My group has been working hard to find a research question that is able to encompass our interests in the subject of Cuba and its current and future political and economic issues and changes.
The current question we are basing our research off of is: How will Cuba adjust politically once the Castros are phased out of power, and what influence will the United States have on Cuba considering the constantly changing relationship between the two countries? Cuba is a surprisingly large country, with nearly 12 million inhabitants, and because of the embargoes put on it during the cold war its economy and political system hasn't changed much in the last 50 or so years. Since the beginning of the embargo, the Castro family has been in power, but their time is coming to an end as they get older and the people of Cuba begin to become more aware of their situation and vocal with their thoughts. Once their regime ends, it will be interesting to see how the country will change. The United States under Obama’s lead has begun loosening restrictions for travel between here and Cuba, so it weather Cuba reciprocates by further encouraging travel and trade will be something we will see in the next few years. Opening Cuba up to more travel and trade will quickly change the structure and environment within the island. There are a lot of aspects to our question, so we are working on making it a little more specific, but regardless of what area we look into regarding Cuban-American relations we will be researching something very relevant, and current. This is also a subject none of us are very knowledgeable on yet, so there is a lot to be learned. @Benbom As a group, we found that Cuba and the political changes that have and may occur pose as a very pertinent and interesting topic to research. We wanted to know how the past relations between Cuba and countries like the U.S. have effected Cuba politically and economically.
Although this isn't a topic that I would have chosen originally, I think that it will be very useful to have some knowledge about the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba and their economy, especially with the embargoes being lifted. If/When the embargoes are lifted and trade begins to open up again between Cuba and the U.S., it will have a profound effect on the economies of both countries. It will also make the political relationship between the two countries much better and create less tension. As the next generation of workers and, potentially, politicians, the relationship between our countries will directly effect our lives in ways that previous generations have not experiences before. In terms of the benefit of a discussion like this, we can only benefit. It is hard to find a way that learning more about the relationship between the U.S. and Cuba will be detrimental to us other than the possibility of our relationship going bad after changes in Cuba. Regarding power, the Castro family has held it for decades. They have controlled almost every aspect of power in Cuba and the lives of its citizens. The Castro family may soon lose their power and allow for new leadership to change Cuba, hopefully for the better. I don't know too much about this topic at the moment, but it is a very interesting one. I think that because of the potential importance of what all happen in Cuba, I will be very inclined to learn more about it and present information to the class that is useful and pertinent to our lives. -Harry Gooding Our research groups topic is on Cuba and our question is - How will Cuba adjust politically once the Castros are phased out of power, and what influence will the United States have on Cuba considering the constantly changing relationship between the two countries?
We wanted to discuss the new changes regarding relations between Cuba and other nations, particularly the United States, due to the recent reopening of Cuba. Our group came up with many different subtopics that would work well as a good research question, but we decided to focus on how Cuba would change politically, as this would also allow us to go into depth on one subtopic but also cover others as well. I am interested in this topic because I remember learning about Cuba in my AP Spanish class when I was in high school, and it has been an ongoing issue for quite a long time. This is important to us because it affects our position of power in this world as a country. We all benefit in some way, as trade is now more open to us and we can now travel to Cuba (yay). Power plays a huge role in this topic because the United States has now allowed Cuba to reenter the world economy and will be able to play a part in deciding its own relationships with other countries. Honestly, I do not know much about this topic, I just remember learning about it for a few weeks in AP Spanish class. I am not extremely interested in politics, so this is a good way for me to learn more about it. I know I am less knowledgeable about this topic compared to the individuals in my group, as I don’t follow news as much as they do. I will have to do a lot more research to understand this topic. Coral Ng Research Question: If the American Dream is no longer attainable, why is it still such a central belief in our society? Our original topic was the wealth gap, or the growing inequality between the rich and poor, as well as the decline of the middle class. This topic has sparked my interest after leaving my hometown and coming to college, which exposed me to a lot of new perspectives on privilege. The roles power and privilege play in success are huge, and researching topics around this issue has really opened my eyes to the inequalities in our society. Our research question is important because it relates to everyone in some way or another. The idea that with hard work, anyone can rise to the top is engrained in us from a young age, but this is not the reality. This mindset encourages mindsets the blame people in poverty for their circumstances and portrays those at the top as the hardest workers. The truth is, someone could work just as hard as a CEO but never be able to rise out of poverty due to extenuating circumstances. Our hope for this research question is to bring light to this issue and show that wealth is not solely based on hard work, like many believe. Through this research, I hope to track the progression and decline of the American Dream, but to also examine if it was ever a reality. I also hope to learn how race, gender, and SES play into one’s chances of rising to the top or overcoming poverty. -Maddie McGregor How should D1 colleges distribute the revenue created from sports? Should they use that money to provide monetary compensation for student-athletes?
