Jun-Jie Zou Capstone

​For my capstone, I designed a business plan to launch a business of my own. I created a clothing brand that carries the idea of enlightenment through our graphic designs printed on essential apparel. This brand is called Yumen. Yumen means "depressed" in Chinese. I was diagnosed with bipolar depression when I was younger; I was able to build my endurance to minimize the effect of that mental and emotional disease. With that, I wanted to create a movement that represent the growth that many other victims and I.

The Yumen team consist of a business manager, creative director, and social media manager. I take on the role as the business manager for the brand. With that, my process was very well unique compared to the other roles. I had to create the execution plan behind how everything is going to get done. In addition, all transactions, communications, relationship-build, clientele, etc. is under my list of responsibilities.

What I learned was the steps to innovating a business. More importantly, I learned the skills of an entrepreneur. There were many problems and issues that went on during the process of creating this, but I learned that it is important to build a self-driving mentality to motivate yourself to continue working at the business or product.


Yumen Website Link


CapstoneBibliographyJun-JieZou (1)

Vaughn Matthews Capstone



For my Capstone, I did workshops at my old school, A. B. Day Elementary School. I worked with kids in the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. In the process of completing my capstone, It included weeks of research, planning, and communication. I did research on the learning styles of each grade group. I also researched what things they were interested in, so I knew what topic I would do for each workshop, and ideas for icebreakers to do before the workshop. With planning, in my calendar, I marked the topics of each workshop in each day, and the class room number that I would visit. I did workshops like high school expectations for 8th graders, and music for 6th graders. Communication was a thing that was a challenge with my capstone. The principal and vice principal of A. B. Day were very busy, and they had trouble replying back to my emails about what days I would go in.
Overall, I had fun doing my capstone. One thing that I learned is how to handle kids that misbehave. One of the 8th grade classes that I visited, was full of kids that were really bad, and I was able to do calm them down and get them to talk. It seem like the deeper I got into the lesson the more kids became involved, especially when I took the time to share new experiences and stories. I believe Here is a link to the slideshow of pictures of the high school expectations workshop with the 8th graders:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1osiob9ChIex9DjEH70YYioLE4kFMEgJyoqDzm-uJc8M/edit#slide=id.p 












Bibliography:



PBS. PBS. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.

This source is a post from PBS’ website on what 5th grade students learn. I chose this source because I wasn’t sure what I would do my workshops on for the 5th grade students I was going to visit. I found this source useful because it informed me on something I can learn to work with 5th grade students.

2) "10 More Icebreakers for Your Youth Group." Insight. Web. 02 Feb. 2017
This source is an article on icebreakers for youth groups.  I chose this source because I needed some icebreakers to use to get each class comfortable before we got into each lesson. 
 I found this source useful because it gave me ideas for icebreakers. I also chose some to use for my classes.

3) "15 Tips for Talking with Children About School Violence." 15 Tips for Talking with Children About School Violence | Colorín Colorado. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.
This source is an article from colorincolroado.org about how to talking. I chose this source because I needed help with ways to lead my workshop on school violence, and this is what I needed. I found this source useful because it helped me with how to take on my workshop with the topic of violence

4) Dartmouth, University Of Massachusetts. " Tips for Educators on Accommodating Different Learning Styles." How to Accommodate Different Learning Styles - UMass Dartmouth. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.
This source is an article from the website of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth .  I choose this source because I wanted to know diferent learning styles because I knew I would go into classes with with students who have different learnign styles. I found this source useful because it gave me insight to the dirfferent learning styles.

5) "Engaging Classroom Games for All Grades." TeachHUB. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.
This source is a post from teachhub.com on classroom games . I choose this source because I needed ideas for activities I could use for each grade.. I found this source useful because gave me ideas on games for every grade, since I would be visiting numerous grades for my workshops.

6) "Fourth Grade Activities." 4th Grade Activities for Kids | Education.com. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.
This source is a post from education.com on activities that would be good for 4th graders. I choose this because I needed ideas on what activities I could do with 4th graders for my workshop I would do with them . I found this source useful because it gave my ideas that I plan on using with the 4th grade class I will visit. 

7) "How to Run a Workshop." IdeasTap: Creative Inspiration and Support. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.
This source is an article from ideastap.com.  I choose this source because, like one of my other sources it gave me a little insight on how to run a workshop, since this would be my first time running workshops. I found this source useful because it gave me a simple breakdown of what makes a workshop a workshop. 


8) LMHC, Debbie Pincus MS, PhD Dr. Robert Myers, MSW James Lehman, Dr. Joan Simeo Munson, and M.Ed. Sara Bean. "Understanding Child Behavior Problems & Emotions." Empowering Parents. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.
This source is an article from empoweringparents.com on understanding child behavior. I chose this source because I thought it would be useful because it may help me with understanding how to deal with the behavior and misbehaviors of children. I found this source useful because it was advice that can really help me when it comes to working with the children while doing my workshops.

9) "Ten Simple Rules for Running Interactive Workshops." Ten Simple Rules for Running Interactive Workshops. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.
This source is an article on how to run interactive workshops. I choose this source because I wasn’t so sure on how to run interactive workshops. I found this source useful because it gave me 10 tips and tips that I thought I wouldn’t have used.


10) Editors, Parents.com. "5 Values You Should Teach Your Child by Age Five." Parents. Parents, 11 June 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.
This source is an article from parents.com on values that children should know. I choose this article because I needed other ideas for workshops. I found this source useful because it gave me ideas that I plan on using for any grade class later in time.

Tuyet Corson Capstone


The topic is international children and the effects of being abandoned or separated from family. I have struggled with being adopted out of the country I was raised in.


Working on the project I want hope to learn what are some similarities kids have when being left by them self and what are the differences in which a kid takes the experience.  This project will enable me to have a better view and give me some answer on why kids of separation have different outlooks on the world. By the end of this project I want give people an understanding of why kids that are separated may be put in the same small confined box but have to always find their way out on their own.


The project in which I will do is a video project that is interactive.  I want people not just see a movie but understand what it really all about and that's what kids can understand and have to remember in their lifetime. How growth is not all was just physical but it can be a very mental mind game.


Learning goal I have is to have independent research and interviews and get the full Idea.  I wanted to study and and learn about this goal because I have only one sided view in where I was going and to understand both sides you have to take an outsider perspective and stay true to what you believe as well.


Adoption and the effects it has on families and the adopted



PATRICELLI, KATHRYN. "Long-Term Issues For The Adopted Child." Long Term Issues for the Adopted Child Comments. Mental Help, 22 Dec. 2015. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.

This source is giving reason behind the behavior of adopted children and how to handle the adopted in long term basis. Sourced is used to be help in getting the different expectation as a parent. This site is credible and uses multiple sub sources to define the key information presented.    


“Extra-Territorial Effect of Adoption.” Harvard Law Review, vol. 22, no. 5, 1909, pp. 372–373. www.jstor.org/stable/1324355.

Laws and how to have a consecrated adoption within the justice system. Sourced used to understand how adoption was considered in the past in considered of the present adoption. Laws that have been placed by Harvard law and sourced by verdicts in the judicial system.



“Effect of Adoption by Husband Alone.” The Virginia Law Register, vol. 14, no. 8, 1908, pp. 649–649. www.jstor.org/stable/1102423.

Single Father and how a child is still part of person will can still mean that you are responsible for child. Source of how family handle children when the main parent is not around. Credible by law and how it was a case in the USA governmental system.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Impact of adoption on adopted persons. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.

This is talking about adoption and the effects on the kids and why they may have these problems. Use opens up the causes of how adoption affect the adopted.U.S Department of health is a credible source and organization because they would not skim on facts and helping the public.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2005). Voluntary relinquishment for adoption. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s Bureau.

What are rights that be can be take away from an adoptive family or a biological family for a period of time then can regain rights. Used in explaining the loopholes in the system or adoption that people have exploited before. U.S Department of health is a credible source and organization because they would not skim on facts and helping the public.

"Worldwide Children's Statistics." SOS Children Villages USA. UNICEF, 10 Apr. 2016. Web. 1 Feb. 2017.

Updated source about the world's orphan system and data in the last couple years. Sources by Unicef and other organizations that are credible. Uses of data to see what are the changes that have been happening around the world when it comes to orphans and adoption.


Keiger, Dale. "The Rise and Demise of the American Orphanage." American Orphanage. Johns Hopkins Magazine, 23 Sept. 2013. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.



Cedrone, Alice, Millie Flores, and P. Kyler. "What Is The Difference Between Foster Care And Adoption?" Family Care For Children & Youth. Marketing 360, 03 Sept. 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

Explains the differences between what adoption is and what fostering and and how the differ and could be the same. This is adoption and foster care network that is not just throwing out random information but give clear definition to what they are speaking to. This can give a parallel to why these two things are closely connect and separated at the same time.


Duplantier, F. R. "The True History Of Orphanages -- Week of June 16, 1996." America's Future. 7800 Bonhomme, Nov.-Dec. 2013. Web. 03 Feb. 2017. This is the history on how Orphanages came to be from there start to end. Give us more information on why these is not just a world topic but a systematic topic within society and why we have children have nowhere else to go. This is a history website and has and uses other credible sources for their information.


Abdi, Kifah. "Inside America's Underground Market for Adopted Children." Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare. University of Minnesota, 2014. Web. 03 Feb. 2017. This is the background and knowledge of the underground foundation of child trafficking. Getting into how adoption is not always legal and how it is connducted is not always safe. Center for Advanced Studies in Child Welfare is
​Web site:

https://tcorson.wixsite.com/ouradoptedlife

Arsenio Gomez Capstone

Hello everyone My name is Arsenio Gomez , I am a student that attends Science Leadership Academy. I’m going to be documenting every practice and game of my final season of being an SLA Rocket. I played for the baseball team ever since I was a freshman. I love being a member of  this team, every single member of this team is like a brother to me and together we are a family. I love every single one of them as much as they annoy me. As a tradition we start winter condition the day right after winter break is over.This prep us for the season ahead of us. 
This year is our year and every one in philly should know this. Since this is our first year in A division after working so hard to get here we need to show our worth. Before moving forward I must give some back ground. Before this year we were in B division and my sophomore year we were in C division same my freshman year. It wasn’t until the class of 2017 started helping the team with amazing defense and offense that lead this team to victories in the past years.
This short film is going to contain some funny and serious clips about what the SLA rockets are truly about. It's going to show our performance good or bad. Not only that but it is going to have some inside thoughts on what the team thinks. By conducting live interviews we will be able to see how this team has grown through the season and how we are on our way to the chip.


