When Did The Princess Start Wearing Cleats?!

Abstract: My research was on women’s soccer. Women’s soccer history is not actually known to most people. It has just recently started a few years ago. I tried figuring out women’s soccer in the past and compare it to how it is today. Tucker talked about how “women are just now discovering it is not exclusively a men’s game”. In the books it says there was a movement of women from “the terraces” to “the stands” which emphasized their growing change of wanting to be free and more themselves instead of waiting passively in a terrace like princesses do. So then when the princess wanted to play the sport and wear cleats, “authorities saw the rise of women’s football as a threat to the male game”. There were many questions as to the beginning of women’s soccer like how and when did soccer start for women and wanted to know why weren’t they able to play sooner? Then again did women’s soccer begin intentionally or accidentally? An important law or regulation that led to girls and women to become “entitled” athletes was Title IX. Not only was Title IX important to society and to women but this struggle to be able to play greatly influenced women to strive for what they deserve. The women’s movement into the sport shows the quest by women for equality, control of their own decisions and what to do with their bodies, self-identifying themselves and represents the challenge to males and the larger society.

Advice:

1.      You guys might hear this a lot but let me tell you one more time… DO NOT PROCASTINATE! Do you know why it’s called a research paper? Because you need to do research. And research takes a lot of time. I only discovered that until I took this class. Another thing I think would be important is that she is giving you the option about what to write about. This made it easier to write this paper. Choose something you are really interested in, even if it isn’t something normal. It’s even better and more interesting if it isn’t normal!

2.      My topic was women’s soccer. My research question was: Did women’s soccer start intentionally or accidentally? Why did it take them so much longer for an official start? Why was it considered a “man sport”? I was surprised to find so many books on my topic in the library. I would say that the library is the place to go.

Some sources: Giulianotti, Richard. Football : A Sociology of the Global Game. Cambridge, UK : Oxford ; Malden, MA: Polity Press ; Blackwell Publishers, 1999.

Kane, Basil. Soccer for American Spectators: A Fundamental Guide to Modern Soccer. South Brunswick: A. S. Barnes, 1970.

Fishwick, Nicholas. English Football and Society, 1910-1950. Manchester ; New York : New York, NY, USA: Manchester University Press ; Distributed exclusively in the USA and Canada by St. Martin's Press, 1989.

The Truth Comes Out: Representations of Homosexuality in Disney

Abstract: In my research, I set out to learn the representations of homosexuality in Disney films. The most notable and recurring representations of LGBT characters are villains, who show obvious signs of gender transgression. However, such representations have negative effects on young viewers, because it teaches children to associate LGBT people with evil. While this representation of “gay villainy” has improved over time, Disney films’ depictions of the LGBT community still remain stereotypical. However, the present-day LGBT rights movement has given birth to more positive representations of homosexuality in Disney films. This is important because it may lead to a new generation of tolerant children, and alleviate some of the negative prejudice that LGBT people face today.

A Message to Future English 102 Researchers: I had a great time writing this research paper, and that was for two reasons: a) I chose a topic that I actually knew nothing about b) I started my research early. Choosing a topic that you don't have any preconceived ideas about will really help to make this project interesting, because you will actually be learning new things. Learning, I know, a crazy concept right?? Secondly, I know you have probably heard this at least 20 times already, but start your research early. That does not mean you should be stressing about research during Week 2, but you should try and start your research at least a week and a half before the first draft is due. Not only will you not be stressing about finding sources and evidence, but you will also get better feedback during peer review. Also, when conducting your research, write down any quote that you think might be useful, and remember to add the full parenthetical citation. This will make the actually writing process a whole lot easier.

