Reflection:
I chose to learn about the war in Syria which has lasted from around 2011 to the present day. I gained a lot of incite into the effects of war through the stories of citizens of Syria. Although I learned a lot about this topic, there is so much more that I think I can learn about it in order to fully understand it. When I first started researching, I was learning about a different war that I was not very interested in and it took me a long time to find something that I was really into learning about. I finally settled on learning about the Syrian War because it is very relevant and devastating. I think that if I had gotten an earlier start on the research part of this project, I could have dove deeper into the parts of the war that are most interesting to me. Writing the song with one of my peers was a really good way for me to take all of the knowledge that I had been collecting and putting it into something that conveyed the emotions of the Syrian citizens. Learning about how war can completely turn a whole country's worth of people upside down is something that will definitely stick with me. Now that I have gotten this perspective I will be able to understand both the perspective of the people and of the military/government. This project was very valuable and I think that it is important to learn about wars that are going on now, not just about bast conflicts. |
SONG:
{Verse} Dm Am Gm C Where my home used to be is now a flat horizon Dm Am Gm C We were forced to leave but now we can’t find peace this far from home Dm Am Gm C They’ve been buried in foreign soil Dm Am Gm C Will we ever find a place to call our own {Chorus} Bb F The sun is out but I don’t feel it Gm C As I breath in I feel the poison, coursing through my veins Bb F Gm C Numbing all my senses and I can’t even say my name Bb F Gm C Just another pair of feet, running running running {Verse} Dm Am Before the war we used play Gm C But now we are afraid of the sounds Dm Am Gm C We no longer dare to go out, cause we know Dm Am Gm C If you go out you’ll never catch your breath again {Bridge} Dm Am Gm C (plucking) Ooo’s {Chorus} |
Project Description:
In this project, we learned about the cycle of socialization and liberation, messages in media, how society view us vs. how we view ourselves, and read the American Born Chinese. To start off, we did the Meme Mini Project in which we explored how we see ourselves verses how society sees us. After this, we went on to read the cycle of socialization and the cycle of liberation articles by Bobbie Harro. These articles were the core readings in this project and we continued to go back to them throughout the rest of the project. Next we read the American Born Chinese graphic novel. This explored different types of socialization and how they affect the character. After this we started learning about gender messages and stereotypes we take in from society. Our lenses were different documentaries as well as commercials and ads that exhibited different messages about gender roles. Once we had compiled all of this knowledge, we began to construct our masks and write our essays. In these, we incorporated different aspects of our lives and how we have been socialized. Our final products were a professional and revised paper and a creative mask that exhibited how we believe we have been socialized. Project Effort: For this project, I definitely think that I took myself outside my comfort zone in order to create a mask that was unique and fulfilled my personal expectations. One of my goals for this project was to do something that I have never done before, and I think I definitely did that. The way this project was organized gave us room to take our own routes and I think I took advantage of that.In this project, one place I used advocacy was when I was having a hard time deciding exactly how to finish my mask. I am glad I asked for my help because my mask turned out to be something I am proud of. One place I could have used more advocacy was when we were writing our essays. The way that we were being taught was very hard for me to get used to and I think that, if I had spoken up and gotten something to change, I would be more proud of my essay. My idea for my mask was very difficult to carry out, but I kept going so that I could really show the message I was trying to send. Also, I picked a topic that is really interesting to me, so that was something that kept me going and interested in the project. Even though my process was very messy and all over the place, worked very hard to refine them. In the end, I feel that my mask show the effort that I put into it, but I think that I could have put a little more effort into refining my essay. |
Personal Growth:
For me, this project was very eye opening. As we learned about all of these different messages and stereotypes that everyone takes in, I started to look at the different parts of my life. It was disconcerting to realize that our whole lives are affected by messages from media, school, and so many other places. For example, when we watched the documentary White People and started learning more about race, I started to recognize the different privileges I have. This experience was so eye opening for me and I wanted to incorporate that into my project so that I could get people thinking. I finally decided to focus on the agent and target identities because I feel that it is easy for people to relate to. Now that I have learned about socialization and how society affects me, I am more driven to make a change in our world. If everyone were educated about how much one stereotype can affect someone identity, I think we would work harder to make our society equal for all. |