Reflect on your revision process as you drafted your paper

• What was the most helpful feedback you received in the peer review workshops?

From the first peer review, I received helpful feedback from Casey regarding my conclusion and transitions. He advised me to add the specific social movements I discuss into the conclusion summary. In the second peer review, Lakeysha suggests that I advise my thesis and review grammatical and spelling errors. Her advice for how to edit my thesis was the most helpful feedback I received because the thesis is an extremely vital part of the paper, and I should edit it to include the specific causes of the paradigm shift.

• What were the most interesting discoveries you made as you researched your topic? 

Since I was not alive during the 1950s and 60s, I was unfamiliar with the content of American sitcoms like Leave it to Beaver and The Donna Reed Show. After watching and researching about some of the episodes, I was shocked at how demeaning the gender roles were and by the lack of diversity. It is hard to imagine that women had to live during a time where they felt their role was extremely limited and defined more by their husbands than by their individuality. 

• What is the significance of the paradigm shift you explored? In other words, what do you feel is most important point for your reader to take away from your paper?  

My paradigm shift revolves around the progressive changes to our American societal views. I believe the transformation of incorporating actors of all races, sexualities, and gender roles is an extremely beneficial step towards more equality in our country. Americans no longer have to be trapped by the idealist families they viewed on TV during the 1950s and 60s; they can instead relate to the unconventional actors on present day television. 

• How has this project helped you develop as a writer? 

This project really pushed me to become better at crafting research papers and managing my time. I do not have a lot of experience in writing long papers that include different research from numerous sources. I became better at incorporating credible research into my own arguments and explanations. Furthermore, with a paper of such magnitude, I spread out the work over multiple days which helped develop my time management skills.