For my group and I's forum presentation, we chose to look deeper into how much revenue college sports generates and how it is distributed. We also chose to add a secondary question focusing on whether college athletes should be paid for their services to the universities. Originally we wanted to use concussions as our main point, but found the idea of college sports and the money they make to be a better forum topic. What made me so interested in this research topic is my love for sports. Since I can remember I grew up watching college football every Saturday with my dad, during fall and winter months. Then after football ends, the transition is made to college basketball and so on. So when the idea of researching the revenue made by college sports was brought up, I thought it'd be interesting to look deeper into an industry that I actively participate in. This research question should draw interest from different types of people, because it's not just about the money made from college sports but where does the money go and what kind of people are affected. For example the University of Alabama in 2013-14 generated roughly $121 million in revenue from all sports. So the next question is where does that money go? Do non-athletes every see any of the money? Does the money just get put back into the sports programs, or does the money go to better the school as a whole? Or should athletes receive money since they're the reason the school brings in so much revenue to begin with? That's what makes this research question even more interesting, I can draw so many small questions from my research topic to then dive deeper into. Overall when looking at the system universities use for distributing money made by sports, clearly the universities benefit while students get the short end of the stick. I got to research the University of Alabama in depth, and found most of their revenue being put back into the sports programs. It's estimated that Alabama spends roughly $91,000 per athlete, while spending only $13,000 per student. With the university's board controlling where the money goes, the thought is that if we put more money into sports we'll be able to generate more money. If the system for how money distributed changes, it would hurt the school but benefit students. More money could be put to academic programs for students, along with making school cheaper in general. As for the student-athletes, I feel they deserve some form of payment for the time and effort they give to schools, but the question becomes what should the payment be? Before I started doing research on our forum topic, I wasn't too knowledgeable in this subject. I had seen a few reports ESPN did on Northwestern University, and how their football program was protesting against the NCAA hoping to change the pay-for-play rule. Though the players lost their battle, the debate on pay-for-play in college sports rages on. Also I had watched a short documentary done on college football as an industry, where the focus was mainly on how much revenue college football generates. Since doing my research, I've found on average how much top colleges make from college sports, and where some of that money goes. Also I've looked into different suggested models for whether athletes should be paid or not. Based on what I've found, I feel that colleges need to do a better job at distributing money in a way that both athletes and non-athletes can benefit from it. I think overall this research topic will be a fun one because it always us to look at college sports in a different way. We get to see universities for what they really are, big businesses that only care about money. With me being in college I feel its important to understand what universities do with the money they generate. Do they invest in their students or do they continue to make sure they're the only party that benefits? Michael Trautmann My group's question is, "What are the consequences of trying to fulfill human social needs through media, or more specifically, social media?"
I've always had an idea about how much new technology is affecting the millennial generation's social lives. My parents (who are older than most, with my dad coming up on 70 in a couple years) are usually pretty quick to speak out on how they've observed a massive change in the behavior of teens today that seems to be a result of all the time we've spent submerged in the media. I've always really brushed those statements aside because, you know, our generation is making breakthroughs and we're really very smart and no, I really don't spend that much time on my phone, dad. But honestly, from what I've gathered from the social behavior of teenagers in the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and maybe even 90s, our generation does have some major social behavior gaps. We are disconnected (even though we're more "connected" than ever before) and absorbed in this world of doing literally everything on our iPhones. I'm struggling to comprehend what my children are going to do when they're exposed to all of this advanced technology at a very young age. Anyway, there's absolutely no denying that something here is really affecting our social behavior, and my group thinks that it's because we're becoming conditioned to reach out to the media or specific social media networks to fulfill some of our social interaction needs. As I'm sure you can all understand, there's something a little wrong with that. Our group is going to delve into the consequences of human social interaction through media and what effect this is having on civilization as a whole. This is obviously very important to be discussing, as we're all involved with media (whether we're trying to or not). It's everywhere, and it has a massive impact on our social lives as I'm sure you can all agree. It's really important, I think, to start raising awareness about what this technological submersion is doing to our human connection skills. What's really going wrong with society's communication? It's actually a bit scary to think about if I'm being honest. I often wonder what college students would be like if social media didn't exist. Would guys actually ask girls out on dates instead of asking for their Snapchat or Instagram handle? Or vice versa. It's strange to think about and thoroughly relatable to students, which is why we're so interested in it. This research is going to be beneficial for all generations, even though the presentation/discussion will only take place in the classroom. While it might focus on the mostly negative consequences of social media (which would probably just fuel my father's hate fire for it), it will also cover the many positive consequences which will help prove how important media and social media are in the modern world. This research is pretty obviously going to focus on the power that media has over human social interaction, and might even delve a bit into who can obtain power through it, although that's not a for-sure thing. We all know lots as teens about social media, which will be really helpful in observing behavior through it. However, we have yet to learn about the scientific studies and cognitive responses to this media, which I personally find to be exceptionally intriguing. This is where our research applies to the 'underlying social needs', or, the subconscious things we do through media to get our social fix. That research, combined with our personal and expansive experience, will combine for a really thought-provoking presentation and discussion, and I'm very excited to see what we accomplish with it. -Emily Christen My group is discussing the wealth distribution in D1 college athletics. How should D1 colleges distribute the revenue created from sports? We originally wanted to focus on concussion testing but there is already numerous articles and ideas surrounding this. If we zoom in on money, there will be copious opinions on whether to fund college athletes or not. Specifically, I focus on Texas University Longhorns. Their football program brings in over a hundred million dollars a year. These athletes spend hours similar to a full time job on their sport. They get no money. Is this ok?
