Research Method and Overall Experience of 2 student response and Be respect and understand and In your responses to this student initial posts, comment regarding the other students' reflections.  Feel free to quote a small portion (1-3 sentences) of the student’s post and comment on that.  (150 words) Phuong Nhat Tran At the beginning of this week, I felt finding references for my research paper was a little bit difficult. My topic is “women in mass media” and my research question is “Why women are affected by the media the most?” I tried to search articles that were related to my research question through Cypress Library, Gale Literary Sources, and I found two articles from this source. They are “Selling the self: women and the feminine seduction of advertising” of Kristine Blair and “Gender Issues in Advertising Language” of Nancy Artz. In addition, I also did another searching on other resources and found one more article that was “The Role of the Media in Body Image Concerns Among Women: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental and Correlational Studies” of Shelly Grabe. Overall, there was nothing resource that I thought it was the least helpful this week. However, I thought the Gale Literary Sources of Cypress Library was most helpful for me because it provided me two articles. During finding sources, I used keywords, such as “women”, “media effects”, and “advertising”, and I refined my keywords as I went along. Moreover, I also found more keywords, such as “meta-analysis” and “body image”. The database provided the most material for my topic was the result of the experiment in the article “The Role of the Media in Body Image Concerns Among Women: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental and Correlational Studies”. I did not find sources from credible Internet sources. According to these article, I was able to find specific statistics to add to my essay. My impression overall of my research experience is writing a research paper is not easy and requires the writer to take time and follow the procedure to achieve it. Research Method and Overall Experience of 2 student response and Be respect and understand and In your responses to this student initial posts, comment regarding the other students' reflections. Feel free to quote a small portion (1-3 sentences) of the student’s post and comment on that. (150 words) Nicole Conde I had to research on my topic of, the impact of social media on society. I was surprised how difficult it was to actually find some research. Being that this topic is so relevant in this day and age, I thought I would find what I needed much easier. I read online day and night researching different things, but mostly things related to medicine. I am also very used to Google as a go to source, which I am sure is used most by everyone for quick information. I did find a good amount of information on the Pew Research Center which was very helpful. I ended up finding info that supported my points but was surprised to fin ...

1. Research Method and Overall Experience of 2 student response
and Be respect and understand and In your responses to this
student initial posts, comment regarding the other students'
reflections. Feel free to quote a small portion (1-3 sentences)
of the student’s post and comment on that. (150 words)
Phuong Nhat Tran
At the beginning of this week, I felt finding references for my
research paper was a little bit difficult. My topic is “women in
mass media” and my research question is “Why women are
affected by the media the most?” I tried to search articles that
were related to my research question through Cypress Library,
Gale Literary Sources, and I found two articles from this
source. They are “Selling the self: women and the feminine
seduction of advertising” of Kristine Blair and “Gender Issues
in Advertising Language” of Nancy Artz. In addition, I also did
another searching on other resources and found one more article
that was “The Role of the Media in Body Image Concerns
Among Women: A Meta-Analysis of Experimental and
Correlational Studies” of Shelly Grabe. Overall, there was
nothing resource that I thought it was the least helpful this
week. However, I thought the Gale Literary Sources of Cypress
Library was most helpful for me because it provided me two
articles. During finding sources, I used keywords, such as
“women”, “media effects”, and “advertising”, and I refined my
keywords as I went along. Moreover, I also found more
keywords, such as “meta-analysis” and “body image”. The
database provided the most material for my topic was the result
of the experiment in the article “The Role of the Media in Body
Image Concerns Among Women: A Meta-Analysis of
Experimental and Correlational Studies”. I did not find sources
from credible Internet sources. According to these article, I was

