The role of research

3/12/2018

Because our class is not meeting face-to-face this coming Wednesday, 14 March 2018 (beware the Ides of March and all that), please post the content of your research notes in this space. Because you are posting online, you need only post 300 words (which is a little less than 1/2 of what you'd typically write for a set of research notes.

Also different from regular research notes: I'm asking a very specific question about the listening (if you haven't yet listened, you can Listen here.). Identify three pieces of information that you learn about over the course of the 2 hours of show that is NOT DIRECTLY FROM INTERVIEWS OR DESCRIPTION OF THE SCHOOL. In other words, I'm looking for you to identify three bits of research--about gun violence, or high schools or urban schools, or retention rates, etc--that is related information that comes from other sources, not from the school and it's people.

Once you've identified that information, write about how that shaped/changed/affected how you understood the specific story of this particular school.

FINALLY: give us a few sentences about what kinds of research you think you might do/are doing for your own site. Got a fun fact? Throw it in there.

AFTER EVERYONE HAS POSTED: Respond to TWO people with helpful suggestions about what they might research. Just crazy ideas. No pressure.

DEADLINE FOR POSTING IS Friday, 16 March 2018 by NOON.
DEADLINE FOR RESPONDING IS Sunday, 18 March 2018 by 11:00 PM.

18 Comments

Ryan Morrison

3/14/2018 01:19:17 pm

I’ve known for awhile now about how plagued the city of Chicago is with violence, including gun violence and gang violence, but after listening to this episode, I’ve come to understand just how dire it is there, especially within it’s schools like Harper High School. I was surprised to learn that most murders in Chicago (82% in 2011) happen in public places, i.e. cars, alleys, parks. Has it gotten to such a point in Chicago that people take other people’s lives blatantly, in public areas like a park or between two buildings? Is this the result of an over abundance of violence, or is it simply a lack of caring from these violent people? Things like this make you wonder how people, especially children, still get guns in a city that has taken ultimate precautions regarding the legal selling of these firearms. Chicago has no gun shops, no ranges, no gun shows, and a ban on high capacity magazines and assault style weapons. This is a rather sad fact, as even with all these actions taken, people still end up victims of gun violence. Some of these precautions would be the first things to pop into a government officials head as a solution, so what else can be done? Somehow, people are still getting guns, namely children. 40% of Chicago’s police recovered firearms end up being sold legally, whether it be in the safe side of the suburbs, or out of state in Indiana. It seems as though even strict laws regarding guns cannot stop this younger generation from obtaining one. Some of these facts shed light on some of the things I was a little unclear on, like Devante and his brother, and even the young child barely in middle school walking around the streets with friends in the middle of the night with a gun. In the city of Chicago, it seems that the violence may outweigh the urges to overcome said violence.
Since reading this, I think for my own site and research, I could definitely come up with some numbers or statistics regarding the game of darts which may or may not involve a bar setting or drinking in general. I think statistics and percentages on subjects can help you understand a subject a lot more, as numbers truly do not lie, and can seriously put things into perspective, whether it be harmless like darts, or serious issues like guns and gang violence.

Laine Drew link

3/17/2018 03:50:37 pm

I think it is good that you want to include statistics, but I think you need to clarify the specific aspect of the game of darts you are getting the statistics on. Like, are you using statistics to show how many people play darts? or are you getting stats on pro dart players (if being a pro at darts is even a thing). Some other research suggestions I have for you are:
- What is the history of darts?
- Have darts always been big in bars?
- Differences between the game of darts in and out of the bar scene.
- Is being a pro in darts a thing? (if so, research pro dart leagues)
- Maybe research some tips on how to become good at darts, and what makes for good aim.

3/19/2018 05:12:08 am

I think that what Laine is getting at is something that I was getting at when I was commenting on your other draft: it's not clear what the role of alcohol is playing in your piece. Research on darts and the darts community is one thing. Research on drinking is another. It's not clear how these fit together--you write as if they clearly are. And they might be, but that is your challenge--to write that connection.

