The African Burial Ground

This weekend, the Monday section of freshman seminar took a field trip to New York in order to see the African Burial Ground Museum. Once we arrived, we watched a short video depicting the history of the burial ground, and then were allowed to tour the small area of exhibit. The items in the exhibit were informative and interesting because they put a new twist on things as opposed to what was commonly expected. The personal touch of the story following a young girl was interesting and the life size figures of them were cool as well. Afterwards, we went outside and were given a tour of the monument which was constructed for all of those buried. This was my favorite aspect because of the symbols and general artistry of it.

After that we were taken to 125^th street (aka Harlem) where we were allotted free time. The trip to Harlem was fun because we were allowed to see the Apollo, which was a new experience for me. In future trips, maybe a destination other than Harlem could be visited, such as time square, where there is not only the option to go shopping, but also sightseeing. This is because after awhile, shopping became dry, especially if you didn’t have money to spend. All in all this was a great field trip, although none of us were sure if it was mandatory. It was a nice experience in off campus education, and also inspired me to take advantage of more of the things that Howard University offers.

Research and Methodology: Inscription as a Liberating Practice

The primary focus for today's lesson was to revisit previous lectures that have taken place throughout the course of the semester. Dr. Williams reiterated the goals for Freshman Seminar; which are to encourage every student to pursue a lifetime of independent discovery and build a commitment to academic excellence. As a student at Howard I have constantly been encouraged to become a woman of excellence in all areas. However, I do not feel as if freshman seminar has influenced me to pursue a lifetime of independent discovery. Although students are required to complete an individual group research projects, it seems that the project is extremely short and will not require much effort. For future courses I think that students should be given more time to develop a thorough project and presentation.

Also, during the lecture Dr. Williams taught the six components of research. The first aspect is "Component of Research." This section is where the statement of the problem and or challenge is located. Researchers should consider the purpose of the research and the skill level that is needed. The second component is the "Current State of Research." The underlying question of this component is "what has already been said about the subject?"; in other words what research has been done and what analysis have already been concluded. The third component is "Methodology." It determines how you will approach the research, study the design of the research (ex. longitudinal), and method of data collection (secondary sources, interviews) . There are three types of studies which are discipline specific, multi-disciplinary, and interdisciplinary. Discipline specific refers to the underlying assumption of one field. Multi-disciplinary is comprised of multiple disciplines and their thinking process. Lastly, interdisciplinary is inquired knowledge that has an unlimited domain.

The last three components of research are framework, development of thesis, and conclusion. The framework describes how you will structure the project and how you will display your data. The development of a thesis is self explanatory; the way in which you write your assertion about the data is the development of a thesis. Researchers must be able to clearly articulate their thesis in order for readers to comprehend it. Finally, the conclusion should provide new insights that the research has revealed. In the conclusion one should provide the limitations and obstacles they inquired will doing the research. These six components if followed accurately are the steps to produce a good research project. In freshman seminar specifically students must follow the six components of research in conjunction with their group project.

-Kaylynn Webb