Hi Class!
Great to see you yesterday evening.
We can use this discussion category as a space to share ideas about the final project. We will need to finalize our idea by March 31, in order to be finished the final web project by May 5.
Here is the link to the site Professor Rosenblum’s class made last year: http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/nydreams/
Here’s some information about the Domestic Workers United oral history exhibit I was talking about. This may be something you wish to work into the class project, or an opportunity you decide to pursue on your own:
Internship Opportunity
If you’re interested in the type of storytelling students did for the New York Dreams project, you might also be interested in an opportunity to Intern with Domestic Workers United. We can talk more in class about how working with this organization might intersect with your final website projects.
They are looking for interns with a background in art history, oral history, material culture, museum studies, labor studies, social sciences, or humanities for a graduate-level Spring and/or Summer 2015 internship assisting DWU with developing, producing, and curating the union’s 15th anniversary gala event and exhibition. The event and exhibition will tell the story of the DWU union’s history and achievements in organizing and advocating for the rights of multicultural domestic workers, incorporating the union’s archival materials. DWU’s archival holdings include photographs, audiotapes, videotapes, and many other primary source documents and items, such as membership ID cards, Nanny Training Certificates, employer/employee contracts, bill of rights documents, worker surveys, protest signs and banners, awards, and more. Videorecorded field interviews with the union’s founders and members, to further document their work through personal narrative (oral history), may also be required. Candidates with bilingual skills (English/Spanish, English/French, English/Kreyol), previous experience with exhibition development, or training in ethnographic fieldwork are strongly encouraged to apply.
For more information, contact: gabrielle (dot) berlinger (at) bgc (dot) bard (dot) edu
I was thinking of an idea that focused on what different immigrants or people of the city want the city to become. We often focus on what their story was or what their dream is, but what about what is the dream they have for their city, where is it they want it to go. Are the ideas similar or is the future f NYC unpredictable like nothing else.
I like this idea. Especially for immigrants whose generations have been in the city for a while and witnessed how it has changed over the years. They may have exciting prospects for the city’
I really like how this takes the theme of our class but flips it! We seem to be focusing on the individual stories and immigrant beginnings, but if we want to make this class everlasting, we should discuss at some point the future of the city and its newcomers, and since the newcomers are the future, it is important to shed light onto their opinions.
When Professor Rosenblum first mentioned a class site I thought it would be really interesting if we could tell the story of people in New York City through food. Often many people have a deep and personal connection to the foods and recipes that they grew up with. I know that in my family the recipes that we have preserved from previous generations show up at the holidays or as comfort food on a hard day carrying sweet, nostalgic stories of the people who used to make them and the places that the recipes come from. I think it would be really lovely to have a site featuring the many cultures and nationalities found all throughout NYC viewed through the lens of meaningful recipes and dishes that remind people of home.
What an interesting idea Ellianna! Food is such a central part to all cultures, and I think it would be cool to use food to connect, compare, and contrast the different immigrants throughout New York City. It might even be cool to look at how the traditional recipes have been adapted in American ways.
I love food and whenever I think of different cultures, usually the first thing that comes to mind are their foods. Would we focus more on the history of that food in that person’s family, or what the food means to the person now, living in America?
I love the idea of focusing on food! It is such an integral part of culture, even if your food is considered “bland.” I know what connects my family to their roots is primarily food, and without their foreign food, life just isn’t enjoyable. Perhaps we could connect food to a larger theme such as how it contributes to success/failure of assimilation.
Oops, that was supposed to be in reply to Ellie.
To everyone who posted ideas for the final class project — all very interesting. The idea of exploring what kind of a city immigrants would like to see in the future seemed especially provocative because it would interweave individual stories with broader issues. (the food idea is also excellent, but this might have the advantage of being both broad and deep).
Maybe there’s a way for each student to choose an immigrant who can speak lucidly and personally and persuasively (with lots of concrete examples) about what that person envisions as an ideal “city of tomorrow” for immigrant New Yorkers. And they could discuss what they seek such changes, what the current situation is, and discuss both issues using concrete and vivid examples.
The changes they desire could range from the very broad to the very small, and in fact some variety along those lines would be nice. Also, the more specific their suggestions, and the more specific their examples of the status quo, that will prevent their answers from being too vague and boiler-plate — ie better schools or cleaner streets. and you’d likely be able to illustrate their comments about current situations with dramatic photos, video, audio, etc.
bottom line, i think this is a brilliant idea — will look forward to your continuing thoughts.
A possible idea for the final project could be a look at the immigrants of the past who have had an impact in some way. Everyone could choose a different person and write about their lives and specific contributions to their new surroundings. It would be a way of taking the vagueness out of broad immigrant stories of different cultures and ethnicities coming to America if we could put a face to and present different individuals.
I don’t know if it is only me, but I would feel uncomfortable asking random people about their immigrant experience. In addition, I wouldn’t even know where to begin looking for people to interview. Is there any project we could do that does not involve surveying people? Amir and Ellianna’s ideas seem to bypass this while remaining interesting and relevant.