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Mechelle Miller
1/17/2012 01:14:40 pm

In today’s music market, Hip-Hop is primarily viewed as commercial with vulgar lyrics and misogynist messages. When Hip-Hop first came to be, its main focus was not about money, cars and women but about how to raise awareness of social and political issues that were plaguing the inner cities all over the United States and reach an audience of young people who would pay more attention to music than the local news. Hip-Hop gave the young people of the 1980s and early 1990s a voice that although many believe it to be so, has not been completely silenced. It is my goal to prove that Hip-Hop still holds an important place in relaying the messages of justice to young people as well as young people being able to use Hip-Hop as a political platform to invoke change in the way that our society functions today.

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James Huang
1/17/2012 01:50:31 pm

Mechelle, love this idea! I was hoping to do something with Hip hop as well, perhaps we can work together on this topic. If you are interested, feel free to contact me at [email protected]

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Chris
1/17/2012 02:31:59 pm

The current economic recession has contributed to all time high unemployment and poverty rates. In consequence, people across the nation and the world are struggling to survive. Families, households, adults, and children on the lower end of the income spectrum are becoming less able to obtain the basic needs for subsistence such as food, shelter, and water. The reason poverty exists is due to a combination of choices and actions by people of political and economic power, otherwise known as the structural theory of poverty. As a result, the rich continue to get richer and poor get poorer. One way to combat poverty at a local level and help provide resources and the basic needs for subsistence is through community organizations. Examples of such organizations include the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission and Community Development Center. I want to show how important these organizations are to the community, the positive affects they have on people’s lives, and how they help people out of poverty.

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Chris Jasinsky
1/17/2012 02:54:00 pm

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Heather Lane
1/17/2012 02:33:41 pm

I want to look mainly at college freshman and interview them on their experiences with sex education previous to college. I want to look at students who live in the dorms and students who are taking the human sexuality course and interview them. I want to focus on all they remember from high school sex education and see how it has affected their lives. Basically, how does sex education affect students attitudes towards sex coming to college? Specifically, the differences between comprehensive sex education and abstinence only programs.

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salvador munoz
1/19/2012 02:38:08 am

This sounds like a really interesting topic! I'm in the photography class that corresponds with this class and I'd be really interested in interviewing you about this project.

Please contact me at 970-778-8290 or [email protected]

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Miroslava Garcia
1/17/2012 04:37:37 pm

From my previous readings and courses at the university, I have been able to determine that race and crime have always played a factor in America's history. Statistics show that the majority of people being incarcerated are blacks and Latinos, even when crime rates are down. There has been numerous accounts of injustices and unequal treatment in offense toward people of color than of whites. What I will be looking for is how the California's education system has contributed in creating a pipeline to these unfair prison systems.I want to prove how the treatment towards Latino males by staff, administration and faculty in education affect their educational experience and relationship with their community and how Latino males, create forms of resistance and resilience in response to negative treatment.

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Jennifer Ashley
1/17/2012 04:46:59 pm

The general problem I would like to address is about the high rates of teen pregnancy in the Santa Barbara high school district. I plan on going to at least two different schools in Santa Barbara and addressing their health/sex education teachers and asking them what is being taught. I am curious to see the difference between what the two schools teach. Since the high school students are to young to interview I want to talk to the teachers and see if they think the curriculum they are teaching is working and if not what things do they think they can change? I believe the target population I want to address will be students in the Isla Vista community that either go to UCSB or SBCC and ask them what kind of education they received.

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Andrea Napoli
1/20/2012 04:11:31 am

I really like your idea and would love to interview you about it.
contact me at 818 926 0146 or email [email protected] if you are interested.