Leah O'Bryan

3/14/2018 01:35:15 pm

The episode from This American Life about Harper High School takes us through the public four-year high school located in the West Englewood neighborhood on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. Crime is high, especially during the 2012-2013 school year, and I have been aware of this cities crime rates based on the news and from reading articles online.
Two semesters ago I took a Homelessness in Society class and we read the book mentioned by Crystal titled, There Are No Children Here. While reading this I understood the violence the characters faced, and after listening to this episode I understand the violence is sadly still thriving through the city, negatively impacting these kids’ lives.
Learning that all of the students at Harper High School are in a gang solely based on where they reside, and don’t really have a choice to join or not is shocking and heart breaking. Even those who do not want to be involved in a gang, get labeled and join because its where they are, and sometimes there’s nothing else to do. During the episode we meet the many staff that are underpaid, at risk of losing their jobs due to budget cuts, and those who literally will drive their students to and from school because some of their students feel unsafe due to high risks of shootings and deaths. Not even knowing these kids, but hearing their voices and hearing their stories makes me worry about them and even wonder what they are up to now. When listening to Devante and knowing the strong relationship he and Crystal created, then learning he stopped attending school and was on the run because of being caught with a gun in his possession against his probation due to the fact that he accidently shot and killed his brother in their apartment was awful. I cannot imagine being in his position, or having to raise a family in an area like this.
I do feel that I understood Crystal and how she felt like she failed Devante and how she did all she could. I thought of Danin, the student I had in Cambodia and the rest of the students I taught because they are growing up in a third world country, where food is limited, and staying in school get difficult when you have to think about supporting a family. Like Crystal, I hope I made an impact on those students, even just a tiny one, to keep them off the streets, out of the bars where they could sell themselves, and keep them in the classroom to become more than what they think they can become.
I felt that this was impactful, because we got to hear straight from the students and listen to what they saw, from a young age of even 10, when they might have seen their first murder, or when they were 12, getting a gun from, “a friend.” It just really makes you think. And as for my own writing, I will include my hopes for the students I had in Cambodia, as well as statistics for readers to understand how these people live, survive and where they find hope to keep learning and stay in school. I also think interviewing all different types of people, that made Cambodia an impactful experience will be good, because in the high school we heard from students, teachers, coaches, the principle and counselors to get a well rounded understanding of what happens.

3/17/2018 03:32:20 pm

For your research, I really like that you want to focus on how students find hope to stay is school, and how they live on a day to day basis. To add to this, some suggestions I have are:
- Add some background on the history of education in Cambodia.
- Talk a little bit about the history of Cambodia in general.
- Some info/ detail on how Cambodia's current government is set up.

3/19/2018 05:15:40 am

I'd also be interested in knowing what a typical life for a young woman looks like in Cambodia--for someone who is not wealthy or for someone who is an orphan. I'm also curious about how many "orphans" there are in Cambodia. A history about the schools that you were at the organizations would be useful.

3/14/2018 01:58:03 pm

A piece of information that I learned is the particulars of how gangs actually work. People often have a black and white view when it comes to gangs; either you are in the gang or you are not. People also often believe that gangs have formal inductions and a strict hierarchy with clear leaders and clear followers. However, from this clip, it is learned that this is not always true. Gang’s all have specific territories in the city, and if a kid lives in that territory, they are assumed to be in the gang of that territory. Also, if a kid is merely seen hanging out with another kid that is known to be in a gang, those watching will assume that the kid is in the gang as well. This proves that gang involvement actually has a lot of gray area, and that kids often do not choose to be in gangs.
Another bit of information that isn’t directly from the school or the interviews, is where exactly gang members get the guns from. She does ask some kids this in an interview, and they say that they get the guns from their “friends,” but that doesn’t explain where the guns actually come from. According to the clip, guns often come from the suburbs of Chicago or from Indiana, and they are purchased legally from straw purchasers, gun shows, stores, etc. This is important to know because it shows how easy it is for people to get their hands on guns in some parts of the country, and further calls for stricter gun regulation.
The last bit of information that I want to talk about is the research on Harper High Schools budget history, along with upcoming budget issues. Because of turnarounds, Harper High school was granted a lot of money to fund better programs and faculty to help students and to keep them off the streets. However, each year, the funding becomes lower and lower, and on the fifth year (which is the year following this clip) the funding goes back to normal. This is a problem because layoffs among faculty will be the most prominent cut, meaning that amazing people such as Anita will be laid off, and Crystal will only work part time. This shows the importance of giving more funding to schools, because a good teacher, counselor, advisor, etc. can be the difference between a student dropping out and graduating.

