Tag: unit 2

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Justin’s Research Portfolio

When we first began the unit and we were tasked with coming up with a topic, I knew I wanted to talk about diversity in the education system and more specifically, the process of screening. As I was doing my research, I noticed that this was a highly debated topic. Many people thought that screening would help schools increase their diversity by picking students from different backgrounds and locations. However, others thought it creates unfair judgement based on the previous school the student went to, along with many other factors, and as a result lessens the diversity in that school.

The main purpose of my research is to find out whether screening results in more or less diversity in schools. I also wanted to show why it is so important to have diversity and inclusion in schools which a lot of the articles I found expand on that idea. The majority of my sources came from Syracuse libraries where I found numerous scholarly articles on my topic. However, I found it difficult to find primary sources throughout the research stage. I wanted to find some kind of an interview or article from the point of view of a student or parent and their experiences with screening and whether or not it helped them get into a certain school. All the articles I found were written by researchers and experts in the field of education specializing in inclusion. All the exercises we were tasked with helped with the annotations especially the note taking exercises. This one really helped me identify the main points of the article and helped add to the conversion we’ve been having all unit on diversity.  In addition, it helped me think more about the sources I used and include my views on the topic.

While I feel like I covered most of what I wanted to, I believe there are some gaps in my research. Like I mentioned before the perspectives of all the articles comes from experts in the field. However it would be good to get articles from the perspective of a student who may have been affected by the screening process or a family member of that student. Overall, the information I found from my research was very intriguing. Reading about the topic and comparing different viewpoints is fascinating, then offering my own input helped me better understand the topic and the main idea the writers were trying to get across. All of the information I got from the sources helped grow my knowledge on this topic and contributed to our discussions on diversity.

Supporting Materials: 

WRT 205 Focusing Flowchart PDF

WRT 205 Complicating Your Research

WRT 205 Rounding out the Conversation Worksheet

WRT 205 Annotations PDF

Research Plan

 

 

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Research Portfolio, Jackie

For this assignment, we were asked to compile a grouping of sources that we have found depicting and further expansion on inclusion and organizational culture.  We were asked to pick a topic, and immerse ourselves into the conversation, and report what we found. I chose to focus my assignment on disability inclusion, and diving into design in the workplace. My first few thoughts on the topic were broad, surrounding disability services in childhood and adolescents. My original plan was going to explain this aspect by focusing on healthcare for those with disabilities. 

However as I used Syracuse Summons and Google Scholar advanced searches to find resources, I found that healthcare was an addition to a topic that has always been important for me: universal design. Universal design focuses on the inclusion of all abilities and disabilities when designing a space for individuals to gather. This topic is important to myself as I have consistently worked with those with disabilities and have seen them struggle thriving in institutions that were not designed for them. In my research, I have found that while there are barriers to giving accommodations to those in the workplace, it is not impossible to do.

The most intriguing aspect of this topic to me is the first hand accounts of those who struggle. For myself, I do not suffer from a physical ailment, so finding clothes that fit me and being able to walk is something that became monotonous. However, as I have realized before, many people do not have that same luxury as myself. Each testimony of those in the disability community is different than the other, and how they struggle in different ways to create a sort of norm for themselves.

Moving forward with this project, I am hopeful to find more resources about universal design, and the logistics of implementing such a design. I am looking to find sources that are able to identify the barriers to designing such a way, or why thinking in such a way has become rare. I believe these resources would add a layer of depth to my argument, and allow me to create a well rounded report on universal design in the workplace.

