Sweating the Small Stuff

Not everyone is good at storytelling.  My sister, for example, remembers the most random and irrelevant details of events and pieces them together in a way that only makes sense to her.  And if it is a funny story, you can pretty much forget about anticipating the punchline.

Now, piecing information together to write an essay is kind of like storytelling… except that it is not.  For research, you can’t just simply weave the ideas of your sources together and expect to create something that is original or thought provoking.  If you just quilt together the information you’ve read, you might as well just turn in a list of sources or Works Cited page and tell your professor to read that instead.

Research is telling your own story.  If you like the quilting analogy, think of your sources as the thread and the material you sew together is something you’ve created yourself.  For my writing class we had to read an article by Margret Krantz that said just that… research is all about using your sources persuasively.

But wait! Persuasive doesn’t mean right or wrong, nor does it mean for or against.  Rather, like the quilt, it means arguing something that you’ve made, arguing your own original ideas.  Krantz points out you can’t just take information from sources as the truth because context is so important.  Ask yourself; Who is the author speaking to? Why are they writing this?  These questions help uncover a lot of the context of your article.

A great activity my writing class did one day was look at two different sources and discern which was bullshit and which was a respectable option for a theoretical Works Cited page.  The most shocking was two webpages about Martin Luther King Jr.  One was titled “Marin Luther King: A True Historical Examination” and the other was Wikipedia.  All my classmates and I originally hated on Wikipedia and decided there would be no way we would put that on our Works Cited page… Let’s just say sorry Wikipedia.  Accidentally citing a KKK website for your research article on MLK might be the biggest faux pas to ever happen. 

After looking at my own sources, although none of them are sponsored by the KKK, they all pretty much come from the same place: a scholarly journal writing to other scholars.  This realization sucks for me 🙁 because I am pretty much getting the same perspective.  My database aimed at research, I just failed myself by not looking into other options to find my sources.

Here we go – source hunting round 2.

Library databases – that’s how.

Getting your hands on the good stuff when writing a research paper is the hardest part.  There are so many easy options to find “okay” articles and resources because all you have to do is look on Google (or Bing, for that matter).  But in order to write a real research paper, by that I mean one that doesn’t suck, you have to back up your claims with information from credible places.

I have gotten away with sticking to the first page of Google search results in most of my high school papers, but now I’ve learned it is not going to cut it.

But library databases aren’t difficult to use.  I have found relying on them is actually easier. Library databases consolidate what you are looking for, they bring up articles, research, and journals that are not only respected in their fields but won’t look too shabby on your Works Cited page either.

In my own research I have found the resources from the Santa Clara University Library to be most helpful.  This is not a plug – I am sure your own university has equally great databases that are accessible to you – but you can check out what SCU has to offer here.  You can sort to get exactly what you need, including a free downloadable pdf. – clutch.

Of the various research methods I have been exposed to over the course of my writing class, I definitely rank online data bases number 1.  Below is the most recent search of mine… I am looking into safe sex practices in college.  And although the library archives have a lot of great information, I’m not sure that they keep statistics of how often their students are gettin’ it.

I am so glad that our society is moving away from the idea that sex and sexuality is some taboo topic, as if we all got here by means of a stork…

Free the nipple, man! Sexual liberation is a great thing, but I think one thing that many supporters (even myself sometimes) forget, is that not everyone has to be sexually active in order to be sexually free.  The two are not mutually exclusive. 

I don’t believe that being an advocate for sexual liberation means that by default you are shaming virgins or those who chose to refrain from sex or relationships, but sometimes it happens.  Some movements tend to leave out those who are not sexually active, and some phrases, activities, etc, give off the wrong impression or make others feel uncomfortable about what they might be doing, or not doing.

This is especially true on college campuses.  A huge stereotype about college is that when you get here, you’ll be having sex every other weekend and be sleeping around more than you ever have before.  And there is a lot of pressure, both spoken and unspoken (mainly from peers), for people to meet those expectations.

However, that stereotype isn’t necessarily true.

I am in the process of conducting a survey for my writing class about sex and sexual activity.  And although there are, admittedly, many flaws with my survey’s wording, phrasing, grouping of answers, and sample size (mostly female first-years), one thing is pretty clear – this data proves a point… a supportive point for those who feel unwanted pressure to have sex in college – college students aren’t having as much sex as everyone thinks, or as much sex as college students want everyone to think.

Below are some graphs that represent those findings. 

Some of these numbers seem a little off at first, and that’s because you can’t expect every Google Form user to completely understand what I mean in every question, but there is some consistency in these answers.

So far, of 41 respondents, 56.1% of students were sexually active before coming to college, and 58.5% of students report being/becoming sexually active since being in college.  Thankfully Google Forms does that math for me, but that is a total of one person (of 41 respondents) reporting they have become sexually active during their college experience.

