- One search tool that has worked well for me is the Syracuse Library Database search tool. Through this I was able to search by category and look in a specific realm of research. I was able to look at a whole pool of articles about organizational culture and workplace diversity. One roadblock in using this search tool was finding a lot of articles about the exact same thing. To get past this I had to search for specific topics, not the broad “organizational culture.” Before learning how to utilize Syracuse Library’s search tools, I would use google search and have an even broader range of results, with many articles again, coming up with the exact same thing, just due to google’s search algorithm. Sometimes, with both methods, it takes searching some of the things I have questions about and not what I already know.
- Going forward into this research problem, my goal is dive more into the real-world applications of our findings from these articles. I want to find more cool and different ways some of these concepts apply. through this I hope to find primary sources that dive into the voices of minority members of corporations, institutions and societies. To find them I’ll continue using the SU library database search tools to find articles with new information. My goal is to find information completely different from what my classmates have found thus far, and really expand our canon when it comes to the topics we continue to discuss each week.
Discussion week of 6/22 (Dan)
- So far I have been using the Syracuse library as my main database for finding sources. Although it took a little bit of digging, I was able to find an article that I thoroughly enjoyed in unit 1. I seem to be struggling a little more with unit 2. I have found many scholarly articles on linguistic diversity in the workplace through the SU library (though some are quite lengthy). I am mainly struggling with finding a primary source. The advanced search option has many filters which has helped me obtain some options. Though I have not yet decided which article I would like to focus my attention on. I will spend some time looking for other sources ( especially a primary source) with resources such as Google and Bing.
- My topic that I am choosing to research is unconscious bias of multilingual individuals in the workplace. I was intrigued by the work of one of my classmates on this topic. I believe this was in no small part due to my friendship with multiple immigrants in my department at my job. I am really hoping to find a primary source that is written by someone who has immigrated to the United States and experienced the struggles of being a nonnative speaker. I believe this will be a very valuable source of information to include in my research as they will have first hand experience with these issues. I would like to hear about how they were treated and if they felt valued at work. I would also like to hear about if they were compensated fairly and given the same opportunity to prove themselves as natives of our country have been given. Though I am struggling to find a source that does this. I am going to continue searching the web until I find a primary source that is satisfactory.
Discussion Week 6/22
- I think one of the most helpful search tools I used was the category feature on most search engines and in the Syracuse Library database system. It was much easier to search for “inclusion organizational culture” and then narrow down the search further by specifying that I waned articles about inclusion from a business perspective, since our area of focus is diversity in the workplace. There were a few roadblocks I hit, one of the first being how broad the term “inclusive” is. It is used to refer to any situation that can include and encompass a wider variety, whether it be in terms of people in a group or items in a bag. I think finding ways around this roadblock were of use, but even so, the term inclusive is used so often to describe so many situations in our world today that remain “exclusive”. Another roadblock I ran into was when choosing the articles, finding ones that were substantial and related to our research on inclusion and in organizational culture. There were plenty of articles that just spit out statistics of companies being successful with a more diverse workforce, which is great and statistics are a way to analyze the success and failure of some approaches leading towards more inclusion. What was troublesome was articles having both the statistical research and the connections back to those being discriminated or excluded. It is one thing to hear the numbers and see the results and data, it is another to humanize these numbers and put more emphasis on the toll this takes on being a human ostracized for something they feel is the most representative of their identity.
- I hope to find texts coming from those who have felt “excluded”, especially in the work place. As stated before, numbers can only show and help us to learn how to be more inclusive, but it is from the retelling and words of those who have been discriminated that will help those who feel as though this is an unnecessary action to sympathize and possibly change their own opinion. I would love to find a written account of someone perspective on inclusion within the workplace from a before, during, and after perspective. I want to use voices of those who are part of the discriminated sum of employers, the people that face their fears every day to do something so normal and just so organic. To work, to socialize, to do anything within society should be reconsidered just because of the way someone identifies. I think that it was most definitely be easier to find the primary source article, I think that scholarly articles are a bit heavy on the data and research side of the issue which is the side I hope to not highlight as much.
Discussion Week of 6/22
- When looking for articles that I feel are clearly written, provide detailed background to the authors and are easily accessible to college students I always use Syracuse Libraries. When I use the site I tend to type in the idea I’m looking for and then refine the search for a journal article. When I use Syracuse libraries I feel it really helps me search for articles that relate to college students and ones that have qualified authors. When I’m looking for an article it takes me a bit of searching because sometimes they are written too many years ago and don’t convey the same message. However I find it helpful to refine the search and look for articles written in the past 2 or 3 years so the content aligns with current events in the world.