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Katherine Heldreth
1/17/2012 05:30:55 pm

I am currently thinking about the circumstances teenage mothers face while attending high school. At this point in time my research question is fairly broad: What patterns exist among high school mothers and their babies? When I think about teenagers, I picture kids who are trying to figure themselves out in an already crazy world full of other teens, pressures, emotions and hormones. Thus, I can only imagine what some teenage moms’ experiences really equate to during their high school days (dealings with graduating from high school, single parenting, entrance into college and the acquisition of state help; not to mention the possible problems with infant health, care or preparedness). My interest in this topic comes from the fact that I was adopted at birth (my mom was 16) and I know fellow classmates who had kids during high school—one of which happened to be my best friend. For right now I plan on following one high school mother throughout her daily life in an in-depth field study at Santa Barbara High School. I hope to learn more about how this group of women overcome, or simply cope, with the pressures of teenage life and all of its transitions during high school while simultaneously being mothers. My research could even lead into further topics such as reproductive justice, college graduation rates or how divorce rates may or may not factor into family life later on.

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Antonio Maciel
1/17/2012 11:31:05 pm

Out of the countless set of sub cultures that exist in our society, there are arguable none that are more misunderstood, and feared than that of street gang members. Stereotypes and media coverage of gang activity portray street gang members as merciless and ferocious hoodlums. This marginalized group of what really is just misunderstood kids who grow up in environments that are full of poverty and injustice; they grow up to be what society only helps to create and further unjust fully are stigmatized and labeled as hyper-criminals by institutions, such as the police, our educational system and even our community. However, there’s an in depth side to the reality behind all that happens within this subculture, a side that won’t be acknowledged by the preceding institutions and society itself. There are people out there dedicated to bringing to life the voices of these guys. One set of people operates out of a cultural center know as Casa De La Raza, and works with these gang members, conducts interviews, be-friends them and gets to know them on a personal level, further allowing for these guys to actually bring to light, the harsh realities of what really goes on in the streets, what it’s like to grow up, poor and the institutions and limited options that exacerbate this problem. I plan to study not just what goes on in there but the people that show up there on a constant basis to make a difference, without expecting anything in return. This is where I will be conducting my field work.

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Crista Opperman
1/18/2012 01:19:28 am

The problem that I want to look at is in the area of radio and sports broadcasting.
The questions that I currently have are how are women treated differently in sports radio stations? Who listens to sports broadcasting and do they tune out women who are reporting sports and do they see women sportscasters as credible?
I think that some ideas that I may find is that women are treated differently in the work environment and have to prove themselves more when it comes to being knowledgeable about sports than a man would. I also think that I may find the audience of sports broadcasting be predominately male and may only find women credible when it comes from a name branded company, such as ESPN or FoxSports.
I have been involved in radio for the past 3 ½ years, both small radio stations on college campuses and large stations like Clear Channel – Los Angeles. One of those years was on a sports show at my previous community college, but I was only allowed to do sports updates and not able to host an actual show like my male counterparts.
The setting that I will observe and study are the campus radio station or my previous employer in Los Angeles. I haven’t decided which one.
The participants would be radio personalities both male and female who work in sports broadcasting. I will also study listeners in the area and use a snowball technique to gain more listeners of sports talk radio, since I do not know too many people.

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Crista Opperman
1/18/2012 08:13:24 am

My topic has shifted a little bit. I am instead looking at gender in sports broadcasting and sales. I want to look at men being the dominant figure in sports broadcasting and women who work in sales for sports, such as an athletic store or possibly the sales department at a radio/tv station. I want to find out why males are the one who do a majority of the broadcasting, but women are the ones who do a majority of the sales.

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Wendy San
1/23/2012 02:43:46 pm

Hey! I'm thinking about changing my project to women in sports, and maybe we can try and collaborate or I don't know. I really want to explore the difference with women and men's sports, especially on college campuses, like UCSB. If you want to discuss anything, please e-mail me: [email protected]

Peulina
1/18/2012 02:53:07 am

Exercise 1
I am interested in doing a research project in my sorority and how we work with our philanthropy that occurs once every year since two years ago when it started. Our philanthropy is about sex trafficking and how we can help educate and bring awareness about sex trafficking of women and young girls in undeveloped countries where sex trafficking is their only way out and is the easiest to make a living and survive. My research question is what is the process by which a sorority helps out with the sex trafficking organization as their philanthropy? And the ideas that I might find during my research is that within a week to a week and a half in winter quarter, we use that time to promote awareness of children and women sex trafficking in undeveloped countries, the patterns that stand out of how the process of our philanthropy works. In addition I will find research through our work through tabling and passing pamphlets to lecture and provide awareness on sex trafficking, and do a fund raiser to raise money for the cause and have a guest speaker to lecture and show videos about sex trafficking to help provide awareness. My previous knowledge is that I have worked in the past two years that we had have the philanthropy, my sisters and I would also have t-shirts made for every year’s cause and help promote awareness, help raise money for the cause, and have a one-day event on educating and spreading awareness to students, faculty, and professors on campus. Every year, the process is the same but sometimes there are new ideas implemented in the philanthropy and I will also look into that and how the sorority help out with the sex trafficking organization.

