For the final week, I spent more of my time collecting media such as images, video clips, and clips of audio for my e-Zine that supported what I have been learning about for the last 7-8 weeks. I had also spent time structuring the e-Zine in a way that was easy to navigate and making sure that I translate the academic language that I’ve been consuming into something that’s more digestible and easier to read. That meant simplifying my abstract and argument, but also the sociological frameworks and other theories that I’ve included in my project. While collecting media, I had to make sure that it was not only relevant to the material that I had been learning but one that’s easily understandable because I recognize that not everyone who will read this will have the knowledge or background that I had acquired throughout the semester. I’ve learned that simplifying language is pretty difficult, and I’ve recruited help from friends who have academic and non-academic backgrounds to make sure that what I’m saying in the e-Zine both makes sense and relays the message/information that I want.
I also have to keep in mind which media (such as videos or blog posts analyzing content by non-scholars) is beneficial to my project and research. I want to make sure that I’m not just relying on academic work and scholars to help me talk about the content of this project, because I am emphasizing the idea that everyone has access to sociology and can make similar conclusions. I want to give non-scholars a voice and credibility for their contributions, too.
On top of this, I’ve decided to refresh on “The Sociological Imagination” again to use Mill’s arguments and concepts to strengthen my point about the accessibility and digestibility of sociological insights. As well as use his points from “Ch 2. Grand Theory,” “Ch 3. Abstracted Empiricism,” and “Ch. 4 Types of Practicality” to help curate my language and make sure that I can communicate how this study has a purpose to my potential audience. I also refreshed on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital to include it in my project since it is an important theory that I’ve kept in mind throughout this project. Lastly, I also hope to refresh on “Chocolate Cities”to add more depth in my project with sociological frameworks.
Basically, this last week and the week of finals is putting everything together and hoping I can make it as easy, understandable, and fun to look at as possible. I think the most difficult part of this project will be making sure that I can still cover the content of my research and study without “dumbing it down” (as much as I don’t want to use that phrase) and not neglect to explain concepts/theories/vocabulary.