My Inquiry | urwt-fall2014

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This activity was conducted at the beginning of the semester in order to give us an idea on the different areas we would cover throughout the class. For each area, the group assigned would have to define the topic the best they could. This required thinking of all the areas where each word could apply. My group had the word “reflection.” We had to discuss what the word meant to each member of the group, then consulted the internet for its definition, and finally asked the rest of the class to define it.

The whole concept (though discussing reflection) was the first encounter with “inquiry” for the class. In this case, the inquiry was in the form of defining several different words.

The article this journal stemmed from left me with more questions than answers at first. It wasn’t until after a class discussion that the content in the article came clear to me. Many of my questions came from not understanding the entire purpose of the article. My professor wanted the class to focus more on the varying factors that contribute to identity it seemed. My focus, however, rested more on how it all related to education which effected my response.

After reading the article, I was left in disagreement with several aspects. Two of these are seen in the middle column when I challenged the statements dealing with prisoners and kids with ADHD. After the class discussion, I realized that it didn’t really matter how I felt on the topic. I was then able to redirect my focus to understanding the areas where a person’s identity forms.

Here my inquiry can be found throughout the entire composition. This was the final result of weeks of research and discussions in order to reach an answer to the question of how Americans identify with NFL teams.

Throughout the entire assignment, my questions evolved several times until I felt like they might lead to conclusive information dealing with my topic. Even after asking hundreds of fans the same series of questions in order to piece together key information, my final result still strayed from where I originally planned to take it. At the start I felt like I had a general idea of what the answers would be, but as I received more and more feedback I could see that I hadn’t accounted for countless areas.

Overall, the unforeseen information provided the biggest benefit to my paper even though it directed me away from my original intent.

This article was extremely difficult for me to relate to. I couldn’t grasp why Ying Ying was so set on having a different, more American name. To me, a name is just a label given to a person, place, or thing just so we know what one is referring to when in conversation. Many people can have the same name, but the identity of those people can be completely different. To Ying Ying, a name was a huge part of her identity and she wanted something that reflected her identity. As I’m typing this, I see myself making the connection that identity and personality are close to the same in my opinion which may be what is causing the disconnect in seeing Ying Ying’s logic.

Even still, Ying Ying seems to be trying to conform to American culture by choosing a more Americanized name, but this notion is contradicting in that most Americans live their whole life without changing their name aside from when a last name changes due to marriage.

The blog prompt challenged my opinion on my feelings associated with my name. For most of my life, I disliked my name based off the way it sounded as well as the difficulties it posed when trying to tell people my name. After sitting and thinking about where my name comes from and the various meanings it has besides what I have given it by owning it, I concluded that I actually like my name because of all the good it represents. When given the chance, I’m now proud to explain why my mother’s maiden name and my first name are the same.