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Peulina Sam
1/18/2012 10:15:13 am

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Ross Gill
1/19/2012 07:09:04 am

Hey your topic sounds interesting to me. I remember seeing a few documentaries about sex trafficking a while back. I remembering really feeling just terrible for these women. I'm in the photography class and I would be very interested in interviewing you before monday and hopefully working together more in the future. please contact me @ 805-886-7283 or [email protected] Looking forward to hearing from you!

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Michell Orozco
1/18/2012 03:46:14 am

I am interested on studying police brutality and cases that have been brought up in the media about law enforcement officers going beyond their expected and necessary power against people and certain groups in society. Police and other law enforcement officials are expected to abide by all human rights and laws as any other individual is deemed to do, and as well enforce such through certain type of force and punishment. There has been controversy on the power used by police and other law enforcement officials to be unjust towards specific groups in society. In what ways or factors do police or other law enforcement officials feel entitled to act with force or demeaning attitude and behavior towards people of certain race and or groups of people?

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Andrea Napoli
1/20/2012 04:12:25 am

I really like your idea and would love to interview you about it.
contact me at 818 926 0146 or email [email protected] if you are interested.

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Natalie Carver
1/18/2012 07:43:08 am

For my research project I want to focus on the use of mental illness in the court and legal system. As of right now I have two options within this larger idea. First, I could investigate how jails and prisons are becoming "psychiatric hospitals". More and more the public mental health system is failing to offer appropriate care and treatment of the mentally ill. On the other hand, I could investigate how the case of "temporary insanity" has been used and abused by criminal offenders to avoid jail or prison sentence. What patterns exist among the use and treatment of mental illness in the justice system? Under what conditions does the mistreatment of mental illness ocurr?

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ross gill
1/20/2012 02:29:27 am

Hi my phone number is 805 886 7283 email [email protected]

I'm in the photo class and would like to interview you about your topic. The interviews are due monday. Let me know if your interested. Thanks

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Marina Chavez
1/18/2012 11:40:24 am

My research project will focus on educational justice. Historically and contemporarily, Latino students have been represented by dominant discourse in the media and politics as unwilling to learn. Their lower performance rates on standardized tests, high drop out rates and low numbers at 4 year colleges have all been explained as being the result of a culture of deficit i.e. the parents didn't teach them to value education. I want to create an open space for the students of an SB High remedial English class (majority Latino) during lunch. The space would be open for the students to talk about their perceptions of the classroom: what they think the teacher expects of them, whether they feel comfortable in the classroom, do they feel the material is relatable, do they perceive their performance as being a reflection of their intelligence?
*The objectives of the study are: Is there stigma associated with Latinos in the classroom? What patterns exist amongst Latino students’ interpretations of this stigma? How does their interpretation manifest itself in the student’s performance in the classroom?

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Andrea Napoli
1/19/2012 02:50:59 am

Hi,
My phone number is 818 926 0146
email is [email protected]

I am in the photojournalism class and would be interested in collaborating with you and interviewing you about your topic. My interview is due this weekend. Let me know if you are interested.

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Arielle Porat
1/18/2012 12:27:32 pm

The world seems to be coming to its senses and proposing the overturning of many laws that, although ironically unlawful, refuse to give many people certain basic rights. I plan to research the process by which gay/lesbian people come out to their family, friends, and to society. Under what conditions did they decide to reveal their true identities? What is the process by which homosexuals are oppressed? What institutions oppose and support them? I expect to find that there are many openly out gay and lesbian individuals that are proud of who they are, but that are systematically denied a certain level of respect and comfort that is perhaps taken for granted by heterosexual people. Furthermore, even with a more recent acceptance of the gay/lesbian community as portrayed through actors on many sitcoms and the truth about many celebrities/those in the spotlight, I would like to research if every-day gay and lesbian students feel this to be true.

