Time really flies and it's been another great semester for me! (Sigh... still can't believe I'm a sophomore already.)
So now I guess it's time to reflect upon this whole semester and show what I've done and contributed to this class. All my classmates have been contributing a lot for sure and made this class really fun throughout the semester. I couldn't imagine what the class would've been like without their active participation and impressive discussion. But I think I've done a great job so far too.
We had about 10 weekly blog posts so far. The proposals, where I brainstormed and summarized ideas for all my projects, definitely helped me build well-organized websites. And I also did a lot of research, finished all the readings and contemplated a lot by writing Friday blogs, which was reflected in my critical mini-essays.
For the first project, I did Gender on Screen. I still remember talking about YouTube, the website I usually don't have access to in China but is so important to me. There are so many talented vloggers on YouTube and my favorite is absolutely the makeup artist, Michelle Phan. I started watching her videos simply because I have a huge passion for makeup, but her story and her positive attitude towards life truly inspired me. There are certainly inequalities between genders in advertisements and film industry, on television, YouTube, not only on screen, but also in other aspects of society. Still, we should see how much effort both men and women put in the areas that they're truly passionate about and how both genders strive to succeed on the screen.
For the second project, I made a documentary on the social media websites that the Chinese International students at Emory use and China's Internet censorship. Before I did the interviews, I didn't really know what they would be like. As I wrapped up in the end of the film, I personally don't think China would stop censoring the Net in a short time, so I actually expected my interviewees to be talking about the negative side of the censorship. But they all ended up pointing out the positive aspect, which impressed me. I really like how they critically think about the issue. Censoring certain information and monitoring internet access of individuals may be condemned as "walling ourselves from the progress", but, from another perspective, blocking these international rivals actually helps and benefits domestic Chinese websites and the local industry. And almost every single Chinese citizen knows what's happening in China and around the world. Also, a huge thanks to my classmates who gave me feedback on the film today. I'm really grateful for all the compliments and encouragement!
Our last project of activism is the one I want to share the most since I just finished it. After just finishing filming and editing the ethnographic documentary, I reflected a lot on the interviews I'd done as well as China's Internet censorship, and immediately started building up a new website. Unlike the second project, where I mainly focused on comparing the American and Chinese social media and China's Internet censorship, this final hyperessay emphasizes on the Umbrella Revolution that has been mentioned many times in the documentary, which I think is a good connection between the two projects. More significantly, before I did this project, though I've been in the United States and am exposed to all the information of the protests, campaign, social movements, etc., I didn't really know much about those that had happened in my own country since I've been very busy with school. Just like what my interviewees said, I, as well as a lot other Chinese citizens, definitely know what has happened, but just not very well. But now, through the process of doing my final project, I can proudly say that I know more about them! Therefore, this project doesn't only help me learn more about the society, but also makes me reflect and think.
So now I guess it's time to reflect upon this whole semester and show what I've done and contributed to this class. All my classmates have been contributing a lot for sure and made this class really fun throughout the semester. I couldn't imagine what the class would've been like without their active participation and impressive discussion. But I think I've done a great job so far too.
We had about 10 weekly blog posts so far. The proposals, where I brainstormed and summarized ideas for all my projects, definitely helped me build well-organized websites. And I also did a lot of research, finished all the readings and contemplated a lot by writing Friday blogs, which was reflected in my critical mini-essays.
For the first project, I did Gender on Screen. I still remember talking about YouTube, the website I usually don't have access to in China but is so important to me. There are so many talented vloggers on YouTube and my favorite is absolutely the makeup artist, Michelle Phan. I started watching her videos simply because I have a huge passion for makeup, but her story and her positive attitude towards life truly inspired me. There are certainly inequalities between genders in advertisements and film industry, on television, YouTube, not only on screen, but also in other aspects of society. Still, we should see how much effort both men and women put in the areas that they're truly passionate about and how both genders strive to succeed on the screen.
For the second project, I made a documentary on the social media websites that the Chinese International students at Emory use and China's Internet censorship. Before I did the interviews, I didn't really know what they would be like. As I wrapped up in the end of the film, I personally don't think China would stop censoring the Net in a short time, so I actually expected my interviewees to be talking about the negative side of the censorship. But they all ended up pointing out the positive aspect, which impressed me. I really like how they critically think about the issue. Censoring certain information and monitoring internet access of individuals may be condemned as "walling ourselves from the progress", but, from another perspective, blocking these international rivals actually helps and benefits domestic Chinese websites and the local industry. And almost every single Chinese citizen knows what's happening in China and around the world. Also, a huge thanks to my classmates who gave me feedback on the film today. I'm really grateful for all the compliments and encouragement!
Our last project of activism is the one I want to share the most since I just finished it. After just finishing filming and editing the ethnographic documentary, I reflected a lot on the interviews I'd done as well as China's Internet censorship, and immediately started building up a new website. Unlike the second project, where I mainly focused on comparing the American and Chinese social media and China's Internet censorship, this final hyperessay emphasizes on the Umbrella Revolution that has been mentioned many times in the documentary, which I think is a good connection between the two projects. More significantly, before I did this project, though I've been in the United States and am exposed to all the information of the protests, campaign, social movements, etc., I didn't really know much about those that had happened in my own country since I've been very busy with school. Just like what my interviewees said, I, as well as a lot other Chinese citizens, definitely know what has happened, but just not very well. But now, through the process of doing my final project, I can proudly say that I know more about them! Therefore, this project doesn't only help me learn more about the society, but also makes me reflect and think.