Annotated Bibliography :
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rUiF2J5fOIhG8sBpB5LAP2dQXr4mnOQ2Rp9W9nu0LUA/edit

Youtube Video Trailer Of The Documentary: 

Zoe Andersson Capstone

For my capstone I’ve created a website to host my work made in Digital Video, as well as a space for my own artwork made in and outside of SLA. The site showcases over 2 films I have made throughout my career at SLA and provides both a backstory on the process of each film and a commentary on my thoughts today. Much of the work was spent gathering all of the videos I’ve made, and going back into the details of each production. The organization of each film and finding out the dates, people involved, and the roles of each member of the team ate away at a lot of my time. After gathering the required information, I began constructing my website with the website builder Wix.com. The site is tedious and provides a complicated interface that doesn’t allow for complete customization, but after a few weeks, I began to get a hold of the program and figure out my overall design. Once I had the basic design of my website, I went back and wrote a brief description for each of my movies, discussing what it was like making the film and my opinions on the movie today. I also included a Creator’s Note page to house my many acknowledgements for the people that helped make the website, and my artwork possible. I am really proud of how the design of the website and the writing turned out.

Below is a sample of one of my descriptions for my movies.


Oct 9th- Media Darling (All American High School Film Festival)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFmsDA52cA4&list=PL0mVYXoXCAN2BodQ5Q0MhSsIoTihRoXrk

Media Darling was one of the most difficult, but rewarding films I’ve made. In October of my senior year, our school’s production company, Rough Cut Productions, was invited to the All American High School Film Festival Invitational to compete with over 50 other schools in a three day filmmaking competition in New York City. Only twenty kids from our program (including myself) were able to attend and make a film in three days in New York City. The competition was hosted by AT&T and our films had to be about cyberbullying subsequently. For this project, my group put almost all of our efforts into pre-production so that we could film everything we needed to quickly once we got to New York. The train ride and sleepless nights left us exhausted, and of course, nothing about shooting went according to plan. From location debacles to group arguments, this movie made our group become rivals at times and closest friends at others. By the end, our team persevered and managed to make one of the best looking movies the program has ever produced in a very short amount of time. Media Darling made it into the top 8 and won $1000 for Rough Cut. The invitational was an experience I’ll never forget and I’m so happy to have shared it with my production team.


Actors: Cacy Thomas, Declan Zisser, Nat Hilton

Director: Mark Kriegh

Assistant Director: Kate Kopf

Director of Photography: Felix Shafroth Doty

Producers: Felix Shafroth Doty, Zoe Andersson, Lyle Seitz

Writers: Cacy Thomas, Declan Zisser, Mark Kriegh, Nat Hilton, Lyle Seitz, Zoe Andersson

Sound Designer: Juliana Concepcion

Costuming, Makeup, Set Design: Wes Midgett


The link to my final website can be found here: https://zandersson.wixsite.com/website


The link to my bibliography can be found here: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XsAKHfXDrxnMs6pIR1CuPS3rkAyeOHpf19HpMoJeaCQ



Screen Shot 2017-04-14 at 12.03.06 PM
Screen Shot 2017-04-14 at 12.03.06 PM

Tomas Arango - Capstone

For my capstone, I decided to stick to what I truly love, running. As captain of the Cross Country team my senior year of High School, I loved being a leader and watching everyone grow throughout the season. I wanted to leave something behind since Cross Country was one of my favorite parts of my time at SLA. Talking with my coaches, I decide to start a fundraiser for the team, first by opening a GoFundMe page and posting weekly updates on Facebook. Within a week I raised over $150. We also worked together as a team to have bake sales which helped with raising more money. My end goal was $1,000 but in the end I only raised a total of $500.

My overall goal was to create an ongoing fundraiser that would last for seasons to come. Since I’ve been on the team, there hasn’t been any types of bakes sales or anything to create more funds for the team. Working with Coach Giknis and Captain Krystal Cabrera , a schedule for fundraisers will be created for the Fall 2017 season. Money will used for new uniforms as well as any necessities the team decides on.

I would like to thank everyone who helped me and to everyone who donated money to support my capstone. It’s been a great learning experience working on this capstone, and I hope that this is the start of a much larger Cross Country team for my school.


Website Link: http://slacrosscountry.weebly.com


Bibliography



Fundraising can be difficult, especially when you have a deadline and goal. The Entrepreneur provides tips and info on how to do it effectively. A website where many entrepreneurs or simple people seeking help with every day businesses can go for help. Entrepreneurs from all around the world come together to build this website for the general crowd. This website can help me get organized, with tips on how to build a team and assign tasks to everyone who is helping me.




Planning a 5k can be very difficult but this spreadsheet provides detailed info on everything that might occur during a 5k. From simple things like water to number of runners, to terrain and other things. Mag 7 Race Series runs out of Indiana where runners can sign up for local races and compete state wide. They also have resources for coaches. I can use this to plan out and think of more specific things with the race so all runner are safe, comfortable and happy.


  • Eiler, Melissa. “Set Goals, Get Permission, Plan the Logistics.” Active. Active Network, n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<http://www.active.com/running/articles/set-goals-get-permission-plan-the-logistics>


Planning and setting goals to meet is essential to planning a 5k or pretty much anything. Active.com provides resources for all types of atheletes. With it’s own app, it’s a great website to help you stay active. After completing my calendar,  I now see how much planning I have to do in order to make this race possible. This will help me get organized.


  • Eiler, Melissa. “Choose Your Event, Location, Date.” Active. Active Network, n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Choose-Your-Event-Location-Date.htm>


Location is very important to me because I don’t want to interfere with other people and their daily exercise routines. But I also want a public space that is open to the public. This website provides tips to planning ahead and making sure that local communities and organizations know what you are planning and when it’s happening. Active.com provides resources for all types of atheletes, to help them stay active and more informed.


  • Eiler, Melissa. “Build a Budget, Find Sponsors, Promote Your Race” Active. Active Network, n.d. Web. 2 Feb. 2017.

<http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Build-a-Budget-Find-Sponsors-Promote-Your-Race.htm>


Money plays a big part since the whole purpose is to fundraise for my cross country and track team. I also plan to get sponsors from local stores and maybe school runed organizations. Active.com provides resources to how to reach out to those people and help build promotion for your event. Active.com provides resources for all types of atheletes, to help them stay active and more informed.



  • Sanchez, Claudio. “Philadelphia Schools: Another Year, Another Budget Crisis.” NPR. WHYY National Public Radio. 4 Nov. 2014 Web. 2 Feb. 2017

<http://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2014/11/04/360146623/philadelphia-schools-another-year-another-budget-crisis>

Budget cuts have been a big issues over the last year in our school district. They’ve impacted almost every single public school in the city and every subject. I want to make people aware of the damages caused and NPR’s interview provides insight on how it’s actually affecting people in schools. NPR has millions of interviews and has been around for many years.


  • Graham, Kristen. “Budget cuts hit district athletes.” Philly.com. Philadelphia Media Network. 11 Sep. 2011 Web. 2 Feb. 2017

<http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/school_files/Budget-cuts-hit-middle-school-sports.html>

Budget cuts affected a lot of extra curricular activities like music and also sports. This article spoke about how a lot of teams not longer have money for all the equipment they may need. Going back to my project this is what I want to focus on because I think it’s important for students to have a good sports program. Philly.com works in conjunction with the Inquirer to provide daily news about the city and also the surrounding area.

  • Koenig, Mark. “ 7 Tips on Asking for Donations-It’s Intimidating, We Get It.” Nonprofit Hub. Nonprofit Hub. Web. 2 Feb. 2017

<http://nonprofithub.org/fundraising/7-tips-on-asking-for-donations-its-intimidating-we-get-it/>


Starting to fundraise and asking people for money can be hard. Bake sales will be my way of getting money since it’s very popular at SLA. Nonprofit hub gives tips on how get involved in the community and fundraise effectively to reach your goal. Designed by owners of nonprofit organizations , this website provides deep insight and information.


  • Graham, Kristen. “Phila. District spends less per pupil than most other cities” Philly.com. Philadelphia Media Network. 16 Jan. 2015 Web. 2 Feb. 2017

<http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20150116_Phila__district_spends_less_per_pupil_than_most_other_cities.html>

It’s interesting to compare other school districts with ours because you are able to see how much less we receive in fundings. This article digs deeper into every student and how much is really given to each and every single one. It’s current and so it’s information I can really analyze and use for my final presentation.


  • “Bake Sales Step by Step” PTO Today. School Family Media. N.p Web. 2 Feb. 2017

<https://www.ptotoday.com/pto-today-articles/article/664-bake-sales-step-by-step>

Bake sale will be how I make my money, and making the right food can make a big difference in the amount of money I make. This website, created for parents gives details about how much bake sales actually make and how to increase profit as much as possible.


Fundraising for sports teams can be really helpful for the success of the team. Having the proper equipment can help a lot. This website provides info on all the things that could go wrong and everything that you should watch out for when fundraising for a sports team. This website focuses on essential fundraising for different types of events, and is edited by several non-profit and business owners.

Guess What? Palm Oil is Still an Issue

Hi, I’m Ruby. In my previous blog post, I introduced a research project about palm oil that I am doing. Palm oil is found in many common food and non-food items. It is usually produced in a way that harms the environment. In producing palm oil, palm trees found in Indonesia and Malaysia that provide habitats for animals are cut down, leaving the animals to become endangered. This is a major problem and most people don’t know that this is even happening right now. My blog post also introduced something called sustainable palm oil; a version of palm oil that is produced so as not to damage the environment. My goal is to promote and popularize the use of sustainable palm oil within my Philadelphia community and everywhere else possible.

