Master thesis research ＂fart＂？ Expert： A correct attitude and strange questions can also become classics.

　　Recently, a master’s thesis entitled "Sociological Research on Fart" was circulated on the Internet, causing controversy. Some netizens are "sarcastic": Cold Window has studied hard for so many years, and it is really a "fart". Some netizens commented after reading that things that seem meaningless and are sneered at are "serious things to dig into."

　　The Paper noted that the paper was written in 2007 by Gao Jianwei, an in-service master of sociology at Huazhong Normal University. At that time, Gao Jianwei not only passed the master’s thesis defense with this paper, but also was rated as "excellent".

　　As early as 2015, the paper had aroused public concern. Li Yaxiong, a tutor of Gao Jianwei and a professor at Huazhong Normal University, said in an interview with the media at that time, "There are actually many aspects in life that are worth exploring, and there is no need to always repeat some meaningless topics. Some topics that look different or niche are often more worthy of consideration and there will be more interesting discoveries."

　　In this regard, Zheng Zuoyu, a professor at the School of Sociology of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, believes that whether the paper can be written well depends on whether the attitude is correct. In his view, even if the topic is high, but the attitude is not good, "no use"; On the contrary, if the academic attitude is correct, the topic "No matter how bizarre it is" can also be described as a classic.

　　The thesis was praised by the tutor.

　　"I am often mentioned by people around me such a question: How did you do such a topic?" Gao Jianwei explained at the beginning of his thesis "Sociological Research on Fart" that he chose this topic because he accidentally saw two stories about fart on the Internet. In both stories, the protagonist changed his life track because of a fart, which triggered Gao Jianwei’s thinking.

　　Gao Jianwei believes that "fart" is not only a physiological phenomenon, but also a social phenomenon, which has various correspondences with social relations. Through the study of a large number of historical materials, he pointed out that fart exists as a social taboo in both western culture and eastern culture. This taboo not only spreads in all aspects of our daily life, but also widely exists in the superstructure fields such as education, manners and customs, habits, morality and even law.

　　Gao Jianwei deeply analyzed how fart behavior and phenomenon changed from a physiological behavior to a social taboo from the perspective of social genetics, and revealed the complex mechanism of this operation process. In the process of social development, fart has evolved from indiscriminate human behavior to behavior that occurs more frequently among some social members, and then to negative behavior in moral evaluation, and finally evolved into a form of social taboo.

　　The paper mentions that in the early stage of human beings, division of labor and class have not yet appeared, and fart behavior is primitive human beings — — That is, the most frequent and common physiological phenomenon of our ancestors. With the development of productive forces, social relations have changed, and the diet types and habits of the rich have changed, and they no longer fart frequently. At this point, the human fart experience has completed the first historic change, that is, from a common physiological phenomenon of human beings to a behavior that occurs more frequently and more commonly among some members of society (more poor people).

　　Through this transformation, fart behavior has gained some social significance, reflecting the fact that the upper and lower classes coexist and oppose each other. In order to maintain its dominant position, the upper class not only establishes an absolute control position in the political, economic and cultural fields, but also strives to "shape" the social state that adapts to its dominant position. Distinguish the upper and lower classes by etiquette, self-cultivation and taste. The upper class is often considered polite, while the members of the lower class are ordinary, vulgar and even despicable. In this context, farting is labeled as a negative moral label. Under the power of discipline, "fart" has changed from a negative social behavior defined by the upper class to a social taboo, and has been recognized and obeyed by all members of society.

　　He believes that this genetic process comes from the strange characteristics of power operation, namely, duality, dependence and publicity. Then it discusses the fart behavior and phenomenon of "no taboo", and thinks that this phenomenon essentially reflects the taboo existing form of fart behavior and phenomenon, and is related to the strange characteristics of power operation.

　　The Paper noted that this is not the first time that this paper has been concerned by netizens. In 2015, Beijing Evening News reported on this matter. Li Yaxiong, Gao Jianwei’s tutor and professor of Huazhong Normal University, was quite appreciative of the paper when interviewed.