Works Cited

Bell, Elizabeth. “Somatexts at the Disney shop: Constructing the pentimentos of women’s animated bodies.” From mouse to mermaid: The politics of film, gender, and culture. Ed. Elizabeth Bell. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995. 112. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

Best, Joel, and Kathleen S. Lowney. "The Disadvantage of a Good Reputation: Disney as a Target for Social Problems Claims." The Sociological Quarterly 50.3 (2009): 431-49. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

Caulfield, Keith. “5 Seconds of Summer Debuts at No. 2 on Billboard 200; ‘Frozen’ Still No. 1.” Billboard Biz. Billboard, 9 Apr. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

Cheu, Johnson, ed. Diversity in Disney Films : Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality and Disability. Jefferson, NC, USA: McFarland & Company, 2013. ProQuest ebrary. Web. 3 March 2015.

Li-Vollmer, Meredith, and Mark E. LaPointe. "Gender Transgression And Villainy In Animated Film." Popular Communication 1.2 (2003): 89. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

Luttrell, Gina. “7 Moments that Made ‘Frozen’ the Most Progressive Disney Movie Ever.” Arts. Mic. n.p., 20 Jan. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

Morgan, Joe. “The 14 Disney characters you had no idea were gay.” Gay Star News. n.p., 5 Oct. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

Price, Rob. “Disney’s ‘Frozen’ is not a ‘gay’ film (but I wish it were).” The Daily Dot. n.p., 20 Feb. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

Putnam, Amanda. “Mean Ladies: Transgendered Villains in Disney Films”. Diversity in Disney Films. Ed. Johnson Cheu. Jefferson, NC, USA: McFarland & Company, 2013. 147-155. Web.

Skaggs, Kathryn. “Frozen: Not Gonna “Let It Go” When Movie Advocates Gay Agenda.” A Well-Behaved Mormon Woman. n.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

Sweeney, Gael. ““What Do You Want Me to Do? Dress in Drag and Do the Hula?” Timon and Pumba’s Alternative Lifestyle Dilemma in The Lion King”. Diversity in Disney Films. Ed. Johnson Cheu. Jefferson, NC, USA: McFarland & Company, 2013. 130-136. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

Zarranz, Libe Garcia. "DISWOMEN STRIKE BACK? THE EVOLUTION OF DISNEY's FEMMES IN THE 1990S." Atenea 27.2 (2007): 55-67. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

Zipes, Jack. “Breaking the Disney Spell.” From Mouse to Mermaid: The politics of film, gender, and culture. Ed. Elizabeth Bell. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1995. 21. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

Painting with the Colors of the Wind: Disney and Racism

Painting with the Colors of the Wind: Disney and Racism

Joanna Tien

This is a rather strange thing to say, but I actually had fun writing this paper. Two of the things that would make your research/writing process a lot easier is to find a way to organize your evidence and see Professor Hicks at her office hours! It is important to find a way to organize your evidence (in a way that works for you) so that it is easier to find what you want when you need it. Another thing that helped me greatly was to visit Professor Hicks to have her go over my paper. She reads really fast, is super attentive and is ready to answer any questions you may have, as well as provide feedback. I would highly suggest going if this is your first research paper. Professor Hicks is great and helps a lot!

My research question focused on the difference between Disney's portrayal of white princesses versus princesses of color, and if these differences in depictions were trying to send specific messages to the audience.

Works Cited (All from JSTOR or the CSULA library)

Brode, Douglas. Multiculturalism and the Mouse. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2005. Print.

Cheu, Johnson. Diversity in Disney Films : Critical Essays on Race, Ethnicity, Gender, Sexuality

and Disability. ­­­­Jefferson: McFarland & Company, 2013. Web. 

Edwards, Leigh H. “The United Colors of ‘Pocahontas’: Synthetic Miscegenation and Disney's

Multiculturalism.” Narrative 7.2 (1999): 147-168. PDF file.

Lacroix, Celeste. “Images of Animated Others: The Orientalization of Disney's Cartoon Heroines

from The Little Mermaid to The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” Popular Communication

2.4 (2004): 213-229. PDF file.

Uncanny Robots-Niyusha Zarnegar

Uncanny Robots 

Niyusha Zarnegar

      What I learned after doing my research paper is that you should do it over multiple days assigning a specific part to each day, this helps spread the workload of the assignment evenly reducing the amount of stress that comes with trying to do the paper all at once close to the due date. Also don't forget to leave yourself with a few days for revising your paper and asking professor opinions on it. Also if you are at a complete loss for sources try asking Jenny as she recommended me a great source when I didn't know where to start.  