Since I completed my previous post, I have learned so much more. I have done more research about the impacts that palm oil production has on people and on the world. In particular, I have learned more from The Union of Concerned Scientists about how palm oil contributes to climate change. When the forests in Indonesia and Malaysia are cut down for palm oil, there is a lot of carbon that is released. The Union of Concerned Scientists writes, “That's equivalent to the emissions from driving an average car from New York to San Francisco and back 76 times.” This information provides yet another reason why palm oil production needs to stop. Even though animals dying may not affect everyone, climate change definitely will.

I have also added to my knowledge of sustainable palm oil, which has continued to appear as an excellent alternative to regular palm oil. According to GreenPalm, there are eight steps that must be followed in order to make palm oil certified as sustainable. These steps address laws and regulations, economic and financial viability, growers and millers, biodiversity, individuals and communities involved and affected, new plants, and improvement. If followed, these steps will create a more healthy and vibrant product and environment.

Now, in addition to all of this, I have also gathered new information through a survey that I conducted specifically for this project. I surveyed 50 people--most of whom are high school students within Philadelphia--about their knowledge of palm oil, their contribution to the problem itself, and their interest in sustainable palm oil. One question asked participants to check off items that contain palm oil that are found regularly in their homes.

This above graph shows the results from a survey question. The products listed are (top to bottom): Nutella, Oreos, Jif and/or Skippy peanut butter, Cetaphil, margarine, white chocolate, Girl Scout cookies, and "none of the above".
This above graph shows the results from a survey question. The products listed are (top to bottom): Nutella, Oreos, Jif and/or Skippy peanut butter, Cetaphil, margarine, white chocolate, Girl Scout cookies, and "none of the above".

The answers I received were very interesting and informative. Only 4 of the 50 people (8%) stated that their homes do not contain a single one of the items listed. This means that 92% of those surveyed usually have at least one item containing palm oil in their home. This just shows how common palm oil is. Furthermore, participants were asked, “On a scale of 1-6, how much does the use of palm oil bother you?” In response, 70% of the people gave an answer of three or less. This means that those 70% were somewhat to very indifferent. I did not expect an answer like this, especially right after explaining that palm oil is a big issue. Even after all of my research, however, I still wonder how I can raise awareness about palm oil.

And that brings me to my plan moving forward. The final portion of my project is called the Agent of Change, during which I will do something to make an impact on the issue that I have researched. My overall goal is to raise awareness so that people in Philadelphia can help change their palm oil consumption habits.
The above is graph showing the results of one of my survey questions. The question asks if participants would be willing to pay extra money to support sustainable palm oil.
The above is graph showing the results of one of my survey questions. The question asks if participants would be willing to pay extra money to support sustainable palm oil.

My secondary goal is to convince as many people as possible to try buying products with sustainable palm oil, rather than regular products. To accomplish these goals, I plan to create a presentation that will summarize my research thus far. I will then present this to one or two groups of students. I will also provide these groups with a taste of food containing sustainable palm oil, with the hopes that they might fall in love with the product.

Finally, make sure you stay tuned for my third blog post! And if you’re interested in further exploring the issue of palm oil production, visit my Annotated Bibliography to learn more!


Rifah Islam Capstone

The idea for the Being Fair project started right at home for me. Growing up watching Bengali television channels, I would always see commercials for skin lightening products. I never truly understood the big reason for these products and brushed off its massive impact. However, after doing research on how advertisements shape our lives and help spoon feed us ideas about the world earlier this year, I realized how much skin lightening commercials have affected my life. Subconsciously, they did impact my ideas about beauty and its connection to skin color. I wanted to learn more about the products, how they work scientifically, how it impacts skin around the world and why skin lightening is a multi billion dollar business today. However, I didn’t want to just state facts. Anyone can look up the negative effects of skin lightening creams.I wanted to share stories. After talking with fellow friends and students from SLA, I realized I was not alone. Many of them have also experienced ups and downs when it comes to loving their skin color. I wanted a platform and safe space where these stories were told and their voices were amplified. My website focuses on personal interviews and roundtable discussions accompanied by classic “Humans of New York” style portraits of the interviewee to go along with their words. This is a project about people’s relationship with their skin color and how they have or are coming to terms with loving it.

Website: https://rislam0.wixsite.com/beingfairproject


Bibliography

Shadeism. Directed by Nayani Thiyagarajah. Documentary. Refugee Productions, 2015.

This documentary identifies the issues that skin lightening brings upon communities, showing that the ideas of beauty and consequences of the ideal severely impact the relationship that one may have with their skin. This is a documentary that uses the voices of those who participated, all women of color who have realized how much their dark skin affect their daily lives. The stories drive the film, which is exactly the route that I want to direct my capstone. Through this documentary, I was able to see how a director and writer weaved in different stories, backgrounds and experiences to create a cohesive and compelling argument that makes the audience walk away with passion to change the issue.

“The Unfair and Lovely Campaign Is Embracing Darker Skin Tones.” Self, 14 March 2016, http://www.self.com/story/the-unfair-and-lovely-campaign-is-embracing-darker-skin-tones

This is a campaign, called Unfair and Lovely. They are working to actively change the narrative of what it means to be a darker skinned South Asian and also promoting self love. It is run by a community of darker skinned South Asians. They use their instagram account to share photos and stories of women who have suffered through oppression, hatred from others or just self confidence issues. This is an inspiration to me because they are South Asian women themselves, who have experiences similar situations to me. I want to use this resource in order to learn how to not just look at the negatives about this issue, but to see how other women are using this to grow as people and help others learn and evolve. In my project, I want to show how people are working to change the mindsets and how they stay positive.

Norwood, Kimberly Jade. Color matters : skin tone bias and the myth of a post-racial America. Routledge, 2014.

This book goes in depth, with some of the latest research on the issues of colorism and the discrimination that follows it. It talks about why this discrimination occurs, why lighter skin is preferred over darker skin and what implications this has for society and how far we still have to go. There is history, psychology and personal narratives weaved into this book. In my project, I wish to incorporate the issues of colorism that exist in America too, so it’s not just written off as another country or another community’s issue. It exists here, is very prevalent and will continue to affect us for years unless we take a stand. I want to use this resource to learn more about where it exists in our society and why it’s so well hidden. Then, in my project I want to expose the taboos of this topic and maybe even incorporate how media plays a role in our beliefs.


Women of Worth. She Leads. 2015-16. http://womenofworth.in/

Women of Worth is an organization based in India which through different workshops, conferences and seminars throughout schools and colleges in the country, tries to promote media literacy, redefine beauty, leadership development and more. One campaign, “Dark is Beautiful” specifically targets the issues of colorism and how to combat that in everyday life. On their website they have a blog that anyone can contribute to, with their own stories along with their events at different schools. They are partnered with She Leads, an organization that promotes confidence and leadership among women. This is an inspiration for my project because as a South Asian, even I want to know how they have been combating stereotypes and what different techniques they have been using to actively change the narrative, especially in a country so obsessed with light skin. I will use this source to give me ideas of how to reach out to different women about their stories and how to make sure their voices are heard.

Saint Louis, Catherine. “Creams Offering Lighter Skin May Bring Risks.” The New York Times, 15 Jan. 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/16/health/16skin.html

This article in The New York Times addresses the health risks that come with using skin lightening creams. Most users don’t know about the ingredients that are in them or what kind of damage they can cause. The idea that their skin can even be lightened overpowers any harm it can do. By the time they see the negative affects on their skin, it is often too late to turn back. Through my project, I don’t just want to state the issues that skin lightening can cause to one’s self esteem. I also want to prove through hard facts that these products are not healthy and will not even help one achieve what they are promised. Facts can be an extremely persuasive force, which is why I am so interested in adding it to my project.

Gabler, Roe Sam. “Dangers of skin whitening creams.” Chicago Tribune, 2010-15, http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/chi-skin-creams-safety-storygallery.html

This group of articles and studies show the different type of ingredients in the most popular skin whitening creams throughout the world and how they affect our skin. Specifically, they have a study that focused on the mercury levels in these creams. There is also an article on a bill in the U.S that calls for tighter restrictions on the ingredients that can be put in cosmetics. Again, I want to incorporate this information in different blog posts and weave it into the narratives. I also want to ask people if they know about the ingredients and what they can do to their skin and see how they feel about that. I mainly just want to have a big blog post that analyzes all the ingredients and prove with facts why it’s not healthy for our skin.

Dhillon, Komal Kaur. Brown Skin, White Dreams: Pigmentocracy in India. Dissertation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 2015.

This source is a dissertation about the pigmentocracy that exists in India. Pigmentocracy is the preference to lighter skin in a society, which leads to privilege for one group and discrimination for another. In this paper, the author shows research of how this began during colonization and how it still exists in modern day India. With the help of this paper, I want to figure out the root of this issue and where it actually started. I also want to see why after so many years of independence, pigmentocracy still exists today and what that means for Indians and others around the world. I want to use the research in this paper to back up my narrative. This will be included in my personal blog post.

Ghose, Tia. Indians and Europeans Share 'Light-Skin' Mutation. Live Science, http://www.livescience.com/41040-skin-color-genes-identified-india.html

This article talks about how Indians and Europeans share a mutation that can cause light skin. They also found that this gene is more prevalent in North India, rather than South. The study also branches out to 54 other ethnic groups in the subcontinent and finds that some groups like people from Tibet do not show this gene at all. I want to incorporate this information along with more factual information in a blog post. I think it will be interesting to incorporate this into the interviews that I do to see how many people know about this/how much genetics influence skin color.

Jones, Trina. “The Significance of Skin Color in Asian and Asian-American Communities: Initial Reflections”.  UC Irvine Law Review, 2013. http://www.law.uci.edu/lawreview/vol3/no4/Jones.pdf

In this paper, the author explores the pedestal that skin color is put on in Asian and Asian American communities and how that affects the relationship that people who are a part of those communities have with their skin. This paper also talks heavily about the role media plays in continuing to hold this message of fairer skin being “more beautiful” high and strong. It also focuses on how women are more likely to be held to these standards than men, especially when it comes to marriage and expectations of elders. I want to use how different Asian communities deal with this issue and how it exists today in a blog post about this issue exists in different communities. I will also weave it into different narratives that people share with me.

