Humans of CalSateLA Project
Abril Montoya
Sociology 2010-14
California State University, Los Angeles
Humans of CalSateLA Project
Introduction.
Humans of CalStateLA Project is based on the Humans of New York Research Project in which a photographer interviewed thousands of people who lived in New York and asked them stories regarding their lives. The Humans of CalStateLA Project is similar in the sense that interviews were conducted to see how diverse the campus truly is and what it means for every individual and for the university as a whole. The project captures different identities of people and how they simply see themselves, contributing to what a greater base structure that the campus is founded on and known for compared to other CSU campuses. The study was conducted through a pair of questions and identifying the difference within answers and the personal opinion of how they view diversity. A person’s stated identity does affect their meaning of diversity to the Cal-State University LA Campus because they provide the campus with a unique culture and working environment than other less or non-diverse places. The variety of identities creating diversity whether in race, gender, ethnicity, class, disability, or major caused the Cal-State University of Los Angeles to be accepting as well as well adapted to differences which has created greater learning perspectives for many students.
Literature Review.
The supporting sources that I used to understand my topic were socialization, social cohesion, social solidarity, and culture, all which were found in Discover Sociology, written by William J. Chambliss. Socialization allowed me to comprehend my topic of diversity within a school and the identity of an individual because it provided the reasoning behind someone’s identity or idea of what their identity is. It presented the matter of how as one grows, they are still adapting to life, however along the way, other people are shaping them on how to be or on things they should not follow. It states how one’s identity is based off factors from every day, whether it is people or situations without their knowledge. Social cohesion gave me the understanding that the more network of people you know, especially coming from a campus that is very diverse, it will allow for one to succeed and have more resources as well as opportunities. Solid solidarity gave me the grasp of how each person in a greater group has a function themselves that serves the group. In other words, people’s distinct qualities help bring a small portion of function to their class due to dependence and even as learning experiences from the difference ways of things get done. One last supporting source which helped me understand the topic of diversity was culture because it showed how just like socialization, people from a common or familiar grouping that they belong to, help create our own inner selves; it still creates differences from each person in the group depending on the reaction to the commonalities (Chambliss, 2018).
The theory and method used to conduct this research is based on the culture of the city of Los Angeles itself. The city is extremely mixed which gave a representation and insight of how the campus of Cal-State University of Los Angeles is, with highly diverse neighboring cities. The interview process for the research aspect was a visual and audio recording of 20 to 30 seconds of a student of the California State University of Los Angeles in which they answered the following two questions: 1) What is your identity or how would you respond to the question who am I? 2) Please describe, very briefly, what diversity means for you on the Cal-State University LA Campus. The sample design designated to the class was for the project to consist of choosing five students currently enrolled that provided all different aspects of diversity. The five following were the selection of the interviewees: a person who you trusted, had the same or similar ethnicity as you, one that did not resemble your identity, member of any athletic team of CSULA, and a member who identified with the LGBTQ community or the other gender group. It was formalized to prevent the rising apprehension of one culture or something we were similar to when going around campus, and meeting new people, different from us. The class of Sociology 2010-14 had to take a survey, the Racial Diversity Feedback Program Survey, which tested how your conscience played into recognizing and relating words to certain types of people in a fast pace to prevent yourself from thinking the questions; it also contained a certain part that involved a series of questions regarding your upbringing surrounds as well as your opinion of both whites and blacks.
Results.
The overall responses indicated that many students of Cal-State LA do truly believe this school is well-diverse as well as how they believe coming to a diverse school actually opens their perspective. They’ve stated how attending, not only a school in the city of Los Angeles but this university in particular, allowed their working environment to become greater because they learned different ways of learning material based on culture as well as the influence people with various backgrounds have provided them. The five people whom were interviewed felt a sense of accepted and comfort of being their true selves because of how diverse and unique everyone was. The interviewees complimented how the collaborations and involvement of people who do not identify with them gave them a better sense of morality and network of people.
Results: Interviews.
One interviewee, the athlete, presented her opinion on how being able to play soccer with people with different ethnicities as well as major was extremely great. She felt how playing with others who are different from her, presented a different drive internally and how she enjoyed seeing the difference of playing styles each learned and brought into every game and practice. It allowed her own game to improve and change to fit a bigger style of what makes the team whole. Another interviewee, the person who I trust, Patricia Jimenez, stated how one can easily see diversity as soon as you step into any walkway of campus which felt welcoming seeing people interact with others with such ease. However, one interviewee, different from my background and from my own identity, did deviate from the average responses that were mainly placed in the discussion board. She moved from Dallas, Texas and state that in attending Cal-State LA, one can definitely see diversity, however she felt her hometown was more diverse and not just dominated by a specific ethnicity.
Results: Theory and Null Hypothesis.
My findings do fit the theory causing me to accept the null hypothesis. The interviews successfully reassured my hypothesis on how the person’s stated identity does affect diversity by giving each person a sense of uniqueness but still allowing them to feel part and make a difference in Cal-State LA. It fit my theory for the fact that with the campus being in a city like Los Angeles, the diversity rate would be high since many locals attend. It continued to fit the theory of Cal-State LA being more diverse and accepting than other CSU’s since the chance of finding people of your ethnicity, but also befriending others and adjusting to differences is a high probability. Theory as a part, leading to the hypothesis, proved that the hypothesis itself was even more diverse. Overall, it allowed more student to step in an environment where they can be themselves and interact with students that were nothing like them, resulted in helping both different yet similar diversity.
Results: RDFP Survey.
My results for the Racial Diversity Feedback Program (RDFP) Survey was “No automatic preference for White or African American”. The results in my opinion were accurate because I do not have a preference, I get along and communicate well with different people equally since I never judge them based on physical appearance nor ethnicity, but rather their logic and how they are towards me. My results matched the average answer the majority of the class received which also was “No automatic preference for White or African American”. Fifty percent of the class, ones who actually completed the survey received that answer, however there were a few deviant answers that made up what was the second majority of survey results, “Slight preference for White”. The results of the RDFP Survey showed how many students are open to communicating and accept various types of people, not just have a specific preference.
Discussion.
The project went well with the matter of finding people to interview and specifically finding people that fit the five categories required because how of diverse the campus is. I was able to easily notice the differences and just up to them and ask for a few seconds of their time. They were really helpful with participating and wanting to know about the project itself that they would ask me many questions on how the project worked as well as what it would answer. If I could do anything difference, I would give myself more time to prepare and work with the person getting interviewed before the recording There were a few times in which the interviewee did not comprehend the questions or how to answer the questions, causing varies takes.
Conclusion.
In conclusion, one’s stated identity does impact their meaning of diversity because it showed their own specific qualities as an individual but one who enjoyed and benefitted from the mixture of people on campus. Many factors, such as socialization, social cohesion, social solidarity, and culture presented my understanding of diversity because it showed how every identity is formed through inherited traits from others you collaborate and interact with others. The interview process of recording five different people elaborated on my theory and led me to accept the null hypothesis. Many students presented the idea of how this university is highly diverse, a main component of their reasoning to attend when compared to other CSU’s.
References
Chambliss, William J. (2018). Discover Sociology. London. SAGE Publications, Inc; Third edition