Themis
Defining Terms for Ourselves
Neighborhood: my home and those i interact with daily, also places i frequently visit in the area.
Community: Things in my environment that effect me and those who i am in contact with also, the space that is viewed as a separate environment from that of others.
Environment: The space in which i live in including things and people that i interact with
Nature: Natural structures produced by earth, also all organisms inhabiting that space
What these ideas mean to me: these ideas are the fundamental aspects of my home and the environment that will influence my development as a person and for others. They are also my tools for actively changing or interacting with the environment through involvement and understanding.
How i see my relationship to each of these: i currently lack a strong relationship with these things as i am not often interacting with things in my community. Although i highly value their presence in my community and seek to alter this relationship in order to help change it for the better, or make it stronger.
How i see myself in these various places: I am most familiar with the more "natural" aspect of my community which i regard as areas such as the park. This is the area of my community that i spend most time in and, having been involved in that region before, i feel as though i have a great potential to expand my involvement in that area.
How these places have influenced me and i them: These places have influenced me in such a way that i desire to change what i see. I would like to bring more elements of pro-environmental activity because i want to see a greater emphasis in the natural environment.
My defining experiences in these places: I usually see little activity in the community in terms of trying to better it or trying to bring about a more environmentally friendly environment. I also see people who are not very concerned with their living space. This serves as a powerful motivation for me to try and do something.
Community: Things in my environment that effect me and those who i am in contact with also, the space that is viewed as a separate environment from that of others.
Environment: The space in which i live in including things and people that i interact with
Nature: Natural structures produced by earth, also all organisms inhabiting that space
What these ideas mean to me: these ideas are the fundamental aspects of my home and the environment that will influence my development as a person and for others. They are also my tools for actively changing or interacting with the environment through involvement and understanding.
How i see my relationship to each of these: i currently lack a strong relationship with these things as i am not often interacting with things in my community. Although i highly value their presence in my community and seek to alter this relationship in order to help change it for the better, or make it stronger.
How i see myself in these various places: I am most familiar with the more "natural" aspect of my community which i regard as areas such as the park. This is the area of my community that i spend most time in and, having been involved in that region before, i feel as though i have a great potential to expand my involvement in that area.
How these places have influenced me and i them: These places have influenced me in such a way that i desire to change what i see. I would like to bring more elements of pro-environmental activity because i want to see a greater emphasis in the natural environment.
My defining experiences in these places: I usually see little activity in the community in terms of trying to better it or trying to bring about a more environmentally friendly environment. I also see people who are not very concerned with their living space. This serves as a powerful motivation for me to try and do something.
Social identity vs. Individual Identity
To others, i describe myself as Hispanic. I feel that it is the most essential part of my social identity, so it is the first information that i would probably give about myself when asked to describe myself.
I see social identity as differing from individual identity is the an individual wants to present themselves to others and personal identity is the way that an individual views his self or her self as a person. These two kinds of identity are related because both help to keep order in personal lives and can minimize social discomfort in such a way that they influence one's relationship with others.
I speak English. I understand Spanish but i do not speak it so well. also, i can express myself better in English.
I have lived most of my life in Manhattan. This experience shapes my identity because it consists of a community and environment that i am always interacting with and that keeps on influencing me.
Those who have shaped my identity the most are my friends and family because they are the people who i am always interacting with.
I show my social identity through the way i dress and behave in public. I avoid wearing anything that may seem raffish and i always take responsibility and avoid straying away from my obligations.
I see social identity as differing from individual identity is the an individual wants to present themselves to others and personal identity is the way that an individual views his self or her self as a person. These two kinds of identity are related because both help to keep order in personal lives and can minimize social discomfort in such a way that they influence one's relationship with others.
I speak English. I understand Spanish but i do not speak it so well. also, i can express myself better in English.
I have lived most of my life in Manhattan. This experience shapes my identity because it consists of a community and environment that i am always interacting with and that keeps on influencing me.
Those who have shaped my identity the most are my friends and family because they are the people who i am always interacting with.
I show my social identity through the way i dress and behave in public. I avoid wearing anything that may seem raffish and i always take responsibility and avoid straying away from my obligations.
Mental Mapping
From the mental mapping process, I learned that how individuals design their map is subject to their own interpretation of what their neighborhood is to them. I realized this during class discussions; I noticed that some of my class mates maps were more of an abstract style and others were more of a literal mapping of their neighborhood, such as including objects that take up space in their neighborhood. I also learned that part of the process of data collecting includes looking for patterns among things that are different so that we can better draw conclusions about the data.
Questions that I had during the research process:
Is there ever a time when no patterns are seen in the data?
In that case, can there be conclusions drawn from the data nonetheless?
