Please take a moment and reflect on last Thursday’s workshop. What did you learn from Thomas’ presentation? What questions or concerns did it raise for you? If you could you further this conversation, what other issues would you want to discuss or see addressed?
Second, reflect on what it was like to write your observational reflection on your experience at Project Homeless Connect. First, explain how the research you did for this assignment differed from the research you did for the first two assignments. (That is, using your assignments, how would you explain the differences between working with texts vs. working from your own observations?) Second, what did you do differently in this assignment to appeal to a more popular, non-academic audience?
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Post-Project Homeless Connect Class Reflection
Last Tuesday, we reflected as a class on our experiences at Project Homeless Connect. Here I've collected the ideas that capture your responses:
First, here are the key words that you all generated to describe your experience: connection, generous, worthwhile, optimistic, different perspective fascinating, positive, rewarding, limiting, relatable, upsetting, empowered, and thought provoking.
Second, here are the lessons that you reported learning and what experience anchored that lesson:
Lesson #1: You can’t do it all, especially within time limits. This lesson was learned when my client had to catch his 10:30 bus and had no time to access dental services.
Lesson #2: People are people, regardless of their socio-economic status, or we all share common experiences. This lesson was learned when I walked outside Ritchie Center with my client, and and she told me the story of when she met her husband.
Lesson #3: To be open and motivated, both volunteers and clients. This lesson was learned when I first met with my client, and she said, “I’m feeling positive.”
Lesson #4: The homeless don’t fit one mold; there is diversity within the homeless population. This lesson was learned when I first met my client. She didn't fit the stereotypical image of poor or homeless person.
Lesson #5: We all have a responsibility to each other. This lesson was learned through my client's sense of humor and his banter. He lectured me about valuing my experience at DU and giving back to the community.
What do you think?
First, here are the key words that you all generated to describe your experience: connection, generous, worthwhile, optimistic, different perspective fascinating, positive, rewarding, limiting, relatable, upsetting, empowered, and thought provoking.
Second, here are the lessons that you reported learning and what experience anchored that lesson:
Lesson #1: You can’t do it all, especially within time limits. This lesson was learned when my client had to catch his 10:30 bus and had no time to access dental services.
Lesson #2: People are people, regardless of their socio-economic status, or we all share common experiences. This lesson was learned when I walked outside Ritchie Center with my client, and and she told me the story of when she met her husband.
Lesson #3: To be open and motivated, both volunteers and clients. This lesson was learned when I first met with my client, and she said, “I’m feeling positive.”
Lesson #4: The homeless don’t fit one mold; there is diversity within the homeless population. This lesson was learned when I first met my client. She didn't fit the stereotypical image of poor or homeless person.
Lesson #5: We all have a responsibility to each other. This lesson was learned through my client's sense of humor and his banter. He lectured me about valuing my experience at DU and giving back to the community.
What do you think?
Reflecting on writing your literature review
As we start class today, please reflect on your literature review. What did you learn from this writing assignment? What do you think you did well? What was the most challenging part of writing this essay? If you had one more day to work on it, what could you still improve on?
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Field Notes from Project Homeless Connect
After you finish your volunteer shift at Project Homeless Connect, record your observations from your experience here as a comment. Record everything you remember from your day and include as many details as you can. Be as descriptive as possible. As you conclude, reflect on what was significant about your experience.
IMPORTANT: Please do not use people’s real names. Use initials or pseudonyms. We want to preserve the anonymity of the people you interacted with.
Preparing for Project Homeless Connect
As you prepare for Project Homeless Connect, reflect on your expectations for Friday’s event. What do you think the day will be like? What do expect to learn? What have you already learned about homelessness or poverty that you think prepares you for volunteering? What did you learn from the volunteer training session? If you’re feeling any anxiety, apprehension, or nervousness about the day, please reflect on these feelings, too. Why do you think you feel that way?
Monday, April 20, 2009
The Knowledge of the Lower Class & Research Tactics
In our last class, we discussed how lower-income workers often know more about the lives of the wealthy, than the wealthy do about the lives of lower-income workers. It seems like a strange paradox that although some wealthy individuals are paid more for their knowledge and expertise, they do not know the nuts and bolts of how society functions. On the other hand, lower-income workers work and experience the system, understand it like the back of their hand, and yet they are paid so little for their labor.
Do you think this is a good or bad phenomenon? Why? How might this ignorance on the part of the wealthy contribute to classism and discrimination in the United States? How might this phenomenon contribute to policies and rules that favor the rich and put the poor at a disadvantage?
When our author ventures to Minnesota, she spends a day interviewing an acquaintance of the lower class that has a few children and squeaks by renting a small home.
As far as research practices go, how effective do you think interviewing is in comparison to Ehrenreich’s immersion? In order to learn more about someone’s way of life, would you rather interview them or try to step in their shoes and experience first-hand what their life is like? Which research tactic is more effective?
Do you think this is a good or bad phenomenon? Why? How might this ignorance on the part of the wealthy contribute to classism and discrimination in the United States? How might this phenomenon contribute to policies and rules that favor the rich and put the poor at a disadvantage?
When our author ventures to Minnesota, she spends a day interviewing an acquaintance of the lower class that has a few children and squeaks by renting a small home.
As far as research practices go, how effective do you think interviewing is in comparison to Ehrenreich’s immersion? In order to learn more about someone’s way of life, would you rather interview them or try to step in their shoes and experience first-hand what their life is like? Which research tactic is more effective?
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Clarifying your topic, question and sources for your qualitative literature review
Please describe the topic you are focusing on for this current assignment and post the question that is guiding your research thus far. Also, tell us about the source you found for today and cut and paste the summary you wrote for today's class into this response.
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