Week 1: Strawberry Jam*
Hello, everyone. Welcome to my "blog." This is where I'll be writing all about my journey in AP Research--a journey for which I feel more than ready.
Haha, just kidding. I don't have a topic yet. I feel like I'm living in the exposition of one of those "I Shouldn't Be Alive" episodes, like I'm embarking on a hike to the top of Mount Everest with nothing but a granola bar, a half-empty Hydroflask, and fuzzy socks.
Perhaps that was an exaggeration. I do have an idea or three, and they all derive from my tendency towards the "angry feminist" trope. I generally wouldn't describe myself as angry, but when I look around at the state of the world, it's hard not to feel at least a little frustrated. I won't pretend that I, a seventeen year old girl who is laughably inexperienced in life thus far, could possibly bring about world peace with a year-long research project. But the other day, Mrs. Haag, my wonderful and brilliant advisor in AP Research, said something that stuck with me: my aim is not to change anyone's mind. Rather, my job is to ask a small question with big implications and explore its answer through specific and ethical research methods. Slightly more achievable than trying to save the world.
With this in mind, I have come to a comfortable place in the brainstorming process. My ideas are not quite refined, but I know that they pose questions whose answers could help us converse in a more conscious, more productive way about social issues as a whole. This, in fact, is the only constant across my ideas, because I am particularly drawn to the issue of linguistics--how do we talk about things, and more importantly, how does that change the way we think about things? Does it change anything at all? This is what I hope to discover over the course of the next year.
Gee, this sure would be a good time to lay down my potential question and drop the mic. As much as I hate to disappoint, I'll have to instead present a few different ideas and let you do with that information what you will:
1. Sex positivity. How do conversations within the mainstream feminist movement frame the ideas of sex and sex positivity, and does this affect the way that girls from 16-18 years old view sex and/or sexual activities?
2. Choice feminism. To what extent do mainstream "progressive" media outlets participate in enforcing patriarchal expectations for young women to conform to beauty standards, such as wearing makeup?
3. Homophobia in schools. How do sexual harassment prevention videos portray LGBT students? To what extent do those portrayals affect non-LGBT students' abilities to avoid perpetrating homophobic behavior?
All of the above topics are near and dear to my heart, and I would be excited to research any of them, hopefully addressing an existing research gap in a meaningful way. However, I am now awaiting the opportunity to be judged by a jury of my peers and figure out a way to refine and implement one of these critical questions.
I am looking forward to the opportunity that this year has offered me; the ability to research a topic of my choice, all year long, while potentially making a difference in the social justice sphere, feels like a dream come true. I can't wait to share this process with anyone who chooses to read this blog, and I hope that eight months from now, I read this post with a mixture of pride and nostalgia. To future me, I hope everything is going well.
With love,
Vanessa
(608)
*Good thing of the week!
Haha, just kidding. I don't have a topic yet. I feel like I'm living in the exposition of one of those "I Shouldn't Be Alive" episodes, like I'm embarking on a hike to the top of Mount Everest with nothing but a granola bar, a half-empty Hydroflask, and fuzzy socks.
Perhaps that was an exaggeration. I do have an idea or three, and they all derive from my tendency towards the "angry feminist" trope. I generally wouldn't describe myself as angry, but when I look around at the state of the world, it's hard not to feel at least a little frustrated. I won't pretend that I, a seventeen year old girl who is laughably inexperienced in life thus far, could possibly bring about world peace with a year-long research project. But the other day, Mrs. Haag, my wonderful and brilliant advisor in AP Research, said something that stuck with me: my aim is not to change anyone's mind. Rather, my job is to ask a small question with big implications and explore its answer through specific and ethical research methods. Slightly more achievable than trying to save the world.
With this in mind, I have come to a comfortable place in the brainstorming process. My ideas are not quite refined, but I know that they pose questions whose answers could help us converse in a more conscious, more productive way about social issues as a whole. This, in fact, is the only constant across my ideas, because I am particularly drawn to the issue of linguistics--how do we talk about things, and more importantly, how does that change the way we think about things? Does it change anything at all? This is what I hope to discover over the course of the next year.
Gee, this sure would be a good time to lay down my potential question and drop the mic. As much as I hate to disappoint, I'll have to instead present a few different ideas and let you do with that information what you will:
1. Sex positivity. How do conversations within the mainstream feminist movement frame the ideas of sex and sex positivity, and does this affect the way that girls from 16-18 years old view sex and/or sexual activities?