2. able to find specific statistics to add to my essay. My
impression overall of my research experience is writing a
research paper is not easy and requires the writer to take time
and follow the procedure to achieve it.
Research Method and Overall Experience of 2 student response
and Be respect and understand and In your responses to this
student initial posts, comment regarding the other students'
reflections. Feel free to quote a small portion (1-3 sentences)
of the student’s post and comment on that. (150 words)
Nicole Conde
I had to research on my topic of, the impact of social media on
society. I was surprised how difficult it was to actually find
some research. Being that this topic is so relevant in this day
and age, I thought I would find what I needed much easier. I
read online day and night researching different things, but
mostly things related to medicine. I am also very used to
Google as a go to source, which I am sure is used most by
everyone for quick information. I did find a good amount of
information on the Pew Research Center which was very
helpful. I ended up finding info that supported my points but
was surprised to find quite a bit of info also supporting the
other side of my point. That is probably what surprised me the
most. It also gave me some perspective as well regarding the
issue which was nice. I found other research under credible
medical sites as well. I will be looking forward to using the
Library resources for more research also.

3. Peer Review Questions for Project 3
Answer the following questions for your peer. Each number
must be completely answered (do not skip a question). You
should have an answer to the question and an explanation. If
you are doing this instead of a conference with Dr. Cooney, you
must follow these instructions in order to get credit. Otherwise,
you will be counted absent for two days.
1. Describe your favorite thing about this essay.
2. How does the author of the essay introduce the phenomenon
(the topic)? For example, does the author describe the
phenomenon in the introduction? How? Explain why you think
this introduction is successful or not.
3. Does the author do a good job of getting the audience’s
attention in the introduction? Explain why you think yes or no.
4. What is the thesis of this essay? Does it contain all 4 required
parts? (1-the word popular or a synonym, 2-the word
international or a synonym, 3-the word because, and 4-a reason
why this phenomenon is popular). Explain whether you think
the thesis is strong and clear or not.
5. How well does the author organize the body paragraphs? For
example, does each body paragraph contain one topic that
includes information from the primary source and sometimes
information from the secondary sources? Explain one thing the
author can improve on in the body paragraph organization.
6. Are there any body paragraphs that only contain information
from the secondary source(s)? If yes, explain which body
paragraph it is and suggest one way to fix the problem. If no,
explain how the author managed to keep control of the essay.

4. For example, explain that the author always introduces the topic
and explains it before they use a source.
7. Does the author use pictures or videos? Explain whether you
think these pictures or videos are adding positive value to the
essay or not.
8. Are the pictures or videos the correct size (1/8 of a page) and
formatted correctly (no extra space before or after the video)? If
no, explain which ones are causing a problem.
9. When you read the essay, do you feel that the author is
writing for an audience of people who enjoy the topic or
phenomenon? For example, if the phenomenon is a song, is the
essay talking to people who love music? Explain why you think
the author is successful or not at reaching their specific
audience.
10. Does the author include a conclusion that summarizes and
explains the argument about why this phenomenon is so popular
internationally? What is the best part of the conclusion? Explain
what makes that the best part and suggest one change or one
thing that can be added to the conclusion that will improve it.
Project 3: The Story of a Transnational Phenomenon (7-8 pages)
Context:
South Korean pop artist Psy’s smash hit single “Gangnam
Style” was more than just a song. It was a cultural phenomenon.
The video went viral on YouTube, garnering over 600
MILLION hits in just three months (YouTube.com). “Gangnam
Style” was remade and parodied by hundreds of people all
around the world. Psy’s popularity crossed over from South
Korea to many countries including the United States. He granted
interviews to the Today Show and the Ellen DeGeneres Show,
danced “Gangnam Style” with Britney Spears, and become one

