Category: Blog

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Research Topics

The research topics that I have selected to be in in my final two are, Is New York City graffiti still booming like it was in the 70’s? and How did the Italian mafia impact the U.S. government? The reasons why I have selected these two topics is because one I find these topics to be quite interesting and two because both these topics had such an impact on this country that some people don’t even realize it. Now, I do know quite a bit on the history of graffiti but not in its entirety, I have a lot of questions for this topic but my main three are what do graffiti writers want others to see from their art pieces, how has graffiti changed over the past 20 years, and lastly has graffiti ever created positive opportunities for a writer? As for my topic on the Italian mafia, I don’t know as much information. But, I do however, know that Italian mafia families were well deep into organized crimes, being involved with crimes such as prostitution, drug dealing, money laundering, extortion and many more. A couple of questions I would like answers for are, is the Italian mafia still in existence, has the mob ever done something positive for the U.S., and does the mob still have ties to the American government?

I believe I can find my data regarding graffiti, maybe in some books that the library offers but I can also gain information from actual graffiti writers that I personally know. Gathering information on the mafia I think my best bet would be online sources, books from a library and if I’m lucky talking to someone who has connections to the mob. One last source that can be used are official documentaries that different networks or movie companies created.

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Research Topics – Alejandro Canelas

Alejandro Canelas

ENG103

Dr.Kitana Ananda

09/26/17

 

  The first Research topic that I would like to look further into is Gentrification in NYC. This issue is one that I personally see around NYC and in all honesty it frightens me if it were to affect my neighborhood. I would like to explore the history of communities of color being displaced all due to capitalist agendas. I know that columbus Circle used to be an area where a Puerto Rican neighborhood once thrived and now the area is a tourist destination and shopping district. This little known fact makes me think of the recent Puerto Rican and Dominican displacement of neighborhoods like Williamsburg which was once referred to as “los surez” by locals. This issue has a historical component and i would like to explore if this simply is an economic issue or is it racial genocide? Or is it both? I would like to tie in housing issues and employment issues into the research as well. I would like to also explore on-going African American displacement in places like Bushwick, Bed Stuy, and Crown Heights. There is a historical component to this that I would to connect to in recent history.

 

  My second research topic I am considering is the grossly overlooked contribution of LGBTQI people of color in the sexual liberation movement. Specifically I would like to point out how Trans gendered individuals were and are the catalyst of much of the freedoms experienced today. Often times the narrative tends to be centered around a White gay male’s perspective and I would like to explore how the Stonewall riots became such a white washed moment in history. I would like to even point out the recent issues that occurred in Orlando and how many Black, and Puetro Rican/Domincans died and their ethnicity was overlooked during the discussion.

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Educational Narrative – Alejandro Canelas

Alejandro Canelas

ENG103

Dr.Kitana Ananda

09/26/17

 

   Education has always been something that was deemed as a necessity by society at large. Not only is it a necessity, it is mandatory up to a certain age depending on where one resides. Personally for me I have always felt that education is more of a regurgitation of what the grade wants one to learn. This ends up with us becoming miseducated and learning diluted histories for the sake of not pushing societal boundaries. In addition the school system I grew up with was so focused on teaching about test preparations that this would lead to testing anxiety among students and sometimes lead to failed results. The school system has yet to adapt to different learning styles and it is about time it catches up with the times.

  On a lighter note learning does not have to be confined to the classroom. If one is open you could learn something new quite periodically. There are amazing resources out there where one could learn about the times and not have to rely on mainstream education to provide the answers. Twitter is an invaluable resource where people re tweet useful links to articles and direct us to information we would not have access to otherwise. I personally like going on  YouTube and learning simple phrases in foreign languages or coming across a Ted Talk on topics that peak my interests. These platforms that I frequent provide an excellent resource for me to engage in everyday learning.

  On the subject of higher education, it has been a journey for me to say the least. This is my second time around in college and this time around feels more certain. What I mean by certain is that although I am unsure of where my direction in education is leading me, I feel that my absence in higher education has taught me the value of having a degree. Realistically I do not want to be stuck working an endless job which translates to Just Over Broke. Unfortunately for me nepotism is not apart of my reality, so I must obtain a degree in order to be connected to resources and valuable connections. In addition the growth and maturity I bring to the table this time around allows me to be fully engaged in the process day to day learning.

