Students on their Greek American Research Interests (1)

 One of the homework assignments in my Greek American class this semester (Spring 2021) was the following:

1) What is an important topic of personal significance to you that you would like scholars of Greek America to explore? Why is this topic important (to you, or the country, or Greek America)? What questions should they be asking in their research of this topic?

2) Ask these scholars a question of your own choice. Please be creative and insightful, devote some time thinking seriously the questions you will be asking.

I am sharing one answer (more will follow):

One topic that is of personal significance to me that I would want Greek American scholars to research is how Greek Americans are contributing to the environment. Although Greek Americans are nowhere near a majority of the population in the United States, the ethnic group is large and impactful enough that this research would be important. The environment in general is a very important topic to me, as we only have one planet Earth and are currently destroying it. I have taken several classes throughout my academic career that has taught me about all of the different ways mankind has altered the natural state of our planet, and how we are abusing our natural resources that the environment provides and will soon run out of those resources. Greek Americans most likely contribute to this problem in positive and negative ways, and I would like to see research on just how the ethnic community is impacting the environment.

Some questions that researchers should ask the Greek American community includes: "Do you care about the environment?" "Do you recycle?" "Would you ever consider using reusable energy in your home (solar, wind, hydropower)?" "Do you know any environmental issues that are impacting your local community or surrounding areas?", "How often do you discuss the environment, in a casual, professional or academic situation?" "Are you aware of the lasting impacts that industrialization and globalization has on the global environment?" I believe that these six questions will give Greek American researchers a very good insight into how much the Greek American community knows and cares about environmental issues. One question that I would ask these hypothetical scholars is if they care about the environment and take steps to lighten their carbon footprint in their own lives?

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