Hunter, Margaret. “The Persistent Problem of Colorism: Skin Tone, Status and Inequality”. Mills College, 2007. https://www.mills.edu/academics/faculty/soc/mhunter/The%20Persistent%20Problem%20of%20Colorism.pdf

In this paper, the author focuses on the different struggles and dynamics that exist in the United States in terms of skin color. It touches on a wide range of communities, such as African American, Hispanic and Asian. It does a detailed analysis of the history, why it still exists today and how it continues to shape the way we view our world. It also talks about the economic and political advantages that come with being light skinned. In my project, I want to incorporate this with any interviews I get of people who have been raised in the U.S and have immigrant parents, so I can compare their experiences and see if there are any similarities in their experiences.

Stop The Violence

Hello my name is Benjamin Rivera and I’m Doing a Project for my English class called You & The World which involves me studying a problem in the world and gaining evidence with pictures and sources from the internet like videos and articles about youth violence. My project choice was youth violence in Philadelphia which basically involves me and all the high school students in Philadelphia as  we are all affected and actually the cause of this problem in the city of Philadelphia. I want people who live outside of the city to see, review, and join the movement to stop youth violence everywhere. I spent some time doing research about youth violence and I found two sources from the internet and one source as an interview.


My first blog post dealt with the same topic but I had just gotten into the project. Now I have gained a lot more knowledge from my continued research. I learned that this problem wasn’t just in North Philadelphia where I live. Youth violence is a big problem happening around the United States caused by mostly high school students. Some fights can be caused by child mobs which police look at as flash mobs which is a mob that forms quickly without planning and is not a peaceful protest. The numbers could be hundreds and hundreds of students outside fighting after school. Sometimes the innocent get involved and are badly hurt. In one event a 15 year old girl was shot near Einstein hospital when a shooting broke out at Olney Transportation Center.


I spent some time looking for somebody to interview for my project. I found a Police Officer who was generous enough to make the interview possible. We had a conversation on the phone and I asked questions that involved gender equality, home environment, and school environment and if they played a key role in youth violence and caused attitudes and actions of high school students to change in a bad way. He answered yes and the youth violence he witnesses is getting worse and worse everyday. I also included a topic that approached after school dismissal and the safety of our community. He answered and implied that Philadelphia as a whole isn’t safe after school hours because the students are causing problems and people are getting hurt. The interview gave me the knowledge that the police witness youth violence and it can be so bad that even they cannot control the situation. As I shared in my first slate first, mobs can be up to 100+ kids and can easily get out of hand.

A big event that happened in January of 2016 gave me the perfect story to follow up on my interview. An 8th grader was caught trespassing at a high school in las vegas and it ended tragically. When a police officer came to arrest the middle school student, his sister got involved.Then a crowd swarmed around the officer’s  swat car and a student threw a rock at the officer's head. He then took out his pepper spray and the students scattered with burning eyes and throats. This officer is right for this because he was alone and he was just doing his job and the students needed to stop and mind their business. This is police isn’t brutality this is students starting a flash mob and started violence with a police officer because they have the numbers to get away with it.

I found another event that involved a crowd of young teenagers watching two girls fighting out on the streets of NYC and this is just sad how a group of people just surrounded and watched these two girls fight. Throwing each other on the floor, grabbing each other’s hair  while people just stood there watching the blows. The girls were teenagers fighting with pajamas in the middle of the street. One brave adult stepped in and stopped the fight. That women is an example of how everyone should act. To believe there should be peace and love in our youth community. Why do we have to fight? Why can’t we just be friends or walk away from a problem?


Since blog post one I learned that students and teenagers in general are careless when it comes to other people. They react and act ignorantly without thinking of the consequences of their actions. We need more heroes in the world. n my next blog post I will inform you of the heroes and people who take charge when they see youth violence in their community, and how they responded to the situation. If you want to find other sources you can check out my annotated bibliography and do some more research.

Support the cause

In my last post I talked mainly about facts and some percentages of Autism affect. I would like to dive more into this subject by expanding the facts. Thanks to my survey on Autism and the response I gained helped me with my project and I thank them. So I would like to talk about the responses first and talk about my new made research after I talk about my survey.

The responses to my Autism survey have really given me a great look at how people care and think about Autism. The vast majority know one or two or three and some even know 20 to 30 people with Autism or more. Many thought that the National rate of Autism was 1 in 39 but it’s actually 1 in 67, but, many also chose 1 in 82 or 1 in 99. They also picked 16% of people with Autism in the world but it’s actually 1% of people have Autism in the world. The 16% had the most people pick it. The true or false question is where many get divided. 38.3% thought it was true and 61.7% thought it was false. The real answer is ‘’false’’ because you have to ask the insurance companies to pay for it and 50% won’t pay for it. The scale chart was very pleasing to look at to see 21.3% of people feel strongly towards Autism and 34% are close to that 21.3% of people. But 40.4% of people feel neutral towards Autism and that's alright. But, what caught me off guard was the 4.3% of people who felt that Autism wasn’t that big of a deal. The yes, no, maybe question is by far one of my favorite ones. What surprised me was that 10.6% of people said ‘’maybe’’ to the idea of Autism getting more support and the ones that said yes were about 89.4. Through this survey, I have learned that many people know about Autism and help support.           


People who have Autism don’t look any different from anyone else. They just act, talk, learn, and think differently from others. Some people with Autism have different measurements to how much help they will need which goes from gifted to severely challenged. Some signs someone has Autism is by avoiding eye contact, having trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings, repeating actions over and over again and having unusual reactions to the way things smell, taste, look, feel, or sound. These facts were found on CDC which is a disease learning website.


There is no cure for Autism as of right now. But there are many therapy sessions you can go to and try to raise them different to decrease the chance of serious symptoms. There's something called ‘’early intervention‘’ which is when you give your child therapies. It involves many different types of therapies including occupational and physical. Therapist will come to the house to give the child a safe environment and because they are young and still don’t trust unfamiliar faces. Info from PA DHS and  Child Mind Institute.


This post has given me hope that many will help beat Autism hate and hate towards disabled in all. My survey responses really helped me push forward to write more about Autism and not be afraid to say I’m Autistic. Truth be told I was in ‘’early intervention’’ and it help me develop into the person I am. I meet very good therapist that help me learn and not let me have outbursts like other people who have Autism or people with disabilities.  

Chloë Epstein Capstone

For my capstone, I setup an art opening exhibiting my own artwork. The exhibition specifically focused on illustration, cartoons, and diversity within characters I have created. I used only the artwork I had created in the past 2 years to keep it fresh and to show people what I had been creating during high school. I also created two new pieces during the process of this capstone. After I had made sure all my artwork was finished I had to organize the exhibition. This included finding a space, scheduling a time and date, getting catering/ food, framing my artwork, and setting up my exhibition. I also had to advertise my whole exhibition through social media and the advisory memo. Although, this sounds like a lot of work I did not do it alone. My mentor Andrés Castillo, my mom, and my friends from SLA all helped out. I think what I learned from my capstone is how much of a process hosting an art exhibition or event in general is. You have to work hard, be organized, and have a source of money. In general, you have to be prepared for any obstacle that might get in your way because chances are things aren't going to go completely as planned. 

Flickr Account Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/150278742@N02/sets/72157683321717996/ 

Annotated Bibliography

  1. Art Business

Bamberger, Alan. "Welcome to ArtBusiness.com." Art Business: Advisor, Consultant, Appraiser, Broker, News, Marketing. San Francisco Gallery Openings , 1998. Web. 31 Jan. 2017. http://www.artbusiness.com/index.html

This is a website I found that was created by Alan Bamberger, who is the author of The Art of Buying Art. The website goes into the importance of art galleries and the relationship between the artist and the gallery owner. It even gives you advice on how to start your own exhibit. This was one of the few credible websites I could find on art galleries because it was a website with no ads, and the creator actually seems legitimate. I wanted to find a credible source on putting on art shows and working with art galleries because this is the first time I’m doing it. I may have been to many galleries, but I’ve found there is a lot that goes into setting up an exhibit, so having this resource like this will inform me how to do so.


  1. Basic Anatomy for the Manga Artist

Sanmiguel, David. Art of drawing anatomy. New York: Sterling, 2008. Print.

This is another Manga style art book that I use a lot for my illustrations. The big difference between the two books is that this manga book actually acts as an anatomy book rather than just a how to book on a cartoon style. It shows the muscles and structures of the figures like they are actual people rather than just cartoons. I always thought it was interesting and necessary to see cartoons this way as a way to understand how they move or function. This is another book I want to use to specifically draw figures in my illustrations/ comics to see how their body should look or how it should be positioned in contrast to the rest of the picture.


  1. Fierce Women of Art

"Fierce Women of Art." PBS. PBS, 21 July 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2017. http://www.pbs.org/video/2365797389/

This video was also created by PBS, but instead of interviews it’s a video on various controversial female artists. It specifically talks about how female artists are underrepresented and underappreciated rather than men who constantly have their work shown in art galleries and museums. This video was supposed to commemorate female artists who fought against different types of oppression through their artwork. I appreciated the video included women from different backgrounds and of different races. My artwork features a lot of “fierce” women in it, so I would like my exhibit to represent a theme of diversity in comics/illustration. I also connect to this video a lot, being a female artist and a feminist myself. I want to use videos like these as inspiration on what the “theme” or meaning of my exhibition will be.


  1. Fighting Like a Girl: Gendered Language in Superhero Comics

Davis, Rebecca . "Fighting Like a Girl: Gendered Language in Superhero Comics." Griffith University . Griffith Working Papers in Pragmatics and Intercultural Communication , 2013. Web. 3 Feb. 2017. https://www.griffith.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/589458/Rebecca-Davis.pdf

This is a PDF I found on Google scholar about gendered language in superhero comics. This source differs the force from the rest of my sources, because it is more about language than art, but it still has to do with my artwork because it’s about gender and sexism. The sexist tropes I see through comics and all types of media is something I would like to challenge through my artwork and I would like to show specifically through this exhibit. I write comics and use text in my artwork, so it’s an aspect of my exhibition that I would like to know more about, especially when it deals with gender. I want to break stereotypes with both my illustrations and my writing, so having this access to this source would show me how.


  1. How to Draw Comic the Marvel Way

Lee, Stan, and John Buscema. How to draw comics the Marvel way. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1978. Print.

