New Historicist Ice Cream

The other day, my Victorian Lit seminar taste-tested “New Historicist” ice cream. That is, an alum who remains close with my professor shipped us 7 pints of high-end ice cream flavors, one of which was absinthe. 

As you might have been able to tell us, absinthe isn’t actually all that great an ice cream flavor, but that cloudy green stuff really did play a role in Literature. Just ask Coleridge. 

I, for one, was a fan of the buttermilk peppermint flavor. Perhaps it’ll be the next big craze among authors. Or just a nice way to take a break during an Honors seminar.

Researching Research

When I was researching colleges several years ago, I avoided campuses that touted themselves as large “research universities.” Based on my high school experience, I assumed “research” meant labs, petri dishes, and dissecting frogs. I just wanted to sit in the library and read impressive-looking books.

I’m glad I opted for a small liberal arts school, where there is indeed an opportunity to read, discuss, and ponder–but I was woefully ignorant of what “research” really is and the extent to which Swarthmore actually facilitates quite a bit of research. 

Fundamentally, research is about a deliberate method of study and interpretation. It is a conscientious effort to accumulate and (hopefully) share that knowledge. For you future philosophy majors out there, call it a practice in epistemology. 

Now, my more science-oriented friends conduct a lot of lab work as apart of their day-to-day classwork and independent study. In fact, my friends seem to have established a second-residency in their labs, given the amount of time they spend dedicated to their work and discoveries. For research, science students often work under the auspices of a professor but also have a number of opportunities for grants, both over the course of the semester and during the summer.

As a humanities-minded person, I want to emphasize that research isn’t just about high-resolution microscopes. In my Victorian Literature seminar, for instance, we recently visited the Princeton Rare Book Room to check out the Charles Reade collection. Charles Reade was the moderately-known Victorian author of works like Hardcash and is best-remembered for his fierce dedication to the research of his novels. He amassed a vast amount of personal notecards, diaries, and news-clippings on medicine, 19th century slang, and the classics–which he then intertwined in his fiction.

Studying another person’s research practices is a way of consciously thinking about the manner in which we amass and incorporate information in society. These ideas are of particular interest to digital humanists, who collect archived material and organize and share it digitally. Last semester, I spend a lot of time on the Walt Whitman Archive for my American Lit class, where I compared earlier and later versions of Whitman’s Leaves of Grass. 

In a nutshell, DH is a way of thinking about interdisciplinary research and teaching, specifically as traditional disciplines–like history, philosophy, literature and art–take on a larger and more cohesive online presence. Through technology, professional curators can organize vast digital archives of famous and not-so-famous historical materials. And because these archives are searchable, curators  also “data-mine” the contemporary ways in which people search, read and interact with classic texts. To learn more, one of my DH-enthusiast classmates recommends the Cuny Digital Humanities Resource Guide as the go-to source.

I’m planning to harness what I’ve learned about research and the digital humanities at the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale this summer. The papers of Robert Penn Warren, a prominent mid-century American author and New Critic, are housed at the Beinecke, and I’ve just learned that I received a Swarthmore Eugene Lang Summer Initiative grant for conducting more research on Warren and American Lit during the 1950′s and 60′s.  

I could say quite a bit more about Warren, Swarthmore seminars, and research in general. But for now I’ll just emphasize that research involves a lot more reading, writing, and exploring than my high school self once thought. 

But what are you really up to?

The “What are you up to this semester?” question often prompts true but generic answers. If my grandmother asks, my response might go something like, “I’m enjoying my junior year and taking a lot of English.” To a Swarthmore peer, I might say, “My Victorian Lit seminar is great, though a ton of work. I’m also taking Modern Philosophy and another English course on modernism. Oh, and I’m still tour-guiding and applying for summer grants.”

These answers are informative, but vague. In an attempt to capture my day-to-day, I’ve decided to list a few of the smaller things that define my Swarthmore waking-hours:

1. I’ve volunteered for a senior’s psychology thesis. Periodically, I receive surveys by email and get candy bars in my mailbox as a small thank-you. I know it sounds silly, but I like taking surveys. Because the Psych Department has such an emphasis on student-led research, there are always opportunities to sign up for studies.

2. I’ve been interviewing some alums from the class of ’83 for a website article on their volunteer trip to Haiti. Four of them were roommates and are now all doctors; they reunited after 30 years while providing their medical expertise after the Haitian earthquake. It’s a nice story.