    My research question was about how the Uncanny Valley related to robotics. I found almost all of my sources through the library's database and here are the ones I found the most useful. 

References

1.Freud, Sigmund. The Uncanny. New York: Penguin, 2003. Print.

2.Geller, T. "Overcoming the Uncanny Valley." IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, 28.4 (2008): 11-17.

3.Mori, Masahiro. "The Uncanny Valley." IEEE Spectrum (2012): n. pag. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

4.Jones, Raya A. "Relationalism through Social Robotics." The Theory of Social Behavior 43.4 (2013): n. pag. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.

5.Stix, Gary. "Into The Uncanny Valley." Scientific American 299.6 (2008): 24-28. Military & Government Collection. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.

Traditional Remedies in Various Cultures

Abstract:
The topic of our research paper revolves around the idea of cultural medicine. After contemplating for a while we came to the conclusion that our research question would be: Why do people still use natural remedies today, and why is this significant? Our paper first begins with us explaining why we each wanted to do this topic. We each have had an experience with being sick where a natural remedy rescued us rather than the standard medicine from a doctor’s office. Therefore, we were intrigued by this topic, and committed to exploring and finding more information about it. How we found this information is explained in the next part of our paper. After we discuss how our research was found and what we used, we then discuss our actual research. We decided to focus on three cultures which included the Mexican, Chinese, and Armenian cultures. We talk about the different natural remedies used among these cultures as well as our personal experiences and insights. We also answer our research question in which you have to read our paper to find out. Finally, we end our paper with the connection back to our class theme of Myth America as well as describing our thoughts in regards to the research paper and the process we took.

Advice:
DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! Some ways you future English 102 students can do this is by setting up a schedule and more or less sticking to it. Having a set schedule helps keep tasks organized, and if you're working in a group, it helps each group member know what he or she is going to contribute. Another noteworthy piece of advice is, start your research early. Why? This is the hardest part of the paper, finding credible sources that you can quote. The faster you get this done, the easier the writing process of the paper is going to be.

Sources:
If our topic sparks your interest, here are some sources that you can begin with...

"Common Cold." Cold Remedies: What Works, What Doesn't, What Can't Hurt. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2015.

Finkelstein, Jonathan A., et al. "Childhood Infections, Antibiotics, and Resistance What Are

Parents Saying Now?." Clinical pediatrics 53.2 (2014): 145-150.

Poss, Jane E., Mary Ann Jezewski, and Armando Gonzalez Stuart. "Home remedies for type 2

diabetes used by Mexican Americans in El Paso, Texas."Clinical Nursing Research 12.4

(2003): 304-323.

Romanucci-Ross, Lola, Daniel E. Moerman, and Laurence R. Tancredi. The Anthropology of Medicine: From Culture to Method. New York, NY: Praeger, 1983. Print.

Niku Nourmohammadi - The Evolution of Mermaids

The Evolution of Mermaids

Niku Nourmohammadi

        After doing my research paper, I learned the following: never procrastinate and always have a game plan. Start your research by learning more about your topic online and doing general reading. By doing this first, you will understand what you are looking for in the library, which will inspire more thoughts and questions once the initial research is done. Write as soon as possible after in depth reading! This will give you time to make any necessary changes. 

        My research question focused on the evolution of mermaids and the interpretations of mermaids in different cultures along with their sexualization. I found useful sources online and in the CSULA library’s online database with useful keywords that I found online. The following are some resourceful sources.

Works Cited

1.     “A Mermaid and a Magic Comb.” Myths and Legends. Myths.e2bn.org, 2006. Web. 1            March. 2015.

2.     Dinnerstein, Dorthy. The Mermaid and the Minotaur: Sexual Arrangements and     Human Malaise. New York: Harper & Row, 1976.