I was told to buy How to Draw Comic the Marvel Way as a tool for one of my summer art classes two years ago. It ended up being one of the most helpful and informative art books i’ve ever read, specifically when it comes to illustration and comic. It’s written by Stan Lee and Illustrated by Jack Kirby who are two of the most famous comic book writers and illustrators in the world, so I think it’s a very credible source because the authors are so experienced and talented. This book has taught so much about writing and drawing comics, and how much work goes into just creating one page. As an artist it’s always good to learn from the “old masters” and as an illustrator this is who learn from. I plan to use this book in order to illustrate comic book pages and specifically drawing pictures of people fighting because its main focus is superheros.


  1. Mastering Manga

Crilley, Mark . Mastering Manga . Cincinnati: Impact , 2012. Print.

Mastering Manga is another How-to book that has helped me a lot over the years. Manga/anime was one of the first places I started as an illustrator and as a result it’s style had a big impact on my artwork. You can see through my style how manga plays apart in it through the big eyes and exaggerated facial expressions. Even though my style has evolved a lot over the years, I still use this book as a character design and cartoon anatomy reference. It includes body types and proportions different from a regular anatomy book, and although I use both, this book definitely helps me as an illustrator. I will use this book for my illustrations as more of a reference for body types and different facial structures in cartoons.


  1. POP ART

Osterwold, Tilman. Pop art. Köln: Taschen, 1999. Print.

This is another book I own about a certain style and medium and art, but instead of comics it’s about Pop Art, which is a medium of art I may combine with my illustrations. One of the paintings i’m currently working on is going to use a pop art style featuring the characters I have created. Some of the artists in this book i’m even going to base my work off of (e.g. Roy Lichtenstein, Keith Haring). This book features tons of different artists work, and a detailed history of Pop art, and it’s cultural impact on the world. I always found this type of art interesting because of how it reflects on our culture, and its influence in marketing and advertisements. Many pop artists also use illustration in their work, which is why I want to use this book for my capstone. This source is credible because of how detailed and thoroughly researched it is.  


  1. Scott Pilgrim

O'Malley, Bryan Lee. Scott Pilgrim. Vol. 1-6. Portland, OR: Oni Press, 2004. Print. Scott Pilgrim .

Scott Pilgrim is a series of comic books written by Bryan Lee O’malley. It is one of my favorite comic book series of all time because of beautiful artwork and unique story. This comic has been a big inspiration to my artwork and it has shaped me as an artist. I can always tell how much thought he put through each page of the book because of how he uses shading, angle, color, etc. I have used this series time and time again as a reference for my illustrations and comics. I also love how the book is written because it is both a comedic and compelling narrative. This is definitely a credible source because it’s a widely known and appreciated series among the comic book world. This is a book I will specifically use to see how to structure my panels, and the angle of the scene I am drawing for my comic book pages.


  1. The Art of Drawing Anatomy

Sanmiguel, David. Art of drawing anatomy. New York: Sterling, 2008. Print.

Although I am focusing on illustration/ and comics knowing how to draw anatomy is still incredibly important when it comes to being an artist in general. Traditional art and figure drawing is where I really began as an artist, and it is something that guided me into illustration. Up until these last three years, I had only been taking traditional art classes, so I know how important having these skills are. Many of the illustrations include figures and faces, so this is going to be a helpful when drawing more complex angles and positions of the body. The book includes photographs of models, different mediums of figure drawing, step by step tutorials, and is overall a great reference for basic anatomy.


  1. The Art of Illustration

"The Art of Illustration." PBS. PBS, 03 Apr. 2016. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

http://www.pbs.org/video/2365688290/

I found this video on PBS and it’s a collection of interviews from various illustrators. They talk about their work, different styles of illustration, and what illustration means to them. It also shows illustrators involved in different mediums like animation, comics, and newspapers/magazines. Obviously, this source is credible because it’s a Public Broadcasting Organization which is funded by the government. While watching this video I really connected with the artists and their answers to why illustration is so important to them. Besides just showing my art in an exhibit I want to show what my art and art in general means to me. I think this is a good video to get that type of thinking started because I want my exhibit to have more of a meaning than just “I created some art.”


  1. The Killing Joke

Moore, Alan, and Brian Bolland. The killing joke. London: Titan, 2008. Print.

The Killing Joke is a Batman Comic written by Alan Moore and Illustrated by Brian Bolland. It focuses on the origins of the Joker, an infamous DC villain, and his relationship to Batman. Although I don’t find the story or plot to be very strong, but I do think it has some of the most gorgeous art and dialogue i’ve ever seen in a comic book. The Killing Joke also has a lot of depictions of sexism, and poorly written female character which is why I think it lacks in overall plot/story. It features a troupe known as “women in refrigerators” which where they features a woman’s assault, rape, death, etc. as a way to further the plot. Many of my illustrations depict women and people of color, so I think this book is a good example of how not to write them into a story. I can use this book as both a reference for my comic pages, and an example of sexist portrayals of female characters and how not to write them.


Art gallery where my artwork was exhibited before the opening.
Art gallery where my artwork was exhibited before the opening.
People who showed up for art opening talking to each other.
People who showed up for art opening talking to each other.
People looking at artwork and images of snack table.
People looking at artwork and images of snack table.

Gold-digger

​     Characters in Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew were not discreet with their motivations to gain wealth through marriage. Money was the top priority for Petruchio’s marriage, as it was for Baptista when he was choosing the suitor promising the biggest dowry for his daughter. Fast forward over 400 years later, people like Petruchio would be considered as a “gold digger”, an offensive term for those who form a relationship with someone purely to extract money from them. The play reflects how Petruchio’s intentions were an ordinary occurrence in Shakespeare’s time. The 2011 movie "Just Go With It" is a good example of a modern film that illustrates how much times have changed. Its protagonist, Dr. Danny Maccabee, was heartbroken to find out on his wedding day that his bride has been cheating on him and is only marrying him for the comfortable lifestyle he will provide her from his fruitful occupation as a cardiologist. Marrying for someone's wealth was widely accepted then regardless of romance. The difference in these stories shows how attitudes about marriage have evolved over the centuries. 

"I come to wive it wealthily in Padua; If wealthily then happily in Padua" -Petruchio
 
(Act 1, Scene 2, 76-77)

     Petruchio travels to Padua in search of a rich wife. His friend Hortensio tells him about Katherine, the elder sister to Bianca, whom Hortensio was trying to woo at the time, and daughter to affluent Baptista. Baptista has a strict rule that Katherine must wed before Bianca. The problem is that no man dares to be near Katherine because of her foul mouth and bad temper. Petruchio dismisses Hortensio’s warnings about Katherine’s fiery nature and then declares that he will wed her no matter what as long as she is rich enough to be his spouse. Hortensio assures Petruchio of her family’s wealth and gives Petruchio his full support. Petruchio then immediately goes to meet Baptista to ask him for Katherine’s hand in marriage and to discuss what Petruchio will get out of the marriage in terms of the dowry. The fact that Petruchio never received anything but support for his intentions in marrying to increase wealth shows that his motive was nothing to be ashamed of at the time. Petruchio’s openness about it towards everyone including Baptista hinted that tying the knot for prosperity was more than accepted, it was approved. It’s a good thing Petruchio wasn’t born in the 21st century because no one would want to marry him. This is illustrated in the movie Just Go With It when Danny called off his wedding after overhearing his fiancé admit to cheating on him and marrying him for his money.
 
     Here is Danny’s cousin’s and Danny’s (from left to right) shocked expression when they overheard the conversation. Poor Danny is seen shedding a tear to find out that his fiancé, Veruca, doesn’t actually love him. Veruca can be heard expressing her annoyance over his family and saying to her bridesmaids, “Danny is so sweet and considerate, and he’s gonna be a cardiologist, so I’m marrying him… aand that zucchini on his face.” According to the Merritt Hawkins data, cardiologists are guaranteed an average base salary of $512,000. Veruca is well aware that she will be financially stable with Danny and that is enough for her to overlook his gigantic nose, deal with his annoying family, and end her affair (probably). Danny’s cousin was just as shocked as Danny was and he can be heard saying, “Gosh, I’m so sorry!” (Sorry that the girl his cousin loves turned out to be a shallow gold-digger.) His reaction is unlike the reactions Petruchio received when he told everyone why he wanted to marry Katherine. No one felt sorry for Katherine because Petruchio had a perfectly valid reason to tie the knot. And unlike Petruchio, Katherine kept her intentions a secret between her and her friends. She knew that Danny loved her and she pretended to feel the same way because in modern times, people marry for love. 

"I must confess your offer is the best, / And, let your father make her assurance, / She is your own;" - Baptista
 
(Act 2, Scene 1, 408-410)
 
     Switching back to Taming of the Shrew, Baptista basically auctioned off his younger daughter, Bianca, to the highest bidder. Unlike Katherine, Bianca is sweet and desired by many. Two suitors, Lucentio (who isn’t really Lucentio, but that’s besides the point), and Gremio went back and forth about all of the lands, properties, and money they could offer for the hand of Bianca. When it was clear that Lucentio had more to give, Baptista agreed to hand Bianca over to him as soon as Lucentio can assure that his inheritance will fall onto Bianca in the case that Lucentio passed before his father. It would only make sense for the richest man to be chosen by Baptista because marriage was all about materialistic gain in Shakespeare’s time. The other characters were conscious of that as well which is why Gremio was able to admit his defeat knowing he wasn’t as rich as Lucentio and why the bidding happened in the first place. People wedded to increase wealth and it was as simple as that. 


     Nowadays, people seek something far less tangible in a relationship: love. For Danny, that was all he ever wanted, but as mentioned, his first experience at love was a complete lie. In the movie’s happy ending, Danny finally marries the woman he loves who loves him just as much for who he is and not for his money. In the scene displayed, the couple confess their love for one another. Moments before their reconciliation, Danny had just called off a second wedding with a hot, blonde 23-year-old because he realized that the one he’s loved all along was his best friend, personal assistant, and a divorced mother of two. The bulk of the movie covers the journey of how the two realized their feelings for each other. That and the happy ending where Danny marries the love of his life shows how romantic love is a necessity for marriage in modern times. Just Go With It makes that clear as its protagonist calls off two whole weddings because it wasn’t love. The film even bashes gold-diggers like Petruchio (poor Veruca). 