- In the past few assignments we have been analyzing differs communities and environments and the way they are able to make each space inclusive to everyone. In order to add to our portfolios we have done research on articles that not only note the problems that occur day to day but the changes that need to be made. However, in order to truly understand why we need more inclusivity and diversity we must hear first hand from the ones who feel aliened. In order to learn more about bias and discrimination we must read a primary first hand account from someone who experienced it. For this assignment I wish to write about the action required when discrimination occurs and what the thoughts and emotions of the individual experiencing it. I wish to focus on college minorities because their experiences may not be so different from those of our own. I will use Syracuse libraries because not only is it presented by our own college but it recounts the stories and experiences of those in our own situations.
Week of 6/22 Discussion
About a year ago, the owner of two local bars made some racially insensitive comments on Twitter. As a result, I made the decision not to frequent his establishments anymore. The first of these, Ryleigh’s, was home to the Baltimore chapter of the US Tottenham supporters club, and as a self respecting Arsenal supporter, there was no way I was ever stepping foot in there. His second bar, Crossbar, is a German beerhall-style spot, serving huge liters of beer. Once the owner outed himself as a racist, downing liters at Crossbar was longer an option. That’s why it stopped me in my tracks this past weekend when a friend suggested we go there once the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. It surprised me because this friend and I share many similar values and come down on the same side of many political debates. I got to thinking about whether my stance was actually hurting the owner, or myself.
With all of this in mind, for this exercise I wanted to find some writings about “cancel culture”. With the recent controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling’s comments about transpeople on Twitter, I took to Google to look for news articles offering perspectives. I experimented with the search terms, and typed in the following: “Should I still read harry potter jk rowling twitter“.
The first three results of my search were from The Guardian, the New York Times, and a link to Rowling’s Twitter feed itself. I read the Guardian and Times articles, ultimately settling on the one from the Times for my notes-taking exercise. Because I wanted to use a recent, news-worthy topic, I knew that Google would be the best tool for this particular job. However, I expect I’ll be using tools such as JSTOR to help me find a scholarly journal or article which will help me gain a historical perspective.
Rowling is clearly not the first person to be threatened with “cancellation”, and “cancel culture” is just the latest term for what is sometimes referred to as “consumer activism”. What I’m hoping to find are well-researched articles and papers – perhaps even a book or two – that focus on the effectiveness of consumer activism. How often have boycotts worked? Can they go too far?
I’d also like to find something that looks into whether it’s truly possible to separate the artist from the art. Should we all really stop listening to Michael Jackson? Should we not read Mark Twain? Should we stop watching films produced by Harvey Weinstein? What might be easy for some will not be as easy for others. I’m finding these questions intellectually stimulating, and am looking forward to getting some help in an attempt to answer them for myself.
discussion prompts 6/22
- I mainly have been using the Syracuse Summons page as it is easy for me to navigate. I have yet to dive into the advanced features thoroughly, however I used it for my first note taking practice and it provided me with what I needed. I was able to search more keywords to find exactly what I wanted, as well as narrowing it by using the peer reviewed articles feature. Some roadblocks I am running into is how to find the primary source on Syracuse summons. If I were to use another search engine for my research, I am unsure of where to look. Another roadblock I am encountering is how to find an article from a workplace or about an institution that provides services. I have recently found an article that details what certain workplaces are doing, but it mainly focuses on the experiences of those with disabilities. I am hoping to find an article that surrounds what workplaces have the ability to provide, but am unsure of what to search and look for.
- The kinds of texts Im hoping to find are ones that coincide with my points about disability services being accessible in the work force and what that looks like. Im hoping to find surveys or studies that center on those with disabilities who have experience in the workforce, or for articles that show those who do and those who do not. Im hoping to find articles that will emphasize the voice of those who would like inclusion in institutions. I want to make sure the voices of those who struggle with finding a job because of an impairment are heard, and find out why only some jobs offer services and others do not. Im focusing on searching disability services, workplace and education and hoping to find an article that incorporates those aspects. I will also want to try and include articles from workplaces who have services available on why they believe that this inclusion is important for the workplace. I want to be able to reflect that opportunity can be given, and it will be more beneficial for those involved.
