How Internet Rambling Made My Thesis
Like my lovely colleagues, I find it difficult at times to stay focused purely on the subject at hand. Much of my time spent “researching” on the Internet is spent tumbling down a rabbit hole of Netflix, tumblr, various message board forums, and other, shall we say, “distraction” websites.
I tend to try and justify my time on these websites because of the nature of my research project–as I formulate and write my own opinions on the message of women and power within the Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones universe, I find it interesting (and useful, even) to read the opinions of others. In fact, my thesis project was born from my ASOIAF/GoT Internet wanderings–first by rambling incoherently on tumblr, then by writing (and failing to maintain, she whispered sheepishly) a WordPress blog. But adding my commentary to tumblr posts and reading the commentary were crucial to the development of my thesis, because they provided me a space to develop my own thoughts and to realize that I had quite a lot to say beyond my ramblings.
Technology has continued to be integral to my thesis project as well. As ASOIAF and GoT are fairly recent, a lot of my research (with the exception of some of the theory work) comes from the Internet, whether it be online fantasy and science fiction journals, eBooks, (reputable) blogs, or interviews with George R. R. Martin (or his own blog posts).
In terms of where I could stand to use technology a little more–it would have to be in the research capacity. I’m a pen n’ paper type of gal. I like having physical rough drafts, books full of Post-It notes, and printouts covered in pen marks and highlighter. But I realize that for a project of this scope (or of a larger scope), it’s just not practical. I need to work to incorporate resources such as Zotero into my research and writing process to make life easier in the long run. Here’s to hoping this quasi-Luddite can do it!
Context, Criticism, and American Horror Story
My relationship with technology is mixed. In my comment on Lindsey’s post on her own technology usage, I mostly focused on the pitfalls of internet research. It is fairly easy to lose control of my time online, especially with a topic as interesting as mine!
With so many directions to turn, I found myself abusing rather than actually using the powers of technology for my research needs. However, my online endeavors began innocently enough. As per this post’s title, online resources such as eBooks, articles, and even Wikipedia helped my formulate a context for the literary and cinematic periods I am working in. I could start anywhere-Wikipedia, NYPL, Google-and make all these connections between a single keyword and scores of helpful books and articles that helped my to focus my research. In fact, if it weren’t for my late night NYPL search frenzies, I would not have found many of the prized anthologies that propelled my research in the right direction.
But there the pitfalls lay. Too many options! Too many places to look! (more…)
Online Pedagogy and Student Privacy
I find myself strongly affected by Josh Honn’s blog post this morning, and would encourage you all to read it. (He’s also on Twitter if you want to say hi: @joshhonn.) I set up this course with a default expectation of public engagement–and not just with your final digital thesis projects, but along the way, too, with a publicly-accessible/Google-indexed eportfolio, with biographies and other student-generated content on this site, with our digital reading journals, with Google Docs of my lesson plans that I know other scholars are having a look at as we progress (not in the least because I posted links on Twitter, and interacted with the authors we are reading in that fashion).
We should probably have a brief discussion on Tuesday about privacy, and what guidelines this class should have going forward. I think that public engagement is a critical part of research and scholarship, and I think that too much of what happens in the academy is classist and kept separate, so my default is visibility, visibility, and more visibility. But I may have accidentally trampled on your own thoughts and feelings about that as students. So in the meantime, let’s keep doing our work as planned–but let’s also check in at our next meeting, and make some decisions as a group.
Tech & Research: I get complacent/don’t go far enough
When I asked everyone to blog about the ways they’re already using technology to conduct research, I didn’t realize that it would reveal some of my own character flaws to me! Now, when it comes to my doctoral research, I like to think I’m quite thorough and comprehensive in my use of digital research tools. I’m the Google Scholar Queen, I keep my dissertation organized through the use of project management software, Zotero is my go-to for bibliographic completeness and accuracy. I know how to use a boatload of databases, and I’ve managed to even bring tech into the archive, photographing and religiously documenting the primary sources I’m commenting on in my dissertation project. I have enough tech in my own research that I get self-righteously frustrated with academics who don’t use technologies to their fullest–when a library puts out a ridiculously incomplete digital finding aid for an archive, for example, or when a member of my dissertation group confesses that she’s still keeping her dissertation bibliography in one massive Word file. And finally, I’m teaching this class, so I’m thinking about digital research practices pretty much every day–I’m choosing what I want to share with you all, and thinking through how to explain what I do choose to share.
