Research Process Narrative
I first started looking at contemporary world issues by focusing on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, one of the most prominent diseases in the modern age. I was researching connections to the epidemic when I stumbled across an article detailing the persecution of the LGBT community in Eastern Africa. I conducted research on the two topics and found that there is a strong link between the two. My research question explored the extent of the link between the two issues.
|
Once I delved deeper into my research, I quickly uncovered three dominant factors that established the strength of the link between the continuation of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Eastern Africa and the persecution of the LGBT community in that area. My goal in researching was to figure out how overcoming these three challenges would affect the link between the two issues. Could overcoming these challenges possibly even reduce the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Eastern Africa? I wanted to know.
To find the vast majority of my evidence, I found news articles on Reuters and traced them to the international periodicals that bought them. Researching through Reuters first also allowed me to check the dates on the news articles before I wasted time tracing an outdated article. I found many, many articles and created a multitude of note cards with the information I discovered. However, I ended up using only half of my note cards in my essay.
|
The most difficult step of the research project for me was organizing all of my note cards into coherent, flowing paragraphs. I had figure out which ones would form good paragraphs and then organize the paragraphs in the most effective order. Sometimes I struggled to find the perfect piece of evidence but changing my search query usually fixed that.
Since the completion of my essay, several new developments have occurred. Still angry over the crackdown on homosexuality in Tanzania, Denmark retracted a $10 million loan to Tanzania in response to “unacceptable homophobic remarks” ("Donors Cut Aid to Tanzania After Rights Crackdown”). Additionally, in mid-December, four U.S senators sought to form a “common front” in order to put pressure on the Tanzanian government (“Donors Cut Aid to Tanzania After Rights Crackdown”).
“Donors Cut Aid to Tanzania After Rights Crackdown.” Daily Monitor, Daily Monitor, 29 Dec. 2018,
www.monitor.co.ug/News/World/Donors-cut-aid-to-Tanzania-after-rights-crackdown/688340-4913870 iil7okz/index.html. 29 Dec. 2018 |
ELENA KELLY