One thing that definitely helped speed up the decision-making process were the interest sheets we filled out and the preliminary groups that Eric and Zhihong created. That way, since we all had similar interests, we could begin to narrow down a topic within those interests, rather than having to go through all the options the Silk Road can offer. All of us were interested in the rights of women and other marginalized people.We also had an interest in the effects of religion on women, along with the impact of women on spirituality, education, and health. We then tried to further narrow this topic down through discussion of specific areas or groups we were interested in, like nomads and pastoral societies or Afro-Eurasian sites. We also tried to find a certain time period, or ways of comparison, like historical versus contemporary, as points to use to focus our narrative. Eventually, we focused on a more recent period of time, the 18th and 20th centuries, in order to get the most information about the topics that we found most interesting. We also chose the Arabian Sea area, and chose to look at the effects Islam had on topics such as health, femininity, queer identities (if there are sources available), standards of beauty, and race. In order to get to a more narrow and specific topic, we used some of the strategies that had been discussed in class. In summary, to get to our topic we found common or related personal interests and then narrowed the topic to focus on those things.
\nMy role in this group is as the facilitator as well as the harmonizer. I am comfortable not only with being a leader, but also with communicating with others, which will be necessary for setting up meeting times. I also think I am suited for being a harmonizer because I am often calm and nonbiased, and so I can help others through any problems.
\nThe subtopic I will be focusing on for this project is health, which I am pretty excited about. I have almost never done a project on physical health (I am normally more focused on a mental health perspective), so I am looking forward to learning more about a topic I\u2019ve barely even thought about before. It\u2019s not one I would have necessarily chosen for myself, but the more I\u2019ve thought about it, the more it seems to fit. I like learning about different ways of looking at and solving problems, and am also wondering what similarities I\u2019ll find. Since it is a topic I know next to nothing about, I\u2019m wondering if it will open up new areas of interests I had never thought about before. So even though it is not the topic I would have pictured myself doing, I am not disappointed.
\nI think my biggest anxieties are about the making of an online map and the amount of work ahead of us.I have very little experience with technology, so I am worried that the map will present many challenges and technical difficulties. I am also worried about the amount of information we are going to be collecting: since we are tackling a few different topics, it may be difficult to synthesize into a cohesive narrative. I do have hope that our topic will come together though: a lot of the subtopics can be related to each other. Teiji\u2019s topic of race and beauty standards relates well to Nathan\u2019s possible topic of femininity, since all those topics emphasize physical perspectives on women. My topic of health and Jamie\u2019s topic of education also go well together, since the standard of education could be correlated with the quality of health care women receive. Perception of women can also play into all of our topics, since negative perceptions of women could lead to inferior education and less care when it comes to women\u2019s health. But even though our subtopics have all of this similarities and connections, an overabundance or a lack of information would still disrupt cohesiveness. So, another thing I am slightly worried about is being able to find enough information about certain topics, such as queer identities.
\nSo far, I feel our team dynamic has been incredibly positive, and we haven\u2019t had to deal with any issues in that regard, at least from my perspective. We have been very respectful and supportive of each other\u2019s ideas, as well as trying our best to find solutions and make revisions in order to better support our interest. One good example of this was Teiji doing her best to help Nathan get a chance to research his preferred topic, by asking a lot of questions about possible ways it could be done. The group has also been flexible, having the ability to support the plan even if their original ideas didn\u2019t make it. I, for example, originally wanted to study nomadic cultures. But as the plan solidified, more team members wanted to study the more Arabic areas of the Silk Road. I went with it, and I am now very excited for and interested in our current place of research, even though it wasn\u2019t what I originally wanted.
\nOne thing I am interested in trying to find for research is sources from within the area itself. A lot of times, with these areas along the Silk Road, we see a European perspective rather than the viewpoint of the inhabitants. I hope that these sources are not scarce and that we get a chance to fully experience these perspectives.
\nI think that I have done a lot of good work in class when it comes to brainstorming and coming up with ideas, and helping to narrow the topic. I also have gotten a lot of information from the assigned readings in the class. One thing I do need to start doing, however, is some outside research on my own time. Now that we have our overarching area and our subtopics decided, I need to start getting some information about my individual topic. Also, as facilitator, I need to find a time for our group to meet and work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One thing that definitely helped speed up the decision-making process were the interest sheets we filled out and the preliminary groups that Eric and Zhihong created. That way, since we all had similar interests, we could begin to narrow down a topic within those interests, rather than having to go through all the options the … Continue reading Initial Reflection-Elise Tangedal<\/span>