_As a comment, write one paragraph about what you are interested in working on for this class + your name + contact info
Minami Coirin
1/18/2012 07:38:41 am

After reading through the Art classes' comments I found Liz Brownstein's idea to be very interesting.

"Liz Brownstein
01/16/2012 16:22

For my project I'm hoping to look into the injustices surrounding employment and job opportunities in terms of either gender disparity or occupational opportunities that are more open for people who have a certain appearance. For example, there are several businesses that come to mind who more heavily, or entirely, employ women, or who rate a candidate's appearance and beauty as more important than their experience or potential in the company."

I have left a comment responding to her original one from Week 1, so hopefully we will be in contact and begin looking at ways to research this topic. I also thought the aspect of ageism (the disparity of how employers view the capability of an employee/applicant solely based on age) would be an interesting aspect to add to the study.

Liz if you're reading this, shoot me an email!

Minami Coirin
[email protected]

Reply
cissyross
1/20/2012 05:42:02 am

Good idea. I'm sure you can find people to interview among people you know as well as folks a the UCSB Career and Counseling office.

Others who might be sources are people involved with Human Resources at various companies or the university; lawyers monitoring labor compliance regulations might be helpful. Don't forget the ubiquitous web...and academic journal articles.

Students are supposed to be signing each post with their email addresses, or you can find in email addresses in the UMail directory.

Reply
Lesly
1/18/2012 08:08:03 am

Comment deleted

Reply
Andrea Napoli
1/19/2012 05:22:57 am

Hi,
I am a photo class student.
I am also doing a project based in LA. I am focusing on the education system though. I was wondering if I could have an interview with you some time this week or weekend. We have an interview assignment due Monday morning. I find your issue very compelling and interesting. I am thinking of maybe switching my topic and working with you. Let me know if you can do the interview.
Andrea Napoli
818 926 0146
[email protected]

Reply
Cissy Ross
1/20/2012 05:43:45 am

Good connections! Get together and discuss the possibilities.

Students...don't forget to post your full name and your email address.

Reply
Cissy Ross
1/22/2012 09:17:22 am

It's fine to try to interview a professor, but you are still going to need many more interviews. Who? You will also have to include some information from academic studies, so some of the info you get from a professor might also be the information in a study that he or she has written. I'm not discouraging you. It's a great topic! Just be aware you can't depend on faculty for your major sources. You have to get to the workers and others directly involved.

Reply
Rafael Sanchez-Cruz
1/19/2012 05:12:37 am

Having discussed in class our ability to go beyond our borders and pick anything I thought of maybe picking up an idea that I have had in the back of my head for quite some time. Last year I studied abroad in Mexico City and I became interested in what is called "la nota roja" that can be translated into the "The red story". This is the name given to stories found on the cover of the most affordable daily newspapers in all of Mexico that display horrific and graphic (for an American outsider) images of accidents or dead bodies. The headlines on the images tend to be a mockery of how the person died and to get a laugh. It was so strange for me to understand these, especially because Mexicans were not phased about it when I would ask them about it.
I read up on it and there are documentaries done about la nota roja and they discuss how these images violate the rights of the families whose loved one has died. They discuss the illegal involvement of the police officials to get these images and stories, as well as the demand for these stories by the typical Mexican reader, and how the families feel that they have no control over the exposure of these tragedies.
I see this class as a platform to elaborate on this that I have left on the back burner but that still really interests me. I brought lots of these newspapers to do something with and maybe this could be the opportunity to do so.
Suggestions? Concerns? Critiques? Questions?

Reply
Rafael
1/19/2012 05:14:19 am

I would be really interested in a photojournalist to help me to analyze the images that I gathered and maybe help me to create a compilation of these that is as impacting as the images themselves.

Reply
Cissy Ross
1/22/2012 09:22:28 am

This idea has promise! Let's discuss how you can craft this into a journalistic article rather than an academic report. You will need some interviews. Do you have readers or journalists you can interview?

Carly McMaster
1/19/2012 06:34:30 am

Initially, I was thinking that I would do my features project on the larger, global issue of religious justifications for violence because of a class I am currently taking on modern global conflict.

