interviews

            During our quick interview in class, I wasn’t exactly sure what to ask.  I have an idea of what I want to find out for this paper but I haven’t yet completely formed what questions I’m going to ask to get an answer.  So I came up with a few simple questions to just get a feeling for how an outsider (hearing person) may views someone in hard of hearing community.  The answer I got was bit surprising.  I discovered that for this particular person, she preconceptions of young people with hearing aids were not only hard of hearing but also some type of mental problem.  She did explain to me that this was because the only person she knows who has to wear hearing aids also suffers from some mental illness.  Still this association surprised me.   I’m now curious to ask a few more normal hearing people and see if they have similar misconceptions.  I’m glad I got a response like hers cause now I have a new question I can ask and perhaps another direction I can go in.    

Cultural Artifact

Everyone has seen an uncle, aunt, or grandparent fiddle with their hearing aids.  We all lose a bit of our hearing, as we grow old, it’s just the way life is.  What sometimes takes us off guard is seeing a younger person fiddling with their hearing aids.  As a culture, we just aren’t accustomed to seeing young people wear something labeled as an old person device.  I’ve found from talking to other young adults that are hard of hearing that they try to hide or take attention away from their hearing aids.  This was especially true with women who typically wear their hair down to hide their hearing devices.  This isn’t true with all young adults who wear hearing aids, some wear them with a sense of pride.  I’m guessing this comes from a similar mindset as people who modify their body as a way to stand out from society. 

            The history of the hearing aid goes back hundreds of years with the use of old horns to direct sound into ones ears.  Throughout the ages there has really been only two giant leaps in hearing aid technology.  The first pioneered by Alexander Graham Bell and his carbon microphone (telephone) and by Thomas Edison and his carbon transmitter.  This marked the first time that sound could actually be recorded, amplified, and played back.  As technology advanced so did the quality of hearing aids.  The next big leap in hearing aid technology came when Alessandro Volta discovered he hear a sound when he passed an electric current across his cochlear nerve.  From this discovery we now have the cochlear and auditory brain implants which electrically stimulate the auditory nerves creating the perception of sound. 

Humanities Symposium

            During this week past humanities symposium, I attended Dr Klefstand’s lecture on the works the Russian composer, Dmitri Shostakovich.  The goal of the lecture was to illustrate how Shostakovich used his music to depict the real tragedies happening in Russia under the Communist Party.  The Communist Party kept a very careful eye on the Russian arts, everything had to promote a strong, unified Russia.  Unfortunately the lecture didn’t go much into how Schostakovich’s music helped free the voice of the Russian people, mainly focusing on Schostakovich’s life instead.   We did listen to some of Shostakovich’s work, which was full of openness leaving a great deal of room for interpretation that many believe was purposely build into the pieces by Schostakovich in order to get his message out.    

mini ethnography

Sitting in a gazebo in the quad is my favorite spot to relax.  Between classes before noon there is little activity.  There are a few students also take the time to sit in the quad sitting quietly under trees and in gazebos reading, writing, doing hw, or taking a naps as they wait for their next class to start. All of them have large backpacks and/or purses at their side hinting that they probably live off campus and must carry everything they need with them all day long.  With little activity the squires and birds come down from their trees to play and prepare for winter.  There is one group of people setting up a hammock and talking very loudly.  I’m assuming they are freshman from Pembroke or Hail otherwise why would they be out here at this hour.  I feel like it’s fairly easy to spot a freshman at Belmont especially because they usually hang out in groups.  These groups are typically loud, full of energy, and doing something that weird (like setting up a hammock in the quad).   Some of the others sitting around quietly look at them with an annoyed expression silently wishing they would shut up.  There is an obvious annoyance among the animals as well towards this group, not a single animal will go within 25 yards of them.  I observe go out of its way in order to stay clear of this group. 

As the hour draws to a close there is a sudden burst of activity as classes let out.  Teachers and students all come out of their buildings and bustle off to their next class.  A few of the people who are relaxing with me get up and head off to their next class as others replace them preparing for their hour of relaxation.  Soon after the change of the hour the burst of activity dies off with the exception of a few people running late to their classes.  About 10 after the quad is back to the way it was., silent and peaceful.   

• What surprised me?  
• That there was a group of (I'm assuming professors of some kind) dressed in white lab coats walking around the quad.  I know we have a pharmacy and nursing program here but I have never seen anyone walk around campus in a white lab coat before. 
• What intrigued me? 
• That there was a group of men all dressed in back suits and sunglasses just standing off to the side having a conversation.   None of them was holding an instrument so I don't think it was for any musical performances.  My first thought was that the Secret Service was back on campus but I doubt that was the case.
•  What disturbed me?
• I didn't find anything in the quad that disturbed me, especially in the morning between classes.  I would bet that if I went out there at night, I might see some disturbing things.  

Project ideas

The main idea I've been playing with is the hard of hearing/deaf community, specifically in young adults. I recently became hard of hearing myself and have since just started to scratch the surface of the hard of hearing/deaf community. This project could also help out my future career goal of designing hear aids.