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Andrea Vargas
1/20/2012 10:20:38 am

I am in the Photojournalism class and your topic is very similar to mine/the goals I am working on for this quarter and as someone personally affected by these issues, I'd love to interview you for my assignment due Monday and possibly collaborate throughout the quarter. Please contact me either at [email protected] or by text at 562-708-5208.

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Daniel Mullany
1/18/2012 12:56:42 pm

My research will look at interactions between players during intramural basketball games. I have played on several intramural basketball teams over the past 4 years at UCSB and disputes are very common on the court. Some of these disputes end quickly where others escalate until a fight may happen or the Rec Center employees step in. Because this happens so often, I would like to look into the various player/referee and player/player relationships that exist in order to make better sense of the disputes. Some factors I wish to look into are the players/referee's skill, age, ethnicity and gender as well as specific scenarios such as when referees disagree on a call. I specifically wish to see if any socio factors can contribute to predicting how various disputes will end. In short, I am looking at conflict/resolution scenarios on the basketball court.

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Izamar
1/18/2012 02:03:36 pm

El Congreso is a social justice oriented organization on campus that concentrates on meeting the needs of the Chican@/Latin@ community both at the University and in the community. El Congreso is considered the M.E.Ch.A. Chapter at UCSB and has a long history of activism at UCSB. Recently, Congreso has been very introspective about how it functions as an organization and has undergone an ideological transition about how it chooses to organize. Namely it has chosen to adopt communal leadership as opposed to hierarchical leadership with officers. This transition has created challenges both within the organization and outside of it but has also moved the space in a seemingly positive direction. I would like to study the motivations behind this organizational transition, the process by which this group currently organizes, as well as the challenges and benefits of a communal process.

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Cissy Ross
1/23/2012 02:46:57 am

I'm the teacher for 2 writing classes associated with the Justice project. Your topic sounds fascinating. I'll be looking for your updates.

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derrick chung
1/18/2012 02:28:17 pm

The problem I would like to focus on in my research project revolves around an international justice problem. I want to look into the concept of whether or not the label of “fair trade”, which is used by many companies and corporations in recent days has an positive impact on the consumers choice to buy their product. Because the concept of fair trade centers around equal treatment and payment of wage to the makers of the products, justice is served, supposedly, by certifying that these laborers can sustain a comfortable lifestyle with the earnings of their labors. Also, I would like to see if people of one color or another (the consumers) are attracted to fair trade products. For example, I would like to look into whether or not white people are more inclined to buy fair trade products, and for what reasons, as opposed to black people for example.

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Maurisabel Quevedo
1/19/2012 01:12:52 am

The group I chose to further examine and do research on are shelterless people. Primarily, how they got such devastating circumstances and what is it that keeps them from bettering their situation. Are there any existing patters in the past and present lives of the shelterless people who have made Isla Vista their home? I am also going to ask them what future plans and goals they have, if any of course. For all we know, they could be very happy and content with where they are at the moment. I also cannot help but inquire about their families. It would be interesting to gain information on their childhood upbringing and their own families, if married with children.” Another really good topic of conversation for this kind of interactionism is questioning about their encounters with the Isla Vista/ Santa Barbara police officers.

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Christina Truong
1/20/2012 09:12:25 am

In recent years, women have been increasingly spending more time on body image. While the average size woman keeps getting larger, the sizes of models are getting skinnier. According to NBC news, because of this increase in gap between the two groups, models twenty yrs or so ago would now be considered plus size models. Therefore there has been an increasing gap between the two groups and the average size woman is less realistically represented within today’s society. For my project I want to discover when did women become so concerned with their looks and how and why are women investing so much time and money on maintaining a certain image. My hypothesis is that media has been a significant influence by constantly showing unrealistic images of incredibly skinny women. For this project, I will be using my sorority house as my participants since I feel sorority girls are especially more concerned with their body images. I will be observing their everyday interactions (mostly in my living room/kitchen area), including observing how they dress, what topics do they discuss, and how much time they spend on getting ready everyday.

