Yesterday was my conference presentation, and of course, my PowerPoint presentation didn't send properly, so I had to work without it. I still had my script, luckily, but I definitely would have liked to have the PowerPoint. I think that the presentation went well over all - it wasn't the best presentation in the class, but it definitely wasn't the worst.
I was a bit nervous giving the presentation, which is strange because public speaking doesn't usually scare me. I think the main problem was that I'm used to standing up and talking to 7th graders when I'm teaching, not giving a presentation to my peers. I was nervous, but I don't think it was too noticeable. At least, I hope it wasnt.
Overall, I enjoyed the process of giving a presentation. It felt good to share the information I had been working with for so long.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Okay. So. ONCE AGAIN, the focus of my research has shifted. I'm probably the least decisive person I know, but I feel pretty confident that THIS topic is the one that will go all the way to the big league. Or the conference. Or whatever.
What is this mysterious topic, you ask. When I first started this project, I was interested in the way Twilight was received by my generation (and maybe a generation below us). The more I researched the novel, the more I realized that what really interested me was the way Stephenie Meyers portrayed sexuality in the novel - and they way readers, as pre-teens and teenagers and twentysomethings, reacted to that portrayal. And as I read and re-read the novel, and read and re-read the research, I noticed that I couldn't get a certain image out of my head. Throughout my research, all I could think about were the twelve year-old girls I'd worked with over the summer, girls who had read Twilight a hundred times, and were "totally in love with Edward". I couldn't help but wonder how they read the sexuality in Twilight, and how their reading of that sexuality would influence their own sexuality as they grew older.
So I started asking my friends questions. Questions like, "What was the first movie you saw that contained a sex scene?" (The answer, overwhelmingly? Titanic) and "What was the first book you read that contained a sex scene?". And as I asked these questions, I wondered what that movie and that novel would be for my parent's generation. Or the generation of graduating college seniors. Or my seventeen year-old sister's generation.
My questions, essentially, are these: which novels build our collective sexual education? To whom are these novels marketed? How is sexuality portrayed? And what is the result of this portrayal? I'll probably shift my research towards Queer Theory, since I'm primarily concerned in the development of sexuality.
I understand that this has the potential to be an huge, long-term project. But right now, I really just want to answer these questions for my generation. I'm planning on sending out an online survey to ask people about the way they experienced sexuality in literature, and I'm honestly very very excited to read the responses.
What is this mysterious topic, you ask. When I first started this project, I was interested in the way Twilight was received by my generation (and maybe a generation below us). The more I researched the novel, the more I realized that what really interested me was the way Stephenie Meyers portrayed sexuality in the novel - and they way readers, as pre-teens and teenagers and twentysomethings, reacted to that portrayal. And as I read and re-read the novel, and read and re-read the research, I noticed that I couldn't get a certain image out of my head. Throughout my research, all I could think about were the twelve year-old girls I'd worked with over the summer, girls who had read Twilight a hundred times, and were "totally in love with Edward". I couldn't help but wonder how they read the sexuality in Twilight, and how their reading of that sexuality would influence their own sexuality as they grew older.
So I started asking my friends questions. Questions like, "What was the first movie you saw that contained a sex scene?" (The answer, overwhelmingly? Titanic) and "What was the first book you read that contained a sex scene?". And as I asked these questions, I wondered what that movie and that novel would be for my parent's generation. Or the generation of graduating college seniors. Or my seventeen year-old sister's generation.
My questions, essentially, are these: which novels build our collective sexual education? To whom are these novels marketed? How is sexuality portrayed? And what is the result of this portrayal? I'll probably shift my research towards Queer Theory, since I'm primarily concerned in the development of sexuality.
I understand that this has the potential to be an huge, long-term project. But right now, I really just want to answer these questions for my generation. I'm planning on sending out an online survey to ask people about the way they experienced sexuality in literature, and I'm honestly very very excited to read the responses.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Scary Things.
In honor of Halloween, here are ten TERRIFYING things I learned about teen pregnancies in the U.S. while doing research this week.
1. Three-quarters of a million teens between 15 and 19 become pregnant each year.
2. Very few teens who become mothers plan on doing so. Out of all teen pregnancies, 82% are unintended. Teen pregnancy accounts for 20% of all unplanned pregnancies every year.
3. Two-thirds of teen pregnancies occur among teens 18-19 years old.
4. Teen mothers account for 11% of all births in the US.
5. Out of all teen pregnancies, 57% end in birth. Another 14% end in miscarriage. If you do the math, that means that about 217,500 teenage girls have abortions every year.