But now, thinking more about it, I want to specifically focus on the duel sides of the abortion debate, particularly how both sides believe they are doing justice to the women by their actions.

I would interview both the pro-life protesters and examine their use of violence and campaigns in the name of protecting life and moral justice, and I would also interview doctors and volunteers at Planned Parenthood and other local abortion clinics concerning their choice and justification to perform abortions.

I am totally open to any collaboration or suggestions from other students in the other classes! My contact information is:
[email protected]
(949) 547-0205

Reply
Cissy Ross
1/22/2012 09:14:11 am

Is there an angle you can pursue that might yield something besides dueling ideologies? What's new..or at least different or unexpected? Try to do a couple of interviews and test your ideas. I did hear a great piece recently where women from both sides got together to explore any common concerns. What the interviewers found out is that the women didn't change their stands, but at least saw each other as individual people with some good traits, not just the enemy.

Reply
Kalie Wertz
1/19/2012 01:02:18 pm

I'm going to be doing my feature on human trafficking, specifically in the United States, but it definitely spans across most countries abroad. I want to focus on justice for the young girls that are typically subject to this form of slavery that is still going on. I'm going to focus on information that I find from projects such as CNBC's film, Crime Inc, Amnesty International, humantrafficking.com, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's Blue Heart Campaign, polarisproject.org, and notforsalecampaign.org. Also, there were some local issues of human trafficking in 2010; one published in the Santa Barbara Independent of a man arrested for human trafficking, and another story covered by KCOY news television about a couple in Paso Robles arrested for human trafficking. If anyone wants to collaborate or has any other information or contacts, please let me know!

Kalie Wertz
[email protected]

Reply
Cissy Ross
1/22/2012 09:24:48 am

Good. But you will need to develop some contacts for interviews. When you say trafficking, what ethnicities are you focusing on? Is this just smuggling people over the border or holding them in servitude once they arrive? Who will you interview?

Reply
Kalie Wertz
1/23/2012 08:35:42 am

I would like to focus on sex trafficking, probably particularly latina and native american women. This will also bring in instances of rape and violence. I can talk to the the Santa Barbara Rape Crisis Center, and the Amnesty International group in Ventura. Also, Westmont College in Montecito has a human trafficking research program, I could talk to them as well.

Kiran Dhillon
1/22/2012 05:11:08 am

After reading some of the ideas proposed by other students I am very interested in writing a piece on working conditions in sweatshops. I watched a documentary on sweatshops in Saipan, a U.S. commonwealth in the western Pacific, and was shocked. Many of the workers come from China, pay an initial fee of 3,000 dollars believing they will pay it off quickly, but quickly realize that is not the case. They are essentially indentured workers, trapped on the island, unable to pay off their debt. I realize Saipan woud be a stretch for my feature, but Melissa Chan from the photo journalism class has suggested looking at an American Apparel sweatshop in LA. I think that would be a great collaboration!

[email protected]
925-683-4658

Reply
Cissy Ross
1/22/2012 09:27:57 am

Several students have mentioned sweatshops. One intriguing counterpoint is the controversial writing on this by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. See his wikipedia page for background:

Criticism of the anti-sweatshop movement
Kristof is critical of the anti-sweatshop movement, claiming that the sweatshop model is a primary reason why Taiwan and South Korea—which accepted sweatshops as the price of development—are modern countries with low rates of infant mortality and high levels of education, while India—which generally has resisted sweatshops—suffers from a high rate of infant mortality (3.1 million Indian children under the age of five die every year, mostly from diseases of poverty.)[31] While admitting that sweatshop work is tedious, grueling, and sometimes dangerous, he argues that it is considerably less dangerous or arduous than most alternatives in poor countries. Sweatshops provide much-needed jobs and boost the economy of extremely poor countries. He has called for well-meaning Americans to stop campaigning against sweatshops because it leads to closing down of manufacturing and processing plants in places where they are needed most. Responding to his critics, Kristof argues that campaigning to raise the wages in sweatshops will not achieve that goal; rather, the pressure will cause companies to rely on capital-intensive factories in better-off countries, avoiding Africa altogether.[32]