How do we know that we've actually understood the data?
Should we look to other resources before we can make conclusions on our data?
I would address these questions by looking to other research projects to better my understanding of data collection.
For example the articles that we've read on socialization have done research with different groups of people. These articles can help my understanding of how research is conducted. this can also give me an insight as to what I can expect in terms of my research results and what errors I might want to avoid. This is what i would share to the class because I think that it is important that we address these questions as a class to try to develop an answer to them and improve our skills as researchers.
The research methodology of mental mapping allowed me to learn more about how to analyze research data and how to make connections based on that data. I liked that we analyzed an individual's mental map as a group because everybody had a different interpretation of the map and we could see patterns among those different interpretations and begin to make connections. I also liked when my group had to go back and listen to our recordings because we were able to notice things that we might not have talked about so much in our group discussion and we could work on ways to improve our ways of elaborating on important themes. We also went back to things that we have said in our discussions and gained a different interpretation of it. I think that this really improved my listening skills and better understand the purpose of our research. I would like to improve the way that my group discussed map coding because I think that we were having trouble agreeing on our individual interpretations and taking the main idea from them as a whole to draw a conclusion. I think that next time we need to work on listening to each other more. Other ways of capturing what we would like to learn about neighborhoods can be from researching the history of our neighborhoods. we could share the history of our individual neighborhoods in class discussions to try to present day connections that could apply to our neighborhoods today. This could help us learn about the demographics, or the present conditions of our neighborhood and how that came to be.
Questions that I had during the research process:
Is there ever a time when no patterns are seen in the data?
In that case, can there be conclusions drawn from the data nonetheless?
How do we know that we've actually understood the data?
Should we look to other resources before we can make conclusions on our data?
I would address these questions by looking to other research projects to better my understanding of data collection.
For example the articles that we've read on socialization have done research with different groups of people. These articles can help my understanding of how research is conducted. this can also give me an insight as to what I can expect in terms of my research results and what errors I might want to avoid. This is what i would share to the class because I think that it is important that we address these questions as a class to try to develop an answer to them and improve our skills as researchers.
The research methodology of mental mapping allowed me to learn more about how to analyze research data and how to make connections based on that data. I liked that we analyzed an individual's mental map as a group because everybody had a different interpretation of the map and we could see patterns among those different interpretations and begin to make connections. I also liked when my group had to go back and listen to our recordings because we were able to notice things that we might not have talked about so much in our group discussion and we could work on ways to improve our ways of elaborating on important themes. We also went back to things that we have said in our discussions and gained a different interpretation of it. I think that this really improved my listening skills and better understand the purpose of our research. I would like to improve the way that my group discussed map coding because I think that we were having trouble agreeing on our individual interpretations and taking the main idea from them as a whole to draw a conclusion. I think that next time we need to work on listening to each other more. Other ways of capturing what we would like to learn about neighborhoods can be from researching the history of our neighborhoods. we could share the history of our individual neighborhoods in class discussions to try to present day connections that could apply to our neighborhoods today. This could help us learn about the demographics, or the present conditions of our neighborhood and how that came to be.
Advertising is Our Environment
Methodology
These are some of the advertisements that I encounter around my neighborhood and on my way to school. I looked for advertisements particularly in the subway station because I knew that I would find ads sponsored by specific brands, which tend to be the ads with the strongest messages. There were also several advertisements about renting spaces or offering services. When I was taking pictures of these advertisements I was paying attention to the words that were being used as well as how the people ,shown in the ads looked like, what colors were used, what symbols were used etc. I also took note of where I was when I saw the advertisement and thought about who these ads might appeal to.
When analyzing the content of the advertisements, I particularly focused on what images were being displayed, what words were being used, the ideas behind the ads, and what I thought was the intended audience. These were all categories in a table that I constructed about the ads. I took note of the frequency of images and words used and how many ads displayed them, all the while keeping in mind the location of the adds and how many of them I took pictures of. From this data, I constructed several pie charts of things that I thought were important observations about the adds in relationship to the total number of ads in my findings. based on the charts I was able to find reoccurring themes that are portrayed by the ads and numerical patterns that show a relationship among them and the frequent practices of those who create these ads. A major subject that I kept in mind while analyzing content is the cultural impact caused by the idea behind these ads; I chose to analyze one particular ad based on this.