Annotated Bibliography 1

Annotated Bibliography 2

Annotated Bibliography 3

Annotated Bibliography 4

Annotated Bibliography 5

Annotated Bibliography 6

Focusing Flowchart

Research Plan

Complicating Your Research Activity

Rounding Out The Conversation Activity

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Week of 7/13 – Discussion

  1. The article ”Is Redemption Possible In The Aftermath Of #MeToo?” by Matt Chinworth is about the men accused and charged with sexual misconduct during the #MeToo movement and the possibilities for them to come back into the society without ignoring the feelings and wishes of their victims. It is structured in such a way that both sides are heard—one side that supports open reintegration in addition to the main focus on the victims as a step towards sustainability in the movement and one that emphazises more the side and fair dealing with the pain of the victims instead of giving space to the perpetrators. The lighting of both opposing sides and the integration of concrete case studies as examples and expert speeches make up the value of this article, since it enables the most objective opinion formation possible. It is integrated into Wynn’s article that talks about the effort organizations of the tech industry have to take in order to create gender equality within their structures instead of focusing on small individual changes. The tech industry is also strongly criticized for the disrespectful treatment of women and since the #MeToo movement has earned a wide range of medial attention showing the dangerous conditions of women in different work spaces, the article is well integrated into Alison Wynn’s for giving a deeper look into the topics and providing background informations.
  2. Alison Wynn in her article “Individual Change Won’t Create Gender Equality in Organizations” points out how small individual changes won’t be capable to reduce or eliminate inequality between genders in organizations although they are often used as a main attempt to fight inequality, which her research reveals. Her article not only talks on a meta level about the efforts that have to be made by those responsible, but reduces biases in addressing them directly in her six stage strategy to combat inequality. She claims that the problem has to be identified to take action on it, so she seems to speak straight to decision-holders of the industry to increase the chances that those people in charge feel addressed. By using the imperative in the following excerpt, “When determining employee rewards, such as pay and promotion, hold decision-makers accountable for basing such rewards on demonstrated employee performance, rather than subjective factors such as favoritism”, the author guarantees that in the right places executives are appealed. Her next excerpt, “Take steps to make sure employees’ voices are heard in meetings that they feel included and safe at work, and that they can be successful“ speaks about how to eliminate microaggressions in the workplace. To make sure employees’ voices are heard in meetings as she suggests, you have to be in charge of leading them, therefore her main group of readers are as well those who are interested as employers and the leaders of a company. Nevertheless, she encounters them on an informing but neutral level which supports her appeals to be heard and hopefully even acted upon.

 

 

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Discussion, Isaac

  1.  Allison Wynn is at the point in her article where she is listing her proposals to mitigate the ongoing discrimination in organizations when she adds the link to the article “Why Most Performance Evaluations Are Biased, and How to Fix Them”. The link is contained in a small paragraph that places blame on ambiguous evaluation forms that use open-ended questions that draws biased opinionated answers. The study she links to elaborates on this claim, and uses data and experiments to try and find a solution to the problem. The study involved speaking to current managers and their thoughts on the evaluation form and its process, and their answers typically were not confident in the current system. The ambiguity of the questionnaires leaves managers lost often, and in turn, their unconscious/conscious biases help them fill in the open spaces.  The authors, Lori Mackenzie, JoAnne Wehner and Shelley J. Correll, then go on in the same direction as Wynn by proposing improvements to the evaluation form process. The study they conducted also included managers feedback and opinions on their more specific evaluation form that forced the managers to work through their employees using a standardized list of criteria, in hopes everyone is judged much more equally. The responses they received were 90% positive, and the managers who participated in the study said the new form made them feel much more confident in their evaluations.
  2. The target audience of Allison Wynn’s article “Individual Change Won’t Create Gender Equality in Organizations” is primarily the managers and executives in leadership roles that have the power to implement the reforms Allison Wynn is calling for. Baseline employees and even some of the higher positions in organizations usually have little power in making changes to the pre-existing standards of the company, although the manager’s role typically includes managing and evaluating their employees work. In the article, Wynn states 

 

“While conducting a year-long, in-depth case study of a Silicon Valley technology company implementing a gender equality initiative, I investigated how executives understand and attempt to mitigate inequality. I found that their explanations for inequality—and strategies to address it—often fall short of enacting the change that’s most necessary.”

 

This statement was used in her introduction, and she brings up the fact that most of her studies results show that the people with the power to enact positive change often do not do so. This passage is calling out to executives, informing them of how large this issue has become and how they are the ones in the position to enact change, and the rest of the article calls back to this statement every time it mentions the executive’s role in a company.

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Week of 7/13 Discussion Post – Dominique Van Gilst

  1. The linked resource that I explored is a card set called Inclusion Conversation Cards. Each card includes engaging statistics and questions that will definitely get you thinking. This set of cards is important because it allows for a comfortable way to speak and learn about inclusion and gender equality. This resource is also great for motivation because it gets people thinking about what they need to change at work, home, school, etc. This tool adds to Wynn’s article because it is a suggestion of something that can be used to teach employees how to be more inclusive at work. Wynn believes that this resource could definitely assist in creating a more accepting and inclusive workspace. However, this tool should not be the only one used to do this; creating a safe environment for everyone must be a continuous process. 
  2. I think that anyone could benefit from reading this article because it provides a lot of tools and resources that can help people to be more aware of inequality at work, school, home, etc. However, I think that the main target audience is probably any organization and its employees because of the way that the article is written, and the language used. The segment that I think works well with that target audience is:

“Beyond hiring, organizations should establish clear, specific criteria for evaluating employees year-round. Research shows that ambiguous or vague evaluations can open the door to bias, such as evaluating employees based on gendered personality expectations (e.g. women should behave communally, men should behave assertively), so it’s important for organizations to use a transparent and consistent process for evaluating employees”

It is easy to tell from this passage that the article is geared towards organizations and employees because it talks about hiring, bias, and evaluating employees. Even though I chose to include this specific passage, the whole article talks about ways to improve the workplace so that everyone is treated equally.