Reply
Lesly Chan
1/23/2012 11:51:51 am

[email protected]

I am also focusing my piece on sweatshops, but I am looking at the LA Garment Industry in particular and analyzing the three levels of society that make up this industry: designers, manufacturers, and consumers. There is a lot of justice and injustice to be investigated regarding the widening of the gap between these groups and how one group can be so successful while the other is working for less than a living wage in a sweatshop. I've connected with other students in the photo class who seem very interested and want to take a trip down to LA to interview FIDM students or maybe gain access to a sweatshop. If this is a project you'd be interested in, find me in class tomorrow and we can throw some ideas around! I'm also meeting with the photo students this week if you'd like to get in on the collaboration.

Reply
Mackensie Minniear
1/22/2012 09:36:50 am

I have been thinking about how to make my topic more related to justice while still pertaining to eating disorders. I had a conversation with someone who believe that people with eating disorders need to simply "snap out of it", which is a sentiment I've heard a lot of especially in college. When I was thinking about it, I wondered if this was a fair assessment of not only people with eating disorders, but people with depression as well. Or what resources are available to people with mental illness beyond anti-depressants or just therapy. I was researching art therapy and eating disorders,and it turns out that there are many outlets, but not a lot of knowledge. It's a very rough idea, that needs some fine tuning. I've talked to one photo-journalist in the other class who seemed interesting, but if any one else has ideas or wants to collaborate, please let me know.

[email protected]

Reply
Abby Whyte
1/22/2012 03:35:28 pm

Hey, Im very interested your ideas involving depression, I was going in an anti-prescription direction with my topic and I think focusing on alternatives is an interesting angle. I was at costco recently and theres a whole aisle of different ibuprofen and aspirin brands. Maybe we can do something about "medicating america."

Email me at [email protected] if your interested.

Thanks,

Abby

Reply
Jessica Oliveira
1/22/2012 12:58:01 pm

Last week in one of my courses my Professor was able to get the UCSB Reads book to every student in the class, Moby-Duck. The book is about a true story where thousands of plastic rubber ducks got lost at sea and begun showing up over a span of years all around the world. The book begins to bring up the topic of the garbage patches in the Pacific ocean, which brings me to my topic of the plastic bag ban. I'm thinking of interviewing some of the workers at the co-op as they have a reusable bag system there and have banned plastic bags even there even though the law did not go through. I was also thinking of interview someone from the UCSB Plastic Pollution Coalition.

Reply
Tessa Tapscott
1/22/2012 01:56:14 pm

I have met with a student in the photojournalism class that is also interested in animal rights issues to discuss a collaboration on this project. As I have thought about various animal rights related topics my ideas have evolved and divulged from one another. Taking Dr. Ross's advice I have begun looking into cases of horse neglect in the area as that seems to be an unfortunately common occurrence in the Southern California area. The cases involve starving, abandonment and often times hoarding, I want to know why these situations arise, why purchase the horse if you cannot support it? I plan to be in contact with the ASPCA, as well as some other more controversial organizations like PETA, auction organizations and race tracks.
Alternatively, I thought of a completely different topic while speaking to Alina from the photojournalism class. I have noticed that the most common dog breed in Isla Vista is a pit bull and while most appear to be nice looking dogs, I have always wondered about the presence of dog fighting in the area. While I do not know a much about this subject, it does interest me because it is a local issue. I could speak with the local ASPCA about if there have been any dog fighting cases in the recent years. Also I could speak to the dog owners about why they chose to have a pit bull.

In either case I hope to do a collaboration using Alina's photographs to support my writing.

[email protected]

Reply
Abby Whyte
1/22/2012 03:45:53 pm

I think I am going to be doing my project on depression and the negative stigmas attached it. I could also investigate the explosion of either depression, or over-diagnosis. There are multiple directions I could take this. Maybe just stigmas about mental illness in general. Or I could research corruption in the pharmaceutical industry or over-diagnosis.

