14: Reflecting on What You Learned

This class was interesting to say the least, I can safely say that the most important thing I took out of this class was the ability to learn how to find sources. I have done papers in the past that required a source here and there, which mostly came in the form of websites. During the semester I was able to learn the importance of credible sources. The use of journals and scholarly articles will always in most cases give credibility to any research assignment you do. I am a Sports Industry Major and by taking this class will help me find research if I go into the journalism side of sports. I enjoyed the semester and learned a lot.

13. Reporting on the Application Project

My project that I chose for my application project is an editorial. With the topic of my paper I think it gives me a good subject to argue some valid points. The website I found gives a few examples of some of the different editorial letters written. I basically will be using the examples as a springboard to create my editorial.

The only thing I have done so far is look at different examples of different editorials. I looked up a few websites with examples and have started to compile a few different examples. I have narrowed my editorial to focussing on a specific race. Although I will reference some others, i think by focusing on one will make my paper easier to read.

I still have to write out my editorial, as I mentioned I have only done my research so far and will begin to write a rough draft as soon as the next few days. I'm not sure what kind of angle I am going to focus on, once i begin my draft I will get a better idea.

12: Creating a Word Cloud

http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/791174/Ethnicity_in_Politics

Extra Credit:

http://wordle.appspot.com/gallery/wrdl/791201/Blog

10a: Reporting on Your Field Research

Asma Hasan Interview:

Being Muslim, would you say that peoples perception in the political world differ than those in our everyday world?

Yes. I think politicians and news commentators have strong opinions and feel the need to line themselves up with other members of their party or represent a liberal or political point of view. I think non-politicians and those outside the media have more time and freedom to explore and learn about other religions and people. So a Muslim can speak more openly and not feel worried that they are going to be immediately accused.

Who are some politicians that are of Muslim descent?

Keith Ellison is an African-American Muslim congressman from Michigan. Andre Carson is an African-American Muslim congressman from Nevada. Although these men are African-American, I still consider them to be of Muslim background. I don't believe there is such a thing as a "Muslim descent." Anyone of any race can be a Muslim. There is no Muslim race. Also, many African-Americans feel their ancestors were Muslim, so, to them, they are of "Muslim descent."

A friend of mine, Omar Ahmed, is a city councilman in the Bay Area. Another friend of mine, Arif Alikhan, is the Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles. They are both of South Asian descent. I know there are more American Muslim politicians out there, especially at the local level.

What role did you have in your brother's campaign?

I offered him whatever help I could, mainly standing on a street corner, holding a sign and waving at cars passing by! It was a lot of fun actually. I think whenever a friend or family member is doing something as important as running for office, you should help out and do whatever you can. I also worked on some mailers.

What are some obstacles and stereotypes that Muslims deal with on the political forefront?

Obviously, there are a lot of stereotypes about Muslims. Some think we are all violent and that our religion and the Prophet Muhammad focus on violence. That is not true. We are not out to get anyone or kill them. There are Muslims who are terrorists, but they are not being inspired by their religion -- just their own insanity or desire to have violence.

Many people see the world as Islam versus the USA. We can't take such a black and white approach. Most Muslims around the world love the US and need our help, not our scorn. We can't judge the whole group by the acts of some.

We would also do a better job in the War on Terror and in defeating terrorism if we asked American Muslims to participate and help.

What was it like writing for Glamour Magazine during the last presidential election?

Blogging for Glamour.com was an incredible experience. If you are going to blog, you need to have a strong opinion to lure readers in. Sometimes that was hard -- as a Muslim, it's likely that I will have a different view than others, even other Muslims, and I was raised to be polite and not start an argument. Blogging is the opposite of that! Having a weekly deadline to and also having to respond to breaking news was also a challenge, but it helped me improve my writing tremendously.

The best part of blogging was that I received press passes to the two political conventions. Attending the conventions, seeing the speeches, and being a part of the larger dialogue was an amazing experience. I saw Hillary Clinton speak from the convention floor, and I saw Sarah Palin from not too far away either. Seeing the crowd reaction and being a part of it made me feel excited about politics in the US.

Would you say that Muslim voter turnout played a key role in the last election?

Yes, definitely. There's anywhere from 6 to 20 million American Muslims, about half of whom vote. Many of these voters are aggregated in the swing states. That's a lot of votes. The Muslim effect is generally not noticed, but I think it can be very important. I am waiting for a candidate to reach out to Muslim voters and really embrace the power of the Muslim vote.

Do you see an increase or decrease in the future of not only Muslims but any ethnicity in the future of American politics?

Well, I hope so. There are a lot of barriers to ethnic and religious minorities to participating in politics -- language problems, economic disparities, and just generally how family-oriented many of these groups -- it doesn't leave a lot of time for extra-curriculars. There's also sometimes a reaction to just stay out of politics, out of suspicion or bad experiences in an immigrant's home country. But many religious and ethnic minorities are realizing that this all has to change and starting to become more involved. American politics will still be the province of white males for some time, but it will slowly and gradually change.

Application Ideas:

I might write an editorial, or a personal letter for my application project

9c: Checking Quotations, Paraphrases, and Summaries

Tyler's post:

http://tjenkinsresearchjournal.blogspot.com/2009/03/8a-quoting-paraphrasing-and-summarizing.html?showComment=1238908500000#c1866728448879720181

Kelly's post:

http://kellymhaddon.wordpress.com/2009/03/30/8a-quoting-paraphrasing-and-summarizing/#comment-10

9b: Brainstorming Visual Aids

1. Graphs showing minority representation in Congress and the Senate

2. Timeline of historical events involving African-Americans in political history

3. Pictures of minority leaders in prestigious positions in government.

4. Political cartoons

5. Voter participation by ethnic race (graphs and charts)

9a: Writing Thesis Statements

1. With the nomination of our first African-American President of the United States the ethnicity representation of American politics will soon thrive to achieve racial equality.

2. The racial imbalance of American politics needs an overhaul.

3. Although our nation is represented by our first African-American President, the ethnicity representation in government needs more minority leaders.