Discussion Prompts 6/22
- Similar to many of my classmates, I am using Syracuse libraries as a main source. However I am also using the New York public library to search for sources as well. When searching for an article for the unit 1 assignment, I found it best to search for key words instead of long phrases. When I typed in key words, I found the articles were more relevant and consistent with what I was looking for. Whereas when I typed in long phrases, the articles differed drastically. So I am going to continue to keep my searches short with key words. Also using advanced search features such as publication date and content type, helps make the search a little easier. Content type helps narrow down the type of writing piece you want and publication date is important because you want recent information rather than outdated sources.
- My topic is about diversifying the education system and more specifically the process schools go through when they are screening and accepting students. When looking for primary sources, I have looked at mostly interviews with students and faculty for both private and public schools. Looking at the diversity between the two and the different viewpoints that are being offered. I have looked at articles about screening and all about the process of it for students and how it is different depending on the type of school and where it is located. When looking for scholarly articles, I referred back to Syracuse libraries as I have found a couple regarding the topic but will need to do further research. When doing this search, I hope to find people who are in the field of education or know a lot about it and are able to speak and contribute many viewpoints to the issue at hand.
Week of 6/22 – Discussion
- As I’ve begun researching my topic further I found myself struggling to filter notable sources. This may be because I was looking through too many databases (Google Scholar, Syracuse Libraries: Proquest, JSHOR, etc.) without refining my search engine. Instead, I was sifting through quick content searches with conflicting and indecisive interests. Because of this it took me a while to finally settle on just one source but eventually I found an appropriate article written on language diversity in the international workplace. Given my topic of interest it helped to look through a database that was pertinent to the field. For this reason I chose the LLBA: Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts however it did become intense handling numerous related articles. One tip I guess I would suggest would be to work more with less (instead of continuously trying to find the perfect source)!
- Some of the research topics I had in mind came about from my unit one assignment. From the article I chose the authors addressed limitations to their study and suggestions for further areas of future research. As of now I’m trying to find relevant work under this scope though I am a bit uncertain with concluding if a source is outdated (i.e. an article writing about the state of research then in 2006 compared to the research now) and if it can still be of value. Apart from this, I hope to find which voices are especially important to represent.
6/22 discussion
- To find the scholarly sources, I’ve used the SU library database primarily. I’ve noticed that when searching for articles its best to use unique describing words to find a specific subject, my searches typically bring up 10,000 or more articles, and that’s with 5-6 keywords. When searching with less than that I got results that varied much farther out of my topic, and it was much harder to search through the list to find ones that pertain to my subject. My major at SU is Fashion design, and I have only written three essays that have needed scholarly sources. So, in general, I’m not that experienced in the art of critical research, I haven’t run into any roadblocks when researching, and recently have found some great articles for our canon.
- My research has landed me on the subject of the diversity and profiling of children in the education system. The recent article I used was written by four early childhood professors, and addressed this issue and collected data from studies involving student teachers learning to form connections with their students and learning how to form equity in the classroom. Their insights were very informative and introduced me more to what the current education majors in college need to focus on when they start their professional careers. I’d like to find an article that a current teacher who teaches ages 6-12 has written and addresses the disadvantages the children face because of a physical or social difference from their classmates. This issue usually is too complex for the children to give an appropriate response to, so I hope to find an article that addresses the teacher’s role in the classroom and with their fellow teachers and how they work towards a level playing field for all students. Issues, in public schools especially, can range from racial, gender, and sexuality bias, as well as a child’s social class and physical appearance. These issues may not all align in a single article, so I plan on widening my search to books and journals, as well as multiple articles that could focus more on one specific issue rather than all or most of them.
week of 6/22 discussion, Benjamin Fisch
I have tried mostly 2 different search tools for gathering my research. These are google search and the digital SU library. Google search works easily for me. I just come up with a keyword that I think will produce relevant results to the topic I am intending to research. Then I enter it into the search bar and press enter. The process for the SU library, is very similar to Google Search. I just come up with a keyword and enter it into the search bar. When I search Google, I mostly come up with relevant articles about my subject, and sometimes I few blog posts on the matter. When I search the SU library, I come up with encyclopedia research, and scholarly articles.
I am hoping to find texts from encyclopedias or scholarly articles, written by well respected authors in their respected fields. The field I am researching in a general sense is diversity. I would like to find scholarly articles written by university professors that are well respected. I will work to find these fields and voices, by thoroughly searching through the results that come up on the SU library and through Google Search. Once I find a relevant course for my needs, I won’t just stop there. I will continue to find and collect new sources on top of that, that are relevant, so I can make sure I have all the research I need.