  Overall, education is a loaded subject that has various complexities that we all bring to the table. I feel that education needs a revamping in a lot of arenas, but I know it is a valuable tool no one can take away. I also feel that many people shouldn’t give up on school just because they failed the first time. It is never too late to learn and reassess your own situation.

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My Research Topic

The research topic that interests me the most is the small village of African-American land owners living in what we know as Central Park today. There are several reasons I find this topic so interesting and they are: I want to know in what years this community established itself, I want to know what their daily lives were like while living as a community, what kind of work were they doing, what did their homes look like, what did they do for recreation, did they have citizens rights, how was this community viewed by the larger majority (Whites) at that time, and I want to know what happened to these people after their land was taken from them.

What I know so far is that the existence of the village called “Seneca Village” remained unknown to the public during the first 150 years of Central Park’s existence. And that if wasn’t for a group of archaeologists and historians who call themselves the Seneca Village Society  pressuring the city to reveal the existence of Seneca Village in the year 2001,  we likely wouldnt have known this settlement ever existed. I also know that the land was seized due to prominent white residents of NYC feeling envious of the natural parks in London, and so they brought their concerns to the mayor in year 1854 and the mayor complied.  Mayor Ambrose Kingsland used the law of eminent domain to seize the land.

The data on this topic is going to come from the findings of the Seneca Village Society.  I am going to do more research on their website as well as attempt to visit them and see what artifacts they dug up.

The research methods I plan to use will be interviewing someone from the SVS, reading any article written by them, or another acceptable source, and possibly going to Central Park and asking one of the employees where could I find out about this topic.

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My Research Topic

The first topic I am very interested in is how life changes for immigrants, how it is adapting to a new culture. Also how the culture differs from theirs. My interest in this topic is because I moved to New York from Saint Vincent, and it was a complete culture shock for me.

My second topic is how immigrants are treated. Immigrants are accused of taking away jobs from Americans. Though many of the jobs that immigrants do are jobs that Americans hate and complain about doing. (Jobs like babysitting, janitors, maids, live in jobs)

My third topic is how immigrants get involved in gangs. They become Americanized and do things that they would not do back in their country. (This can also go with the first topic). Many of them are just trying to survive their neighborhoods and fit in.

Most immigrants from the Caribbean when they come to America, they want to go to school and get an education; because that is one of the most important thing to Caribbean people. Sometimes many cannot afford to go to college because it is too much money and they cannot afford it.

Article 1: Light, M. T., Miller, T., & Kelly, B. C. (2017). Undocumented Immigration, Drug Problems, and Driving Under the Influence in the United States, 1990-2014. American Journal Of Public Health, 107(9), 1448-1454. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2017.303884

Article 2: Ornori, M. (2016). Educated and Staying at Home: Asian Immigrant Wives’ Labor Force Participation in the U.S. Journal Of Comparative Family Studies, 47(4), 463-481.

Article 3: Blasco, J. (2017). Immigrant Families Behind Bars: Technology Setting Them Free. Vanderbilt Journal Of Entertainment & Technology Law, 19(3), 697-720.

Article 4: De La Rosa, M., Dillon, F. R., Sastre, F., & Babino, R. (2013). Alcohol Use among Recent Latino Immigrants Before and After Immigration to the United States. American Journal On Addictions, 22(2), 162-168. doi:10.1111/j.1521-0391.2013.00310.x

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My Research Topics

Two research topics that I am considering are “Feminism in Zimbabwe” and “The History of Cherokee Indians in Michigan”. I came about these topics by way of my heritage and the fact that I am a woman. I know a little bit about American feminism, but not very much about feminism in other continents or countries. I can research American feminism on my own, but I want the African Feminist Movement to be known and appreciated in America. I chose Cherokee Indians as my focus because my father is Cherokee and Blackfoot Indian as well as black, since I do not know where the black part of my heritage comes from, I figured this would be a better topic.

