Looks like I forgot something due before spring break. While it might mean nothing for credit on the assignment, I might as well share

Progress as of Mar. 8

OK, while I missed this particular assignment, I would have had little to say at the time, as I was too busy worrying about IRB approval.

Progress as of Mar. 16

So, I made quite a bit of progress on the project. Honestly, I’m not so sure why I was worried about the whole IRB process. While I will be sending in the actual form for approval/exemption today (Mar. 16), the process was relatively easy and straightforward; the significant overlap of content in the research proposal and the research protocol helped make the process much easier.

That said, I settled on a topic for my research. (Finally!) I decided to ask how and why people use smileys and emojis, to explore the lack of scholarship on the subject. While research on queer representation would have been more interesting, this research can address overall use of smileys and emojis, which will tie into my thesis research, too – perhaps even more readily than research on queer representation.

You can access a PDF of everything (i.e., the research proposal, the IRB approval/exemption form, and the research protocol) here. I plan to begin collecting data next Monday.