The play and the film was created centuries apart, so it’s no wonder that they feature contrasting attitudes towards the concept of marriage. Taming of the Shrew showed us that people sought financial benefits through marriage. Just Go With It accurately demonstrates how people seek romantic love before marriage nowadays. These portrayals overall show us that society’s attitudes towards courtship/dating change in trend with our values.

Xavier Carroll Capstone

Capstones are our senior projects at Science Leadership Academy. The capstone is meant to reflect the interest of the student  and make a meaningful impact to a community that matters to said student. I’ve always been very interested in the health of marine ecology. For my capstone I collaborated with Drexel Student Fellows to write and publish a short research paper and presentation about urban involvement in marine pollution. I drew from many scholarly sources and came to the conclusion that urban contribution to aquatic pollution is significant and becoming more important as marine environments become more unstable.


XavierCarroll_FellowshipResearchPaper
Plastic Beaches- Urban Communities and Marine Pollution

Jesse Stevens Capstone

For the past year I have been volunteering for this non profit organization called For Pete's Sake Take a Break from Cancer. This organization provides cancer patients, their families and their caretakers a one week all expense paid trip ranging from the east coast to the caribbean. Now the reason that I feel so passionate about this is because in 2011 they sent me and my mother to Maine for a respite vacation. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer 7 years ago and her doctors recommended her to FPS and the memories that we made in Maine is something either one of us are going to forget. For that reason This capstone is my way of paying it forward and I did that in the form of attending and participating in their different events as a way of thanking them for my trip. The events ranged from taking pictures at a gaila, running games at the East norriton parade and fundraising for their big end of the year cancer walk. 




 Annotated Bibliography

“Asking Probing Interview questions:Simply adapt to your subject”. Student Filmmaking(beta). Thewildclassroom.com. Web. 03 Feb 2017.

http://www.thewildclassroom.com/wildfilmschool/gettingstarted/interviewquestions.html


For my Capstone I plan on interviewing different people within the For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation. I want to have a good idea of the type of questions that I want to ask so that the interview will go smoothly. The website was created for documentary type questions which is something I can use to format my questions. The questions listed on the website covered the basic who, what, when, where and why but gave more in depth general questions that I can change and adapt to fit what I am talking about.


Every, Marissa. Personal Interview. Feb 7 2017.


She is a part of the staff at FPS and is also my mentor for my entire Capstone. I want to know how she got involved with For Pete Sake and how it changed her life. This interview gives a much needed view into the world of someone that works for an organization such as this one and why they are a good thing for the community and cancer patients alike.



For Pete Sake Respite Foundation web team. “Take a Break from Cancer”.For Pete Sake Respite Foundation. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.

https://takeabreakfromcancer.org/


This website basically has the bulk of my actual Capstone. This is the official website for FPS and is where one can find all of their informations whether it be about the people who work there, the travelers or the events that  they have set up throughout the year. This is where I sign up to help out at the different events and eventually donate the money that I have made from Bake sales to their 7th annual Citizens bank park arena walk.  


Desktop-Documentaries.com. N.p., 12 Mar. 2015. Web. 03 Feb. 2017.

http://www.desktop-documentaries.com/interviewing-tips.html


For the same reason as the first source This gave me the much needed advice that I need to make the interviews that I conduct that much better. The 10 tips range from the type of questions, The behavioral conduct require to have a successful interview and the actual video compositions to make the interview appealing while at the same time keeping the focus on the interviewee. I plan to revisit this right before I do the interviews so that I can have these tips fresh in my mind while I set up and for my interviews.


Schankweiler, Marci. Personal Interview. Feb 7. 2017


This interview will take place at the February monthly travelers lunch brunch. She is the founder of For Pete’s Sake and it would be an amazing opportunity to interview her and get to know more about it’s history and how she feels about it moving forward as it continues to grow and become larger. I also would like to know her own personal account with Cancer and how she has dealt with that.  


Sr. Stevens, Jesse. Personal Interview. Feb 4.2017


As the husband of someone who has survived cancer I would like to hear his view on the entire thing and find out how he really felt about the whole ordeal. I wanted to hear the point of view of someone that didn’t directly have cancer but had someone that close and that important have it.

Hearing his outlook gives depth to my capstone by covering all of views on cancer and cancer foundations.


Stevens, Kim. Personal Interview. Feb 4. 2017


It was important to get a view of someone that has actually survived cancer. She was also selected 5 years ago to be apart of the FPS travelers program so I get to see the recipient side of things. She even continues to help out and volunteer at the different FPS events because the vacations she was sent on affected her that much. So I want to really be able to show and relay that message.


Tammaro, Alisa. Personal Interview. jan 23. 2017


She is in charge of all of the volunteers and events that FPS have and interviewing means that I now have insight on the actual livelihood of For Pete’s Sake Cancer Respite Foundation.  Getting to know about the volunteers and how each event is carefully set up shows the thoughtfulness and careful planning that goes into each and every event, which is a lot. I also got to learn about her personal attachment to FPS and why she does what she does.

The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team "Chemo Brain ." Cancer.org. 16 May 16. Web. 03 Feb. 2017. https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/physical-side-effects/changes-in-mood-or-thinking/chemo-brain.html



More info on Suicide

Hey everyone its me again. This is more information on my You & The world project. If you don´t remember my last blog post you can read it here on slate. Previously, in my first blog post I talked about the rates of suicides in different countries. Furthermore the disorders people may have that cause them to commit suicide. Disorders are bipolar, mental health, depression, and etc.

Next,to further my research I interviewed my  guidance counselor Ms. Siswick. Ms. Siswick gave me very good information on my topic. A question I asked her was ´´What are the symptoms of  a kid who may be thinking about suicide?´´.  Her response was drug use/alcohol increased, depression, change in behavior, domestic violence, and Violence overall. We also discussed different techniques on how to talk someone out of suicide completely. The different techniques are therapy, trusted friends, confiding in someone. For more information you can listen to the interview here.  

Furthermore, a person can be suicidal. This means they are likely to commit suicide and deeply unhappy. Women attempt to suicide more than men. A suicide death occurs for every 4 suicide attempts. Warning signs of an

adult are: divorce, job loss, and substance use. People commit suicide because they think that´s a solution to end their pain.

There are several reasons a person can commit suicide. One reason is due to family issues. Another reason is wanting to end the pain they are feeling. They may think they are better off dead than alive. Also because they don´t want help. Anyone who thinks of committing suicide does not really want to die. As a matter of fact they are scared to die. Usually people kill themselves with a gun. That´s the quickest way for them and probably makes it easier.

Moving along, is the next transition of my You & The World Project. The next part is called an agent of change. For this part I would like to raise awareness on my topic. People need to know how serious suicide really is. My plan to raise awareness in our community is simple and easy. The plan is to create a presentation and show my advisory. After I present my presentation I will upload it to social media and spread the word. I will my ask my advisory to spread the word as well.

Raising awareness in our world is very important to me.  People should be more aware of suicide. Suicides can be prevented if more people are aware of issue. Their will be more help provided to people that need it. More people will stop thinking suicide. They would know that they have people to lean on. Hopefully there will be more positivity in our world than negativity. I have faith that people will use the resources they have at hand.




For more information check out my annotated bibliography!.



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Luke Risher Capstone

For my capstone I ran the Student Union chapter for a year. I choose this because I wanted to put my energy into an organization that will continue when I’m gone and continue to impact positive change. Over the course of the year Student Union was involved in many different things, we started of the year involved in recruiting, especially juniors, and building up our base and continued to do so over the year. We continued to take action around reforming school policing on a citywide level and gained a complaint system for School Police officers. Also we worked to learn more and bring student voice to the decision around our school location moving. We had weekly chapter meetings, frequently attended or held actions, attended citywide meetings, and did daily outreach. Over the course of the year I ran the instagram, facilitated meetings, communicated with citywide organizers, sent out emails and reminders, did constant outreach, and generally ran the chapter. But at the same time I was working to raise the organizing skills of other younger members so they would be able to continue the work. People got involved in citywide and also began to facilitate meeting. Through building up a leaderful organization my capstone was complete in ensuring that the Student Union would continue the powerful work.


https://drive.google.com/open?id=1fscUw91tR-bI0gE66NgMt5qfgxbDYG1CuHcA5woe1G0

Luke Risher - Capstone 2017 -  Bibliography


1.

Dream Defenders. “Blacked Out History Rebellion.” Scribd. Dream Defenders, 4/1/2016. Online PDF. 10/16/2016.<https://www.scribd.com/doc/302090495/BOHM-Rebellion-Curriculum>


This source is a specific workshop/lesson plan that was put together by the education activist collective Dream Defenders. It teaches the students about several different organizations that have done revolutionary work to impact the world including the Black Panthers, Brown Berets, and Left Roots. All of these organizations and movements are often taught in a negative aspect in schools and society. This helps Student Union gain knowledge from other active groups in history which can inform our tactics and strategies to create change. As a movement it is important to understand and draw from our history. Also these stories inspire us to action. This resource overall provides a great workshop to run in a chapter meeting.


2.

The City of Philadelphia. Open Budget. The City of Philadelphia, 12/31/2016. Online Visual Chart. 9/26/2016. <http://www.phila.gov/openbudget/>


This is the City of Philadelphia’s budget page where it has a visual graph with the budget breakdown as well as a written breakdown to the right. It shows what major divisions got what money and the subsets within those categories that got what funding. It’s a comprehensible way to visualize and understand the budget of Philadelphia. This is very useful to Student Union because as we try to educate ourselves about the local policies and how the political systems work we can draw on this understandable reliable source. Using this we can make informed and rational analysis and advocate for changes to this spending.


3.

Mitchell, Dave. Beautiful Trouble. OR books, 2012. Paperback.


This source is an activist handbook that focuses on how to create change and build a movement. It is broken up into different sections that each contain different essays from many different authors. Each essay addresses some aspect of organizing and movement building. We plan to use this in the future and it has a been a part of the training of the citywide organizers for a long time. Each chapter can be taught through a workshop to build our collective knowledge. These resources are very relevant for the work that work that Student Union does because they give us the practical steps to create change.


4.