When analyzing the content of the advertisements, I particularly focused on what images were being displayed, what words were being used, the ideas behind the ads, and what I thought was the intended audience. These were all categories in a table that I constructed about the ads. I took note of the frequency of images and words used and how many ads displayed them, all the while keeping in mind the location of the adds and how many of them I took pictures of. From this data, I constructed several pie charts of things that I thought were important observations about the adds in relationship to the total number of ads in my findings. based on the charts I was able to find reoccurring themes that are portrayed by the ads and numerical patterns that show a relationship among them and the frequent practices of those who create these ads. A major subject that I kept in mind while analyzing content is the cultural impact caused by the idea behind these ads; I chose to analyze one particular ad based on this.
Findings
What I found most interesting about the ads that I took pictures of was that many of them presented words like "wellness", "want" and "happiness". I saw this in adds that were promoting popcorn, soft drinks and cell phones. I thought this was intriguing because it is as if name brand companies claim to know what makes people happy or well-off. All of these ads were promoting some sort of a product, which feeds into the idea that people need material things to be happy. What's more is that corporations seem to be getting more involved in our personal lives or feelings in order promote their products. They influence ideas of what the public "needs" or "wants" by using words or images that present people as being happy with material things. these adds might appeal t people who like to collect nice things or those who look to technology to make their lives easier. This observation can help us to contemplate why people are drawn to materialism and what harmful effects arise from a consumerist culture as well as the association of money with power or status.
I also found that most of the ads promoting shopping were in mid-town Manhattan, when I went to uptown Manhattan I hardly saw any of these ads. In that area, most ads were about renting space or services. This shows how the culture of consumerism varies in different areas.
I also found that most of the ads promoting shopping were in mid-town Manhattan, when I went to uptown Manhattan I hardly saw any of these ads. In that area, most ads were about renting space or services. This shows how the culture of consumerism varies in different areas.
One that particularly caught my attention is the ad for a New York lottery ticket, which I spotted in a subway station. The ad had the words "cashing through the snow" in big letters decorated in a Christmas-like fashion. I found this
particularly interesting because it is ironic that this advertisement is using the theme of a holiday that is suppose to be celebrating togetherness and generosity towards others to promote the purchasing of an item. This made me
think about the ways how consumerism is shaping our culture, particularly changing how we perceive national holidays. I also think that ads like these, which idealize money or wealth are inadvertently influencing a materialistic mentality among the public. It is showing people that by spending money they can get money and in turn, obtain what ever they want. This also feeds into the idea that money is what makes people powerful or important. The very idea of selling lottery tickets is evidence of this because people are selling something that may not be of any benefit to others so that they will continue purchase it in hopes that they do win something, and in tern the sellers are unfairly gaining lot of money from those buyers; buyers who might have not even obtained anything at all from their purchases.
particularly interesting because it is ironic that this advertisement is using the theme of a holiday that is suppose to be celebrating togetherness and generosity towards others to promote the purchasing of an item. This made me
think about the ways how consumerism is shaping our culture, particularly changing how we perceive national holidays. I also think that ads like these, which idealize money or wealth are inadvertently influencing a materialistic mentality among the public. It is showing people that by spending money they can get money and in turn, obtain what ever they want. This also feeds into the idea that money is what makes people powerful or important. The very idea of selling lottery tickets is evidence of this because people are selling something that may not be of any benefit to others so that they will continue purchase it in hopes that they do win something, and in tern the sellers are unfairly gaining lot of money from those buyers; buyers who might have not even obtained anything at all from their purchases.
Discussion
From this project, I learned how much of an impression the media can make on people. Beforehand, I didn't think about the media as being so much a part of the social environment, but I soon realized the main
reason why it has such a strong impact on people is because it is part of our social environment. The media enters our personal lives everyday through images and words that catch our attention. We have to be careful of corporations or organizations that may seek to take advantage of ordinary people. I have also learned that, for this reason, it is important to investigate everything and to think critically about what is promoted by the media. By doing this we can recognize harmful aspects of society and seek to protect ourselves.
The message that these images are sending to young people is basically that they need to conform to society. For instance, women have to be concerned with what they look like, men have to be masculine, and wealth is an indication of status. They also encourage behaviors such as materialism and consumerism, which benefit mainly large companies who sell products and don't really do anything for the general public. There are also themes of marginalization created by these advertisements through the enhancement of stereotypes about women, non-whites, and sexuality.
Questions that I have after having done this project are:
What kind of advertisements tend to be the most common and why?
What is the relationship between how many and what kinds of advertisements are seen and what neighborhoods they in?
Are there limitations to where companies can place ads? why or why not?
reason why it has such a strong impact on people is because it is part of our social environment. The media enters our personal lives everyday through images and words that catch our attention. We have to be careful of corporations or organizations that may seek to take advantage of ordinary people. I have also learned that, for this reason, it is important to investigate everything and to think critically about what is promoted by the media. By doing this we can recognize harmful aspects of society and seek to protect ourselves.