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Week of 7/13 discussion, Aaron

  1. The link within the article that I had was “50 ways to fight bias”. This was brand new to me, but I found very useful. It is an online card game of sorts that has 4 different sets of cards which each have a “do you know?” section in them which contain diversity and bias related questions such as: “What % of Black women have never had an informal interaction with a senior leader at their company?” The answer for this one is 59%. These questions have pretty dismal answers that prepare you for whats to come in the next section of cards which give you different scenarios, such as: hiring, everyday interactions, reviews and promotions, meeting dynamics, mentorship and sponsorship.
  2. This activity is geared towards professional people in a working environment. It is very useful because the scenarios that are used in this exercise are very relatable and realistic. One scenario in one of the card sets presents us with this problem: “You’re asked to interview candidates for a role on your team and notice none are women.”  The bottom of the card gives an explanation of why this matters. This matters because not interviewing women will surely mean that the company is missing out on good candidates and women will not be afforded the opportunity to advance their careers. The card also gives information that states that women are far less likely to receive an opportunity into entry level professional employment, which further stunts the growth of diversity in the workplace.
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Research Portfolio-Mikayla Fils-Aime

Unit 2 Reflection

For this assignment we were asked to create a portfolio depicting the occurrence of organization culture in everyday life and how with a variety of sources and conversations we would be able to boil down and rationalize any argument. In order to test this method I decided to approach the issue of discrimination against minorities within prejudiced systems which can vary anywhere from school, work or even in everyday situations. With the use of various primary and secondary accounts I was able to get a glimpse of the discrimination minorities face and the way that it not only affects them but the way they are perceived by others. In order to further develop my research I focused on the accounts of those who were failed by each system and who face constant discrimination because of them.

With the use of the various assignments and worksheets I was able to clearly lay out in my assessment what I wanted to convey to the audience. In order to help spread the voice of these minorities and show the readers just how many individuals clearly experienced this hate I drew up a research plan the would help explain my stance. For this assignment I wanted to show the audience just how many lives were jeopardized by the unfair stereotypes put in place and the systematic oppression experienced by these individuals. I not only wished to provide first hand accounts of these occurrences but I wanted to provide methods in which change could be made by each community. We have conducted so much research on inequality and cultural insensitivity yet we have failed to truly unpack where this discrimination comes from and why so may students are continuously facing the same issues.

In the beginning I wished to solely focus on the way these individuals bounce back from oppression and are able to defy their circumstances however, I’ve realized that that isn’t always the case. So many lives are ruined and futures disregarded because of a lack of true change being made within each community. In my research I am able to point out some of the programs and opportunities being created for minorities that allow them to keep reaching their highest potential. I wish to further my knowledge on the public education systems screening methods and make it so that no child will have to face further hardship in life because of a system that failed them in the beginning. I would also love to hear accounts from those who were able to defy the odds despite being placed in a system that wasn’t built for them to succeed.

Annotation 1

Annotation 2

Annotation 3

Annotation 4

Annotation 5

Annotation 6

WRT 205 Research Plan

WRT 205 Focusing flowchart

WRT 205 Rounding out the conversation worksheet

WRT 205 Complicating Research Assignment

 

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Mike – Research Portfolio

As we began Unit 2, and started down the path of this research project, J.K. Rowling’s Twitter feed was in the news again. As I thought about what she tweeted and the subsequent response, an idea began to form. I wanted to explore “cancel culture”. At least, I thought I did. However, after our first assignment, it became clear that wasn’t quite right for our purposes.

Then it dawned on me. What is “cancel culture” really, but a form of consumer activism? It is the market voicing their collective displeasure directly to the source. That type of protest has taken many forms over the years, and I was certain I’d be able to find good resources to help in forming my arguments.

My first bit of research involved Google. Doing a search on “consumer activism” I quickly found my first solid source, Caroline Heldman’s Protest Politics in the Marketplace. Our second note-taking exercise spurred a number of questions in my mind:

  • What is it about the past 40/50 years that has brought about the shift toward widespread adoption of consumer activism?
  • Is consumer activism actually more powerful/effective than voting/being involved politically?
  • How has cause-marketing has influenced me?