3.     Lucian of Samosata, De Dea Syria Part 2, Chapter 14

4.     “Myths & Legends.” Ancient Origins. Ancient Origins, 2013 – 2015. Web. 1 March. 2015.

5.     Prothero, Donald, and Carl Dennis Buell. Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters. New York: Columbia University Press, 2007.

6.     Underwater times. December 25, 2005. Retrieved October 25, 2012.

7.     Weiss, Kenneth, and Anne Buchanan.The Mermaid's Tale: Four Billion Years of Cooperation in the Making of Living Things. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2009.

The Moon

I have always liked astrology and horoscopes, which made me interested in the moon and its magical properties. I also noticed the moon playing a role in a lot of different stories, myths, and legends. I originally wanted to write about what the moon symbolizes in general, but that would be too broad. Then I decided to write about what it means in different cultures. What does the moon symbolizes in different cultures and what are some of the beliefs people believe about it? That is the question I mostly focused on for this paper.

Advice: DO NOT PROCRASTINATE. It will just stress you out and you're probably already pretty stressed out with your other classes and homework. Set a bit of time everyday to look through your sources and write a bit. I wish I didn't procrastinate so much because I would always worry about when I would finish this project, but it worked out in the end. Research a topic that you really enjoy because you will be spending a lot of time on this paper. You don't want to torture yourself and write a paper about something you don't like or aren't interested in. Don't be surprised if you have to tweak your research question a little bit. You won't have to start over completely, just keep using the information that you already found and use it for your kind-of-new research question that you changed from your original question. Also, don't worry if you can't find really good sources right away. Just look at the databases, go to the library, look through the internet, and most importantly, be patient. I thought I wasn't going to find any reliable sources for my topic, but I ended up finding some journals and books that were really helpful and I was glad I didn't give up. I found a lot of information and learned a lot and that's important. Just don't give up :)

Here are some of the resources I used that were really helpful:

*I found the Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend (The Facts on File Encyclopedia) and World Mythology from the library near my house. The rest were journals from the JSTOR database.

Colton, Judith. "The Endymion Myth and Poussin's Detroit Painting." Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes Vol. 30, (1967): Pp. 426-431. Print.

Burton, John W. “"The Moon Is a Sheep" A Feminine Principle in Atuot Cosmology” Man New Series, Vol. 16, No. 3 (Sep., 1981): Pp. 441-450. Print.

Mercatante, Anthony S. Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend (The Facts on File Encyclopedia). New York: Facts on File, 1988. Print.

Raa, Eric Ten. "The Moon as a Symbol of Life and Fertility in Sandawe Thought." Africa: Journal of the International African Institute Vol. 39, No. 1 (Jan., 1969): Pp. 24-53. Print.

Willis, Roy G. World Mythology. New York: H. Holt, 1993. Print.

The Myths and Legends of Dreams: A Cross-Cultural Analysis

Abstract

Everyone dreams in every culture. It’s a universal phenomenon. But not everyone has the same interpretation of dreams. While there is some overlap, generally each culture has a distinct belief about what dreams are, the significance of them and why we dream. This is where my research came in. I wanted to understand what each culture believed about dreams. So I went out and started researching different cultures. Most, if not all of them have some method of interpreting dreams. Some cultures have detailed handbooks while others just have representative pictures. Furthermore, many cultures also associate mythical creatures to dreams, which either block out nightmares or bring them on. The latter, of course, would be considered evil creatures. Ultimately, I learned through this research that with the exception of one, every culture either has a positive or negative interpretation of dreams.

1. I'm sure you've heard this advice a thousand times before, but it doesn't hurt to repeat it. My advice to you is to start early and don't procrastinate. You really have the whole quarter to think about what topic you want to do. So by the time your proposal is due, you should have a very good idea about what you want to do. Choose something that interests you! Trust me, it will be fun to write about. From personal experience, it doesn't even feel like your writing an essay. It actually feels like leisure internet browsing (or book browsing). Which reminds me, remember to use books! I thought the most useful information would come from the internet, but I was wrong. A lot of useful information came from the books I found at the library! And this was information that couldn't be found online! So it was very useful. Other than that, good luck and have fun!

