I am currently a Junior Psychology and ANSO double major at Drake University, as well as a student editor in a Global Youth Studies Course. My main interests focus on coming of age ceremonies in which youth are "transformed" into adults.

Research Proposal

Genpuku, the article I will be working on this semester, is one currently built off of a total of only three pages across two sources, and is in need of additional citation for verification. The article, in its totality, appears to be an underdeveloped lead paragraph, lacking in general structure and significant, fleshed-out subsections. Throughout, word choice and sentence structure are, at times, lacking in clarity and uniformity. In addition, overall content lacks both context and significance. I propose providing readers with clarification, significance, and context by editing current writing, word choice, and content.

The addition of a content box will increase the quality of this article, by providing an organized directory for readers. I plan to clearly delineate sections on ritual costume, ritual practices, population participation, and modern day equivalents. New content will include, as deemed necessary, an elaboration of etymology, what members of the population participated during certain time periods and why, the significance of ceremonial clothing/ the ceremony itself, and the transitional importance between child statuses and adulthood. I would also like to expand the small mention of the female equivalent mogi, since there is little information to be gleaned from the current article.    

Incorporation of new information will begin by checking the validity of current information. After checking current validity, I will begin to edit article sentence structure and word choice for clarification. Next, I plan to reorganize the information into a meaningful framework, increasing ease of navigation for the audience and providing an outline for new content. Finally, I will supplement and expand current information with new research-based information. My intention is to create an article of holistic value that will be easy for readers to navigate and use as an informative source of basic knowledge.  

Sources  

The below sources cover a wide variety of information relating to Genpuku, including ceremonial dress, child to adult status, age of ceremony, etc.  

Choi, Na-Young. "Symbolism of Hairstyles in Korea and Japan." Asian Folklore Studies 65.1 (2006): 69-86. JSTOR. Web. 09 Oct. 2015.  

Faure, Bernard. The Red Thread: Buddhist Approaches to Sexuality. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1998. Print.  

Bodart-Bailey, Beatrice M. The Dog Shogun: The Personality and Policies of Tokugawa Tsunayoshi. Honolulu: U of Hawaiʻi, 2006. Print.  

Watson, S. Harrison. "Ideological Transformation by Translation: "Izu No Odoriko"" Comparative Literature Studies 28.3, East-West Issue (1991): 310-21. JSTOR. Web. 09 Oct. 2015.  

Atkins, Paul S. "Chigo in the Medieval Japanese Imagination." The Journal of Asian Studies 67.3 (2008): 947-70. JSTOR. Web. 09 Oct. 2015.  

McCullough, Helen Craig., Tamenari Fujiwara, and Yoshinobu Fujiwara. Okagami, the Great Mirror: Fujiwara Michinaga (966-1027) and His Times: A Study and Translation. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1980. Print.