identity fail in modern day society with disorders such as multiple personality and dissociative disorders?

Revised Research Question

My research question:

How has the feminist movement used the advancement of technology to further their message? Has there been a significant improvement in the use of technology over time? In what ways does the increasing participation in the feminist movement detract from the cause, and how has technology improved or exacerbated these problems?

Revised Research Question

My research question is: how do simple economic decisions or changes have massive effects on cultures and how can we offer methods of protecting the sanctity of such cultures? 

Revised Research Question

How does inequality affect the dissemination of information? How do those at the top of the social structure use their power and wealth to control what knowledge is spread to the general public? How does this manipulation affect society as a whole?

Revised Research Question

To what extent has the illegal downloading of music impacted the artist? How much of this impact is the result of wrongdoing by consumers versus a mere product of technological evolution?

Revised Research Question

Under what circumstances can an AI be considered “alive?” Does the qualitative versus quantitative definitions of emotion have any bearing on the answer? What exactly is it about emotion that makes us “human” and how does it affect the development of AI?

Research Question

What is the best way to educate a musician? Is it better to solely rely on a program, a live instructor, or a mixture of both? Also, what type of technology is already in use today and which types are more proficient than others?

Revised Research Question

Does the plagiarism of a work follow Johnathon Lethem`s proposal where it helps a plagiarized work, or harm the author who was plagiarized, and by extension is plagiarism a moral or immoral act? Do all authors plagiarize work from others, and if so does that mean that all authors who have plagiarized should be punished for their 'cheating', or should authors applaud others when they borrow ideas and build upon them to extend the original idea or make a new one?

Updated Research question

topic- education and the economy

How does the shift from an education system that promotes hard work to one that focuses on a student’s self esteem affect the rest of the student’s life in terms of employment and general success? Furthermore, how does this new type of education system perpetuate itself and as a result create different social stratifications in society? What is the effect of our modern educational culture on our society in a time of rapid technological change?

Annotated Bibliography

For my research paper, I intend to investigate the relationship between the advancement of technology and the music industry, specifically as it pertains to the illegal downloading of songs.

Berners-Lee, Tim. Weaving the Web: The Original Design and Ultimate Destiny of the World Wide Web. San Francisco, Harper, 1999. 

This source is rather unique in that it is written by the creator of the world wide web. As a result, the opinions in it are very valuable. In this book, the author discusses his opinions on both various positive and negative aspects of the internet. Though this predates most of the internet controversy related to music, I can use this book to support the negative impacts of technology on society. 

Davidson, Cathy. "Project Classroom Makeover." The New Humanities Reader. Excerpt originally published in Now You See It, compiled by Richard E. Miller and Kurt Spellmeyer, 5th ed., Cengage Learning, 2015, pp. 47-71. 

This source argues for the integration of technology, specifically into the education system. Additionally, it provides some insight regarding Apple's intense desire to popularize the iPod. I will use this source to discuss the inevitability of illegal downloading of music. I will make the case that the iPod becoming popular left broke college students with no choice but to illegally download music.

Kahney, Leander. "How Apple Got Everything Right by Doing Everything Wrong." Wired, Conde Nast, 18 Mar. 2008, www.wired.com/2008/03/bz-apple/. Accessed 26 Oct. 2016. 

This source focuses on how Apple's tendency to go against the grain has contributed to their massive success. In doing so, it discusses iPods, and how they have permitted users to take iTunes songs on the go. As a result, this portability and personalization of music libraries has coincided with the illegal download of songs. I will use this to gain a better understanding of why people illegally download music, and how Apple itself is responsible.

Turkle, Sherry. "Selections from Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other." The New Humanities Reader, compiled by Richard E. Miller and Kurt Spellmeyer, 5th ed., Cengage Learning, 2015, pp. 457-85. Excerpt originally published in Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, 2011. 

This source mainly focuses on the psychological affects of technology. More specifically, it discusses children, and how technology has changed the way they interact. I will use this source to help make a point as to how people how might not ordinarilly break the law are doing so as a result of technology, as this is a case of technology changing how people think. 

Wu, Tim. "Father and Son." The New Humanities Reader, compiled by Richard E. Miller and Kurt Spellmeyer, 5th ed., Cengage Learning, 2015, pp. 533-59. Excerpt originally published in The Master Switch, 2010. 

This source begins by detailing Apple's launch of the iPhone, before going into detail about some aspects of the history of Apple. It also discusses competition, such as Google and Android, and overall covers a good portion of the integration of technology into society. This will be useful to me in that it further supports the fact that technology has become commonplace. Additionally, there is an interesting part that discusses how Apple actually broke the law, which I can use to justify the breaking of laws when it comes to the illegal download of music.

Annotated Bibliography

topic area: sexuality and modern feminism

Bell, Leslie. “Hard to Get: Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom.” The New Humanities Reader, by Kurt Spellmeyer and Richard E. Miller, 5th ed., Stamford, Cengage Learning, 2015, pp. 24-46.

This essay discusses the contradiction of women being free to do many activities now, such as  pursue male-dominated professions, but are not completely free to be sexual.

Bruckner, Hannah, and Peter Bearman. “After the Promise: The STD Consequences of Adolescent Virginity Pledges.” Journal of Adolescent Health, www.ministryoftruth.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/AfterThePromise.pdf. Accessed 27 Oct. 2016.

This article examines the effectiveness of virginity pledges in reducing sexually transmitted infections among young adults, and essentially concludes that they are not the best approach.