Shackeema Card

3/16/2018 01:05:16 pm

I love your response, you put in a lot of detail. If you don't mind me asking, what research questions do you have? What do you plan on researching? I know for your site you're focusing on the T, specifically the red line (correct?). Here are some questions I thought about for you:
-When was the first red line thought about?
-Have they added anymore stops since the first red line was built?
-How many people typically take this train a day?
If you already planned on researching these you can disregard it, but just some things I thought about?

kiara moreira

3/18/2018 08:23:26 pm

Laine,

I enjoyed reading your response it was very detailed and clear.
You seem to have a great understand of the school and what was happening.
I would like to hear more about what you have planned for your research. I know that your site is the Red Line, but what are some of your questions?
Here are some of my questions:
1. How long has the Red line been there ?
2. What are some of the most busiest stops?
3. Is the train always busy? If so, on which nights or days ?

3/19/2018 05:18:38 am

I really appreciate that you did what I asked you to do in this response. you identified three uses of research in the story that doesn't come from direct observation or interview. You make clear what outside information does to help folks understand a culture. It situates it in a wider context but it still relates to the culture that is featured. This isn't a podcast about schools in chicago or crimes in chicago or gangs or guns in chicago, but the information about all of this helps us to understand what is going on at Harper High School.

3/15/2018 10:00:05 pm

A piece of information that I found intriguing through the clips were how gangs are sometimes they have no choice but to be in. It is disappointing to know that these children are forced to be in this community that they have no decision whether they want to be apart of this. I learned that gangs do not always have to do with drugs. These Gangs are specific territories that are apart of the city, whichever side they live on is the side they are “suppose” to be in that certain gang. There are many rules to follow while being in a gang like be with the people who are only in your gang and it would not look well to hang out with others. A particular gang called “Face World” that Jordan was in one of them. He says that it's a war zone and these gangs are very close. Mr. Adams has a goal for Jordan by saying that if he notices anything “on the block” they might be able to fix it.
Furthermore, Gun violence plays a vital role in this school because most people have been shot at in just a few years in being at the school. About half of the kids at Harper High School Football plays an important role because many students and team players will go. According to the clip, someone was shooting at a former student of Harper High, James. Guns in Chicago seem to be important to them because it creates a tension for people to use them. This is vital because students and other people can get guns very easily can could shoot at anytime. One particular aspect that the faculty were trying to do was pulling students out of class and sending most home not because they were in trouble but to prevent more of these accidents from happening.
Since reading this, I think for my own site and research, I could probably look up the statistics on on U.S. Juice and Smoothie Market. Now a days smoothies are growing stronger in the beverage category. I think that but understanding the statistics it will help me see how big the smoothie industry actually is. Driven by the growing popularity of juice cleanses and such it will be interesting to see how smoothies make a rapid growth.

3/16/2018 12:55:58 pm

I think you're off to a great start in your research. A few things you could also research are:
-When was the first smoothie place built?
-What were some of the first flavors of smoothies ever made?
-Do smoothies have any health benefits? Why or why not?
-What ages or age ranges typically drink smoothies the most?
-Is Massachusetts known for smoothies? If not, what other place in the world is?

3/19/2018 05:21:59 am

Again, thanks for doing what I asked folks to do in this set of notes. I think your ideas about research makes sense. You could look at the history of health nut kinds of things in the US. You know like in the 60s when people started to care about things like being a vegetarian. You could also look at the downside of all this: are these cleanses actually healthy? Is this just a fad? So both sides of this. And, actually, what qualifies as a smoothie? Just curious.

