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A Multicultural Undergraduate Research Project from a First-Year Seminar

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A Multicultural Undergraduate Research Project from a First-Year Seminar International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education 2017, Volume 29, Number 1, 162-176 http://www.isetl.org/ijtlhe/ ISSN 1812-9129 When Twitter Meets Advocacy: A Multicultural Undergraduate Research Project From a First-Year Seminar Sarah Maben and Lora Helvie-Mason Tarleton State University Two professors share how they combined Web 2.0, multicultural themes, and undergraduate research in a first-year seminar. The professors explain the “perfect storm” of a project in which undergraduate students collected and analyzed tweets from advocates for various multicultural causes to produce their first collegiate research project. Capitalizing on student interest in social networking, professors aimed to meet multiple student learning objectives and satisfy an overarching theme of multiculturalism for the first-year seminar at a university in the southwestern United States. Students analyzed Twitter handles for causes or individuals advocating for causes related to social, political, and humanitarian efforts. Using basic qualitative and quantitative approaches, students wrote undergraduate research papers and presented their findings about how their cause and advocates used Twitter. The article provides project and assessment rubrics, ideas for improvement, and tools for replication. As we consider the new face of activism in a communication. In 140 characters, anyone with a digital age and the impact of social media on college mobile device and Internet connectivity can microblog students, instructors of a first-year seminar course about topics ranging from individual musings, developed a project where students conducted research strategic messages for a company or organization, or on the use of Twitter as a channel for advocacy. news and information. With streaming, real-time Capitalizing on student interest in their social media content, Twitter provides viewers with the opportunity feeds, professors aimed to meet multiple student to examine multiple outlets and various perspectives learning objectives and satisfy an overarching theme of on a single topic from anywhere. With or without a multiculturalism for the college’s inaugural first-year Twitter account, people can follow users’ messages or seminar at a university in the southwestern United specific hashtags (labels used for searches and States. Social media, or social networking sites (SNS), aggregation) on the free web. Users can follow a provide a modern way to connect students to current variety of other users, or Twitter handles, which issues related to advocacy and multiculturalism, as well include individuals, news agencies, governments, as show students strategic uses of one medium. The companies, nonprofit organizations, and causes. Users undergraduate research component added learning can reply to messages, retweet them to their own outcomes tied to critical thinking, writing, and oral followers, and “favorite” them. Twitter’s multi-way presentation skills. communication makes it an ideal platform for Social networking sites encompass the web-based spreading awareness and advocating for causes. and mobile applications that connect, engage, and Twitter has moved beyond its capabilities as a distribute user-generated content digitally in a multiway sheer communication tool. It offers a democratized communication model (Boyd & Ellison, 2007; Davis, mass communication vehicle where anyone can be a Deil-Amen, Rios-Aguilar, & Gonzales Canche, 2012). producer and curator of content. Traditional The most popular SNS among American adults who use gatekeepers at legacy media like newspapers and TV the Internet include Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, stations are not selecting the content to disseminate on Instagram, and Twitter (Duggan, Ellison, Lampe, their pages and networks. Everyday citizens become Lenhart, & Madden, 2015). In its most recent report, news agencies for their followers. They can live-tweet Pew Research Center estimated 23% of American events as they are unfolding, sometimes before the adults who are online use Twitter (Duggan et al., 2015). trained legacy media professionals arrive. Twitter users This is an increase from the estimates in a 2013 study in offer other perspectives and eye witness reporting from which about 18% of online American adults used areas of unrest or controlled media. Everyday citizens Twitter (Duggan & Smith, 2014), and Twitter estimates become public relations agents promoting and 288 million monthly active users, with 77% of accounts marketing wares, events, and ideas. And on Twitter, outside of the U.S. (About Twitter, n.d.). they can become modern-day activists. All that the would-be activist needed is a cause, mobile device, free The Nature of Twitter Twitter account, and Internet access. “The Internet and digital technologies open the door for everyday citizens Twitter, a micro-blogging site at the center of this to rally support for an initiative, and in so doing create project, is used for advertising, personal, and mass large networked communities of normal people with Maben and Helvie-Mason Multicultural Undergraduate Research Project 163 shared beliefs” (Carew, 2014). In other words, the violence by using the hashtag to join the larger conversation. activist’s megaphone now reaches the masses. The hashtag #SolidarityIsForWhiteWoman spurred conversation about feminism and race: Social Media and Advocacy I can’t say what will result from The Internet and, more specifically, social #SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen, but I do know that networking sites have widened the “civic space” Twitter is changing everything. Now, people are (Nugroho, 2011). Social media sites have become rich forced to hear us and women of color no longer forums for conversations about social change. need the platform of white feminism because they Advocacy ranges from politics to social causes to have their own microphones. (Vasquez, 2013) human rights. Zhang (2014) points out that online activism differs from previous activism, citing no Hashtags on Twitter can illuminate issues within centralized leadership, large-scale demonstrations, or issues, as well as issues receiving little attention like those radical change. Instead, online activism “emphasizes illustrated by Loza (2014): poverty (#EconomicViolence), collaboration, civic participation, and social and racial and sexual stereotypes (#NotYourAsianSidekick), cultural change” (292). cultural invisibility of Latin@s (#SecretLivesofFeministas), In 2011, Alterman described social media’s Black sexism (#BlackPowerIsForBlackMen), media bias presence in political changes within the Middle East. (#NotYourNarrative), the sexual exploitation of black girls He noted that Twitter and other social media sources (#FastTailedGirls), and the erasure of trans women were often used as a supplement to traditional media (#GirlsLikeUs). (such as television). This pairing of new media with Twitter has power and reach. Cheong and Lee traditional outlets led to a change in the way viewers (2010) found a link between activism on Twitter and an considered current events. Alterman described the role Australian Earth Hour movement. They concluded that of social media, noting the following: Twitter activity can be translated into action, and activism on the platform can influence people. Harlow …[W]hile there has been considerable (2012) found that a social movement on Facebook concentration on the role social media played in moved from the online realm to offline, and Facebook allowing people to receive content, analysts have could foster political activism in Latin America. not placed enough emphasis on the importance of It did translate into action in the cases of Whole social media’s enabling people to send content, Foods Market and the University of California. Kang transforming them from observers of activism to (2012) researched a boycott of Whole Foods Market activists themselves with a greater stake as leaders, that trended on social media. A Facebook group and not just followers, of unfolding events (104). Twitter handle called “Boycott Whole Foods” became a national movement. Kang asserts that “social media Iran’s 2009 national election linked Twitter and also offer a space in which enclaves encounter activism on the international stage. CNN’s article, opponents and subject their ideas to scrutiny” (564). titled, “Tear Gas and Twitter: Iranians Take Their Another example is that social media fueled a walkout Protests Online,” talked about a new form of protest: at the University of California that resulted in a $500 million funding restoration (Samuels, 2011). Iranian protesters have found a new outlet to mobilize The activism aspect of social media dovetailed and take action. The presidential election has proved nicely with first-year seminar learning objectives to how much opposition supporters can demand change explore multiculturalism, understand and analyze data, without necessarily taking to the streets. Just give and deliver effective written and oral communication. them a computer and an Internet connection and Students at a semi-rural university in the Southwest watch what they can do. (Nasr, 2009) could listen to content creators from across the globe, enabled to promote a cause with little necessary Gaffney (2010) questioned to what extent Twitter infrastructure. Students could also view conflicting or played in the “Twitter revolution.” He added, “by competing activists for multiple sides of an issue. shedding light via the transmission of imagery and Dunbar-Hester (2010) said, “Technologically
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