Project Journey
This is the blog that I used to update Mr. Black and my advisors throughout the research journey. The first post presents the idea for the project and each following post was updated for each checkpoint.
Project Purpose (From planning document):Statement of Purpose: I will be researching a better mission statement for women in today’s world. I have been frustrated by the ideas and messages sold to women in society that label us as objects or overly-powerful. I use the word “sold” because I also think that women “buy” into the ideas and enchain ourselves through that. So the purpose of this project is to find an accurate definition and role of women in society and in our lives through the lens of a Christian perspective and the way that God sees his daughters.
Background: I am interested in this topic because it is something that has consumed my thoughts for a very long time. Going through high school, girls are developing and changing in so many ways, often formed by the circumstances and messages surrounding them. And it breaks my heart to see the way that women and girls try to define themselves when there is a much more fulfilling and empowering life offered by Christ. In the news as well, there are many messages and pushes for women’s rights in certain ways, not realizing that it is submitting us to lives of guilt and material things. The politics of issues such as abortion, prostitution, and women in tthe workplace is also very interesting and prevalent in the world today. With my interest in International Relations and Political Science beyond this project, the issue of women’s rights is prevalent around the world and something that I would be interested in specializing as a career. Also, just as a young woman trying to figure out how to have good character and be an influencer in society using the God-given talents that I have, I want to learn for myself what kind of woman is one after God’s own heart and how I can use my skills and passions and goals to accomplish His will while still living in a sinful world.
History: I have already done some research on this topic for various projects throughout my high school career. In AP Lang last year, I conducted a research project and paper looking at the basis of beauty standards around the world and how they define women in contrast to the way that God defines us. I had very interesting findings and articulated it into a 10 page paper so I have a good basis of research. Also, this year in Lights when we were practicing finding and reading Peer-reviewed journals, I found all of them on the topic of feminism and women’s rights today. These were very interesting topics and showed the varied perspectives regarding the issue. While I have researched this issue in some depth before, I want to dig even deeper to more specific issues surrounding women today and to get more perspectives from real women by conducting interviews and having the guidance of experts. I want to dig more into God’s Word and understand the theology of the issue. But I also want to get a much greater understanding of society and why they take the stances on women’s issues that they do. In order to find an answer that can by practically applied and accepted, I will need to have extensive research and articulate a way of presenting it that is convincing and comforting.
Significance: I have kind of explained this in the past paragraphs but I want to study this because I want to be able to make an impact on the lives of women and girls around me. I hope that this project provides tangibles and evidence of what it means to be a successful and loving women in this world. I also want men and boys to hear how God calls the women in their lives and therefore how He is calling them to provide and love them as well. This project should foster healthy relationships and interaction between men and women, not establish some kind of superiority of one over the other. I also want to explore this project for myself for guidance as a girl exploring and growing up surrounded by thousands of messages of who I should be. I have very ambitious goals in my school and career but also want to learn how to balance being a successful woman with being a loving daughter, sister, and eventually wife and mother.
Benefits: This project will benefit others by explaining an issue that touches everyone at some point in their lives. As talk about women’s rights continues to grow and develop, it will be important for people to have a firm basis and understanding of what it means to be a woman and hold fast to those values rather than the ones encouraged by society. So there will be direct applications for all women and girls touched by this project. I think it will also benefit men by showing them how to encourage the girls in their life and also describe the kind of women that the young men in high school should learn to look for in someone to spend the rest of their life together.
First Checkpoint: January 21stWhen I started this project, I knew that I had a passion for the topic. I have experienced and witnessed so many struggles faced by women. I felt passionately that there is a need for recognition of the power that we have been endowed with as children of God. I wanted to find a way to empower women through a relationship with the one who is most powerful. As I have walked through high school from being a young girl to becoming a young woman, I feel like I have been observing and exposed to countless influences that are determining the standard by which we judge ourselves and one another. The following is my reflection for the first checkpoint of this project, due on January 21st.