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Amy Sutherlin
1/20/2012 12:30:31 pm

Record high unemployment rates have been an outcome of legislative and economic choices made by the government. The economic recession has put thousands of people out of work and onto the streets. When people are without work they are unable to financially support themselves and their families, forcing them to homeless shelters and to the streets. Many of them are deprived of their most basic need for survival: food. For my project I am planning on researching the social injustices that the homeless must face daily. More specifically, I wish to find out the hardships they must endure when it comes to acquiring sustenance. I expect to find a great number of people living in poverty despite Santa Barbara's popular notion of being a homogenous society of privilege and wealth.  

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José Esqueda
1/21/2012 08:08:58 am

Spike TV is notorious for channeling shows like Manswers and UFC fights/episodes. And even more so because of how it portrays women. I think Spike TV is highly sexualized and bluntly exploits women's bodies. For my study I will observe my roommates watching Spike TV and it's various shows. I'm hoping to find why is it is they watch this channel, whether it's for the women or for whatever is central to any given show. I'm also very curious to see whether or not my roommates/interviewees will find this channel as sexist.

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bridget cannan
1/21/2012 08:09:22 am

I would like to study how minors are treated in juvenile delinquent centers. I would like to analyze how this treatment affects the lives of these minors once they are released and expected to function productively as free citizens. I plan to interview juvenile hall staff to get their thoughts about the treatment of the prisoners and I hope to find out if the inmates are learning developmental skills that will help them once they enter the real world again. I'm not sure quite how I will do this yet, but I would like to be able to interview young adults who have spent time in detention centers to find out their personal experiences.
I am interested in this because of the growth of funding for prisons in California over education. I feel that there may be a correlation between the lack of funding for education and programs that can help teens take positive action to benefit their future, and the connection between more prisons and more crime. If political leaders wanted to help keep youth out of trouble, they would not be spending so much money on building prisons that inevitably lead to the criminalization of more youth. I believe that by providing at-risk youth and minors that are already imprisoned with programs that help them grow up without entering into gangs or committing crimes, the need for prisons will decrease.
I hope that through my study I am able to understand the prison system from the point of view of those who work in them and also from the point of view of those who have been imprisoned. I want to analyze the information I acquire to find out if our current prison system is creating more crime and negativity instead of eliminating it.

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Mariah Johnson
1/21/2012 09:52:38 am

For my research project I would like to examine the reasoning behind why the majority of mainstream Hip Hop is consumed by young White males. This is something that Byron Hurt discusses in his documentary Hip Hop: Beyond Beats & Rhymes. I believe that this links to justice because mainstream Hip Hop often presents a stereotypical image of Black people. This can be highly problematic when one takes into consideration that White males are the most powerful individuals in our society today. If these men, who hold misperceptions about a whole people, aldo own the corporations and record labels that make this music, this relationship between music and people needs to be examined.

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Brenda Mendez
1/23/2012 03:55:16 am


I aim to study the ways in which Latina College students’ negotiate their identity. By following 3 Latina students in UCSB, I expect to form rapport between them, so that I can be able to ask them about their background. How they were raised? How would they describe themselves as Latinas entering the university? I intend to study whether or not they were exposed to gender roles in their Latino household and if so, how can they describe the roles their parents, and/or siblings played? Ultimately, I intend to reach a point in which they tell me whether or not they were raised to value their virginity by preserving unto marriage or not? This leads me to a possible research question: how does the virgin/whore dichotomy influence the ways Latina college students negotiate their identity when entering the university? Do they challenge the ideals that hold virginity on a pedestal or do they perpetuate them? I hope to find Latina students in UCSB challenging the virgin/whore dichotomy, where they, hopefully, do not shame themselves for being a virgin or sexually active, but rather empower themselves through a collective consciousness that aims to challenge the discourses that target Latina sexuality as “hypersexual” and/or discourses that suggest one should remain “pure” until marriage: a double bind that not only constrains Latina girls but all females in general, I presume.