But outside of my research life, I don’t actually think I use technology particularly well. I feel like the research I do is indulgent, and only serves my baser interests. I’ll delve deep into Facebook and spend hours searching to figure out what happened to a friend from elementary school, or I’ll find and download a 30-gigabyte torrent of every episode of Road to Avonlea (I watched the entire run, seven seasons, over January break. People, it is not that good of a show!), or I’ll turn on my tablet and open up the Seamless app to order the exact same food from the exact same neighborhood restaurant for the third time this month. I once spent an entire Sunday morning reading up on the history of the song “Indian Reservation.” In a lot of ways, I think the “research” I do with tech in my personal life is all about gratification. That’s what I get for assigning this question–a harsh look at my own moments of sloth!
Resources for Week #1: (Literary) Texts Are Objects We Can Manipulate
- Updated syllabus [PDF]
- Lindsey’s open planning Google Doc. Feel free to add comments or take notes directly on this throughout the session. We will use a collaborative Google Doc each week.
Literary Sources
- Aimee Bender, “The Rememberer” [PDF] [RapGenius]
- Jackson Mac Low:
- Poets.org on Oulipo
- Walter Benjamin’s Arcades Project
- Paul La Farge, “Luminous Airplanes”
- Raymond Queneau, “A Story As You Like It”
- T.S. Eliot, “The Waste Land” [annotated]
On Markup Languages
The Process of Tinkering and the Study of English
Jentery Sayers’ “Tinker-Centric Pedagogy in Literature and Language Classrooms” discusses the method of “tinkering” in the teaching and learning of English literature. Sayers argues that tinkering, a method used originally by engineers and computer scientists, can be applied to the researching, reading, and writing processes of students of language and literature in this digital age.
The practice of tinkering itself is the antithesis if the stereotype of the humanities scholar alone at the desk surrounded by books–or, as Sayers puts it, the “lone scholar.” Tinkering places an emphasis on collaborative and communal learning and working processes, opening literature and language students to new modes of tactical and experimental learning. Tinkering in the classroom would resist the traditional ways of teaching language and literature, favoring the constant rearranging of ideas, encouraging adaptability in students.
At first, I have to say I wasn’t particularly impressed with Sayers’ argument on the importance of incorporating tinkering into literature and language classes. From my understanding, tinkering already does happen in literature classrooms, just independent of digital media (for example, in the process of drafting, writing abstracts, etc.). But when I got to her examples of classroom exercises with tinkering and literature, I began to understand its value, particularly when it came to the discussion of teaching coding to literature students as language. Aside from the practical value of learning coding, it is undeniable that digital media provides a unique way for students to research and present their work; teaching coding as language (as opposed to the way it is taught in computing disciplines) should be essential in this digital age.
The “Digital Humanities” and Why It Should Be In Our English Departments
What is the digital humanities exactly? Matthew Kirschenbaum, author and English professor, gives a few examples in his essay, “What is Digital Humanties and What’s It Doing in English Departments?”
The Wikipedia definition he cites sums it up pretty nicely: “The digital humanities, also known as humanities computing, is a field of study, research, teaching and invention concerned with the intersection of computing and the disciplines of the humanities.” The author is also sure to point out what the digital humanities is not: simply the digitization of information.
Though his final paragraph leaves the (positive?) effects of these new technologies up for question, his overall argument appears to push forward for the further development of the digital humanities within and beyond the English department. These include widely accessible online archives (which most of us have used for research at some point or another), large-scale e-book projects, and collaborative platforms that might surprise the jaded English scholar, such as Twitter.
Kirschenbaum uses two English conferences (one exclusively devoted to the digital humanities) to describe how blogs and other social networking services allow colleagues to comment on important contributions to the field as they occur. Tweeting about an interesting panel or phenomenal essay sends it beyond the conference’s attendees to other academics and even students. Blogs highlight things that can be easily disseminated and widely shared.
Perhaps it’s because computers and the Internet have always been a part of my learning and research processes, but I’m surprised by the amount of attention the digital humanities have gotten. Before reading Kirschenbaum’s essay, it seemed almost natural for technology and the humanities to be experienced together.
Mid-Break Update – Read Me!
You should be hearing from NCUR very soon, if you haven’t yet. Please let me know whether or not your abstract was accepted for the conference!
I am liaising with Drew Adair on this, but if you haven’t been in touch with him yourself, now would be the time to e-mail him, especially if your abstract was accepted. Drew will be coordinating our travel arrangements and our hotel stay.
Several other Macaulay students have applied this year, so we will be attending with a larger group. I am happy to help anyone with their presentation materials, whether they are part of our class or not. Please feel free to pass on my contact information to other Macaulay students who will be attending the conference.
I hope you’re all having a wonderful break, and I look forward to seeing you on the 28th. Do not forget to do stuff for this class before the 28th, as per my previous post. Please do not do this at the last minute. Have it all up by the evening of the 27th at the very latest.
Take care, see you all soon!
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