Google also helped me find R. Henry Weaver’s paper, “Is Consumer Activism Economic Democracy?”, but it wasn’t until the “Complicating Research” assignment, that things really started to take shape.  The first tool that caught my eye was “Web of Knowledge”. I found that it and SAGE were both relatively simple to navigate. I loved the option to copy citations to my clipboard, although the citation from SAGE did not include the URL, so I added it manually. My experiments with Backlink Checker were not quite as successful. I tried the URL from the citation for “Political Consumerism as a Neoliberal Response to Youth Political Disengagement” by Georgios Kyroglou and Matt Henn, but that provided me with 2,174,123 total backlinks from 13,328 domains. As a control, I tried backlinking a random article from the Guardian’s website and ended up with similar results! I was somewhat overwhelmed as I navigated through SAGE and Web of Knowledge. The sheer number of options and directions I could take my research was staggering and got me thinking about all sorts of possibilities.

It was the “Rounding Out the Conversation” exercise that helped nail down my sources. After I finished, I realized that I had only cited five, so I went back through everything I had downloaded and found my sixth, which I just added today.

I appreciate how the tools introduced in each assignment have been building on the previous week’s work. At the same time, they’ve gotten me to think differently about the sources I’ve collected and the work I’m trying produce. What started out as a reaction to a news story has developed into a intellectually stimulating exercise. I doubt that I could have predicted that I’d land on the subject of consumer activism, but being able to tie in both the personal and the global is something I’ve really enjoyed, and look forward to completing.

Protest Politics in the Marketplace

Shopping for Change

Packaged Facts

Political Consumerism

Corporate Environmentalism

Economic Democracy

Focusing Flowchart – Mike K

Complicating Research – Mike K

Rounding Out The Conversation – Mike K

Research Plan Blog Post

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Michaela Reis-Research Portfolio

Unit 2 Research Reflection

The first step I took when approaching my research portfolio was narrowing down my focus. The focusing flowchart was helpful with that because the prompts were so clear it helped me pick key terms that I had learned from Unit 1 and form a topic that I was interested in. Reflecting on each week of readings and discussions helped me pinpoint what I engaged in with classmates and what I was drawn to. Diversity training has been a large focus of this class and each time it was discussed I found the question of how do we implement it in a way that increases diversity and inclusion coming up. What I ended up realizing was that empathy and perspective were two topics that could help solve the question.

My second step was searching for sources that within the guidelines set would help support and challenge my claim. The sources I found were very beneficial to my research and I found that most supported the claim that empathy and perspective were key to understanding diverse individuals and creating more open attitudes, therefore we would benefit through adding them into diversity training strategies. Even the opposing sources that I found through complication my research helped me shape a better argument and figure out how to respond to oppositions surrounding my claim. I often found that many sources believe that it takes more than empathy to change people’s biases due to things such as cognitive dissonance, leading me to want to extend my resources and locate sources that also discuss that topic. The research plan helped me organize my thoughts along with rounding out the conversation, which helped me recognize the specific benefit of each source I found. I appreciated the structure of completing a few pieces of the research portfolio each week, keeping me on track and allowing me to not leave things till the last minute. Finally, the annotation helped me assess each source in-depth and analyze them in a discussion that helped to fully develop my project.

Annotation #1

Annotation #2

Annotation #3

Annotation #4

Annotation #5

Annotation #6

Focusing Flowchart

Complicating Research

Rouding out the conversation

Research Plan

 

 

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Research plan (Dan)

In the unit 1 “Expanding the canon assignment” I was intrigued by the work of one of my classmates. The topic that he chose was language diversity. This peaked my interest as when I think about diversity, language diversity and foreign accents are not the first to come to mind.

This has led me to the question that has driven my unit two research assignment. How are people with nonnative accents treated in the workplace and how can we mitigate the unconscious bias that leads them to suffering?

This topic is close to my heart as I have a few dear friends of mine at work that are not from the United States. One of my friends is from Bosnia, another is from the Dominican Republic, and the last is from a place north of India called Bhutan. I have seen them work very hard and not seem to get the recognition that I know they deserve. Although, I believe in our situation it may not be due entirely to their accents, I do believe that the accents they have may have an affect as to why certain managers haven’t developed a stronger relationship with them.

I’m positive that this problem occurs in all industries in all parts of the world. One would think that a problem this big would have a plethora of information and research into it. However, I have found that this seems to be a topic that is often overlooked. Though the articles that I am finding have been helpful in expanding my knowledge of unconscious accent bias and its effects. I have found this information through databases such as Syracuse Summons, Google search, and Ted Talks on Youtube. I look forward to sharing my findings with the class.