Everyone seems to be doing well during this autumn, September week. Fall is one of my favorite seasons because the leaves become so beautiful, it is the perfect temperature, and pumpkin spice everything. Some have been playing tennis, some celebrating birthdays, and some moving out of their dorms. There have been so many ups and downs in the past week, and even year. It feels like a rollercoaster, without knowing what will happen next. On a WRAL video, the chancellor, Kevin Guskiewicz, seemed expect the return of in-person classes in January. Though we long to be together on campus right now, there is hope that we will reunite back on campus in the Spring.
Last week we began contemplating which subculture or location to do and chose a certain topic for the Unit Two Project. This week in English 105, we continued the Unit Two Project about writing in the social sciences. I chose the topic of how refugees living in an apartment complex in Raleigh, North Carolina acclimate to American society. On Tuesday, we learned about ethnographies and research questions. Mr. Blom taught us how to write in APA format and compared it to CSE format. Next, we watched two LEGO advertisements and compared them. The first one was more geared to fathers and sons and how building LEGOs is a sophisticated activity to build a relationship with your son. Secondly, the commercial about Heartlake City targets young girls and does not emphasize any family aspect. These two commercials are very interesting because they do not mention or show mothers or sibling relationships. There is also little diversity of class or race in these two commercials; the majority of the characters are white middle class. These two LEGO commercials demonstrate the ethnography of American culture in 2009-2012.
Afterward, we split up into groups to edit and revise our research questions. I learned that a research question should start with “how”, “why”, or “what”, and it should be specific to the values, priorities, or beliefs of my subculture. The research question should also be able to change into an argument about the subculture. I read the Research Questions Handout and watched the video out developing a research question. I learned to narrow and focus the question so that it is not too broad.
On Wednesday, everyone completed the Feeder 2.1 annotated bibliography rough draft. At first, it was difficult to find articles that relate to my certain topic. However, I learned to search on the UNC library page instead of google scholar. I realized it is better to do this because I found more relatable scholarly sources. It was intriguing yet upsetting to read about how refugees from all over the world have adjusted to American culture. It hurts my heart to learn how these people have come from riotous and violent countries and then struggle with mental disorders, financial issues, or schooling difficulties when they come to the United States.
On the rainy day of Thursday, we discussed subcultures, observations, and interviews. Workshopping the Feeder 2.1 rough draft was beneficial to correct grammatical and format issues. After the peer editing process, we united back together and considered what subcultures we identify with. Learning about my classmates’ subcultures and populations was eye-opening because people identify with many different subcultures that affect how you connect with people. People can be a part of many subcultures; a person does not always have one specific identity. However, I think it is interesting to see how a person’s main identity leads them to create other smaller identities. For example, if I identify myself as an athlete and I am on a sports team, that might lead me to join a subculture like an athletic gym. All of a person’s subcultures relate in some small way.
Overall, the Unit 2 Project is going well because I was able to find good sources on google scholar and the library page that relate to my topic. I also received helpful feedback from my peers about my research question and the annotated bibliography. Next up, we will start planning and completing our Feeder 2.2 which is coded field notes. I am looking forward to starting the research at my location and learning more about refugees in North Carolina.
Things that I have been reading/listening too:
https://www.thepourover.org/?grsf=dmh4df
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fight-hustle-end-hurry/id1480300467
This Fight Hustle End Hurry podcast has been so interesting and helpful. Definitely listen!
Here is a picture of what my weekend was like:
