“During this Unit I plan to…”
In my daily routine, I carry a gym bag on my back, which I consider as a box containing two different ropes. One is an elastic band, a fitness tool, and the other is a hemp rope used for binding. Interestingly, while fitness is widely recognized as a healthy lifestyle, rope bondage tends to be associated with eroticism and often carries negative connotations. When engaging in fitness activities, the body may experience soreness as the muscle fibers are strained, ultimately leading to strength improvement. Similarly, being tied up can evoke feelings of restraint and discomfort, but many individuals actually find a sense of calm and security in the experience, and it provides them with psychological support.
For the first unit of discussion, I aim to explore whether rope bondage is stigmatized by the public and whether it can be considered a healthy activity comparable to fitness.
How I have achieved this learning
1.I continuously refine my research questions through primary and secondary research both online and offline. After discussions with the tutor, the research question I came up with was more specific and understandable than it was initially.
2.Throughout this unit, I have deepened my understanding of rope bondage by conducting online searches for relevant historical information, reading literature and watching movies on the subject. I have also conducted interviews with individuals involved in the field of rope bondage, gathering their feedback and summarizing it in the form of a chart. Additionally, I have learned rope bondage skills and practiced them with my friends.
3.In the process of how to design interventions, I first think by myself, and when I encounter problems, I communicate with friends, classmates and tutors and get feedback, so as to support my thinking.
4. I gather the necessary data from Google Trends, organize and analyze it, and present it through charts. Furthermore, I describe the charts in my own words, summarizing the evidence I found to support my viewpoint that “most Chinese people hold erotic stereotypes about rope bondage.”
My priorities during tutorials will be as follows…
As an international student who is not a native speaker, language is a huge challenge for me. To overcome this, I have developed strategies to make the most of my tutorial sessions. Before each tutorial, I will sort out the content that needs to be updated with the tutor this week, and list the questions I want to ask. In the tutorial I try to take notes as much as I can. At the beginning of the semester, I even asked tutor’s permission to record it to make sure I could over and over again until I really understood it.
Now I will ask the tutor to repeat the sentence if I don’t understand it. Fortunately, the tutor is happy to repeat the sentence every time and explain it patiently. This made me not afraid to ask questions and deepened my understanding of my research questions.
I also find feedback from my classmates in the group very important. I like studying in a group because I got to hear about different research topics from my classmates, which expands my knowledge. I also receive feedback from classmates with different backgrounds and, and this helps me improve my research question a lot. I have learned a lot from talking to students who are older than me and come from different places.
These are some of the questions/problems/subjects that I care about, the things that make me feel excited or angry or disturbed or happy – or just
curious…..
Rope bondage from Japan, also known as shibari or kinbaku. Literally means “to bind”. In ancient times, it was originally used to bind prisoners and later evolved to have more diverse forms of expression and usage scenarios.
My research question is“How To Change THE Erotic Stereotypes of Rope Bondage?” and this question needs to be solved as soon as possible.
I have always been interested in bonding and joined a famous rope bondage community in China—Heiwushe. I am working in the community as a rope bondage teaching model Since 2022. Work experience has given me a deeper understanding of rope bondage culture. As an East Asian woman who has experienced being tied up, it has sparked my curiosity about the power dynamics in rope bondage.
These are the capabilities which I already possess or would like to possess, which may be useful in addressing the subjects or questions above…
I believe I have the capability to propose and develop well-informed research questions by evaluating relevant current research and models of practice. I utilize primary and secondary research to refine and clarify my research questions, making them more specific and easily understandable.
I possess the skills to research and analyze various up-to-date knowledge and practices. Throughout this unit, I have deepened my understanding of rope bondage by conducting online searches for relevant historical information, reading literature and watching movies on the subject. I have also conducted interviews with individuals involved in the field of rope bondage, gathering their feedback and summarizing it in the form of a chart. Additionally, I have learned rope bondage skills and practiced them with my friends.
I am adept at using suitable formats to effectively communicate my intentions, sources, and arguments. I gather the necessary data from Google Trends, organize and analyze it, and present it through charts. Furthermore, I describe the charts in my own words, summarizing the evidence I found to support my viewpoint that “most Chinese people hold erotic stereotypes about rope bondage.”
However, I do acknowledge that I lack some proficiency in planning a series of external interventions within complex and evolving situations. I often encounter difficulties when designing intervention steps and find it helpful to discuss them with friends and classmates before proceeding.