Guess Who's Back, Back Again

Well, we're back! I am finding my groove on catching up and chugging along through all these readings I have to do. The break was nice though, but it also feels great to be back and working on everything, it feels bittersweet that it is almost over.

Thesis 2: Electric Boogaloo

Well, really getting back into the swing of things has been difficult to say the least.  The roadmap is generally clear, at the moment I need to continue my research on education theory and how roleplaying fits within that.  This week, however, the focus has been to get through the eight pages due.  I can't say they're great, they will most likely be completely different by next week even, but it's progress.

Motivation has been tough, however.  Dealing with an illness that may or may (most likely) not be coronavirus, has made progress slow.  Combined with the usual winter-blues, getting the motivation to start working has been the biggest hurdle.  Hopefully, however, as I'm feeling better, the motivation and creativity will flow.

Back in the Saddle Again

Hi all,

Progress from my end is slow, and not-so-steady. Personal events from this past week have left me feeling a bit unfocused, but still excited to see what my project and this semester holds.

My goals for this week are to keep writing, and to start contacting potential interview candidates-- something that I had planned to do last weekend. I'm not gonna lie, already feeling like I'm behind where I wanted to be is unsettling, but I have to keep reminding myself that it's still early and I can always make up those deficits later. I also have to be reminded to treat myself with kindness no matter where I'm at in the Thesis writing process-- I'm only human, after all.

Post 1 on Thesis Writing

While this recent winter break did not feel like a full break. I do not find that breaks are all that enjoyable unless some works gets done. Thankfully during this break I felt like I was able to accomplish a decent amount of research and revisions over the way in which I want to approach this research project. By finding more of a focus I find that I am able to easily find a lot more writing on the topic as well as find what is most appropriate to write about, which is very valuable. I am finding that once I am able to start writing I cannot stop, and when I do I simply go back to my sources and they always seem to give more valuable quotes and spark ideas that I can simply start writing again with, which is surprisingly rewarding. Overall I find that I want more time to perfect this writing but what I have been writing so far feels enriching and I hope that it keeps going in the positive direction that it seems to be going in.

Back into the thick of it

The break has come and passed and this new semester brings me back to working on thesis. Over the break and up through now I was able to have some great conversations about what I'm working on and upon stopping into the museum with my case study the workers there were really enthusiastic about talking with me and giving me materials to work with. So now begins the process of taking all the information and research I had and gained and taking it to the written form. I find myself in a state of reflection as I sit down and put thought to words and consider what has led me here.

Back to writing I go!

Thesis Project/ Thesis meeting

I feel really great about the direction that my project is going. After my panel meeting this Monday, I am going the direction of a focus group as opposed to individual meetings with the faculty that I interview. This way it feels like a conversation/table talk where an exchange of opinions can be shared with the woman. I will only be facilitating the questions in a way that feels more conversational and organic than the traditional interviewer/subject relationship.

I have also chosen to interview faculty along with staff here at RIT to get a more diverse group of women who might be in different positions or places here at school. Right now I am working with my advisors to compile a list of potential subjects to reach out to, working on consent forms to send out, and a demographic poll to keep track of where these women range in terms of age/ethnicity/background.

I just finished my 8 pages and chose to do my introduction (brief history of black hair) and my methodology for how I want to construct these focus groups.

Blog post #8: it's all happening

It's getting to be thesis crunch-time here at RIT. My program is happening at Solstice in t-minus nine days whether I like it or not, and I need to get moving to be prepared for February 7th. I had my thesis-board last week, and another meeting with my advisor today, so I have a good idea of what I need to do between now and then.

I'm working on planning the specifics of the program now, rather than re-working my lit review or doing more theoretical research. I've emailed my contact at Solstice to see if I can see the room next week before I must deliver my program, and I've hired Brie as my assistant with the promise of Wendy's afterwards. I'm feeling pretty good, all things considered.

Next steps include finishing my eight pages due tomorrow for class and finalizing my program plans. I'm looking forward to just getting the program done so I can really being to focus on the thesis, rather than having extra stress related to the program itself.