Faludi, Susan. “The Naked Citadel.” The New Humanities Reader, by Kurt Spellmeyer and Richard E. Miller, 5th ed., Stamford, Cengage Learning, 2015, pp. 72-104.

This essay talks about the turmoil that happens at an all-boys military school when a female recruit is admitted. It delves into important topics regarding how the modern female is seen, and what stereotypes and presumptions she brings with her.

Fredrickson, Barbara. “Love 2.0: How Our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do,” The New Humanities Reader, by Kurt Spellmeyer and Richard E. Miller, 5th ed., Stamford, Cengage Learning, 2015, pp. 105-28.

This essay explains the neuroscience of love and relationships, and how it may not work as simply as we believe it does. It also discusses what consists of our “supreme emotion” and how new research dispels this.

Stepp, Laura Sessions. Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love and Lose at Both. New York, Riverhead Books, 2007.

This book examines modern hookup culture through the personal experiences of young women, and the social constructs and effects it has had on each of them individually.

Annotated Bibliography

Topic: Social apathy

Brooks, Rodney Allen. Flesh and Machines: How Robots Will Change Us. New York: Pantheon, 2002. Print.

This book talks about how machines are becoming more influential in our lives and how they reflect who we are. I can link the changes machines have on our lives to the changes we have as social creatures.

Loffreda, Beth. "Selections from Losing Matt Shepard: Life and Politics in the Aftermath of Anti-Gay Murder." Ed. Richard E. Miller and Kurt Spellmeyer. The New Humanities Reader. 5th ed. N.p.: Cengage Learning, 2015. 235-57. Print.

This article talks about the murder of a gay college student and how it triggered a huge media response. I can use this article to demonstrate the need for certain conditions to be met before any of us cares about any issues.

Nelson, Maggie. "Great to Watch." Ed. Richard E. Miller and Kurt Spellmeyer. The New Humanities Reader. 5th ed. N.p.: Cengage Learning, 2015. 299-314. Print.

This article discusses the omnipresence of violence in our popular culture. I can use this article to discuss how people accept the status quo very easily and not be bothered by problems until it affects them.

Scott, C.G. “Student Self-Esteem and the School System: Perceptions and Implications.” Journal of Educational Research

This article discusses self-esteem ingrained in the education system. I can use this to talk about how early influences shape social apathy later on in life.

Twenge, Jean. "An Army of One: Me." Ed. Richard E. Miller and Kurt Spellmeyer. The New Humanities Reader. 5th ed. N.p.: Cengage Learning, 2015. 486-511. Print.

This article discusses the huge focus on the self in recent history and how  that obsession can destroy both society and the individual. I can use this article to discuss the negative impacts of social apathy.

Annotated Bibliography

Johnson, Steven. “The Myth of the Ant Queen.” The New Humanities Reader. Eds. Richard E. Miller and Kurt Spellmeyer. Boston: Wadsworth, 2011. 192-209. Print. 

Johnson talks about emergent intelligence in complex systems. He uses ants and humans as living examples of the process, but then he builds into the more theoretical framework in mathematics and in computer science.

Davidson, Cathy. “Project Classroom Makeover.” The New Humanities Reader. Eds. Richard E. Miller and Kurt Spellmeyer. Boston: Wadsworth, 2011. 47-71. Print. 

Davidson in her article is using the ‘iPod experiment’, whereby Duke University gave away iPods to their entire freshman class and any student whose class would require it, to explain how educators are looking at education from the wrong perspective. She uses anecdotes to show how the American education system is failing and how to fix it.

Fredrickson, Barbara. “Selections from Love 2.0.” The New Humanities Reader. Eds. Richard E. Miller and Kurt Spellmeyer. Boston: Wadsworth, 2011. 109-127. Print. 

Love 2.0 is about the chemicals in the brain and how to rethink the human mind from a biochemical perspective. It deals with how people feel when interacting with others and how the brain experiences chemical changes and how those changes describe people’s behavior.

Heller-Roazen, Daniel. Echolalias: On the Forgetting of Language. New York: Zone, 2005. Print.

Roazen talks about how people can forget things quite easily. Humans forget the baby babble that they once knew as an infant. Also he focuses on how children can learn languages so easily and that people forget the ease of learning language as they grow up as well.

Porges, Stephen W., Jane A. Doussard-Roosevelt, and Ajit K. Maiti. "Vagal Tone and the Physiological Regulation of Emotion." Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development 1994: 167. JSTOR Journals. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.

This last article is a research paper on the regulation of emotions in physical terms. The paper starts off by describing what emotional behaviors people have and then it moves on to the physical features that are responsible for dictating emotion, including the neuroendocrine, autonomic nervous, and central nervous systems. The last part deals with the development in emotional behaviors and how the relationships between the systems regulate emotion.

Sample Research Proposal Evaluaiton

Brown builds his topic by finding an interesting research area, which in his case is neuroplasticity in humans. He narrows it further by limiting his paper to the changes that occur with neuroplasticity. To create his actual topic, Brown also focuses his ideas to how neuroplasticity affects the psyche. He wants to prove in his paper that brains can change over time, particularly in the absence of some form of stimuli. He tries to build a frame and case, where “Mind’s Eye” is the frame and the other two major readings, “The Eyes of the Skin” and “When I Woke Up Tuesday Morning, It was Friday”. Then he will use his last two sources, “The Occipital Cortex in the Blind: Lessons about Plasticity and Vision” and “Adult Deafness Induces Somatosensory Conversion of Ferret Auditory Cortex” to provide actual evidence for his topic.