My original topics were “The Feminist Movement” and “Cherokee and Blackfoot Indians”, I specified them to the previously mentioned topics because I felt like American Feminism is too well known and Cherokee Indians are a great foundation for my heritage. Some things that I know about Feminism is that is is the movement by which women are fighting for their right for equality, and not only that, but justice too. I say justice as well because there are some things that women need that men do not. For example, men do not give birth, so they do not need certain accommodations to make the workplace suitable for their pregnancy. I do not know much about Cherokee Indians at all, just that my father’s family is originally from Alabama, so I may find that some of the Cherokee Indians resided there before it became more populated with other races and ethnicities.

I plan to use the online sources provided by the college library mainly and possibly some of the hard copies provided in the archives section. I plan starting with Zimbabwean feminism by asking the question “How did it being?” I plan to start the Cherokee Indian research by finding out where in “America” they had resided before Columbus came and changed everything.

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Blogging About Potential Research Topics

You will select and write about two (potential) research topics for your final paper. Your post should be approximately 300 words in paragraph form, and will address the following questions that we discussed in class:

  • What topics have you selected?
  • What questions do you have about these topics?
  • Where could you find data to answer your questions about these topics?
  • What research methods would you use to find that data?

If you have two very different topics, you may find it easier to write a paragraph about each topic separately. On the other hand, if one topic led you to consider another topic, you use a segue to make clear the link between the two topics in your writing. (For example, you could say, “Thinking about X in Topic #1 led me to consider the intersecting roles of X and Y in Topic #2.”)

Think of this post as a “pre-“ or “draft” of a proposal. On a blog your tone can be a little more conversational than the typical academic research proposal or paper, but you still want to be somewhat formal. As you write, you may find it helpful to imagine that you are pitching your topic to an audience.

Read and revise you work—for organization; for spelling, grammar and punctuation; for clarity–before you publish your post! A good practice is to have someone else read it to find out whether they understand what you’ve written, and where you may want to revise.

Here are a few other things to do as you prepare to publish your post:

  • Title your post “My Research Topics”
  • In a blog post, you don’t have to add info you would usually add to an assignment or paper – no need to add your name, date, or my name to the body of the post
  • Under Categories, check “Blog”
  • Under Tags, add “Research topics” (Choose from most used tags)
  • Make sure the date and timestamp is correct on your post
  • Select “Public” to make your post available to all (and searchable online) or “Private” to make your post available only to our class
    • I encourage you all to at least share you writing with the class. If, however, you have a strong reason for why you do not want to do this, you can share your post only with me. To do so, select “Password protected,” create a password, and share it with me I encourage you all to comment on each others posts, to provide positive and constructive feedback or information about resources.  We did this in class today, and I saw how it helped spark new ideas among you and provided motivation for doing more research!
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Educational Narrative

Foulera Toutabizi

ENG 103

Prof . Kitana Ananda

I remember elementary school back home in Ghana West Africa.School was a little different compared to the one in the states. I really didn’t know how to speak english so i was placed in an ESL class so i could better learn and speak good english. Being  a fast learner i was able to accomplish that goal.everything was different because back home in school we had uniforms but here you could wear whatever you choose to wear which was a little cool i guess.we have to move from class to next class where by back home teachers have to do the movements. I happen to like the system here where students have to do the movements.You get to know places in the school.I remember being that lost girl from a different county experiencing something new and totally different from where I came from. It was all fun until i met some new student.they were not all that friendly but i had to blend in. it was abad and good experience at the same time. There were so many good memories and friends from my previous school many of which I’m still friend with. But now I’m in college and everything is totally different. New thing, new friends ,new professors etc. that,s a different story to tell.

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James Macay Educational Blog

James Macay

Prof. Kitana Ananda

ENG103

September 18, 2017

Thinking back to one of my first memories of learning encourages me to laugh. As a young child, I was always very nosy and clever. My first learning experience comes even before my age met the requirements of being enrolled in school. I was with family at a waterfront and there was a fence that I wanted to climb over, simply to make it to the otherside. However, my mother convinced me that there would be consequences if I climbed over. In a nutshell, I tossed my hat over the fence,  climbing over suddenly became an obligation. From this, I learned that certain rules can be bent under acceptable circumstances. Seems manipulative, but nothing was taken from anybody, at most I gained some physical capabilities and sense of balance. From this I took the idea that I am free to live up to my potential in a harmless and instinctual manner. Remember, baby steps are still signs of progression.