6. Only 74% of girls use protection the first time they have sex. Girls who do not use protection the first time are more likely to get pregnant in the future.
7. For young women age 15-19, black teens are most likely to become pregnant (134 per 1,000 women). Slightly lower rates occur among Hispanics (131 per 1,000) followed by non-Hispanic whites (48 per 1,000).
8. Although teenage mothers today are more likely to finish high school or earn their GEDs than in the past, pregnant teens are less likely to attend college than teens who do not become pregnant.
9. US rates are twice as high as in England and Wales or Canada, and eight times as high as in the Netherlands or Japan. And all the Japanese think about is sex.
10. Teen pregnancy rates declined between 1991 and 2005 but are on the rise again. A December 2007 report by the Centers for Disease Control shows a 3% increase in teenage pregnancy from 2005 to 2006.
And you thought vampires were scary.
1. Three-quarters of a million teens between 15 and 19 become pregnant each year.
2. Very few teens who become mothers plan on doing so. Out of all teen pregnancies, 82% are unintended. Teen pregnancy accounts for 20% of all unplanned pregnancies every year.
3. Two-thirds of teen pregnancies occur among teens 18-19 years old.
4. Teen mothers account for 11% of all births in the US.
5. Out of all teen pregnancies, 57% end in birth. Another 14% end in miscarriage. If you do the math, that means that about 217,500 teenage girls have abortions every year.
6. Only 74% of girls use protection the first time they have sex. Girls who do not use protection the first time are more likely to get pregnant in the future.
7. For young women age 15-19, black teens are most likely to become pregnant (134 per 1,000 women). Slightly lower rates occur among Hispanics (131 per 1,000) followed by non-Hispanic whites (48 per 1,000).
8. Although teenage mothers today are more likely to finish high school or earn their GEDs than in the past, pregnant teens are less likely to attend college than teens who do not become pregnant.
9. US rates are twice as high as in England and Wales or Canada, and eight times as high as in the Netherlands or Japan. And all the Japanese think about is sex.
10. Teen pregnancy rates declined between 1991 and 2005 but are on the rise again. A December 2007 report by the Centers for Disease Control shows a 3% increase in teenage pregnancy from 2005 to 2006.
And you thought vampires were scary.
Friday, October 23, 2009
It's Always Sunny in Tucson (pt. 1)
Okay. So. It's a gorgeous day in Tucson, Arizona, and last night's episode of Always Sunny was fantastic. I had an awful week but things are looking up. In honor of the awesomeness this weekend seems to be promising, today's ranting is going to be a TWO PART research extravaganza. This first part will focus on my (kind of) new and (maybe) improved research artifact, and the second part will focus on how I'm planning on actually doing any research. Ready? Let's go.
So as I mentioned in my last post, the Twilight path of research seemed to be coming to an end. I loved everything I was reading on the subject, but there just wasn't enough. It took me hours - literally, hours - to find research, and in the end it just wasn't going anywhere. The research I was reading told me things I already knew, and that's no fun. One of the threads I picked up on, however, was the idea of abstinence. Abstinence is a major theme in Twilight, and I found myself thinking about it constantly. What kind of message is Twilight sending to it's readers? How else is that message manifested in other "kid-friendly" media sources, like Nickelodeon and the Jonas Brothers? (Don't even get me started on those boys. I have an unhealthy crush on Nick. And he's 17. It's awful) The more I thought about the idea of abstinence in the modern world, the more I wanted to learn. So I've revamped my research, and I'm now going to be considering the following questions:
So as I mentioned in my last post, the Twilight path of research seemed to be coming to an end. I loved everything I was reading on the subject, but there just wasn't enough. It took me hours - literally, hours - to find research, and in the end it just wasn't going anywhere. The research I was reading told me things I already knew, and that's no fun. One of the threads I picked up on, however, was the idea of abstinence. Abstinence is a major theme in Twilight, and I found myself thinking about it constantly. What kind of message is Twilight sending to it's readers? How else is that message manifested in other "kid-friendly" media sources, like Nickelodeon and the Jonas Brothers? (Don't even get me started on those boys. I have an unhealthy crush on Nick. And he's 17. It's awful) The more I thought about the idea of abstinence in the modern world, the more I wanted to learn. So I've revamped my research, and I'm now going to be considering the following questions:
- What does abstinence-only education mean? Where is it practiced? What are the results?