With ticket sales to watch them play, jersey sales and bonuses for making tournaments, should these student-athletes receive compensation? Most athletes do not receive a full scholarship either. Another thing to ponder is other sports. They are categorized by non-revenue sports. They include golf, tennis, cross country,etc. They put in just as much time and effort. The difference is their generation of wealth for the university. If student-athletes do get paid, should it be proportional to the money they attract? Should colleges put more money back into the foundation of the school itself? By creating a better education system, they could then charge more for tuition and give back to the sports department. There is uncertainty as to where the considerable amount of money college sports should end up. Carter It took our group a few discussions to make a final decision on our research question. We started with the wealth gap between the different races and classes in America, but discovered that was too broad. We then sharpened our focus and decided to incorporate the American Dream into the topic and settled on the research question: The American Dream is no longer attainable. Why is it still a central belief in our society?
The American Dream is a central part of the American society and affects everyone in the world, therefore it is important for people to know the true meaning and consequences of the American Dream. I have always been intrigued by the American Dream because it the core of American society which has impacted people throughout the world. The American dream is a philosophical goal intended to inspire people to pursue their dreams, which will lead them to success and happiness. But what many people don’t acknowledge is how the American Dream negatively affects the wealth gap in America. The American wealth gap refers to the imbalanced circulation of money where a small percentage of people control the majority of the money in our economy, which in turn causes the wealth gap. The wealth gap in America has always been present, but it has become increasingly prevalent and alarming. The wealth gap touches every American, both rich and poor. As a wealthy American, it is likely that you were given greater opportunity and privilege, which provided a greater chance to obtain the American Dream. Conversely, a poor American typically doesn’t have all the privileges of the wealthy, which impedes achievement of the American Dream. America is a class society in which the wealthy control the power, which in turn provides the opportunity to advance themselves. This power, if left unchecked, can cause problems for the nation because it permits the wealthy to control decisions and change that may benefit the wealthy, while ignoring, and even hurting, the poor. This uncontrolled power is very frightening for our nation because a small percentage of the population determines what is best while everyone else is left to suffer. The American Dream while an admirable concept intended to inspire the masses actually only allows for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. The affect of the American Dream on the wealth gap has been a topic of concern for many years, but it became most evident to me when I first started college. I saw so many different people from so many different ethnic and economic backgrounds. What I know is that the American Dream tends to benefit affluent American’s the most because their wealth provides the opportunity and resources to make their dreams a reality. When the wealthy succeed, the wealth gap grows and this cycle tends to continue throughout a wealthy families’ lineage. The puzzling thing about the American Dream is that so many people continue to believe in it as a positive motivator when it has been proven time after time that it is attainable for only a few. Maybe its because alternative economic philosophies have had even less success than the American Dream. I think once I begin to dig deeper in to the American Dream, I will find that underprivileged people have hope and believe in the credo that if you work hard, you will be successful. Unfortunately, the discouraging truth is likely that without resources and privilege, the average person probably won’t succeed in America. -Micaela Gotfredson Have you ever taken a moment to stop and look around after finishing a meal at the COG? Or maybe had a break during class and looked around at other students? It would be hard to find a room without the majority of students having pulled out there phones and all be glued to the screen in front of their faces. This is often an unconscious decision that people, especially teenagers, make. Technology use has begun to take over the lives of many teens and young adults in today’s day and age. We felt the consequences of this use need to be explored by our group.
What are the consequences of attempting to fulfill human social needs through media use? We live in a world today where technology surrounds us and controls our lives’. At the heart of this control is social media. I think everyone today has noticed an increase in the amount of phone use in each of our lives and the dependence that we have developed on media as a means of fulfilling our needs. What needs are being fulfilled and how exactly these needs are being fulfilled will be explored as the main topic of our group. We intend to specifically delve into the conversation on how Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs are being fulfilled or affected by the increased media use to lives today. We think that all people stand to gain from the information that we find and we hope to spur a discussion on how to prevent the takeover of media or how to properly use media without having it consume our lives. I’m sure that everyone has their own opinion on how much media influences their life or if not at all. I think when thinking of this topic most people would jump to the conclusion that there can only be negative impacts but so far through research there have been many positive impacts on our needs so far. I’m not sure that any definite decision can be made but I think through more research and evaluation each person can develop their own opinion on the topic. -Jake Leinas |
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