C, T. “Brown, Garner and other tragedies under the Michael Jackson Microscope.” Parents United. 2014. 3. Parentsunitedphila.com. Online, 7/15/2016. <https://parentsunitedphila.com/2014/12/09/brown-garner-and-other-tragedies-under-the-michael-jackson-microscope-true-story/>


This is an article that discusses the racism and explores the influence of intertwined oppressions that impact our education system. It is a first hand account of a parent who describes her experience raising two children of color. This is relevant to our work because it is provides a non student first hand experience in explaining these issues that we also discuss and work on. Also this is a point of connection between students and parent and other members of the constituency that are impacted in Public education. This is one of our peer groups in the sense that it is working on the similar issues we are and there’s a lot of room for collaboration. This source is both useful as an individual article shedding information on a certain issue, and also as a group we can draw on and work with.


5.

Dream Defenders. Dream Defenders. Nation Builder, 11/09/2016. Online. 2016. <http://www.dreamdefenders.org/>


This source is the website for Dream Defenders. Dream Defenders is a group that does organizing work around racial justice. Their work and strategies range from on the ground meetings, to clothing campaigns, to resource distribution. As Student Union we can draw from these tactics and learn how to better address the issue of racial justice in our work as well. Dream Defenders is a useful organization because a fair amount of their resources and strategies are published online and easily accessible. In the future also a collaboration could be possible on some larger scale projects we work on.


6.

"National Popular Vote." National Popular Vote. 22 Jan. 2017. Web. 02 Feb. 2017. <http://www.nationalpopularvote.com/>


The National Popularity Interstate Compact is a legal movement that would ultimately rid the U.S of the electoral college system. It is a compact where states agree to give their electoral votes to the winner of the national popularity count in the presidential elections. This compact was a concept and movement that Student Union evaluated and is continuing to advocate for after the results of the election. This website is a place to get information and gain connections relating to the compact. We used this in the past to gain more information and out together workshop and strategy sessions with it and we will most likely continue to do that in the future and draw from this source. This is also a model of how we can frame and spread awareness of and issue or policy we would like to effect.


7.

Backpack Full of Cash. Dir. Sarah Mondale. Perf. Matt Damon. Turnstone, 2016. Film. Backpack Full of Cash. Web.


This is a film that came out recently (last year), which focuses on the privatization of American Public Schools. A large part of the film was filmed and based in Philadelphia and overall the film has a lot of information about the Philadelphia School system. The interviews and facts provide a greater understanding of the policies and how they impact students on the ground. This is useful for Student Union because it gives understanding of our own city and schools. We haven’t had a chance to watch it as a group yet, but it would be a great structure for a chapter meeting or citywide. Also the local based connections that put together the film could help Student Union with the media and promotion that we need.


8.

Https://www.facebook.com/6abcJeannette/?fref=ts. "Group Plans Daily Protests until Trump's Inauguration." 6abc Philadelphia. 14 Nov. 2016. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.

<http://6abc.com/news/group-plans-daily-protests-until-trumps-inauguration/1605348/>


This is an example of a successful action put together in Philadelphia relevant to issues that impact our communities. From this we can draw strategies and techniques that can help us build our own actions. Also Student Union attended this event so has a perspective on how the media may cover and address an event. Using this knowledge we can be aware of how to address and present our events and releases to the media and what we will get out of the media. Because media is such a crucial part of organizing work we must use articles and stories like this to understand how to use it to our advantage.


9.

"PA General Assembly." The Official Website for the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Web. 02 Feb. 2017. <http://www.legis.state.pa.us/>


This is the home site of the PA general assembly. This is a site where we can see the policies and the people that make decisions that impact our local community. This source is the most up to date information which makes it a great primary source for Student Union as we learn more and explore the policies and political landscape of the schools. In our city the school district is run by the state so the policies are directly impacting us as students. From this data based we have a solid source to build our arguments and back them with facts.


10.

Freire, Paulo. Pedagogy of the Oppressed. New York: Continuum, 2000. Print.<http://faculty.webster.edu/corbetre/philosophy/education/freire/freire-2.html


This source is the writing of Paulo Freire. This writing is a philosophy on education and society, it is basically addressing how education is done vs how it should be done. It breaks down what is wrong with the current set up of education and offers many solutions to the problem. This large scale visioning and philosophy is very important for us to understand as background. This is the starting point for building our grand imaginative vision for education and from there we can take the real world steps to build that. This source is still very relevant and Student Union teaches the concepts conveyed in this pedagogy through workshops and activities.

Alicia Jones Capstone

For my capstone I held weekly discussions every Tuesday during Y-band titled, Makeup Conversations. The slogan for the weekly discussion was, There is Diversity in Beauty. In order to cultivate these discussions I created lesson plans to research the origins of makeup. Inclusive of the historical connections of cosmetics to geography and related concepts we live by in the makeup artistry realm. Additionally, examining the conceptualization that makeup has on society today, both positive and negative. Also, including the social implications of using makeup and why we follow certain trends. The evidence of these discussions were my blog posts which are uploaded on my website.

The most challenging process of my project was completing the research. Furthermore, to come to an understanding of how we have transformed certain ingredients into our cosmetics. My goal for holding these discussions was to learn more about the significance and role that makeup plays in the life of an average SLA student. For clarification, anyone was allowed to participate in my capstone, whether they wore makeup or not. We discussed a range of topics, from the new “natural” look with using filters and touching on cultural appropriation: hair and beauty. Although, there were some difficulties with staying consistent with conversation dates, when the group would come together there was a highly resourceful amount of information to take away. My final presentation for the Makeup-Conversations is linked to my personal brand, Face By Lí, where you can find more details on my website.

Annotated Bibliography:

Britton, Ann Marie, "The Beauty Industry's Influence on Women in Society" (2012). Honors

Theses. Paper 86. Accessed February 2, 2017. http://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1085&context=honors


I found this source useful because it provides connections between women and the cosmetics industry. There were many scholarly resources such as experiments referenced by the author such as studies done between the influence of cosmetics and self-esteem. This source was highly reliable. Furthermore, the findings in the document were insightful, believable, and easy to understand. There were both positive and negative relationships explored in the research that were referenced. Providing an excellent scope on how cosmetics, women, the consistent use of makeup, and most importantly self-confidence are linked. In addition, the statistical result data given at the end of the paper.


Davis, LaPorchia C. "African American women's use of cosmetics products in relation to their attitudes and self-identity." Graduate Theses and Dissertations, 2013. Accessed February 1, 2017. http://lib.dr.iastate.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4215&context=etd.


This source was highly reliable to my research because it explored a number of theories and issues within their cultural indifference that could connect to self-image issues. Using the source struck out to me as important because all of the other sources I researched were surveying white women and there was no cultural range that could be a variable in the results. It provides information about the subjects memories and early experiences of using cosmetics. Which was highly unexpected to find in a graduate level research paper I thought. This made me want to continue to read and understand the text even more.


Dootson, Kirsty Sinclair. "“The Hollywood Powder Puff War”: Technicolor Cosmetics in the

1930s." Film History 28, no. 1 (2016): 107-31. Accessed Feb 1, 2017. doi:10.2979/filmhistory.28.1.04.


This source was very reliable because it details how the art of makeup being both on and off screen was complex to make sure the models were correctly shaded. Reading this also helped me understand the unpleasant shade range we already have and how it’s still expanding. It is a complication of being more than just a technical problem but a “ideological” one. Using this source provides a better understanding of what Max Factor and Elizabeth Arden were working on, rather competing to accomplish. When reviewing this I didn’t think it would explore so much such as naturalism in cinema, Pan-Cake Make-Up, nor provide so many examples of movies that has this problem.


Factor, Max. “How to acquire Sylvia Sidney’s Beauty Perfection,” Hollywood Magazine (Jan-Oct 1934), May 1934, 44. Accessed 1 Feb 2017. http://archive.org/stream/hollywood23holl#page/n275/mode/2up


This source helped me learn more about Max Factor’s techniques when it came to television productions. This source was reliable because it was written by Mr. Factor himself. Also, it has a example of what eye makeup should look like on different shaped eyes. In addition, this source is in a magazine about the trends of fashion and makeup in hollywood. One limitation of this source is that it is focused solely on Sylvia Sidney’s application of makeup. This article however does not exactly serve as a guide to “Beauty Perfection” because of the small window of certain styles look best on different eyes. Yet, considering the time period the application of makeup was still fairly being figured out.


Kaplan, Alyssa. "SiOWfa15: Science in Our World: Certainty and Controversy." Makeup and its Affect on Self Esteem. October 5, 2015. Accessed February 01, 2017. https://sites.psu.edu/siowfa15/2015/10/05/makeup-and-its-affect-on-self-esteem/.


Using this source helped me look deeper into more social experiments. I don’t think this source was completely reliable but it was helpful in understanding the social ramifications of wearing makeup in different environments. Plus, the anxiety that can follow with wearing a full face to certain places, such as school, over elsewhere such as a party. Also, it can make a woman feel like she isn’t pretty enough but this experiment draw conclusions to acceptance after not using makeup for a while. Although, there was no exact answer to have confidence effects makeup this study was made very similarly to the Ann Marie Britton honors theses paper on “The Beauty Industry's Influence on Women in Society”.


Poitevin, Kimberly. "Inventing Whiteness: Cosmetics, Race, and Women in Early Modern England." Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies 11, no. 1 (2011): 59-89. Accessed 2 Feb 2017. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23242188.


Using this source helped me identify how the art of makeup circled into Europe in around the 1500s. It also assisted me in understanding the crucial work of “whiteness” and how lighter shades were always over other shades (ignoring the aspects of racial disparity when it address class). However, when considering other races such as the Welsh the reasoning behind skin darkening were solely for entertainment. This source is highly reliable and serves as a timeline of the art that comes to whitening and darkening skin. It also provides specific terms for the products used back in history to “paint” their faces.


Korichi, Rodolphe, Delphine Pelle-De-Queral, Germaine Gazano, and Arnaud Aubert. "Why women use makeup: Implication of psychological traits in makeup functions." Journal of Cosmetic Science 59 (September 27, 2007): 127-37. Accessed February 2, 2017. http://journal.scconline.org/pdf/cc2008/cc059n02/p00127-p00137.pdf.