　　According to his memory, when the paper was opened, the teachers all laughed at the first sight of the topic, but after the "laugh", everyone quickly discussed its academic value from a professional point of view, not simply talking about the matter, but using sociological theory for analysis. Li Yaxiong told the Beijing Evening News reporter at that time that Gao Jianwei’s research found a new way. In the case of repeated research, it was "precious" and teachers generally supported it.

　　"The defense effect is also very good, and it has also been rated as excellent. He (Gao Jianwei) has a good writing style and clear thinking. " Li Yaxiong said that because it is not convenient to do actual investigation, Gao Jianwei presented the genesis of fart, its vertical development in different times and the social meaning behind it through literature analysis and quotations. "I welcome this topic that comes from life and has humanistic care."

　　In this regard, The Paper recently contacted Professor Li Yaxiong several times for an interview, but the other party declined on the grounds of being away on business.

　　College teachers: With a correct attitude, no matter how strange the topic is, it can become a classic.

　　In fact, in recent years, many papers have attracted public attention because of their unique topics. Previously, papers such as "The Utopian Cat: The Identity and Fantasy of Cats Fans" and "The Influence of Illicium verum on the Volatile Flavor of Braised Chicken and Its Mechanism" have caused heated discussions.

　　"This is a question of diversification of topics, which I think is a good thing." Rui Liu, tutor of master students in Huazhong University of Science and Technology, believes that the development of disciplines is characterized by "specialization" and "cross-integration", and "many problems that we didn’t think could be studied before have emerged now". "Personally, I think it is necessary to study such different problems, which can cover many blind spots of previous knowledge and inspire the society." Rui Liu said in an interview with The Paper recently.

　　In this regard, Zhou Tingting, an associate professor at the School of Journalism, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, believes that college students are active in thinking or familiar with new media, so they can really pay attention to some new phenomena. "Many phenomena can be used as the research topics of our thesis, but we should find an in-depth observation angle based on the discipline, not just describe ‘ Phenomenon ’ It is meaningless to do a simple analysis. " Zhou Tingting said.

　　Tan Songhua, a member of the National Education Advisory Committee, said that he had not read the above papers and could not comment on them. "How to write a graduation thesis, it is difficult to have a unified statement. Students with different majors, hobbies and energies have different factors to consider when choosing a topic. " Tan Songhua said that as far as he guides graduate students, the practical significance is more important when choosing the topic of the thesis, for example, it can promote the development, reform and social progress of the country.

　　For more and more "unique topics", Zheng Zuoyu, a professor at the School of Sociology of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, said that "there is nothing wrong with it". "Academic research should have cared about your life and the society you live in. Now that the era in which students live is full of these phenomena, it is natural to study these phenomena. " According to Zheng Zuoyu, the question is not whether the research topic is "innovative" or "serious", but whether the research attitude is correct.

　　Zheng Zuoyu said that individual students "lead a muddled life" and "choose the most mindless topic" when writing their papers. "Such a topic, even if it sounds tall, is actually vague." Zheng Zuoyu said that attitude is more important for writing papers.

　　"When I take part in the insurance research interview, I will ask students what fields they are interested in and have studied." Zheng Zuoyu found that most students from rural areas would say "I want to do rural research", or most female students would say "I want to do gender research". "But not many of these students have really studied the relevant knowledge. They just think that because of their identity, they can make some sense at worst. " Zheng Zuoyu believes that in this case, even if the topic is tall, the attitude is not correct, and it is "no use"; On the contrary, if the academic attitude is correct, the topic "No matter how bizarre it is" can also be described as a classic.

　　What do students think about the topic of the thesis? Li Yong (pseudonym), a graduate student in a university in Hunan, told The Paper that according to his observation, the source of the topic mainly has three parts, one is the combination of previous practical activities, the other is the combination of interests, and the third is from the tutor. "I prefer topics that I am interested in, and at the same time consider the significance of research, so I am motivated to write." Li Yong believes that interest is a good entry point. "When the school informs you to write a paper, you often feel confused and then choose a familiar field." (The Paper reporter He Liquan intern Hu Tianyi)