Last week the trainings and discussions we had cut across the disciplines. How does the interdisciplinary nature of this program, the fact that students are focusing on such a diverse range of projects, help you think about your project and/or your academic interests more broadly?
The interdisciplinary nature of the program helps me look at my own research from a new lens. For one, I was able to see the methodologies that my peers used to approach their research projects, and through this new lens, I was able to improve the approach I used in my own research.
Furthermore, I’ve been able to learn several ways to present my findings thus far, from diagramatic representations and maps through Storymaps, to pictorial illustrations that add more depth and nuance to my research project. Moving forward, I’m excited to translate these new modes of presenting data in my future classes and personal passion projects.
As you begin your individual research projects this week, do you anticipate any challenges in getting started? If so, what are they?
A challenge I encountered while beginning my individual research project was managing my time effectively. Given that my research project falls under the Social Science umbrella and therefore does not have much supervision as opposed to lab centered research, I had a hard time managing my time at first. I however created an in-depth schedule and used pomodoro timers on YouTube to track the progress I make every single day. I also created an ‘accountability system’ with the help of my research mentors, and I started carrying a notebook everywhere I went because I incline more on jotting down ideas and findings, as opposed to typing them on my laptop. Thus, much as I encountered challenges at first, I’m glad that I found ways to work around them and create discipline while pursuing my research endeavor, which is of utmost importance.
A challenge I anticipate going forward is getting fast replies to the anti femicide activists I plan on reaching out to. I however plan on sending follow up emails and having back-up activists in case the other ones do not respond by the end of the time frame I plan on interviewing them.
Hello! My name is Anjelica and I'm a rising sophomore at Columbia University in New York. My current research aims to look into how language affects our perception of femicide in the media. In my free time, I make podcast videos with people who I find inspiring, I write (and hunt for banger book quotes on Pinterest), I'm currently planning an initiative in my foundation, and I watch TikToks that my best friend sends to me.
A quote that I really love as of now is:
"When God had made The Man, he made him out of stuff that sung all the time and glittered all over. Some angels got jealous and chopped him into millions of pieces, but still he glittered and hummed. So they beat him down to nothing but sparks but each little spark had a shine and a song.
So they covered each one over with mud.
And the lonesomeness in the sparks make them hunt for one another."
Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God
And yes, I love existential questions.
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