Thesis Post #1: Back Into the Fold

So, I've started to write the thesis, just like everyone else. I'm not as prolific as some other people, but we're getting there, I suppose. I've decided to start with the section on the history and culture of the Tonga people, since that is what I am most comfortable with. I will add citations after I finish writing, because if I try to cite as I write, it will slow me down so much that I barely accomplish anything.

I've looked into how to make contact with the BaTonga Community Museum (BCM). There's no way that I can find to make direct contact with them, but I have the name of the curator and site manager, Joshua Chikozho. Unfortunately, I cannot find an email or phone number for him. I did find his Facebook page, however. I felt that might be too informal of a way to reach out. Alternately, I tried to find the email of the author of a monograph about the BCM, Dr. Munyaradzi Mawere. He teaches at Great Zimbabwe University, so I looked for his faculty email on the website. Again, nothing. So, I will attempt to contact the BCM through the national organization, by emailing Dr. Mawere's department for his email, or by messaging Mr. Chikozho on Facebook.

Welcome Back!

After a month of getting discouraged and stressing about my case studies, I think I'm finally ready to get back into it. I think last semester I was doing way too much and not giving myself any breaks so when break finally rolled around I just completely stopped and wasn't ready to start back up again when January 13th rolled around. That being said I think I've made a little bit of progress over the last month and I kind of know the direction I'm going into. As of our class meeting on Thursday, I wasn't completely solid on what my second case study would be but now that I've had my board meeting I have a direction and lots of emails to send!

As of today I'm planning to use the RMSC and the Strong Museum of Play as my two case studies. I chose these two after some suggestion from my committee. They are both AAM accredited and they market to the same audience. Choosing two Rochester area museums to compare seems like a very achievable project to me and isn't too out of the scope of what I'm capable of with our time limit. I'm excited to get into it because that means I get to visit my favorite museums in the area very often over the next few weeks!

Getting started on writing the 8 pages was pretty terrible. I know Dr. Lent said that the first effort would be bad but right now I feel like i'm just typing word vomit but it still feels good to finally start writing.

Back at it Again

After a much needed break I'm finally back to thinking and devoting my life to my senior thesis project. I've finally nailed down my thesis and have already begun the strenuous process of writing. I'm finding that I am both terrible at writing academic papers and at continuing trains of thought. I've already hit at least 3 writers blocks, my roommates think I'm going insane, and they're probably right. However, I am starting to feel a little more confident in exactly what I'm writing about and about what exactly I want to say. Writing the introduction to my paper first was a good idea for me, it's really set the tone and the scope for the rest of the paper. Now I just have to say everything I said in the introduction, but in much more detail. How hard can that be?

Next On the List

Hello All,

I hope everyone had a nice and relaxing break! I spent most of my time working on my graduate applications and visiting family.

I have been making some progress with my thesis project. I have created my account and started working with ARCGIS. Everyone warned me that it was not the easiest software to work with and I have to agree! I'm spending a lot of time reading articles and manuals on the software to try and understand how everything goes together. I was a little discouraged coming back from break, but after meeting with individuals and scheduling other meetings I hopefully will be able to start making major headway soon.

I will also have my thesis board meeting this week, and I'm excited to sit down and chat about my paper and hear any new ideas that they might have. I always find it helpful to discuss my project out loud and go over it with a group instead of trying to run through it in my head, if that makes sense.

I'm also starting to work on my eight pages for this Thursday which is really exciting and also mildly terrifying. I have this great fear that I'm going to run out of things to say (which I know is super unlikely). It's kind of fun to just start your paper in the place you're the most confident in and just roll with it. It's bringing back happy memories from my time at camp and I'm really enjoying it.

We are Back!!

The break was relaxing and most needed, I feel much better about everything!

Still working away at the visitors' surveys, and the first 8 pages are due on Thursday (currently have 5 done). It feels nice to have started the writing process, now the end doesn't seem so far away. I keep re-writing the first page and have never eaten so much junk food in my life... is this a bad sign?