5. of the most popular Halloween costumes of 2012. And through
that buzz in the United States, one thing remained the same: the
song was sung in Korean (not English).
“Gangnam Style” is one of the many K-Pop (Korean Pop) songs
in what Chinese journalists called the Korean wave (韓流), “a
phenomenon that refers to the onslaught of South Korean
entertainment in Asia and, more recently, in other parts of the
world” (Valerio). Despite differences in language, Psy’s song is
now a mainstay in popular (pop) culture in the United States
and beyond. However, Psy’s “Gangnam Style” is definitely not
the first K-Pop song to exist: groups like 2NE1 and BIGBANG
are certainly popular in Korea, but they did not make as big of a
splash as Psy’s hit. What was it that made “Gangnam Style” so
popular? Why Psy? Was it Psy’s appearance? The dance
associated with the song? The music itself? The lyrics? The
splashy, fun music video? Or is it the catchy concept, “Dress
classy and dance cheesy”? And what has been the influence of
this song on international music in the US since 2012 (Think
about “Despacito”)?
The purpose of this project is to explore the nature of popularity
by examining a transnational flow of something popular--a
situation that requires the negotiation of different values,
assumptions and tastes. What makes a popular artifact from one
culture “cross over” to other cultures? What makes the artifact
popular in the first place? Why are people drawn to artifacts
from certain countries? Why do people seek alternatives from
other cultures? What ideological, social, cultural, political,
economic, and/or historical factors affect the popularity of an
artifact in different countries? What makes one artifact
internationally appealing while other artifacts from the same
country do not gain the same kind of popularity? How does the
success of one artifact open the door for other artifacts from the
same country?

6. Assignment:
Write an essay that analyzes a transnational phenomenon: a
song, movie, blog, food, book, fashion style, celebrity, etc. To
do this essay well, you will need to explore the criteria that help
explain what makes a cultural artifact popular in one context
and consider how the same criteria may or may not apply to
another context. Then, choose your phenomenon. It should be
something that has crossed over at least one international
border. Once you have identified your phenomenon, you will
need to find two (2) articles or stories about it to find out what
has been said about it and its reception--both within its original
cultural context and in other countries. The literature may
include various media, including newspaper and magazine
articles as well as blogs, parodies, or comments on interactive
websites. You may even find articles about the artifact in
academic journals. Then, using the sources you have identified
as well as your own analysis of the phenomenon, write an essay
that describes the phenomenon and explains why it has become
the international success that it has. You may also consider how
the artifact has been and can be adapted to audiences in
different locale. Based on your analysis, also consider its
implications for transnational pop culture as a whole, for other
pop culture phenomena from similar cultural contexts, or for the
future of the phenomenon that you have examined.
Objectives:
Through this project, you will learn to:
· Use discussion with peers to explore and develop ideas
· Synthesize ideas and information from multiple sources
· Engage in research in multiple venues, such as the library and
internet resources
· Explore an idea from multiple dimensions
· Analyze an artifact (object, concept) by developing or
exploring criteria
· Present your ideas and analyses

7. · Consider the implications of your analysis
Audience:
For this project, your audience will be readers of an
entertainment magazine. You could choose a publication that is
specific to the type of pop culture artifact you are examining
(e.g., movies, video games, or music). You could write for a
pop culture magazine in general that cuts across different kinds
of artifacts. You might choose a magazine or publication that is
specific to the particular culture where your artifact originated.
Or, you can write for an age-specific magazine, such as a
publication that targets college-age readers.
Your readers could include music lovers, movie buffs, or food
fanatics. Or, they might be members of a mass audience who are
curious about, interested in, or surprised by the shift in today’s
pop culture scene.
Organization:
There are several specific steps you should take to complete the
final written copy of this feature magazine article. First, get the
attention of your audience by identifying your chosen
phenomenon and explaining its transnational status. Next,
provide a detailed description of the phenomenon and how it has
been received in different cultural contexts. Then, write an
analysis of what makes the artifact popular. You may follow
with a discussion of how it may be adapted (if applicable).
Finally, include a discussion of the implications--what the
artifact says about transnational pop culture in general or about
pop culture from similar cultural contexts, or about the future of
the artifact under consideration.
Person and Tone:
You are writing an essay that is supposed to look like an article
in a magazine. Therefore, do not use first (I) or second (you)
person in this essay. Use third person (he, she, it) only.

8. Images and Videos:
You will need to include images and/or videos of your
phenomenon in this essay. You may include a maximum of 5
images and/or videos. Like Project 2, these images should not
be larger than 1/8 of the page. You will need to include your
images/videos in your Works Cited page.
Work Cited
Valerio, Anna Patricia. “Catching the Korean wave.”
Bworldonline.com. Business World Publishing Corporation, 20
Sep. 2012. Web. 29 Oct. 2012.