2. My research question was how do different cultures view/interpret dreaming? I chose to research this because I'm fascinated by dreams. They're so strange and they can reveal our unconscious desires.

Here is a list of my sources. I found some useful books at the library here and also some useful journal articles on JSTOR.

1. Bond, Sarah. "Divine Reverie: Revelation, Dream Interpretation, and Teeth in Antiquity." The Appendix Combined. N.p., 10 July 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
2. Borbély, Alexander A. "Dreams." Secrets of Sleep. New York: Basic, 1986. 63-69. Print.
3. Bynum, W.F. Companion Encyclopedia of the History of Medicine. Ed. Roy Porter. London: Routledge, 1993. 281. Print.
4. Cartwright, Rosalind Dymond. "Popular Culture Effects on Dream Content."A Primer on Sleep and Dreaming. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Pub., 1978. 57. Print.
5. Curran, Bob. Vampires: A Field Guide to the Creatures That Stalk the Night. Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page, 2005. 17-21. Print.
6. Galen. "Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences." On Diagnosis From Dreams (1983): 36-47. Web. 18 Mar. 2015.
7. Handley, Andrew. "10 Ancient Legends About Dreams." Listverse. N.p., 21 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.
8. Van Nuys, David. “Dreaming Across Cultures.” Sonoma State University. August 2004. PowerPoint presentation.

The Color of Talent

Hello future college students!!!

What did I write about?

When I was told we had to choose a topic that would really interest me I knew I had to go with basketball because you know, #BallIsLife.

The research question I ended up focusing on is something many people around the world are probably wondering right now:

Why do we believe black people are better at basketball than other people?

When I was thinking about writing about basketball during the early stages of choosing my topic I just wanted to learn more about the game in general. What I soon found out was that there are so many things I could possibly write about. I got books on the history or the game, biographies, strategies, and so on. I knew that I had to pick a question so I could narrow my research even further. Instead of aimlessly sifting through information, I was able to pick out a few significant sections from each source that referred to anything concerning basketball and racial issues.

Eventually, after some time I was able to formulate my own theories on how this belief came to be. I also included ideas proposed by other authors and that's how my paper came to be. I was able to enjoy writing this paper because I love the game of basketball. I can't imagine how much more tedious it could have been if I didn't go with this topic.

Advice:

As I mentioned above, know what you want to write about and it will help you write out the paper in the long run. Everyone says this but when you're assigned to start writing, start it early. By start I don't mean actually writing the paper. I mean just do things little by little and step by step. One day think about what you want to write about and try to focus on a central research question. Again, I cannot emphasize enough, choose something you LOVE doing or something you are completely fascinated about so that you will want to do the research. I love basketball but I'm not a big fan of writing essays so I'm glad I chose wisely. Then, another day check out a book or two and if it fits your topic you're good to go. One step at a time.

Little-by-Little, Step-by-Step       YOU CAN DO IT
 

Sources I Found Interesting:

Fitzpatrick, Frank. And the Walls Came Tumbling Down. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1999. Print.

Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals. Dir. Edelman, Ezra. Perf. Johnson, Earvin, and Larry Bird. HBO Sports, 2010. Youtube.

Merlino, Doug. The Crossover: A Brief History of Basketball and Race From James Naismith to LeBron James. Amazon Digital Services Inc., 2011. Kindle Digital File.

Robertson, Oscar. The Big O: My Life, My Times, My Game. United States of America: Rodale Inc., 2003. Print.

Staffo, Donald F. "The Development of Professional Basketball in the United States, With an Emphasis on the History of the NBA to its 50^th Anniversary Season in 1996-97 " Physical Educator 55.1 (1998): 9. Academic Search Premier. Web.

Stone, Jeff, et al. "Stereotype Threat Effects on Black and White Athletic Performance." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 77.6 (1999): 1213-1227. Web.

Webb, Bernice. The Basketball Man James Naismith. United States of America: The University Press of Kansas, 1973. Print.