I have shared my project planning document with both advisors. They are included on the Google Doc. I have also accomplished two interviews for my project. I have used auxiliary questions to develop my interviews. I also created a detailed survey and got 74 responses to it. The answers were very interesting and have led me to narrow the focus of my project to understanding what society says is a successful woman and finding a way to redefine that. I want to work on focusing the project on “rewriting the definition for a successful woman.” I realize that this is a heavy task. How do we turn around an entire culture of thinking and pursuing that is based on the idea that identity is determined by accomplishment and appearance? That’s what I am excited to dig into. For this most recent checkpoint, my goals were to have a survey completed, half of my auxiliary questions answered, two interviews completed, and an idea for the specific direction for my project. For the next checkpoint, I am planning on having answers to all of my auxiliary questions, and I will have my works cited list started.
Right now, the biggest challenge that I am facing with this project is realizing that it is a cultural issue. The impossible standard for women has been developing and growing for years. I feel a little intimidated by the idea of trying to change that narrative. I know that I do not have the power to change the definition. But I also feel passionately that if we are going to move forward any way as a society, these questions have to be considered and asked. And if I can start any conversations about this, I feel that this project has accomplished my goal.
The assistance that I need at this point is helping me be ok with not changing the world :) I think I will get caught up in wanting to fix it all but I need to be at peace with the fact that I am digging into it and working hard but it is a problem on a grand scale. Also, I really appreciate deep questions and I have been trying to put a lot of thought towards this and considering the deeper reasons why women have accepted the standard of doing it all. The more that my brain and get rolling with considering these questions, the deeper I can go into my project.
Both advisors have contacted Mr. Black about our meetings and updated him on the status of my project.
Second Checkpoint: February 11thMy most recent accomplishments with my project include answering my list of auxiliary questions and beginning my works cited list. I was able to articulate a basic outline for the presentation and what conclusion I want to reach with my project. I want to begin with an introduction of the problem faced by women today by defining empowerment and building a case for the struggles faced by women due to the current definition of success. I want to conclude with practical tips for coming into who God made us to be and encouraging other women in our lives. I also want to include a charge for men and encouragement for them to empower the women in their lives.
Over the next month I will come up with a specific outline for my website, my presentation script, presentation slides, and I will have a specific conclusion in mind.
The biggest challenge that I am facing with this project is the reality that a conclusion will be hard to come. It can be difficult to take a stand on this issue without offending people and even more difficult to find an answer that can be applicable to everyone. But the last thing that I want to do with this project is have the conversation about it and not move anywhere with it. I feel like society talks so much about the problem but is not taking action towards making a change.
I think I just need to be reminded that this project does not have to solve everything and that it should not and cannot be some kind of ultimate solution. Also, I just need encouragement to keep working on it because I have been kind of overwhelmed with school lately and it has been hard to get ahead on long term projects.
My outside and inside advisors have contacted Mr. Black.
Third Checkpoint: March 31stRecent accomplishments with my project include starting the affirmation document with quotes and bible verses based on what my survey results said make women feel insecure or empowered. This will be one of the resources that I provide on my web content. I have also continued working on my works cited and I am caught up with the research that I have done with every source cited correctly. I’ve continued to make progress on my website and am preparing for it to be the main platform for sharing my project, rather than the presentation itself.
In the next month, I will be finishing up the entire project, focusing mostly on web content. I want to have a really professional looking website with helpful information that can be used by any visitor to the site. I will also be planning a presentation depending on what the plan becomes for bringing our capstone projects to the school and community.
The biggest challenge for this project right now is just not knowing exactly what the next month or so will look like and what the best platform for sharing will be. But I know that we will work those things out in the next couple days and I will be ready to focus in on finishing the project.
With that, I think what I need most right now is just a plan for the sharing of our projects. Also I will need to find people who can objectively proofread my work and be honest if I need to make adjustments and improve the content of the project. I have confidence that I can make it look good and I know the project has a good foundation, I am just most concerned about the content being adequate.
I met with my inside advisor early in March and she communicated my checkpoint with Mr. Black. I was also able to FaceTime my outside advisor and talk through the checkpoint, and she also communicated that with Mr. Black.
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