The point is, in liberating sexuality and freedom to talk openly about the action you’re getting, it is also okay to talk about the action you’re not getting!  There is no right and wrong way to make decisions for your body, as long as you are being safe and respectful, that is.

The first and only folder I have used in my college experience is one from my Women’s and Gender Studies advisor.  Upon declaring WGST as my second major, I received not only a complimentary folder, but also mints, a pen, a notebook, and a canvas tote bag!

But today on my folder I noticed something I had never noticed before…  What I first thought was just an oddly placed sticker, was actually precisely placed to cover up the word “Program” on the folder cover.  The folder originally read “Women’s and Gender Studies Program.”  I thought to myself “Oh my god, I am holding in my hand a folder from the original WGST program from the 1980s.”

And then I realized, that although this program was created in the 1980s, it wasn’t until last year it was anything more than a companion major.

So, although it is possible that I am in fact in possession of a folder from the 80s, it is more likely than not that the folder, just like the major here at Santa Clara, it isn’t that old.

Think back to an elementary history class, or an anthropology course if your primary education was fancy, and think about what you know about the evolution of humans and how we came to be the walking, talking, polluting, hurting, but more importantly thriving homo sapiens we are today…

If you’re anything like me, your idea of evolution is over-simplified into something like this pictured to the left. As incorrect too real and basic this may be, we all understand how we got here.  The term “hunter-gatherer” is often used to describe some of the early humans and their characteristics.  Notice how the term is incomplete without the other… you typically cannot gather without also hunting, and likewise you would have trouble hunting without also gathering.

The “hunter-gatherer” expression has been modified to exemplify various polarities in human behavior.  Employers and sociologist use the term to define behavior in the office, at home, and interactions with one another.  Even literature and writing professionals use the term to describe work methods.

Tonight for my writing class we dove into this “hunter-gatherer” approach to research and writing. In Klein’s “What Is It We Do When We Write Articles Like This One – and How Can We Get Students to Join Us?” he brings up two common research methods (again, like human evolution they are rather simplified) that many prospective researchers find themselves utilizing.  He notes the “hunter” who is on the prowl for information, someone who is actively looking for resources big and small, and the “gatherer” who is out there…. but they are really only picking up information that is available to them, something they have found rather than acquire.

Although both methods are useful, you need to utilize what is readily available (gather) as well as go out an find something meaningful (hunt), Klein notes that he notices that, with young researchers and writers, there is often a disconnect.  Like Klein, I’ve noticed students my age and especially those younger have only become familiar with gathering, and have not even touched the surface of hunting.

Gathering in my mind is the Google search bar, where seemingly useful information is at our fingertips.  Gathering is where the first three links in our search compile 60% of our Works Cited Page.

Hunting is the library.  Hunting in the online databases and complex search options with asterisks and AND and OR.

You cannot have one without the other, though.  Google and webpages help set up the foundation for questions to bring to those complex search engines and databases.  Although the “hunting” is new to me, and my knowledge of how to use them goes as far as the 2 hour tutorial in class (helpful btw, professor) I am not only required to, but I am looking forward to using it for the two research papers that are coming in my near and impending future.

I relate to Squidward heavily rn, in loving memory of my GPA.

When I was younger, my mother was a member of a church group, a book club and a scrapbooking circle.  I loved most the scrapbooks that included the seemingly endless photos of myself and my sister.  For as interesting as the scrapbooks of her trips to Europe are to me now, when I was six, photos of Stonehenge and London were not nearly as impressive as me playing in the leaves in the fall, peep that cute photo of me down there. 🙂 

Although my mother has since stopped scrapbooking, going to book clubs and regularly attending church, let alone church groups, I still find combing through scrapbooks interesting and fascinating.

Last Tuesday, I wandered into the archives of my university on a mission to conduct research on water management and sustainability in Santa Clara and Silicon Valley.  When the archivist began describing to my writing class how she organized the material she selected for our class, I soon realized that my topics I submitted to her were not going to be making an appearance on any one of the tables before me.

A little disheartened and annoyed and angry that this archivist did not feel the need to pull artifacts on something as interesting! and fun! as water resource management, I wandered over to the table she grouped as “women at Santa Clara.” I do not know why I was surprised I would enjoy so much of what I found, but finding a scrap book two feet tall and four feet wide was exactly the surprise I needed.

My favorite pieces were the photographs of the women who compiled the Powderpuff football teams, and the names of the teams are so hysterical. I hope the administration took them as a big fuck you. These are two of my favorites the “Flaming Boobies” and the “Screaming Yellow Zonkers”.

I do not know if either of these teams of ladies ended up being the reigning champs, but I am they sure took home the gold (and silver) in the name game.

When did we become a part of such a throw-away society?

When did recyclable become better than reusable?

When will we realize that the earth does not need people… and that it is people who need the earth.

