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. 

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

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. 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 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 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

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.

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

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

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?