What I will find useful on this module will be develop and re-fresh my general knowledge on social research in general and apply it to sociological areas of interest. I think what I really need to be able to grasp is learning about limitations that are involved with research and learning what a realistic target would be when gathering primary data. I tend to favour qualitative research methods such as observations and in-depth structured and unstructured interviews, so it might be good for me to look more into quantative methods, so my knowledge is more balanced and covers most methods.
I'm especially interested in how research links in with theory, and the difference in how people from different perspectives carry out different research techniques. I would like to learn more about how Marxists and Feminists carry out social research and how this compares to other Sociologists.
What will be a challenge for me is sometimes getting to grips with qualitative research, especially if I have to practice working with statistics myself. I really struggle with Maths! Also, I have never done group work which is worth so much of my overall mark, usually it is only worth 25 per cent or soemthing similar. I think I will find this a challenge!
Monday, 28 January 2013
Thursday, 24 January 2013
My Research Interests
My Interests...Lie mainly within contexts of gender and sexuality. As a bisexual feminist I am actively involved in liberation movements and i aim to be involved both politically and academically. My interest in feminist academica developed whilst I was studying for my sociology A levels and was extentuated when i started to involve myself in UCLan's Student Union last year. The most recent module that I finished in my second year about sexuality and the body helped to introduce to me the wonderful world of queer theory and I became intrigued by the works of Butler and Califia. It opened my eyes to the spectrum of different sexualities and mae me realise how strong heteronormativity is in today's society.
FEMINISM ^______^
My interest in Feminist Literature dates back to before I started by degree, and my favourite writers include Naomi Wolf, Susie Orbach, Germaine Greer, Ann Oakley and Susan Faludi. My favourite issues to look at within the domain of feminism and gender studies include the body and sexuality, women and the media (especially media which is gender specific), lad culture and the sex wars (in the context of the anti- porn feminists vs pro-sex feminists and pro-sex queer theorists).
Areas that are still new to me that I need to explore more is writers of black feminism. Writers such as Bell Hooks have been reccomended to me and I want to learn more about feminism and intersectionality.
The Sex WarsMy interest in this feminist split developed during an assingment I was writing for my sexy bodies module. From what I gather anti-porn radical feminists such as Dworkin were morally pro-censorship when it came to the sex industry by arguing that pornography and sex work within all its forms were forms of oppression and porn especially normalises and legitimises violence towards women and rape. On top of that it continues to sexually objectify women (You can see these ideas continue in feminist organizations such as OBJECT UK)
The pro-sex feminists amongst other allies argue that just because an institution reflects oppression towards a certain social group it does not mean that group cannot find pleasure and liberation from this, and that systems of oppression can be changed from the inside to create something new and exciting for oppressed minorities. This side include liberation groups who do not always even label themselves as feminists and are there to defend LGBT groups or "peverted" sexual practices (Califia is a perfect example of this).
SadoMasochism and Women...Is currently the areas of Sociology I am most interested in! After writing an essay on Sadomasochism and positions of power I felt like I hadn't completely resvolved the debate and that there were a lot of unasnwerd questions I wanted to explore. The problematic nature of sadomasochism reflects the whole "the personal is political" approach to feminism and sociology in general that I find fascinating. Ideally I want to do my dissertation on this, and it is my main research interest.
FEMINISM ^______^
My interest in Feminist Literature dates back to before I started by degree, and my favourite writers include Naomi Wolf, Susie Orbach, Germaine Greer, Ann Oakley and Susan Faludi. My favourite issues to look at within the domain of feminism and gender studies include the body and sexuality, women and the media (especially media which is gender specific), lad culture and the sex wars (in the context of the anti- porn feminists vs pro-sex feminists and pro-sex queer theorists).
Areas that are still new to me that I need to explore more is writers of black feminism. Writers such as Bell Hooks have been reccomended to me and I want to learn more about feminism and intersectionality.
The Sex WarsMy interest in this feminist split developed during an assingment I was writing for my sexy bodies module. From what I gather anti-porn radical feminists such as Dworkin were morally pro-censorship when it came to the sex industry by arguing that pornography and sex work within all its forms were forms of oppression and porn especially normalises and legitimises violence towards women and rape. On top of that it continues to sexually objectify women (You can see these ideas continue in feminist organizations such as OBJECT UK)
The pro-sex feminists amongst other allies argue that just because an institution reflects oppression towards a certain social group it does not mean that group cannot find pleasure and liberation from this, and that systems of oppression can be changed from the inside to create something new and exciting for oppressed minorities. This side include liberation groups who do not always even label themselves as feminists and are there to defend LGBT groups or "peverted" sexual practices (Califia is a perfect example of this).
SadoMasochism and Women...Is currently the areas of Sociology I am most interested in! After writing an essay on Sadomasochism and positions of power I felt like I hadn't completely resvolved the debate and that there were a lot of unasnwerd questions I wanted to explore. The problematic nature of sadomasochism reflects the whole "the personal is political" approach to feminism and sociology in general that I find fascinating. Ideally I want to do my dissertation on this, and it is my main research interest.
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