The message that these images are sending to young people is basically that they need to conform to society. For instance, women have to be concerned with what they look like, men have to be masculine, and wealth is an indication of status. They also encourage behaviors such as materialism and consumerism, which benefit mainly large companies who sell products and don't really do anything for the general public. There are also themes of marginalization created by these advertisements through the enhancement of stereotypes about women, non-whites, and sexuality.
Questions that I have after having done this project are:
What kind of advertisements tend to be the most common and why?
What is the relationship between how many and what kinds of advertisements are seen and what neighborhoods they in?
Are there limitations to where companies can place ads? why or why not?
Critical Education Autobiography
From elementary school up until middle school I had no interest in education. I always enjoyed drawing and creating my own stories. I liked being by myself and thinking about works of art that I could create. When in class, I hardly payed any attention to the teacher because I was either daydreaming or drawing. I enjoyed creating art so much that I decided I would become an artist. As I went through school my ideas for my future began to change. I remember when I took a reading exam in 6th grade. My English teacher could hardly believe it ( I rarely did any work in her class), I scored a 9.9, which indicated that I was reading at a 9th-grade level. I still chuckle at the fact that I never even read the entirety of a book back then. I was more interested in creating my own stories. The test score didn’t faze me. I still wanted to become an artist. However, I soon realized that artists weren’t valued as much as intellectuals .I recall being angry when I was yelled at by my parents for receiving low grades on my report card. I was angry that I was being scolded for spending more time creating art instead of getting good grades, and I thought: why do people create art, sense it is so useless? From that moment on, I began to look down on art as a “lesser skill”.
As I got older I developed an interest in learning about the natural world, and I began to benefit from that interest. I learned that if I did really well in school I could become a scientist someday. So I worked on improving my grades in
pursuit of my new dream. I received a lot of praise from my teachers and parents and eventually that also served as an incentive to conform to the education system. When I was being placed in more “advanced” classes I started to separate myself from those who weren’t put into those classes. I began to think that I was better than them and therefore deserved better. I began to study hard and focus on pleasing my teachers and parents. My career interests began to change based on what was valued in society instead of what I enjoyed doing. As I continued through school on the “honors” track I began to experience more and more competition among classmates. We often looked down on people who had lower grades than us and even more so on those who were not in honors classes. At times the competition became stressful, but I kept being told that people need to compete to be successful so I figured I had to keep competing.
When I reflect on my experience with formal education, I think that the things that shaped my views had to do with social class and the potential benefits to society. As I began to think about careers I always wanted to do something that would be useful to people. I gave up wanting to become an artist because I couldn’t really “use” that skill for anything. I began to feel as though I were part of a “higher” social class when I was put in advanced classes because I was treated better than others. I had better chances of enrolling in classes were I could receive college credit, and honors classes were taken on class trips more often than general education classes. This attitude is created by the
segregation of classes based on grades and test scores and the fact that students on the honors track are rewarded more often than students who aren’t. I spend more time interacting with honors students so I associated them as part of a social group that I belonged to. This becomes even more complicated with test
score ranking, when people begin to group themselves as “the best of the best”
or “the worst of the best.”
As I got older I developed an interest in learning about the natural world, and I began to benefit from that interest. I learned that if I did really well in school I could become a scientist someday. So I worked on improving my grades in
pursuit of my new dream. I received a lot of praise from my teachers and parents and eventually that also served as an incentive to conform to the education system. When I was being placed in more “advanced” classes I started to separate myself from those who weren’t put into those classes. I began to think that I was better than them and therefore deserved better. I began to study hard and focus on pleasing my teachers and parents. My career interests began to change based on what was valued in society instead of what I enjoyed doing. As I continued through school on the “honors” track I began to experience more and more competition among classmates. We often looked down on people who had lower grades than us and even more so on those who were not in honors classes. At times the competition became stressful, but I kept being told that people need to compete to be successful so I figured I had to keep competing.
When I reflect on my experience with formal education, I think that the things that shaped my views had to do with social class and the potential benefits to society. As I began to think about careers I always wanted to do something that would be useful to people. I gave up wanting to become an artist because I couldn’t really “use” that skill for anything. I began to feel as though I were part of a “higher” social class when I was put in advanced classes because I was treated better than others. I had better chances of enrolling in classes were I could receive college credit, and honors classes were taken on class trips more often than general education classes. This attitude is created by the
segregation of classes based on grades and test scores and the fact that students on the honors track are rewarded more often than students who aren’t. I spend more time interacting with honors students so I associated them as part of a social group that I belonged to. This becomes even more complicated with test
score ranking, when people begin to group themselves as “the best of the best”
or “the worst of the best.”