Research and Methodology

  This particular lecture was dedicated mainly to the six components of research. Which were: Statement of the problem/challenge, current state of research methodology, framework, development of the thesis and, of course, the conclusion. She also stated there needs to be  goal of the lecture was to pursue a lifetime of independent discovery importance of research. Within all of these categorized she gave key things that would help to describe the category. These six components were unheard of until now. These are new steps that I look forward to using to improve the research I engage in. The objective was to identity the six components and to relate the components to the group projects. Lastly we going to relate the previous lectures to the up coming group projects. Then she stated there was a rotation of memory, historical memory, awareness, memory or knowledge that has been institutionalized, and vision, imagined or unimagined.
  These six component definitely will help in y up coming research paper in English 002. I know that they will contribute in all my research assignment so I will be keeping these notes even after graduation. The presentation was well put together and Dr. Dana Williams spoke loud and clear. The six lectures this semester were very insightful. I can now understand why they all are combined into the final project. I also appreciate the structure of the class. There was a plan and I followed along with in and now I feel on task with everything. Thank you Dr. Carr and Dr. Williams

Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility

  When Segun Gbadegesin began his lecture I was not following along due to not being able to follow along with his accent. It was very difficult for me to understand him. His presentation brought forward the emotional connection that was needed for me to engage. I thought it was brilliant telling the story of Iwa. The story was a good way to understand the definition of Iwa. The statement Gbadegesin made saying that without existence and character one may lose everything, made me take a second to think of my own life. I related this lecture to my life in a way that helped me to understand that this was indeed a fact. There has been times in my life where I was confused of my character and as a result I was lost.
  He also list the principles of ma'at which he then went into description of learned and practice, truth, justice and maintained order, balance and harmony. He then spoke of the coffin text in which was written by nobels and put in their coffins. In that time everyone were strong believers of the afterlife. Which even today there is a form of an afterlife that people believe in.
  I also enjoy the him giving us the definition of the names in the story in advance. It was a lot easier to follow along with. The father was patience, Iwa was existence/character, and Orunmila the God of wisdom. Overall, besides the accent, it was a well put together piece of work.

Civil Rights, Hip Hop and Hope- The Power of Young People

   This title helped me to engage in this lecture. I feel that because young people are the future that we need some guidance and support. We also need acknowledgment for the routes we have taken to better our future, such as attend Howard. We all have goals of becoming more and making our society more. In this lecture there were a lot of different names mentioned that I have and haven't heard before. We talked of people that made a difference in different categorize from African Independent Leaders, Julius Nuerere and Nelson Mandela, to Black Power, Angela Davis, and Frances Beal, to African scholars like Chancellor Williams, to poets like Muhammad Ali and Maya Angelou. Then we touched on music, which is involved in all African American (blacks) lives. The artist that I was most happy to see posted was Jill Scott. I think many artist, in one way or another, is teaching viewer of their history. Whether it be due to the way they dress, do their hair, or their lyrics, there is a message that is given within the performance.
   There were many messages within the lecture that was very meaningful. The message from Ella Baker, which was that we all are leaders. As well as we should always ask why, how, what and where. We should never settle for less because corruption is everywhere and asking these questions can get you further. The last thing I noted was it is because of faith of ancienty we are here today.

"The Eloquence of the Scribes": Initiation, Expectations, and Mastery- Continuing the Legacy of HOward University

   The Eloquence of the Scribes lecture taught a lot about Howard and the founders of all the different buildings. It was very interesting learning of these significant people that contributed to Howard's sterling name. As the lecture continued I found myself enjoying the thought of being a student at Howard because of all the people that contributed and struggled. Knowing the background behind the halls and other building will make my experience more intriguing. I learned that the Founder Library in 1938 became the world largest library with documentation about African American decent. 

   She also mentioned the history of scribes and that they were around since ancient Egypt. The only reason why scribe were being used less and less was because of upcoming technology. Since scribes were people manually write books and documents, when typewriters came out more people began using those instead. Their jobs were in every field and they could be used just about anywhere. One thing that did catch my attention was that there were women scribes. I know that women weren't rewarded for things they accomplished compared to men, but I really liked hearing that some of the buildings were named after women as well.  

   I was unaware of all of these peoples significance before attending this lecture. I was aware that General Otis Howard was how Howard University, but I was unaware of his accomplishments.  After every lecture I feel I always leave with more than I come in with. Knowing the history of your surroundings is always a plus.

October 6, 1010 Kayla Blackburn

This week’s lecture was “Research and Methodology: Inscription as a Liberating Practice.” It was given by Dr. Dana Williams. Dr. Williams caught my interest from day one. She caught my attention by the way she carried herself. She portrayed herself as an intelligent sophisticated African-American woman.  These are traits that I wish to gain during my years at Howard University and embody upon graduation.  

When Dr. Dana Williams was announced as the speaker, I was really excited and anxious to hear what she had to say.  However, I was quite disappointed when I learned the topic she was discussing. I believe she said that she was in the English Department of Howard University so of course it makes since that she discuss research methods with us, but I would have liked her to give a lecture with more of her own personal touch. 