While reading this source I found it to be very scientific, with the use of its language and the structure of the article was set up much like an experimental paper which I did not expect. This source was helpful because reading the text may have been difficult but examining the tables of data results made it easier to follow along. Although this document was a a little more advanced than expected, it provides a clear conclusion following all of the data. One additional piece from this source that was also helpful was the evaluation of the subjects on their experience with makeup and how they gathered their qualitative data. Using an interview and different scales with a generous number of subjects provided a large range distribution of their data.


Schaffer, Sarah. "Reading Our Lips: The History of Lipstick Regulation in Western Seats of Power." 2006. Accessed February 2, 2017. https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/10018966/Schaffer06.pdf?sequence=1.


This source when first reading it did not come across as being completely reliable. Yet, as I continued to read it I understood the language being used about the purpose of regulations in different regions of the world with the connections to the time periods.  It provides as a document that explains the objective of regulations in makeup. I selected this source because it provides a clear timeline of what was happening around the world with lipstick useage. In addition, it details the laws and acts that were passed or even failed in making the the mandates of what could be in lipstick.


Silverio, Lauren. "Makeup's Effects on Self-Perception." OTS Master's Level Projects & Papers, 2010. Accessed February 3, 2017. http://digitalcommons.odu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1048&context=ots_masters_projects.


I selected this particular source because it was a graduate level paper and I was curious to how the author’s findings compared to others that I have already read. Some limitations of this source compared to others I have read was that the author left out a guiding question on how confident the subject feels not wearing makeup. Also, they all attended the same university in The Fashion Industry course. Without comparing this source to the others, it is more specific in its language. This source provides a precise definition of terms section which is different than what was expected. The findings in this source were very reliable to my research.


Russell, Richard . "Why Cosmetics Work." In The Science of Social Vision. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. 2011. Accessed February 3, 2017. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/92a2/4b62927d0f438258c4f9f0bd16c00955ec31.pdf.


I chose this source because it provided a very specific context in the introduction. This source also provided paradox of cosmetics which is something I’ve also wondered about and wanted to touch on in the discussions during my capstone. Also this chapter goes in depth about sexual differences within facial recognition. In which, to draw connections and conclusions on how makeup is to facial attractiveness, not much by sex. However, the relation can still be made because of women using makeup over men. This source wasn’t all that I expected it to be but it was highly useful and very reliable to understanding some paradoxes in cosmetic usage.


Juliana Concepcion Capstone

During this past year, I began to gain a love for all things sound design. I loved recording and editing the sound in my film projects, listening to the beats playing in Mr. Herman’s classroom, and seeing many of my friends make their own music. A month into my senior year, I knew that for my Capstone, I would produce an EP, and score as many short films as I could.

By exploring sound design through film scoring and music production, I opened up a whole new world of possibilities for myself. I made it my goal to learn the music software “Logic Pro X,” which I had not previously used before. I did not get as far as I’d hoped to be in learning the software, but I surely know a whole lot more from when I first started. Considering it’s a heavily loaded software, I’m proud of the progress I’ve made with it, and I am motivated to continue learning how to use it.

It was difficult a lot of times to find a good balance between my capstone, school, and career work time, I have learned that that is just a part of life, however, and if I really want to master the craft of sound design, I’ll have to put in a lot of extra work, which means a lot of extra time. My EP, which includes six songs, and website, which includes a full portfolio of the work I did this year, are linked below.


Works Cited

Carter, Tiann "Shaking off the Dust - Sampling Vinyl." DJ TechTools. March 12, 2015. Web. January 30, 2017.

http://djtechtools.com/2015/03/12/shaking-off-the-dust-sampling-vinyl/

This source was useful to me because it provided me with a basic breakdown of sampling in hip hop. It showed me where I should look to find specific kinds of samples, giving me specific genres of music to look out for if I’m trying to give me music a certain kind of sound. It also pointed me towards looking at vinyl to sample from, and I have a couple old records that I can use, but I don’t have all of the equipment. So I will probably stick to digital sampling from youtube from funk, soul, jazz, and classical genres of music. For good drum sounds, it says I should look into “classic tribal tracks or 90s tribal house.”


Caswell, Estelle. “Kanye deconstructed: the human voice as the ultimate instrument.” Vox. September 1, 2016.

http://www.vox.com/2016/9/1/12735222/kanye-west-human-voice-instrument

I watched this tutorial back in September and was very fascinated with the breakdown of Kanye West’s use of the human voice as the “ultimate instrument” in his music. I learned how that earlier in his music, he often used the actual human voice from different samples, and then he transitioned to using synthesizers somewhere in the middle of his career, and now he uses a good combination of both. I think what I’m trying to do is to start out using samples of people’s voices, because I haven’t quite figured out how to make use of good synths yet. So, I am probably on the same track, and it’s interesting to see how that process plays out for producers.

Fox, EJ. “How to use samples to make a beat with Logic X, Ultrabeat, and EXS24.” Youtube. October 2, 2013.

https://youtu.be/I7Si3DKkF0Q?list=PL6CG7jEhI9V4qd9T5ObZl2dLSOhvedb5E

This tutorial introduced me to the Ultrabeat plugin, which has become so useful for me in loading up samples so that I can create beats from them. It also gave me a refresher on using the EXS24 plugin to load up my sample to first. Ultrabeat lets me have a smooth workflow though, and it has a lot of good presets as far as drum kits go; they’re more diverse than what’s in the standard logic library it seems, for some reason. I’m not sure if I’m going to use them because I’ve transitioned into using sampled drum sounds, but it’s a good backup option to have. This tutorial was also useful in helping me see how to play samples over a loop.


Goodz, Piffery. “Chopping Samples, Time Stretching & Sample Pitch (Transpose) In Logic Pro X #DailyHeatChecc.” Youtube. August 4, 2013.

https://youtu.be/CVU_N1EnQME

This has been one of the most useful tutorials I’ve watched on youtube for getting acquainted with Logic Pro X and its features so far. This tutorial taught me how to chop up a sample properly, and it showed me which settings I should use if I’m trying to achieve a higher or lower pitch with my sample. I also figured out how to control the different parts of my sample in a multi-output mixer at the bottom of the DAW, so that might be useful for me so I can keep my sample organized as I’m editing and adjusting it.


Heal, Michael. “Every Sample on Kanye’s ‘The Life of Pablo.” Genius. February 16, 2016.

https://genius.com/a/every-sample-on-kanye-s-the-life-of-pablo

Watching this short video helped me to get a feel of how Kanye samples old songs in his songs. Kanye West is pretty much a master at the art of sampling, so that is why I looked to this video first as opposed to sampling techniques of other artists. The article also broke down how many times he’s sampled a certain artist, and gave a breakdown as to where each sample came from and how Kanye achieved the sample in editing. This will be very helpful for me in my search for good samples and sampling techniques.


Moseley, Roger. “Play Again?” Keys to Play: Music as a Ludic Medium from Apollo to Nintendo, University of California Press, Oakland, California, 2016, pp. 236–274, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1kc6k47.9.

In reading this source I was given a different perspective on how music connects with us on more than just a surface level. Sometimes sound is meant to emulate a certain picture in our minds, or it reminds us of something in our childhood. This source even points out that the ways in which a lot of music is being made now (electronically) is almost like this childlike way to make music, because it’s not “sophisticated.” However there is something to be said about new keyboards/music machines having a similar look and feel to toys. It evokes the childlike, creative parts of us, and takes us back to primitive ways in a sense with the simplicity of it, but at the same time such machinery really is sophisticated. It makes me think about my MIDI keyboard and how I feel using that rather than the computer keys to make music. It’s helped my creative process so much more.


Patteson, Thomas. “‘The Joy of Precision’: Mechanical Instruments and the Aesthetics of Automation.” Instruments for New Music: Sound, Technology, and Modernism, University of California Press, Oakland, California, 2016, pp. 18–51, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1ffjn9k.6.

This is an article about instruments being seen more as self-creating machines, rather than a tool for musicians to use. It tells of how instruments fell victim to the aesthetics of machinery. One quote that really stuck out to me in it is, “If today’s arts love the machine, technology, and organization, if they aspire to precision and reject anything vague and dreamy, this implies an instinctive repudiation of chaos and a longing to find the form appropriate to our times.” I’m thinking that I can use this quote somewhere within my capstone, and form some more opinions and thoughts around it.


Schmidt, Patrick. “What We Hear Is Meaning Too: Deconstruction, Dialogue, and Music.” Philosophy of Music Education Review, vol. 20, no. 1, 2012, pp. 3–24. www.jstor.org/stable/10.2979/philmusieducrevi.20.1.3.

I was introduced to the idea of “listening vs. mis-listening” in this source. The author claims that they are not opposites of each other, but rather that “mis-listening” is just a different form of listening. The author claims that mis-listening is essential for deconstructing music and creating a dialogue for music, and dialogue is essential to music. Music is like a language itself. By mis-listening we can open our minds to different ways to hear or create things, and different ways in which we interpret sound. This is an important thought for me to keep in mind during production, and it is an idea that I will come back to every time I listen to what I’ve made.


STEEZYASFUCK. Youtube. Web. February 2, 2017.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsIg9WMfxjZZvwROleiVsQg

This youtube channel posts beat tapes almost daily, and I listen to a new one almost every day, or at least every week. Looking out for what other artists are doing and listening to the techniques they use is crucial for the process of production. I take a little bit of inspiration from each track I listen to. This channel consistently helps keep my creative process on track, and it ensures me that I will not fall into a creative slump- which I did find myself in earlier this year. Since I’ve discovered this channel though, I’ve been on top of my creative process.


Vanilla. “Sweet Talk.” Bandcamp. September 6, 2014.

https://vanillabeats.bandcamp.com/album/sweet-talk

This album has served as a lot of the inspiration for my deciding to make my capstone about music creation. I began listening to Vanilla last year and this quickly became my favorite album of his. He expertly cuts up soul samples and creates a tape that is interconnected with itself; each song leads into the next one. I’ve spent hours studying this album for it’s smooth beat transitions and high pitched samples. Piano intros and outros are weaved in so smoothly. The producer also uses nature sounds, such as rain, to enhance his beats. I take a lot of inspiration from this album, especially with how all of the songs feel like they fit perfectly together with one another.