Interdisciplinary
Organized in chronological order.
El Chupacabra - The Goat Sucker
Winter 2022 - LIBS 320B (Cryptids: Fact or Fiction)
Taking this class was such a unique experience! While the topic of cryptids being covered in a college-level course sounds funny, it was a fun way to strengthen critical thinking skills. We also approached determining whether certain cryptids truly existed by looking at if it was ecologically feasible for a cryptid of a specific size or with certain characteristics to live where people claim to have seen them. For our final, we created a profile on a cryptid that we chose, which included ethnoevidence, physical and/or scientific evidence, habitat and population data, information from general and local pop culture, and a final assessment on whether we believe our cryptid truly exists. ¡I chose el chupacabra!
Looking back, this was an enjoyable assignment that drew on all the different skills we learned throughout the class. Looking at scientific critical thinking from such an entertaining and novel angle was a genius idea. I may take inspiration from this idea when I'm a teacher! I got into the research to prove that my cryptid was real on some level, and I picked a cryptid with some grains of truth within the legends. Ultimately, the evidence to prove my cryptid was real just wasn't there, but I still had a good time researching and writing my report.
Memes and Algorithms:
The Internet's Express Lane of Radicalization through Humor and How it Enables Real-Life Violence
Spring 2022 - LIBS 320D (Anthropology of Humor)
transition sentences and could probably revise them now to make them smoother. Lastly, I would make a few edits to my introduction to reduce what I consider unneeded commentary in retrospect. But, overall, I’m still proud of this paper, and I learned a lot from writing it that I will never forget.
In Anthropology of Humor, we read an article on memes that briefly mentioned how the Alt-Right is notorious for using certain memes to reduce peoples’ barriers to radicalizing content. So, I shared the video on the bottom left that covers a study on TikTok’s algorithm and how it speeds up radicalization processes in my discussion post. The study hypothesized that transphobic “jokes” were a “gateway” to more radical and hateful content. For our final in this class, we could do standup or write a research paper connecting to our course readings. Inspired by the linked video and a recent Alt-Right terrorist attack, I decided my final research paper for LIBS 320D would look into how both memes--something considered the “inside jokes” of the internet--and algorithms play a part in radicalizing white nationalists. I also explored what makes certain people vulnerable to radicalization and how humor can lead to real-life violence against marginalized groups. I incorporated our course readings that touched on the psychological and behavioral theories regarding humor and what it does for people socially to corroborate research I did on my own regarding social media algorithms, white nationalist radicalization from experts who already identified humor as a radicalization tool, and information from the study that initially inspired my paper. I even brought in course readings that left a bad taste in my mouth regarding “offensive” jokes and, using the evidence in my essay, argued that those authors were simply incorrect. This research paper was one of the few times I turned in an assignment feeling like I did well, and I was delighted to hear that my professor really liked it and was even going to use some of the sources I found and cited in my paper as course readings in the future!
Upon reading this paper at the end of my time in the Hutchins program, I am still proud of the overall message and the ideas I put forth. I also argued against the course readings that I disagreed with pretty effectively. At the same time, it’s hard not to get tripped up by some careless errors I made and some formatting problems I didn’t know were incorrect at the time of writing the paper. In addition, I have issues with some of my
My Creative Dream & Micromovements Video
WARNING!!!
There is a loud sudden noise in the beginning of this video. Make sure your volume isn't too loud.
Summer 2022 - LIBS 320C (Unblocking Creativity)
Growing up, I was very creative; I would paint, draw, and make movies with my cousins. I even kept painting and drawing throughout high school. But eventually, the critical voice that often comes with growing up drowned out any enjoyment I had previously gotten out of those activities. I felt that if I wasn't good at something, then it was a waste of my time to do it. Taking this class gave me the space to do art again, just for the sake of doing it and enjoying it! We also talked about finding your creative dream (which could have been anything, really) and how we can create a sequence of "micromovements" (from the book Make Your Creative Dreams Real by Sark) to go about fulfilling that dream slowly over time. For our final project, we had to make a video that talked about our creative dream and showed us doing some of the micromovements we had planned. My result is this video.
I spent a ridiculous amount of time on this video and trying to make it perfect. I don't know how the ideas I had came into my mind. Still, I knew that, while my creative dream was somewhat serious, which was getting into Stanford's teaching credential and master's program, I didn't want to take my video too seriously. I wanted it to be silly and capture this "ramping up" feeling that I actually felt when thinking about taking the steps I had outlined in my micromovement sequence. The song "In the Hall of the Mountain King" popped into my head, and I knew what to do. I was proud of this video when I was finished, but I was terrified about the response from my classmates and professor. Would they get my silly jokes? Or would it just be awkward? What if no one understood that I was making fun of my anxiety about doing these simple little steps? When I presented it, my classmates seemed to love it, and my professor asked me if she could use it to show as an example in her next class. When I had that external validation, I allowed myself to feel proud of it. After accepting that I had this tough goal for myself while making this video, I looked into more programs like Stanford's that I am now applying to. I didn't think it was worth it for me to try before, but taking this class and making this video made me feel like I should at least aim high and give it a shot!
Looking back, there are a few things I wish I could change (especially now that I know other people would be watching the video in other classes and that I ended up liking it so much that I put it in my portfolio). I'm embarrassed that the last part shows my messy living room as we reorganized our furniture and how sloppy I looked. I just wanted to include a video of my natural reaction while I sent the email! If I could re-do it, I probably would have changed locations, made myself look nicer, and not worn one of my boyfriend's death metal t-shirts for that part!