2. Choice feminism. To what extent do mainstream "progressive" media outlets participate in enforcing patriarchal expectations for young women to conform to beauty standards, such as wearing makeup?
3. Homophobia in schools. How do sexual harassment prevention videos portray LGBT students? To what extent do those portrayals affect non-LGBT students' abilities to avoid perpetrating homophobic behavior?
All of the above topics are near and dear to my heart, and I would be excited to research any of them, hopefully addressing an existing research gap in a meaningful way. However, I am now awaiting the opportunity to be judged by a jury of my peers and figure out a way to refine and implement one of these critical questions.
I am looking forward to the opportunity that this year has offered me; the ability to research a topic of my choice, all year long, while potentially making a difference in the social justice sphere, feels like a dream come true. I can't wait to share this process with anyone who chooses to read this blog, and I hope that eight months from now, I read this post with a mixture of pride and nostalgia. To future me, I hope everything is going well.
With love,
Vanessa
(608)
*Good thing of the week!
This blog post really gives a candid look into your research project. I think you make it very clear that you are passionate about feminism, and it is evident from the projects that you propose that you are intent on pursuing that passion in the form of an in-depth research project. As for the topics themselves, each of them seem specific enough to provide a significant research gap without being unresearchable. However, after today's discussion, I do feel like the third topic, the one about homophobia in schools, would be the most interesting to look into; it brings together many fields such as education, feminism, and psychology, making it both more interesting and less likely to have been done before. Anyway, whatever research question you choose, keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteForgot the word count: 132
DeleteHey Vanessa,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to start by saying I really enjoyed reading your blog post; you have such an engaging writing style and I'm excited to read more from you in the future! All these ideas are great, and I think could make excellent research projects no matter which you choose. I personally found the sexual harassment/bullying video idea really interesting, especially given how poorly BASIS has handled this type of education for us in the past, highlighting the need for improvement in this area. This topic also has a lot of cool directions it could go in, like how the video content varies among the lower and upper school kids. In terms of narrowing the focus, I'm not sure if even LGBT bullying in schools would even be a little broad, considering how many different subgroups now exist under the term "LGBT" now, and might be something to consider as you move further along the topic selection process. Regardless, I'm so excited to continue following you on your research journey! (173)
I don't know why it says I'm unknown, but this comment was from Elizabeth hahaha
Delete*The comment system is being weird, but this is Eric Frankel's comment :) *
ReplyDeleteHey Vanessa, great blog post! I feel the same about Research – exciting, but a little bit daunting. You will pull through!
I like that you are trying to focus on a very specific question that can have significant implications for the rest of society! This suggests a really grounded and mature focus towards Research that indicates you can do a lot! It also satisfies the sufficient narrowness of you scope, so you look like you are starting great for the new year. I also appreciate that you are drawn to linguistics – it’s a fascinating subject and you really convey how much you care about it.
Now, on to the topics you described. While I personally am quite interested in the intent behind the first topic, there are a few things that still need to be hashed out. Your question seems a tad ambiguous: I’m not quite sure what the definitions are of “the mainstream feminist movement” and “sex positivity.” Also, it seems like this question could branch a lot: are we talking about white women or women of color? This seems like it could definitely change the results of a research project depending on who we are looking at.
Next, choice feminism. Similarly to the above, I think this might depend on which group of women we are looking at. However, this seems more narrow in nature than the first question. I think this is an immensely interesting topic and admire your passion for it; while I can not personally relate, I think this is a topic that many people could certainly connect with.
Finally, I REALLY like the topic of homophobia in schools and how sexual harassment prevention videos portray them. LGBT sex education is something that has gotten swept under the rug countless times, and this is an amazing topic to really get a glimpse of that topic as a whole. It’s pretty great as a Research topic: it’s narrow in scope, is controversial, has a gap in knowledge, and maintains your interest. I have a slight concern in the potential for researchability, but have know doubt you could figure out a way!
I think you have a great start, and best of luck in the rest of your Research adventures!
(373)
I think from the comments provided, it seems as though most of your classmates are most excited about the harassment videos' treatment of LGBT students. I also know from discussing it with you, that you seem most eager to pursue this project. I think we'll have to narrow the scope and figure out what you could actually do, but I think that can only come from more knowledge. Thus, I urge you to start doing as much reading as possible so that you can begin this process.
ReplyDeleteAlso, don't undermine your passions by referring to them as a "trope." You are not angry and you are not a cliche -- you're a wonderful, thoughtful, passionate human being.