This statement is exemplified in Nature Is Speaking, a video series by Conservation International advocating for environmental protection and awareness. They use iconic actors and individuals from pop culture like Liam Nesson and Reese Witherspoon to voice-over their stunning footage.

Joan Chen as Sky in the video below is the first video in the series I watched, and it sparked my interest in the series as well as the question for my impending research project in my writing class.

What are we doing here in my town of Santa Clara to help (or hurt) the environment? I want to, through my research, find out what exactly is going on with Santa Clara’s water, waste, and environmental policy and if any of the small things we may be doing, are having a big impact.

Never have I received an assignment so vague – a research paper on… anything.

I have a lot of passions, a lot of interests. Yet, when someone, namely my Professor from my writing class, tells me to dive into these full force, my brain stops turning.  Almost instantly, I am blank.  As of now, my ideas consist of my passion for gender and sexuality, as well as the environment. However, narrowing a topic down to something other than those two large categories seems like something that will either:

1. Take days or weeks to craft OR
2. Happen overnight in a dream, during a night out on the town, or spontaneously as I am giving a presentation.

However, a blank canvas is the perfect medium to work with.  Although I am not an artist, I would never want to draw on top of something another person has already started.  All for team work – but the details (the small stuff) are something I need to create myself.

I have less than 10 weeks to craft a complete research paper from a blank canvas, a challenge I have done in less time throughout high school (my record is close to two days.) However, I am well aware that will not be the case this time, especially considering the prompt – nothing.

As this blog is focused mainly on my writing class, many posts will also… mainly focus on my writing class.  The assignment last night was to dutifully read a 16-page article about how to write a research paper – at least, I think thats what the article was about.

Titled “BEAM: A Rhetorical Vocabulary for Teaching Research Based Writing”, my reading was, at a minimum, boring.  At a maximum, this reading was of equivalent interest to the busy work your 10th grade English teacher gives you after you finish your vocab test early… Meaning, this is probably great stuff – just not so much for me.

Okay, I know that was harsh (sorry, Professor, I know you’re reading this) but hear me out.

I like research! I might even argue that I’m better at research than the average 18 year-old college first year.  Not to brag, but I know my way around a library help desk.

What I haven’t done, not unlike most 18 year-old college first years, is conduct my own research. Quite honestly, I don’t think this article covers that, or at least it REALLY didn’t make that information clear to me.

Research, for me, isn’t as boring as it is stressful, I feel as though there is always something I’m missing… a new piece of information, a different perspective, a more in-depth analysis, something! Research, for me, takes a long time… like a long ass time. It’s the small stuff…

It takes so long that it often ends up with be upset or frustrated to the point where my papers end up with the same tone as this blog post – cynical af.

Where did this whole idea of Sweating the Small Stuff come from?

If you take a look at American society, you’ll see that stereotypical binaries can be found everywhere. We polarize race, religion, politics, education, gender, etc. Our society forces dichotomy even when there very well may be more than two options.

Take American politics, for example. Often on Election Day, voters are asked if they chose “red or blue” even though there are plenty of green party nominees and candidates on the ballot.

The polarization of gender, however, has recently been a topic I’ve been most interested in.

For my writing class, when I had to synthesize essays from our textbook to create a parallel between the chapter on education and a chapter of my choice, I was ecstatic when I discovered gender was a topic I could choose from.  In a 6-page, 2,000-word paper synthesis, I related the two by illustrating the similarities between binary gender-identity and binary college choice (Liberal Arts vs. STEM education.)

Check out this cool article here.

Because of my interest in gender, it seemed while writing every other paragraph I would get more and more off track from the educational emphasis of the paper.  After meeting with my Professor, we decided a lot of my information of gender wasn’t really building my points on education, and it needed to be saved for later.

When the next assignment rolled around, I had to shrink that 6-page paper into a 500-800-word blog post on almost anything that I wrote about in my paper.  I knew my blog post would be the perfect opportunity to expand upon on gender identity.

Essentially, what I did was copy and paste every sentence from my paper that related to gender onto a Google Doc and started reformatting it so everything fit together. For the most part, it worked well! Although it didn’t fit together seamlessly, tying together most of my points was not difficult. Incorporating information to fill the spots that didn’t flow perfectly was easy because, if you read my bio… I actually give a shit about what I am writing.

From there it was easy.  I added more information to tie everything together, and my peer-review session both in and out of class prompted me to incorporate a closing paragraph full of suggestions and more information about going forward.

The formatting of my blog is just as important as the content of blog post.  The header image is a screenshot from French movie Persepolis, a coming of age story of a young Iranian girl during the Iranian Revolution.  The background picture is from the Women’s March on Washington, and this lovely lady’s sign is not only hysterical, but also way too true. Both pictures, and the font style are all in black and white.  The color scheme symbolizes the black and white attitude of gender and the black and white of my educational paper.

Blogging in general is weird, it makes me nervous to think I might actually be good at this…

Me, never.