Another topic I had in mind has to do with the obesity epidemic and the lack of any real action to address this issue. Only symptoms are treated not the problem (this could be connected with the depression subject). I think of all the jobs opening up around elderly care because of the baby boomers and I think the next big wave will be obese people supporting heart surgeons, dieticians, etc.

If you dont want to work on this project but have input for me I would appreciate it. All ideas are welcome!

Abby [email protected]

Reply
Joel Dickenmann
1/23/2012 03:13:08 am

After two weeks of contemplating the meaning of the word justice, I reached the conclusion that I am primarily concerned with the meaning of the word in a social context. When reading other students’ ideas, I came across a comment made by Chris Jasinsky from the sociology 108 class:

“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.”

If possible, I would be interested in learning more about this project and in a possible collaboration.
Phone number: 805-637-0513
email: [email protected]

Reply
Denna Taherzadeh
1/23/2012 05:26:55 am

I would really like to explore how our consumption choices here affect people's human rights across the world. I would particularly like to look into conflict minerals such as, the 3 T's (tantalum, tin and tungsten) used in electronics that fuel the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. I not only want to focus on the horrific war in the DRC but also make a strong connection between the the victims and the consumers, as too often it is very difficult to see how much of an influence we as consumers may have.
I would also look into how there are organisations and companies within the US (such as, 'Good Guide') that promote ethical consumption.

Feel free to comment or e-mail me, I always appreciate other people's input!

Denna
[email protected]

Reply
1/23/2012 09:37:51 am

I am still interested in writing about yoga & meditation in prison systems. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to visit or interview anyone with knowledge about this subject when I visited San Francisco this last weekend. I hope to schedule interviews within the next couple of weeks with yoga instructors who have taught yoga & meditation in prisons.

I would also like to visit the facilities themselves, but how do I ask for inmate interviews? Or how to go to the prisons with a student from the art class to capture some photos?

Professor Richard Ross, I would really appreciate your advice on how to go about doing this. Thank you!


[email protected]
(661) 210-5737

Reply
Minh N Nguyen
1/23/2012 12:49:24 pm

I am also interested in researching on job equality, but my justice project would revolve around discrimination and equal opportunities for LGBTQ members in the work environment. I will gain my resources from the director of the RCSGD and maybe talk to career services and human resources like Professor Ross suggested in the first post.

Minh ([email protected])

Reply
Alexis Kafkis
1/23/2012 02:34:02 pm

I studied in Italy last semester and found myself fully engaged in my Women in Italian Society course. Prior to this course I had no knowledge of the political corruption in Italian society and the media revolution. Aside from limited freedom for the media, the gravest results of the media revolution are the repercussions for women in Italy. Italy is ranked 84th in the world for gender equality. In 2010 they were placed 74th behind Kazakhstan in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report. In the World Freedom Press index Italy was rank 77th regarding their ability to exercise freedom in press coverage. In 2003 Freedom House rated Italy as “partly free”, one of only 2 nations (along with Turkey) in the European Union. The organization found that media freedom in Italy remained constrained by the dominant authority of former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. I would have never guessed this was the social situation in a developed country such as Italy if I had not studied there.

As you can see, I was able to research this subject while abroad, however, I am very interested in bringing this topic back to America. I was thinking about possibly writing an article on the subject and interviewing American students or professors on their views and reactions to the issue-maybe even finding Italian study abroad students at UCSB. The idea for the article overall is still in process but I really wish to use my passion for the subject to inform others. Let me know if you have any other suggestions as how to turn this researched based project into a compelling article or how to bring it back to American students-why should they care?


Another issue I have been thinking a lot about is equal wealth distribution. I came across this website a few weeks ago and was deeply affected by it: http://westandwiththe99percent.tumblr.com/. As a very fortunate college student at beautiful UCSB, many of the messages hit home. I think an article on the issue accompanied by interviews from students and wealthy adults who do support the issue could be interesting. I feel I still need to do more research into the politics behind the issue though.