- How are abstinence and sexuality presented in kid-centric media, specifically in shows like Gossip Girl, movies like High School Musical, and music videos?
- What (if any) are the trends in young adult literature towards abstinence?
Thursday, September 24, 2009
An extremely well-written and completely clean expression of anger.
Well this has been an awful week.
On Monday I got back my artifact review, complete with a big fat C. This was obviously upsetting. I haven't gotten a C on an English paper (or any paper, for that matter) since...well...ever. Writing has always been "my thing", and I have always sort of taken for granted my ability to pull A-plus papers out of thin air. And the truth is, I worked hard on that paper. So getting a C honestly sucked.
The week went downhill from there. I've been really sick lately, and staying up late working hasn't done much to help out. On top of that, I feel like I've hit a dead end on my research. All of the sources I'm finding are confirming what I already believe - that Twilight is an anti-feminist piece of abstinence propaganda. There's nothing new in the sources I'm finding, and I still haven't been able to find out why this anti-feminist piece of abstinence propaganda is so successful. There hasn't been any extensive research into the psychology of fandom; at least, not any that I can find. So I'm stuck running in circles, chasing my own tail, and it's really frustrating.
On Monday I got back my artifact review, complete with a big fat C. This was obviously upsetting. I haven't gotten a C on an English paper (or any paper, for that matter) since...well...ever. Writing has always been "my thing", and I have always sort of taken for granted my ability to pull A-plus papers out of thin air. And the truth is, I worked hard on that paper. So getting a C honestly sucked.
The week went downhill from there. I've been really sick lately, and staying up late working hasn't done much to help out. On top of that, I feel like I've hit a dead end on my research. All of the sources I'm finding are confirming what I already believe - that Twilight is an anti-feminist piece of abstinence propaganda. There's nothing new in the sources I'm finding, and I still haven't been able to find out why this anti-feminist piece of abstinence propaganda is so successful. There hasn't been any extensive research into the psychology of fandom; at least, not any that I can find. So I'm stuck running in circles, chasing my own tail, and it's really frustrating.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Artifact Reviews, etc.
So the assignment for this week was to complete a "review" of our cultural artifact - in my case, Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. Overall, it wasn't a difficult assignment for me, as I had already expressed the majority of my Twilight-related opinions in the first post of this blog. I did a brief amount of research about the context of the novel's release (I was not, unfortunately, cool enough to know about Twilight the second it was published, although I do have a first edition) then re-worded my opinions about the novel, and figured I was done. I wasn't, of course. The hard part of this assignment came when, upon reviewing the rubric, I remembered I needed to include a discussion of the issues surrounding the novel. I realized that, while I had a vague understanding of the most common criticisms of Twilight, I had no idea how deep those criticisms ran. Faced with a lack of information and a hundred different questions, I did what most people my age do: I got on the Internet.
Type the words "Twilight novel" into a Google search page, and the results are astounding. Nearly 12 MILLION results are available; unfortunately, while the majority are extremely entertaining, very few of them are what could be considered "academic". From fan pages to Wikipedia, information abounds, but not in trolling through the Google results, only a select handful of sites were actually useful.
One thing I never anticipated about this project was how difficult it would be to find scholarly opinions on a novel that was released only four years ago. This is definitely going to be one of the most difficult parts of the assignment. While the Twilight Phenomenon is a huge part of modern pop culture, it is an undeniably young part, and very little research has been done. In order for this project to be successful, I am going to have to think outside of the box, and base my research on the connections I can make between the present and the past. So far, those connections include:
Type the words "Twilight novel" into a Google search page, and the results are astounding. Nearly 12 MILLION results are available; unfortunately, while the majority are extremely entertaining, very few of them are what could be considered "academic". From fan pages to Wikipedia, information abounds, but not in trolling through the Google results, only a select handful of sites were actually useful.
One thing I never anticipated about this project was how difficult it would be to find scholarly opinions on a novel that was released only four years ago. This is definitely going to be one of the most difficult parts of the assignment. While the Twilight Phenomenon is a huge part of modern pop culture, it is an undeniably young part, and very little research has been done. In order for this project to be successful, I am going to have to think outside of the box, and base my research on the connections I can make between the present and the past. So far, those connections include:
- the similiarities/differences between the current Twilight obsession, and past pop-culture fads (Beatlemania, Elvis, etc.)