Jesse Mendes

3/16/2018 12:37:37 am

Listening to both parts about Harper High School in Chicago, I was utterly saddened to hear about all of the children who have to live in fear and alter their lives in order to see a tomorrow. Countless stories about kids that didn’t even do anything that were shot at or killed was a really tough reality to hear. I was also blown away by the numbers that were given in the podcast about how bad gun violence truly is in some areas. One of the most surprising figures that was mentioned at the beginning is that 29 kids were shot, 8 of whom were killed, in that previous year alone. For a school that had barely over 500 kids, the fact that about 5-6% of students were the victim of gun violence shocked me. The impact of such a number and framing it versus the population of the school is a haunting reality of our country. The statistic provided about murders in the city of Chicago was insane to me, that 82% of murders in the city in 2011 occurred in public places. People going about their everyday lives seeing people be killed is going to leave a mark on them emotionally and traumatize innocent people. It also goes to show how big of a deal this is, that people are being murdered in cold blood right on the street while living their lives. This fact also backs up the perspective of some students that sacrifice social lives to just stay in their homes for safety. Later, the principal mentions the turnaround money that the school is granted that allows them to employ more staff, get supplies for the school, and make the environment better. However, the narrator mentions that the plan causes them to lose that money, and they are due to lose $1.6 million dollars in funds the next year. This drop in salary leads to a discussion that they likely will have to lay off 10% of their staff, which shows that the money they are granted is good as long as it is a steady inflow to benefit the students and faculty. As for my own research, I think that empirical data, such as the percentages of adults who bowl in organized leagues could be useful, as well as data such as how many bowlers own their own shoes, ball, and equipment vs renting. Also, thing such as how many bowling alleys exist now versus the past could show if the game has grown or fallen off.

3/19/2018 05:24:23 am

Good work identifying the kind of research that is not an interview or a direct observation from the school. That was the assignment. I think your ideas for what to research make sense. I think in particular knowing the demographic of bowlers is interesting and the idea of bowling alleys and bowling's popularity now and then could tell us something about this culture you are a part of right now.

3/16/2018 12:48:00 pm

I thought this was a very interesting podcast and I'm glad that I got the opportunity to listen to it, because it really opened my eyes to see what is going on in the world that is not talked about in the news or in the media altogether. This mad me very sad to hear about children be shot and killed, fearing for their lives, not wanting to live anymore, not being able to walk along, etc. I myself didn't have a very good high school experience, but it was never anything like this. Once I heard the guy say that, "in 2012 the number of murders in Chicago rose while other cities fell or stood still" was so shocking and sad to me. He also stated that, "506 people died in Chicago in 2013 and a handful of them came from neighborhoods like in Englewood." When I heard this it made me see why children carry guns to school or fear for their lives. Many people believe that only African American people are in gangs and they kill whoever they want, but hearing this story makes you see that it isn't only Black people (which I already knew that). They kids said that they're in gangs whether they like it or not just depending on where you live or who you're associated with. I knew that Chicago had a lot of gun related violence, but you know it's pretty bad when a cop is saying that gangs are a typical in that part of Chicago. Most murders in Chicago in 2011, 82% of them happen in public places, (parks, streets, porches). So I don't blame any of these students for anything. It is a poor area they're living in and therefore are highly affected by this gang and gun violence. I still don't think should retaliate with more violence, but I like the idea of these counselors and social workers helping these students out and giving them somebody to talk to. Some times that's all they need. Like with Devonte, it wasn't his fault, but he said that he just needed someone to talk to.

Some research I'm thinking about doing for my site which is the site of Mount Moriah Baptist Church is some information on the demographics of Baptist church. Many people believe that Baptist churches are all Black, but was it always that way? I think that would be very useful to include in my research. Also things like, what is the similarities and differences between Pentecostal and Baptist churches? Maybe who started the first Baptist church, when was it started, and why was it started? Where in the world has the most Baptist churches and why?

3/18/2018 08:19:07 pm

Shackeema,

I think that your ideas for your research are very strong and if you dig a little deeper you will find. Your second question about Baptist churches being all black is a great idea to look into to and when you interview ask that question. I bet you will get interesting responses.

3/19/2018 05:27:23 am

Good work here identifying relevant statistics that are not from interviews or direct observation. I like what you are saying about Mount Moriah. I think that question about demographics--was it always a predominantly black church--is a really interesting one. I think that articulating the difference between Baptist and Pentecostal is probably useful given what you wrote in your draft.

The role of research

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