The most effective research strategy starts with preparation and organization. Articulating a chosen topic and being able to make a list of essential keywords and concepts is very important. We can utilize several resources that are proven effective in research methodology. There are web engines, newspapers, scholarly journals, and books available to us – the only thing that matters is how we use these resources meticulously. Once we have gathered all our material, it is also essential to evaluate and identify if they are from reliable sources. Then if we deem that we lack the proper information that we were looking for, maybe we need to analyze and seek consultation from a professional to see how we can improve. Lastly, we need to be picky and remember that research is an iterative process. We may need to do this multiple times until we find what we are searching for.
Author: Catherine Siason
Research Questions on LGBTQ+ Rights
After years of progress on Gay Rights, the LGBTQ+ community still struggles. The challenges that they still face daily are unpredictable and unsettling. The confrontation in finding happiness in diversity is a provocation they continue to face. They still face discrimination in health care, school, government, and social settings every day. It took decades for the LGBTQ+ to be accepted and have equal rights with the rest of us but it still is an ongoing controversy. How can we compare and contrast the fight for Gay Liberation in the 1960s to the present issues the LGBTQ+ is still facing?
Blog Post #5 – Hearing / Listening / Soundscape
- Hearing is passive, involuntary, and requires no effort. It is a physiological perception of sound that does not require centered attention. Listening is a voluntary and conscious process that allows us to react to and understand the sounds and conversations we hear. Anything interesting that we hear immediately captures our attention and sparks curiosity. Say we are having a one-on-one conversation with a certain someone significant to us, we effortlessly focus intently on what the person has to say, maintain excellent eye contact, and give them thoughtful and considerate opinions. It’s a personal choice to be selective on what we listen to. Many factors come into consideration – family values, cultural diversity, social connections and influences, political opinions, etc. Anything that we were raised to believe in and our social environment can influence our listening skills. Our willingness to listen can also increase our perception skills and allows us to gain more wisdom.
- “The sense of hearing cannot be closed off at will. There are no earlids. When we go to sleep, our perception of sound is the last door to close, and it is also the first to open when we awaken.” Schafer quotes. This is especially true because our first reaction to any sound is through our sense of hearing before using our sense of seeing. Schafer states that sound comes from the daily hustle and bustle of life. Living in a city such as New York definitely impacts our everyday perception -sounds of cars and trains, heavy machinery, street music, loud chattering, birds chirping, etc. The world has become so loud that we have to filter the noises and be able to distinguish if it’s something pleasant to listen to or if it’s just mere noise pollution. Both Schafer and Krukowski have written about sounds and how it plays a huge role in our daily lives. Human interactions are becoming increasingly inaccessible due to technology according to Krukowski. The human population has succumbed to relying on increasing technological developments. Is this a blessing or a curse? or both? We cannot deny that these two writers have valid points on how sound is essential for sharing information, interacting with others and countless other aspects of life.
Blog Post #4 Sheridan Baker Thesis Machine
- Gay Liberation and LGBTQ rights in the 70s
- The Gay Liberation Movement in the 70s has changed American history and the Constitution forever.
- Gay Rights activists, movements and riots paved the way for social change because this has been a long withstanding proceeding about gender equality and human rights.
- Although a more revolutionary political consciousness developed that resulted from the formation of many new groups, many members of the LGBTQ community are still in opposition of the country’s system. Issues such as same sex marriage and homophobia are still very much a strong topic in debates.
- Even though many members of the LGBTQI believe they’re tyrannized , many strengthened their political activism. They always fought for their rights in peaceful protests in so many inspiring ways.
Blog Post #3 – Ways of Seeing Episode 4
- Ads tricks our mind into believing in a product by exaggerating its’ quality. It misleads the consumer into thinking that there are things that are missing in our lives and the creativity of it is very appealing to its’ target audience. It’s very significant because it influences a potential customer’s buying decision.
- The differences are quite staggering. The oil painting merely shows a sense of contentment and appreciation of what we already possess whereas the publicity photos can give us the wrong impression that we can’t just be satisfied on what we already have. They reveal that advertisements fuels our desire to spend our hard-earned money on unnecessary material things. Consumerism at its’ best and definitely drives economic growth.
- Let’s picture a massive BURGER FAST FOOD shiny banner sprawled on the side of a highway. You needed to stop for gas – the images of this juicy burger makes your mouth water and immediately you give in to your desire and YOU fell for it! It just goes to show that the advertisers did a great job in manipulating the photos making it look more appealing to us. That’s how they get us!
Blog Post #2 – Ways of Seeing Episode 2
The objectification of women continues to permeate in modern society and many women participate, perhaps unwittingly, through the constant stream of sexually charged images posted on the internet and social media platforms. The roots of this phenomenon are likely the result of centuries of psychological misogynistic undercurrents. In Berger’s BBC episode 2 of “Ways of Seeing”, he discusses European nude female paintings and their correlation to the representation of women in the 1970s. Berger, quoting Kenneth Clark, states that “Being naked is simply being without clothes” but nude is a form of art. “Ways of Seeing” ep. 2 is eye-opening and it helps us recognize why being a woman can be quite an ordeal. Women are brought up to behave in a certain way that requires approval from others particularly men. Our own thoughts and opinions are carefully curated before we can express it. Women were made to feel a sense of inadequacy and be their own worst critic because the idea of being brutally judged and ridiculed is unbearable. I believe we have more control over our image and how we are depicted in today’s trendy age of social media however women are still objectified and still targeted by the male gaze even more at present. Beauty is bound to be competitive, Berger says. Women continue to endure online bullying and harassment because of how they look and act. There are millions of women influencers on Instagram /Tiktok and it’s an overly saturated online platform to say the least. Many of them, regardless of their fortes, agree to promote their ideas or products for different reasons. Some female fitness influencers, performers, artists, models, actors and others are in fact encouraged to show more skin and explore more of themselves which is even more pleasurable to the male eye. There are a lot of support groups that work towards women empowerment and change which makes women feel less superior and fight for gender equality. Despite these gains, many challenges still remain. Women are still underrepresented in politics, science, military, etc. It is still very much a male dominated world as much as we repel this truth. It is still and continues to be a work in progress.