-Alexis Kafkis

[email protected]

Reply
Tanner Gore
1/24/2012 02:03:19 am

Hello fellow collaborators. For my Justice feature I am still undecided and contemplating a few ideas. I have been considering the Internal Affairs Bureau which is the division designed to police the police. Another idea that I have been considering is the horrific instances when a drunk driver survives a crash but kills other people. I have a few personal experiences with this and the injustice of the drunk driver walking away while others are dead still bothers me to this day. Also, because I am a huge sports fan I have considered the injustice of steroid use in professional sports that leave those who play by the rules out of the record books and in some cases out of jobs. My final idea and the one that I think pertains the most to this class's definition of justice would be when the justice system needs to step in to take custody of children whose parents are deemed unfit.

Reply
Tanner Gore
1/24/2012 02:04:46 am

I forgot to add my contact info on my original post so here it is. [email protected]. 714 552 5907 cell#

Reply
Cailin Nomad
1/29/2012 10:53:51 am

I have thought a lot about doing a subject that is really close to me and I have finally decided to dive head first into it. I have grown up in an affluent predominately white community my whole life. When I came to UCSB I fell for a soccer player from Ghana and my perspective changed completely. Suddenly we were a mixed race couple and it was a lot harder to deal with that I ever thought possible. We got pulled over once just so a cop could ask if I was "okay" presumably referring to the fact that I was in a car at night with a black man. This idea of race and racial injustice became more and more apparent as we dated. We faced multiple situations in which he was questioned without reason and many snide remarks and grimaces when we were out together including some from my own family. Also, a friend of ours got accused of rape a few years ago and it was a typical story of racial injustice. I used to visit him all the time until he got moved to a prison in Arizona but as the case played out it was clear that it was as simple as black and white. I love the idea of collaborating with Clare on her idea of Whiteness and what it means to be white today as well as talking to my friend in prison and understanding his opinion of how the world works. I think I could get a lot of good different perspectives on this idea and formulate a good thesis on the injustice of just being a different color in the United States.

Reply
Cailin Nomad
1/29/2012 10:54:30 am

my contact is [email protected]

Reply
Mariana Prestigiacomo
1/30/2012 03:16:34 am

Before I was thinking of the homeless but now I am more interested in low-income and homeless children. My dad is involved in an organization involving low-income and abused children; I thought he could give proper insight. I also talked to David Inocencio after his lecture and got his contact information. I plan on e-mailing and interviewing him along with my dad and getting other contact information through them. I also have a contact at Casa Esperanza who I could also interview along with interviewing homeless families in Casa.
If anyone is interested, let me know!

[email protected]

Reply
Hannah Meade
1/30/2012 11:55:07 am

I'm thinking about looking into justice, or lack there of, in relationship with the elderly. From despicable nursing homes to their particular susceptibility to manipulation of many forms. This interests me primarily because our American society refuses to acknowledge or even respect the elderly, the dying precess and is generally terrified of death. We have created a culture obsessed with youth and vitality, turning our cheeks to the inevitable truth: we all get old and die.
Yes, sounds a bit depressing, but I think this subject deserves a lot more attention than it's been getting. I also think there's some really good photography potential here.

Reply
Hannah Meade
1/30/2012 11:55:57 am

oh, and it's [email protected]

Reply
Mariana
2/1/2012 06:29:09 pm

This made me think of the elderly in Asian cultures where grandparents live with their children and grandchildren rather than retirement homes. AND they're considered wise and respectful rather than sickly and pathetic. Such a contrast to the U.S.!

I really like this topic--good pick!

9/10/2012 02:40:28 pm

Great site, was just reading and doing some work when I found this page

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    This section is to help you find students in the other classes to collaborate with.

    INSTRUCTIONS:
    - Find the blog post titled with your class.
    - As a comment, write a two-sentence description of your project + your name + contact info
    - Read comments from other classes to find students/projects you are interested in working with/on.

    Categories

    All
    Art 120
    Collaborations
    Sociology108f
    Sociology 108f
    Writing 107j
    Writing 109ss