Research incorporates elements, places, ideas, or emotions that have been thought or felt before and translating them into a thesis that is uniquely individual. Research uses developed information, but creates a new perspective on how this information should be seen and presented to the world. My comprehension of research has developed into studies that have taken me across the world, to discovering thoughts and emotions I have found residing within my mind and body. I have learned that research is unlimited in how it is approached and conceived.

 

My college research experiences began in the Honors 201 class, Introduction to Honors, with the significance the course put on scholarly research. I learned that research centers on finding legitimate sources that not only deal with a specific topic, but also focus on new ideas and perspectives that help to emphasize your own thesis. In this sense, I learned strategically that information must be analyzed carefully, as I developed beginning skills of information literacy. The act of synthesizing sources to support my own thoughts also advanced me in the beginning skills of successful information synthesis.                                                                                                                                                                                                  

 

The honors course, Worlds of Dance continued to further my research skills. The final research paper I wrote for class surrounded the false beliefs of the Lakota Ghost Dance by American westerners who misconstrued the dance as an act of impending violence. My thesis of the paper stated that the dance could have been saved if time could have been taken to learn what the dance truly meant to the Lakota people. This unique question was formulated through my previous knowledge of the dance that I had learned in class and through personal research. I was attentive in how I read through information, assessing it carefully and efficiently applying it to my thesis, proving my understanding of information literacy. I submitted an abstract of my research to the Undergraduate Research Symposium and disseminated my results to a small crowd at the spring 2016 event.                                                                                                                                                                       

 

During my junior year, I was able to develop another research project in the realm of the dance world. My research covered the harmful effects of the perpetuation of the ideal ballet body for developing dancers and audiences alike. My research included scouring through many credible sources. I was able to further practice information literacy in the strategies I have utilized that are effective in evaluating potential sources of research, such as how to narrow down research that will closely connect to my thesis and the use of sources that offer perspectives that will expand my work. I disseminated this research at the 2017 Undergraduate Research Symposium, improving my presentation skills compared to my performance at the URS the year before. I realized my strength in presenting personal research that I am passionate about, which has allowed me to grow to be proud of pursuing research within my major.                          

 

As part of my change project paper that I completed in the Honors 401 Seminar class, I volunteered at the local Echo Food Shelf to learn how food insecurity is a social issue in the Mankato community and in the scope of the nation. I utilized the strategy of deploying varied perspectives on this topic by having my project not only include research from informative, textual sources, but personal research in the form of interviews and  hands on experience during my time volunteering with the organization. I completed a higher level of information literacy during the process of compiling and conducting research by evaluating what potential sources of personal research or information from interviews could be utilized critically within my research to make it as potent and moving as possible.

 

 Throughout my junior and senior year, I had many opportunities to dive into a different form of research, creative/original research. My study abroad trip to Paris allowed me to capture and visual and physical understanding of the history and status of baroque and ballet dance in the history of Paris and how this has translated to my study of ballet in the U.S. today. Additionally, in group and solo dance project choreographic achievements, I have been able to connect to social topics like the immigration crisis and be inspired by site specific locations, like an abandoned house to emotionally and physically try to comprehend difficult issues. Creative/original research opened my  eyes to the intense amount of knowledge that can be revealed through the discipline of dance and the very rewarding nature of research that is conducted using all elements of the mind and body.                         

 

 My journey of orchestrating powerful research has grown with each project I have created. I have come to understand that research expands to areas of leadership and global citizenship in the ways that it can inform and change the way something is viewed and discussed, to the manner it can connect and broaden the understanding of cultural history. Within the honors program I have developed research that has involved information literacy, dissemination, personal research through volunteerism, and research that included travel and art as a medium to formulate creative/original research. I believe research above all, can be utilized as an agent for change and initiate the perpetuation of further understanding. I hope that my research in the future will continue to inform and inspire those that read, view, or experience it.