UROP Project

Black people, health, nature, arts-based research, qualitative research, creative writing, autoethnography

Research Mentor: Dr. Dr. Chris Omni, MPH, MLS, She, her
Department, College, Affiliation: Public Health, Social Sciences and Public Policy
Contact Email: comni@fsu.edu
Research Assistant Supervisor (if different from mentor): N/A N/A N/A
Research Assistant Supervisor Email: christal.omni@gmail.com
Faculty Collaborators: N/A Vince Omni, MFA
Faculty Collaborators Email: vomni@fsu.edu

Looking for Research Assistants: No
Number of Research Assistants: 2
Relevant Majors: Open to all majors
Project Location: Most meetings will occur remotely; however, a minimum of two meetings per semester will be held in-person.
Research Assistant Transportation Required: Yes
Remote or In-person: Partially Remote
Approximate Weekly Hours: 7,
Roundtable Times and Zoom Link: Tuesday, September 3, 2024 - 3:30pm - 4pm https://fsu.zoom.us/my/blackjoy
Wednesday, September 4, 2024 - 3:30pm - 4pm. https://fsu.zoom.us/my/blackjoy

Project Description

The “SoulClap: A Black Joy Journal” Research Project was developed to successfully launch this new, open access scholartistic (scholarly + artistic) journal and to document the process as part of the origin story.

Mission
The mission of SoulClap is to shift the dominant mainstream narrative about African diaspora people away from trauma by exploring the creative, communal, academic, and healing power of Black Joy. A shift that is crucial for the emotional, social, physical, and spiritual well-being of Black people

Focus and Scope
SoulClap is an annual, open-access publication, made possible by a grant from Florida State Open Publishing, that features scholarship, creative writing, and interviews that seek to disrupt the common deficit narrative often associated with the Black experience. The inaugural issue will be designed around the theme of Black Joy and nature. Future topics of interest include:
Black Joy and music
Black Joy and faith/spirituality
Black Joy and kinship
Black Joy and literature
Black Joy and hair

The project will focus on four key deliverables:

1) Conduct literature reviews on nature's influence on emotional, physical, social, intellectual, and spiritual well-being.
2) Provide editorial support for SoulClap.
3) Develop social media content that advances the conversation of Black Joy.
4) Support Dr. Omni and her collaborators with data collection and analysis.


Research Tasks: literature reviews, data collection, data analysis, IRB training, field work, editorial support.

Skills that research assistant(s) may need: The research mentees selected for SoulClap must be flexible, open, optimistic, and dedicated.

Flexible: Some weeks you will be responsible to co-lead the meetings because I will be presenting at conferences around the globe.

Open: Be receptive to various styles of communication and learning.

Optimistic: Believe that the topic of Black Joy can provide a much needed counter-narrative to the typical lens that is generally applied to research regarding Black people.

Dedicated: Meeting deadlines will be essential. Each week, you will be required to meet your deliverables even if that assignment is to "go outside and simply let BEing be enough!"