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?

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

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 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

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

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 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.