Final Blog Post: Catalyst for Change

As we approach the end of the semester I can say I have learned a great deal on the sexual violence present in India. My group focused our learning on the details of New Delhi gang rape case that occurred in 2012. Through the details of that case we then focused on the effect that this specific incident had on the general public. This specific rape case had an immense effect in the media and sparked the public eye. Through research of this case we then decided to take a step back and looked at the history of India and the development of the gender divide due to religious ideals and caste systems. We then continued our research on the effect of the New Delhi incident and incidents that have occurred since then. Because the 2012 incident caused such uproar we looked at the development of women’s rights in India and the political movements that have established since the occurrence. We then looked at the difficulties of changing the mindsets of the mass and problems that arise with old-fashioned thought. Protests and activism is incredibly important in the development of women’s rights and is required for governmental changes. Changes have been implemented but it is just the beginning for combatting the violence against women.
Working in a group can sometimes be difficult due to conflicting time commitments. However, working in a group was helpful in this project because it taught us as a group how to work collaboratively. Also it is always better to have multiple brains and ideas than just an individual’s thought. This created a space for discussion on the topic. I think the biggest challenge was to have a strong cohesive blog post due to different writing styles/tones but ultimately I think we all did a great job in understanding our topic. I think it was also interesting because our topic was intriguing to the whole group and we were all passionate about women’s rights. The dynamic of the group was helpful because we all researched different media outlets and brought different perspectives to the topic. I researched this topic through looking at primarily news sources such as BBC and Al Jazeera. Although, generally I am an independent worker, working with a group helped me delve into the subject in great detail to understand the material fully in order to contribute significantly to the group blog.

This project was incredibly beneficial to my learning. This assignment required me to expand my normal researching skills. It taught me to look at the media with a greater objective approach. It is important to recognize that what appears in these mediums are all part of media bias. It is essential to understand topics by reading multiple sources to help identify biases and form a personal opinion on the subject.  Through this project I developed greater analytical skills. The most valuable part of this project for me was following sexual violence in India through the media because it showed me that it is more than simply understanding the topic but it is important to keep up to date to see the progress of the subject. It also showed me my privilege. This assignment made me question my role in the global women’s rights movement and how I can become part of the solution of ending violence towards women.