Tag: 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.

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.

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.

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

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.