- any relevant similarities between the Edward/Bella relationship, and the romances Meyers references in Twilight (Heathcliffe/Catherine, Romeo/Juliet, Elizabeth/Mr. Darcy)
- the vast differences between the vampires of Bram Stoker, Anne Rice, any other relevant pop culture vampires, and the vampires of Twilight
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Full Disclosure
I have a confession to make. Somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind, I thought I could keep this a secret, but the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem, and this - this is definitely a problem. So here goes.
I've read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. Not just the first book, mind you, but all four of them - Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. I even read the illegally leaked chapters of Midnight Sun, the now-shelved fifth novel, which is (was?) essentially Twilight told from Edward Cullen's point of view.
It gets worse.
I enjoyed them. All of them. Honestly. Except for the last hundred pages or so of Breaking Dawn (you know what you did, Stephenie), I enjoyed every word on every page. I wouldn't say I'm a die-hard Twilighter (or Twitard, if we're being mean), but I would be lying if I said that I didn't buy Breaking Dawn at midnight the day it was released. And I would really be lying if I said that I wouldn't let Edward Cullen do just about anything he wanted to me. (Although, to be fair, that particular obsession does have something to do with the painfully gorgeous Robert Pattinson, the actor who portrays Edward in the movie.)
Here's the thing - I know I shouldn't enjoy the novels. I know I shouldn't even call them novels. Meyer's writing style is simplistic at best, and at times, incredibly immature. Edward is described as "beautiful" no less than 70 billion times (citation needed), and the saga's heroine, Bella, is little more than an empty mold that every female reader "can, like, totally relate to". The relationship between the two protagonists is anything but healthy: Bella is essentially dependent on Edward, who is controlling to the point of obsession. The books are riddled with confusing and at times contradictory abstinence propaganda Twilight, to put it simply, is just not a good book.
So what's wrong with me? What's wrong with us? Twilight has sold about 17 million copies worldwide, with the series as a whole selling over 70 million. The movie adaptation of Twilight grossed $7 million for midnight showings alone, and almost $36 million on opening day. The series has spawned a plethora of websites and fan-fiction; it is nothing less than a cultural phenomenon.
My goal for this project is to figure out why. Why do we care so desperately about the goings-on of the Cullen clan? Why are we projecting the label of a "perfect relationship" onto a couple that is anything but? Why has Twilight made the societal impact that it has?
And who, in the name of all that is holy, thought that this would be a good idea?
Let's find out together.
I've read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga. Not just the first book, mind you, but all four of them - Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. I even read the illegally leaked chapters of Midnight Sun, the now-shelved fifth novel, which is (was?) essentially Twilight told from Edward Cullen's point of view.
It gets worse.
I enjoyed them. All of them. Honestly. Except for the last hundred pages or so of Breaking Dawn (you know what you did, Stephenie), I enjoyed every word on every page. I wouldn't say I'm a die-hard Twilighter (or Twitard, if we're being mean), but I would be lying if I said that I didn't buy Breaking Dawn at midnight the day it was released. And I would really be lying if I said that I wouldn't let Edward Cullen do just about anything he wanted to me. (Although, to be fair, that particular obsession does have something to do with the painfully gorgeous Robert Pattinson, the actor who portrays Edward in the movie.)
Here's the thing - I know I shouldn't enjoy the novels. I know I shouldn't even call them novels. Meyer's writing style is simplistic at best, and at times, incredibly immature. Edward is described as "beautiful" no less than 70 billion times (citation needed), and the saga's heroine, Bella, is little more than an empty mold that every female reader "can, like, totally relate to". The relationship between the two protagonists is anything but healthy: Bella is essentially dependent on Edward, who is controlling to the point of obsession. The books are riddled with confusing and at times contradictory abstinence propaganda Twilight, to put it simply, is just not a good book.
So what's wrong with me? What's wrong with us? Twilight has sold about 17 million copies worldwide, with the series as a whole selling over 70 million. The movie adaptation of Twilight grossed $7 million for midnight showings alone, and almost $36 million on opening day. The series has spawned a plethora of websites and fan-fiction; it is nothing less than a cultural phenomenon.
My goal for this project is to figure out why. Why do we care so desperately about the goings-on of the Cullen clan? Why are we projecting the label of a "perfect relationship" onto a couple that is anything but? Why has Twilight made the societal impact that it has?
And who, in the name of all that is holy, thought that this would be a good idea?
Let's find out together.
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