Now, on the topic of school, the amount of mixed emotions I have are too broad to individually narrow down. It is absolutely a love hate relationship that I have with school, but overall appreciate it and feel that everyone should be entitled to an education. Alongside this people should feel the need to go to school, to build an education for themselves. Aside from becoming educated, school comes with endless memories and experiences. Whether it makes you smile, laugh or cry, it is an experience that leads to a fresh perception of the world. Most of my memories in school are either moments of struggle or success. Being in the midst of pre-school the realization that mom or dad aren’t around struck me. To be respectful under the rule of someone that has no tie to my life aside from feeding me education seems odd at that age. We all know that we should be capable of caring for oneself and to be respectful to our surroundings, but as a kid it feels as if you are breaking your instinctual actions and begin  to warp into the systematic standard. My love for school is the education and how much can be accomplished if you use your education properly. The hate comes from the system, the unethical ways of seeing and ultimatums that we are forced to fear.

In my more recent experiences, I’m enlightened to know that college has a different method of getting through to students. The capability to be able to think for yourself, to rationalize what we see without judgement but mere fact. This concept can be appreciated at a heightened level when you consider that most college students have no idea what they are going to do for the rest of their lives. Even if you are studying a specific field, who’s to say that is where you are going to end up for the rest of your existence? College allows our minds to float and absorb what our surroundings give off. Whilst dealing with the workload we also find ourselves alone, similar to elementary, when your parents drop you off. Only in college, you realize that priorities change, and managing the load trains you to manage yourself in the real world.

Outside of school, my education has a lot of street lessons, some random, some meaningless, others full of meaning and morals. I was an aggressive rollerblader for 7 years of my life. Starting at 5 years old and getting my first sponsor at 9 years old, (I have my older brother to thank.) Overall, my youth consisted of countless street hours while maintaining good grades in school. Had my grades been poor, my mom wouldn’t have let me skate. Now in my more recent years, for the past 4-5 years I have been a cyclist and taking it to a professional level has lead to me endless social and professional encounters. It is safe to say that regardless of the caliber in which I perform , I do it purely for the love of it. Which eventually lead to a great source of physical activity. What I want for people to take from this is simply to always remember, you are allowed to live life instinctually and freely, never turn down knowledge, and always ask questions. I believe school can improve these aspects of your life.

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My First Education Memory

My earliest childhood memory was going to Preschool in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines with my two older cousins. My cousins and I were always in the same class, being that we were born the same month of the same year. I still remember our teacher name, Ms. Jill. She was an amazing teacher who loved what she did. I remember she moved to Canada a few years after we left there.

My cousins and I went to school together until Primary School (6th grade), and then you take this test called Common Entrance and base on your grade it determines what high school you go to. I scored higher than my cousins, so I went to a High School in town; while they went to a High School in the village. At first I was thinking about how the three of us won’t be together in school anymore for the first time in 10 years. But I was still excited that another cousin and my best friend (they are cousins also) were going to be in school with me. We also had a friend who was a form ahead of us. Then my best friend grandmother decided she did not want my best friend to go to school in town. I was so disappointed, because like my cousins; we have been in school together since Preschool also.

Education is very important in the Caribbean, because without it; you cannot get a good or decent job. You see your parents and older siblings and/or cousins struggling to make it, and how work they have to work and much much more time they have to put it. Once you are really good at something, you’re encourage to excel in that.

I remember when I moved from Saint Vincent and came to New York. I was in for a real surprise. I could not believe the way children spoke to adults, even to the teachers; all I kept thinking to myself was if this was Saint Vincent they would be getting lashes. In Caribbean, it really does take a village to raise a child; because everyone looks out for one another. You can get punished by a neighbor or an older family member, and if it gets back to your parents; you’ll be punished by them too. I learned from very valuable lessons that I still have instilled in me to this day. The only way it wouldn’t go that way is if I am being respectful and someone disrespects me.

High school was where I started writing poetry, and learning to use that to express my feelings and to speak to others in a different way. I was also able to take college courses, and even got to take a program at Columbia University for a week during the summer before my Senior year. I know this sounds cliche but high school was where I really learned a lot about myself, and really found and developed myself better. My high school always college prep us, so when we graduated it would not be a hard transition from high school to college. The only thing is no one warns about the transition back into college after you take time off.