Courses

Sociology of Race and Ethnicity

Along with the Engaging Social Justice course, I chose to take this course for my social justice certificate. My main areas of study in this course were in regards to racial injustice throughout every aspect of our society. This course was eye-opening to me as it allowed me to understand the broad ways in which racism is ingrained within our society.

SOC 295: Final Project Summary

Final Project

My final project for this course discussed the media's portrayal of police brutality in the form of prejudice, racism, and stereotypes. This project allowed my group to dive beyond the surface of this issue and provide real life examples of how Black individuals are negatively portrayed in society through various news stories and articles. Issues of negative media portrayal have been an issue within our society for many generations. Through extensive research and the use of peer reviewed articles, my group had the ability to gather information that supported our research question.

On September 26, 2019, my class had the opportunity of visiting the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. This museum and memorial illustrates through interactive media, sculptures, videography, and exhibits the history and continued legacies of slavery, racial terrorism, and mass incarceration in the United States. Through this experience, I learned about the severity of slavery and the lasting impacts it has had on our society.

ASJ_ Memorial Assignment

"I Can't Breathe" an original poem by Tamara Barnard

"Meditating on my experience of visiting the Legacy Museum and National Memorial for Peace, I uncovered imagery and feelings of anger and confusion. I had these same feelings of anger and confusion when my cousin Botham was murdered and during my first Black Lives Matter protest in Atlanta, GA in May 2020. I wanted to explore themes of anger and confusion through this piece." Tamara Barnard

Ethics in Practice

Through this course, I gained clarity and reassurances in my ethical perspectives. I chose to take this course because I am interested in the ethical and moral reasonings rooted in controversial every day topics that are critical in understanding injustices to marginalized populations. Before taking this course I used to believe there was always simply a right and moral way to do things and then simply a wrong way. Because of this course, I have learned of the complexities of ethics and morality. This course certified my passionate beliefs about topics surrounding vulnerable and oppressed populations and pushed me to be more confident in my ability to diplomatically argue against those who may have different views. I discovered that when facing difficult decisions, I tend to act in accordance with the utilitarianist perspective. Before this course, I was dismissive of those who had completely different values than me. Now I consider educating and having academic discourse with those that I may disagree with.

TB_ Case "Moral License & Its Cousin Performative Action" --The Lady Vanishes Podcast

For this assignment, I listened to and analyzed an NPR podcast on moral licensing and performative action. This case discussed the ethics of sexism, homophobia, and racism in politics.

Case 7 "Not in My Back Yard -- Environmental Injustice and 'Cancer Alley"

For this assignment, I defended my position on environmental injustices with ethical reasoning and theories.

Case 31 "Does the Past Mean Never Having to Say We're Sorry? - Reparations & Apologies

In this assignment, I argued that African Americans are entitled to reparations from the United States.

TB Case: Sex Testing of Female Track Athletes for Tokyo Olympics

This case discussed the current requirement for female athletes to undergo "sex testing" for the Olympics. I argued for equity and justice for women affected by these sorts of unjust testings.

Methods in Gender Research

I also took this course to go along with my Social Justice certificate. My main areas of study in this course were racial bias and police violence. I chose to focus on this topic because of a sparked passion for social justice work inspired by the heartbreaking story of a man who was killed in his own home by an off-duty police officer who thought it was her own home. On September 6, 2018, my cousin, Botham Jean was in his home, eating a bowl of ice cream, when an off-duty police officer entered his apartment and shot him with her service weapon, killing him.

Methods Research Paper

2020 NCUR proceedings

Final Research Project:

Racial Bias & Police Violence

During a time of rising racial tensions and racially motivated violence in the United States and on Mercer University’s campus, I conducted this semester-long research project and hosted a discussion panel to raise awareness on the impacts of stereotyping and allow for Mercer undergraduate students to gain a better understanding of how racial bias operates and ties into police violence. Race is a sensitive topic that is not often openly discussed, yet it continues to play a major role in society. Through student survey responses, I generated questions for panelists including two faculty members, two student representatives, and the chief of the Mercer police department. Discussions like these proved to be important, as 300+ students, faculty, and administration were in attendance. Through this course, I learned how to, create, conduct, and analyze, ethical research, literature reviews, surveys, and interviews with Mercer undergraduate students. This research was accepted into the 2020 National Council of Undergraduate Research.

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