Research Log #4

✰ Reflecting ✰

The year has come to an end! As unbelievable as it seems, I have successfully completed the year strongly!

Thoughts? Advice?

I won't deny it, there have been many ups and downs throughout this spring quarter, with all the all-nighters I had to pull and all the reading/research I had to do for my research project. Still, it has been a wonderful experience inputting my ideas and contributing to a topic I was truly passionate about. As a huge nerd for queer animations and manga, focusing on a source that has been one of my big interests throughout the past year was definitely worth it! Deciding on a topic that is truly something I am passionate about has helped me through the long process of a research paper.

Working on Alien Stage, as it is at its peak, really helped me stay motivated through the whole process. Being able to have an excuse to rewatch the series over and over again for my “research” was truly an interesting experience( when I tell you that I am obsessed with the series, I AM OBSESSED). If I had told my past, fall quarter, self (who dreaded writing the research paper) that I truly had so much fun writing this paper, I wouldn't have believed it!

The thrill I had in researching a topic that I genuinely had so much interest in led me to be eager to start writing the research paper, which oftentimes made me go above and beyond for my assignments (I wrote 14 pages for my first rough draft when we were only expected to write 5-6 pages…sorry Professor Short)

I had so many ideas and topics that I wanted to talk about and contribute to my research paper, but with the page limit that we had, I had to hold myself back and reduce the amount of writing and ideas I had, focusing on only one major topic of the series. So if the page requirement is something worrying to you future students, I would say to not worry too much about it. In the end, I, along with many other peers, struggled with reducing the number of pages instead of increasing it!

Complication of VIVINOS' official comics from twitter about Ivan being the most doomed, gay character ever (he will always be my favorite character)

So, to future students, picking a topic you truly enjoy and are intrigued by is extremely important. I cannot express it enough, writing about something that you are genuinely interested in will help you as a scholar to stay motivated through the whole quarter. For instance, although my source did not have any secondary sources, I still chose my source because it was something that I was interested in researching more and something that I was willing to analyze, despite the few sources I was able to gather. Do not feel discouraged if you struggle with finding information or ideas on what you can speak of in your research paper, instead, seek assistance from your instructors or professors!

Use your resources, take plenty of breaks, and you will all do great throughout the process for sure!

The more I reflect on the lectures from this quarter, the more I realize how this spring quarter

has included some of the most interesting topics that truly intrigued me as an individual.

The topic of family immigration, queer studies, and Disneyland were topics that I was the most excited about for this whole school year and I was not disappointed! Since I come from an immigrant family, and as a daughter of two Guatemalan immigrant parents, Prof. Fan's lectures truly felt like something I emphasized at a personal level. As for Prof. Ruberg's lectures, as a huge nerd for entertainment media and games as well as being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, I was immensely intrigued and excited by their topics. The topic of queer worldbuilding in video games really caught my eye as soon as it was introduced since it assisted me throughout my research process, which focused on queer deviation seen in animated media. Overall, I truly enjoyed going to their lectures the most, especially when we had to play video games for homework (haha). I found Prof. Betancourt's lectures quite interesting. It was something I was not expecting. When he spoke about queer middle ages and connected it back to Disneyland's immersive rides(that I have yet to experience myself), it was quite intriguing! These three professors have helped me understand that worldbuilding can be seen anywhere and in everything! Although it was a bit challenging to comprehend at first, it became clear that all three lecture topics connected back with one another, how storytelling is a powerful form of worldbuilding: immersive stories and experiences that create particular views of the world.

VIVINOS' official art of Mizi + Sua because I adore them both

Worldbuilding throughout the year!!

The term "worldbuilding" is such a simple, yet complex idea.

From my understanding, worldbuilding is not just the process of creating or building literal worlds, but worlds that are reflected in our desires and perspectives, fictional or not. At the beginning of the year, my initial thought of the term worldbuilding only applied to "fictional" worlds, fictional stories and worlds that can be seen in science fiction, fantasy, manga, or video games.

However, as the course progressed, I realized that worldbuilding extends beyond the realms of fiction. My naive self was proved wrong when I participated in this Humanities course throughout the year since worldbuilding was introduced as a concept that focused on the worlds that we interact with. It surrounds complex layers of our reality, shaped by cultures, histories, and our imagination. We engage in worldbuilding every time we construct narratives through media, art, literature, or even politics. Through this lens, I began to see how worldbuilding can be found in our everyday lives, influencing our perceptions, beliefs, and aspirations. In essence, worldbuilding is both a reflection of who we are and an encouragement for shaping who we want to become in the real world.

I am proud to say that I have grown so much as a scholar and researcher !!

I have gained so much knowledge, which is reflected in the work that I have done throughout the year.

Initially, I had little to no experience in writing good analysis essays. But now, based on feedback and suggestions, it has become much easier to write a great essay or research paper that provides good evidence and contributes to scholarly conversations. I have always had a difficult time gathering evidence and making it strong, but I feel as if I have become much better at distinguishing what sources work best for my arguments.

As a thinker, my perspectives have become wider when it comes to different ideas. Before, I would only want to prove my perspective as the only "correct" way, but Humanities Core has helped me open up my perspective and view various sides of a story, not jump to conclusions, and actually reflect on the complexities of a specific idea.

Being a part of the program has not only boosted my academic work, but increased my everyday interactions with people and my understanding of the world around me.

✰ Although it is the end of this Digital Archive, the Journey Has Just Begun! ✰

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