Proposal for your ethnographic projects for social change

I am writing about teenage girls in the United States in our current society because I belong to this category and my topic effects me. I am focusing on how the media, mostly magazines and models, effects eating disorders among these teenage girls. I am writing for everyone, but more specifically this group of teenage girls I mentioned before. I want my readers to learn why girls think the way they do about themselves and how the media has a negative effect on their body image, causing them to obtain an eating disorder. I expect that there will be a lot of information on this topic because it is often researched in today's societies. I also think that girls my age are highly interested in this topic, as well. I hope to answer questions like why the media has such a huge effect on teenage girls and why they believe they need to develop eating disorders because of this media. I plan to collect information on eating disorders such as anorexia and bolemia. I also plan to collect information about models, magazines, and how the images of these models in the magazines are created with photoshop and airbrushing. I plan on studying other researchers findings, interviewing participants, being a quiet observer, and talking from my own experience.

Evaluation of Research Questions

My research question is how does the media effect eating disorders among teenage girls? I think my question does raise other questions like which media has the most negative effect and why? I do feel strongly about this topic and I'm very interested by it because its something that has effected my family and I. It is not related to my discipline. Yes, there are many authoritative research writings and studies done on this subject. I think that this topic will be intectually challenging and will definitely cause me to learn a lot about this subject that I didn't know or perhaps was always curious about. It will aslo help me learn how common it actually is (or isn't) in the real world. I think this topic will allow me to collect a lot of data because many people feel strongly about this issue and are or have been affected by it. Because it is a health issue, many studies and researches have been done on this topic before and I think that it's a quite popular subject among my generation.

Ethnographic Writing For Social Change

One social issue that really interests me is body image and eating disorders in the teenage population. Personally, I know more about how the media effects girls' body images, but I would like to know more about how it effects males. One possible question for my research topic is: How do teenage males view their own body image and how is this body image effected by the media? or What is the relationship between the media and eating disorders among teenage girls? This would be beneficial to me, as well as my community, because I believe it something that greatly effects my generation and sometimes goes unnoticed. Another thing that interests me is art, since I am an art education major. My final possible research question is: Why are they removing art programs from the Chicago Public School system and how does it effect the students' overall education? This is significant to myself and to my community because I think art is something that is very important to learn about because it helps to create well-rounded individuals.

"Researching One In Six Million," & "Researching, or How I Fell In Love With Post-It Notes"

I think that it is very interesting that Hilary Selznick decided to do such in-depth research about her Grandmother. I can relate to Hilary Selznick because like her, I often am unsure where to start when writing research papers. I also think that her dedication is very inspiring. She took years to research one topic until she found the amount of correct information that she thought was necessary. I now realize that it's dedication like Hilary Selznick's that makes a great research paper. This article also taught me that it's very important to keep all research information organized, which is something I have trouble with. I also noticed that this theme of organization was prominent in Susana Rodriguez's article. In her article she explains how she uses post-it notes, each color, size, and shape, for something different, to keep track of her notes. Like Hilary Selznick, Susana Rodriquez also had trouble of knowing how to start a paper. This article taught me that to think of an idea, you have to read between the lines and analyze the writing prompt, not just take it for its face value. I also learned that I need to be prepared before I start and by drawing little pictures and creating my own meaning for things can keep a boring task interesting. A great piece of writing can not be created in a short time, especially a research paper. It takes time and much practice to perfect the process.

Linguistic Landscape

For my Linguistic Landscape project, I would like to create a poster that raises the topic of studying strategies for college students. I think that this genre will be effective for my topic because posters are often placed around campus and are easy and quick for students to look at and read. This is also an effective genre because posters are visually appealing and will attract an audience. They are usually constructed with a catchy slogan, an appealing image, and eye-grabbing colors that draw the audience in. The best place for this genre to be located is inside any building around campus. Because a poster is not permanent, it's more likely that there will be more places for them to be hung!

“Reading Visual Texts: A Bullet for Your Arsenal”

In the article "Reading Visual Texts: A Bullet for Your Arsenal" by Susana Rodrigez, she explains that visual texts, just like any other text, is targeted toward a certain audience. Many visual texts become a symbol for a certain brand, motto, or social issue. It also can create a certain image that the audience feels like they must conform to or that they will want to become. Rodrigez also explains how illustrators use colors to attract an audience. By using certain colors, they create an image that can be harmonious or vibrant, either way making the image visually appealing and interesting causing it to grab your attention. Another aspect of a visual text is the placing of images. The way images are placed can create a story for the audience. Finally, she discusses how point of view can effect how the impact an image has on its audience. It can make you feel superior, small, or can create equality and make a connection with the viewers.

Social Awareness

This genre is very informative and can be controversial. It is a genre that makes the viewers think about social issues and help them become aware of things going on in the world and ways to help. These texts are posters probably created by an average person. They would most likely be hanging up around a city or town, in buildings, and can also be found on the internet. This genre allows the creators to be creative, which attracts its audience. The genre can be limited though, because it most likely will not answer all questions its audience has. It also can be limited on information about its topic. This genre is most likely identified just by its appearance because it is so commonly used.