Our First Assignment Blog

Hi Everyone,

I had an interesting experience writing this blog.  On Saturday, I read the assignment sitting in my garden, drinking Red Rose tea. I had my sketchbook with me.  I decided to do the exercise at the end of chapter one of Luker's book for fun.  I took out my sketch book.  I love dancing. I don't Salsa. I enjoy other forms of dancing: jazz and tap.  For fun, I started to draw in my sketch book and combine drawings with developing a research project.  I was also dancing on the page symbolically with words, drawings and my energetic way of writing. . I wrote "Cha cha cha" and "Step hop step"  down on the page between research ideas.  I turned the page around in a circle and drew people dancing and abstract patterns designating dance steps.  I was amazed.  A topic of interest came up that I was not aware of.  However, when I received the notice that this was the first blog assignment, I clammed up.  My drawing was very undignified. I could not post it.  This was an interesting response to observe in myself. .  How is our research approach governed by our sense of what is academically acceptable?  This is in itself an interesting research question.  Do we present ourselves to our peers and professors when we research?  What would we research if we were alone and there was no need to present ourselves to others?  In this case, we would research to benefit ourselves, to satisfy our own curiousity.   Ofcourse, one vaule of research is social benefit, I hope.  Do some people conduct research questions with the aim of harming society?  What are the reasons for doing research: personal and professional? 
My first research question that I developed alone in the garden on Saturday concerns political apathy in young people.  Why do young people stay home on voting day?  How many young people vote?
What factors influence participation in democratic processes, including voting?  Do class, race, gender and educational background influence a young person's interest in voting?  Are young people autonomous creatures or are their political opinions or lack of them influenced or controlled by groups they belong to(parents, friends,colleagues)?  Are young people apathetic?  When are they interested?  Are young people who participate in mock parliaments more interested in politics? Do they vote? In what ways are young people different from people of other ages?  Are they different?   Do young people feel empowered by the democratic process?  Do they like party politics?   I was interested to observe that I thought of political systems in preestablished forms. Is there a more democratic form of government than democracy? Are there potentially new governing systems?  What if there is a new form of government, a form that would transform our current system for the better? I would need to limit the age range and establish reasons for the age cage.  The impressions of young people could be useful in the process of reform, whatever it entails.  I would interview young people, conduct surveys and consult existing studies.  This reseasrch could potentially benefit anyone, especially young people. My goals would be to listen to young people's feelings and opinions about our politcal system, with the goal of seeing where there is potential for progress. Ofcourse, this research project may have been done many times before. However, my research could contribute in some ways to the existing interest and need.

 I acknowledge there is an idealistic aspect to this research interest.   However, there can be a function and benefit to ideals, even if they remain a progressive influence. Politcal systems are not static. So, they can't be ideal. .

Sitting in the garden, I used poetry and drawing to explore this research interest.
Here are some words, I wrote in a circle:

Cha cha cha....change.
Cha cha cha...change.
Why don't they vote? 
Skip hop skip.
Why do they sit on the sidewalk
and watch their elders stumble?
Cha cha cha...change.
Cha, cha, cha...change.
Leave the dance floor.
Dance on the beach.
Dance on the streets
Awake the dormant feet!  C. Dempster