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Laura Morris
1/23/2012 04:07:38 am

My research will focus on the fine line between sexual assault and just a drunken hook up in the college culture, but specifically in the Greek system. Is it another person’s responsibility to step in when they see their friend has had too much to drink. Is it the responsibility of the boy who maybe has or hasn’t had too much to drink to figure that out. Is this a problem that is sometimes made light of by people saying they were blacked out, or they were so drunk they did this, when in reality they were never in the mindset to make that decision in the first place.

[email protected]

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Nicole Evashenk
1/23/2012 06:12:59 am

My project is on the objectification of women, though i am not sure exactly what my study will entail, it will revolve around studying women as they prepare to "go out" and the activities they do while out at parties and in the Isla Vista night time social scene. I will be looking at how the pressures to look a certain way and act a certain way in order to get male attention effects the way women act and behave. I will be looking mostly at how men objectify women, especially in the hyper-sexualized community of IV, and how in turn women promote and perpetuate this objetification by the way they prepare for and act at parties and social settings that involve drinking. I may specify my study to sororities and fraternities and their social interactions, but have not yet decided.

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Dwayne Jackson
1/23/2012 11:33:19 am

My research project will focus on UCSB’s perception of diversity, and need for it in the leadership positions available on campus. More specifically I want to focus on the position of Resident Assistants in Residential life. My view is that there is a sense of “tokenizing” students of color when filling these positions for the need of diversity. I’m not saying that this is a bad move for the university, I am just wondering if by hiring these students of color the university is justifying there sense of diversity and leaders in the communities of color. Do these students bring justice to the position and the need of diversity by being a person of color or are they generally just the best for the job?

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Almacynthia Leon
1/23/2012 01:54:10 pm

I would like to conduct my research on sexual and domestic violence. The Women Center on campus offers services to students that have been sexually assaulted and in domestic relations. I would like to speak to the director and see how many students that been in these circumstances seek for help, how many cases actually been reported. Also, I would speak to the Isla Vista police department and ask questions about their encounters with these situations.

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Wendy San
1/23/2012 02:30:52 pm

I keep changing my mind about what to focus my research project on, but I think I want to do it on women and how they're portrayed in the media affects women like us, as students. What are the positive/negative images, and how do we react to them? How are these portrayals different than that of men and how does that affect us?

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Wendy San
1/23/2012 02:45:10 pm

I realize that just focusing on the media will be hard to observe and do interviews, so I'm trying to focus specifically on women and sports, especially on our campus. I would probably try to interview some of the women athletes on campus, as well as the males to get their perspectives.

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Marshawna Anderson
1/23/2012 04:03:29 pm

I would like to look at social injustice in the atmosphere of the work place. I would like to focus on the power structure through the hierarchies of mangers, supervisors, and associates. With this topic I feel that I may encounter cases of favoritism based on seniority of who has been working at the establishment the longest? Who favors who based on which supervisors or student majors like you? I also may discover social cliques within the work setting who is in and who is left out. How is one promoted, is base on skill or work ethic, assertiveness, or who is closer to the manger (friends).

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Thelma D. Rivera
1/30/2012 10:34:40 am

I want to understand how faith plays a mediating role in the daily lives of illegal immigrants. During church gatherings at Mision Pentecoste Nacion Santa Christian church, I will be focusing on their petition prayers. Petition prayers are done out loud as a whole in which they ask God to provide them with their physical-worldy and spiritual needs and wants. I believe that through these prayers I will be able to understand what this group finds important to them in regards to their daily lives. I believe that because they have no real legal laws protecting them, They strengthen themselves by having faith and remaining spiritual obedient in the hopes of obtaining a less invisible lifestyle within the US.

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Kimberly Roth
1/31/2012 01:58:41 pm

As a member of the Greek community here at UCSB, I have heard every stereotype in the book. Often I hear these from students who do not affiliate with the Greek community, but what I am interested in investigating is the way those within the Greek system perceive each other. More specifically I would like to look at how females are thought of by males in the Greek system, as well as those not affiliated with a fraternity. Also, I would like to hear from these women on how they feel discrimination has affected them. How are these women stereotyped and discriminated against by males? What do they believe others think of them? How do they interact with each other? And finally, how do these stigmas affect the way they think of themselves?

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6/23/2012 10:09:11 am

Hello

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