Dr. Dana Williams’s objectives were to identify the principle components of research and to relate these components to the group project.  There are six components of research. The components of research are …

1.       Statement of the problem/challenge

a.       Consider the purpose of research           

                                                                                       i.      To advance knowledge

                                                                                     ii.      Solve a problem

                                                                                    iii.      Inquire

b.      Consider the reasonableness of your research question

                                                                                       i.      Is it specific enough

                                                                                     ii.      Do u have enough time to address it

                                                                                    iii.      What skills and/or skill levels does it require

2.       Current State of Research

a.       Consider what has already been said

b.      What new info will your research bring

c.       What info will u need to complete your research

3.       Methodology

a.       Create research design

                                                                                       i.      Before and after approach

                                                                                     ii.      Retrospective

                                                                                    iii.      etc

b.      Method of data collection

                                                                                       i.      Secondary          

                                                                                     ii.      Primary

4.       Framework

a.       How will you structure the project?

                                                                                       i.      Report

                                                                                     ii.      Presentation

                                                                                    iii.      Scholarly paper

b.      How will you display your data

                                                                                       i.      PowerPoint

                                                                                     ii.      Graphics

                                                                                    iii.      Video

                                                                                   iv.      Handout

5.       Development of the thesis

a.       Articulate the thesis

b.      Provide supporting details

c.       Structure the research findings/ questions logically

6.       Conclusions

a.       What new insights?

b.      What limitations did you have?

c.       What should future researches consider?

Dr. Dana Williams’s six components of research will be very helpful to my group and I when we began our research.

Freshman Seminar 9/29/10 - Tammy

      This week's lecture was given by Dr. Segun Gbadegesin and the topic was OMOLUABI: Self Actualization and Communal Responsibility. To start off Dr. Gbadegesin's lecture he the Yoruba story of Iwa. In Yoruba, Iwa means character and she gets married to a man that treats her very poorly even though good things happen to while she is around. Eventually, she decides to leave this man and he searches everywhere for her. Bad things begin to happen to her husband until he eventually finds Iwa again and begs her to return. This story symbolizes what happens to a man when he loses his character. Dr. Gbadegesin's main point of his lecture rested in this opening story. He told that without character we are nothing and have no sense of self. Fame, fortune and reputation may come and go but one's character should always remain the same. We should remain humble and not let our accomplishment's or life ruin our sense of character. This by far was this most important aspect of the lecture because it's a point that most of us need to hear. While at Howard, many of us will begin to discover what our true character is but it is up to us to define what our true character will be. Instead of focusing solely on popularity, money or even grades we should remember to also focus on ourselves and not forget that type of person we want to be and the person we wanted to become before we arrived at Howard University. 
      Dr. Gbadegesin also talked about the goddess Ma'at who was the goddess of truth, justice and harmony and gave set of principles to live by that preceded the ten commandments. The ancient Egyptians lived by these codes that helped form and shape society. He also talked about coffin texts which contained themes of reward and punishment in the afterlife. These texts were thought to be the inspiration for Moses who delivered the ten commandments. The point Dr. Gbadegesin also tried to make with these ancient texts and goddesses is again never to forget the importance of one's character and one's sense of self. Also he was not allowed to learned about these ancient beliefs in his school, he still ventured out on his own and decided to learn more about his culture and found that the ancient texts were in fact still relevant and good. One may seek many avenues and still find that the preservation of one's character is still very important in the development of self. 
      Finally, the most inspirational part of the lecture that Dr. Gbadegesin left us with was the Yoruba poem which said:

"Honor may vanish from your house

Cosmetic beauty may fade

Iwa is what endures even into the grave

Take care of your iwa"

An important lesson for all...

Kayla Blackburn

The lecture on September 29, 2010 was given by Segun Gbadegesia. He started off by giving homage to certain things and people. Some of the things that he paid homage to was the creator and the created, ancestors, giants before him, giants after him, and the class of 2014.  After giving homage to several other things, he told the students attending the lecture that we should thank our parents for putting us on the right path.

After that, Mr. Gbadegesia told us the story of Iwa. According to him Iwa, is our existence and our character, but in the story it was portrayed as Olounmila’s wife. During the story Olounmila lost his wife, thereby he lost his existence and his character.  The story ended with Olounmila desperately searching for his existence and character (his wife.) Like many African folklores this story had a moral. The moral is you can’t lose Iwa because if you do you lose everything.

Mr. Gbadegesia also said, “Wisdom is how you use your knowledge to benefit others.” I completely agree with Mr. Gbadegesia, I feel like there is no point in having knowledge if u aren’t sharing it with others. I personally strive to learn as much as I can from people with a lot of knowledge. Sometimes learning from someone else about what they know personally can be more rewarding then learning from a textbook.

Mr. Gbadegesia also introduced the class to what some may consider pagan religions. He stated that before Jesus, Moses, Sophocles, and Plato, there was the Goddess Ma’at, Vizier Ptahhotep, and Pharaoh Amenemope. He also stated that before the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount, there was the Sharia.

Overall, this lecture was interesting. I learned more about African beliefs and traditions.