What new ideas, challenges, or other issues have you encountered with regard to your project (this might include data collection, information that contradicts your assumptions or the assertions of others, materials that have enriched your understanding of the topic or led you to change your project, etc.)? How have these ideas or challenges shaped the bigger picture of your research? Has the scope or focus of your topic changed since you began this project? If so, how?

Lately, I’ve been grappling with the challenge of narrowing down my research focus. My initial interest in online discourse around tariffs turned out to be too broad and somewhat vague, which made it difficult to develop a clear and manageable research question. After several conversations with my mentor, we concluded that my focus should be shaped not only by my academic interests, but also by the available methodology and the practical constraints of the project timeline. Together, we decided to concentrate on two specific Chinese social media platforms and explore how users engage with the question: “Can the U.S. hurt China?” To make the project more focused and analytically rigorous, we also chose to look specifically at the argumentative aspects of the discourse, rather than trying to cover all forms of online commentary.

As I moved into the analysis stage, I encountered another unexpected difficulty: creating a system to categorize the discursive data I had gathered. I found it challenging to develop a coding framework that was both systematic and flexible enough to capture the nuances of the conversations. When I brought this up with my mentor, he encouraged me not to overthink the structure at the beginning, but instead to start analyzing and allow the framework to take shape as I worked with the material. This advice has pushed me to become more proactive in my approach. Rather than waiting until everything felt “perfect,” I’ve been testing and gradually refining my system through trial and error. This shift in mindset has helped me gain confidence in the research process and reminded me that academic work often evolves through doing, not just planning.

Where does your research take place--or where is a favorite place to conduct your research? Post a photo!

I enjoy working at cafes because I work better around people and the libraries are quite empty these days. My recent favorite study spot is Devocion in Flatiron. My laptop wouldn't let me upload the picture though...