Wish me Luck

The wonderful, terrible thing about my life right now is the conflict between desire and realistic ability: I would love to study non-stop, without sleep for (3 out of 4 of) my classes. The unfortunate reality is that eventually my brain stops functioning and demands of me that I let it rest...so I go for the minimum of about 3 hours of sleep.
Wish me luck...

Following is a very loose schedule for the research I will be doing for one of my awesome classes: Digital Ethnography. My research will center around the question, "Is it worth it?" "It" being education. Is the time we spend in education worth it? It is worth it to try and proliferate the world with the western (global north) concept and experience of education. Also, the word "worth" acting as a pun intended to reference the emphasis which the education system places on materialism: material worth.

Week 1 (THIS WEEK!):

• e-mail Sadia Ashraf/Brian Seredynski about interviewing Sadia Ashraf, Tauheed Ashraf, or Greg Mortenson, founder of Central Asia Institute (CAI), about the purpose accomplished by building secular schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. 
• e-mail Ethan Casey, author of several books on Pakistan and soon a book about Haiti, (via his secretary Ben) regarding interviewing him on his perspective on outside nations building schools in Haiti and Pakistan. 
• contact Sean Ahmed about getting an interview regarding his idea of development and education, as well as his perspective on CAI. 
• Meet with Dr. Alisa Garni to discuss education's place in development. 
• Re-read books Three Cups of Tea, and Stones into Schools regarding CAI, gaining background for interviews with one of the Ashrafs or Mortenson, as well as perusing for information on the topic. 
• Read Casey's books Alive and Well in Pakistan and Overtaken by Events, for background for interviewing him or his secretary. 
• Begin reading Mediated
• Research statistics on the relationship between happiness and development.
• Research the meaning of the word "development."

Week 2:

• inshallah, interview Ethan Casey and someone from CAI
• brainstorm ideas for footage, and begin taping
• read commentary and criticism on CAI
• email the Hope Center in KC regarding the purpose of education in achieving their goals (which are?) in KC.

Well...this project will most likely take more than two weeks...just a guess. This is what I have so far. I can guess that I am giving myself too much to do in each week's time. That's why I say...wish me luck...

-Nate Bozarth

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