3. I’m archiving my notes for Victorian Lit. Our seminar is focused on establishing more of a web presence to do our small part in what has come to be known as the “digital humanities.” That means I scan and upload my various notes/doodles/moments of inspiration to our class blog.

4. Paging through Ulysses. Yup, my modernism class is reading James Joyce. Joyce is great, but he can give you a headache….

5. I’m filming Daily Gazette “Quips and Quarrels” political videos with a fellow columnist to increase our newspaper’s multimedia web presence and participate in broad political conversation.

6. I’m organizing my notes on Robert Nisbet. I recently spoke on an academic panel regarding Nisbet’s 1953 Quest for Community, and I’d like to write about Nisbet more in the future.

7. I’m watching HBO’s The Wire. I know I’m a little late to the game, but it’s such a great form of procrastination  Plus, I justify my vice my arguing it’s a TV show with some profound literary implications.

8. I’m planning a Whit Stillman movie-viewing. Stillman is a quirky, under-appreciated director of flicks like Metropolitan and Last Days at the Disco. I’m trying to reclaim his reputation.

9. Sharing my coffee maker. Self-explanatory.

Liaison-ing

One of my roles this semester is to sit on the the English Department’s ostentatiously-titled English Liaison Committee. Basically, as an English Lit major, I have the chance to give feedback to the professors in the Department and help design the year-end T-shirts before our spring picnic.

But the Committee is filling a larger role over the next few months as the Department seeks to hire a new tenure-track professor in early American Lit. Seven or eight of us on the Committee, all English majors, have been asked to sit-in on mock lessons that the job candidates give, casually chat with the candiate over lunch, and attend the candidates’ afternoon lectures. Then, after meeting all the prospective professors, we’re asked to give a serious level of input to the Department as the College makes its final hiring decision.

I think this experience says a lot about the culture of Swarthmore, the level of student involvement, and the relationships students establish within their given academic departments.

I, for one, am really honored to be a part of this process. First, it means a lot that the Department is seeking so much student feedback on such an important hiring decision. Truly, I feel I have the opportunity to shape the direction of the Department and, by extension, Swarthmore in coming years. Second, it’s great fun to meet young academics and talk about their experiences in grad school and the job market, especially since I’m considering grad work in English Lit after Swarthmore. Third, I’ve seen first hand how thrilled the job candidates are to see Swarthmore, interact with students, and contemplate a future career here. It makes me realize what an awesome and desirable community I’m apart of. And fourth, the English Dept pays for me to munch on those really awesome potato chips at the snack bar when we take the candiate to lunch. What could be better?

Eager Beavers

I’m back on campus, and the weather has taken a turn for the chillyyyy.

The not-too-far walk to class has been rather cold these past 2 days but also a chance to don new Christmas scarves.

Sometimes, when I’ve been away from Swat for a little while, it takes a moment to adjust back to Swattie culture. One such example was sitting down at the beginning of my English class “Modern Epic.” The first book on the syllabus–which we’ll be spending about a month on–is Tolstoy’s massive War and Peace. Our professor had recommended we get a head-start on the reading, and sure enough, as I looked around the class, everyone seemed to be a few hundred pages in to their copies of Tolstoy.

I was surprised and amused and, like just about everyone else, ready for the course to begin. Ah, Swatties.

Winter Break!

I’ve been home since last Friday, and break is indeed refreshing. Reading for pleasure (…not that ancient political texts aren’t pleasurable…) is so much easier on the eyes. Before I left campus, I snapped a few pictures of these impromptu Swattie break plans, scrawled on poster board throughout the library:

They’re a bit hard to read–partly because of my pixels, and partly because of some questionable handwriting. The most popular entries were various travel plans, sleeping, eating and “INTELLECTUAL DETOX.”

Finals, with a cookie

Finals season is upon us here at Swat. My work load is, well, heavy…but I’m trying to balance everything with coffee, Chinese food and Christmas carols. An usual 3 C’s. I’m actually (mildly) looking forward to my international politics exam because it’ll give me a chance to re-read some of my favorite realist theorists. I think my English and Ancient Politics papers should also (fingers-crossed) be OK, once the first few pages get underway. As for statistics, well, we’ll see.

On the warm & fuzzy side of things, I’m a volunteer adviser with the local Swarthmore Presbyterian Church middle school youth group and spent last Sunday night baking a truckload of cookies with some of the Church’s members. The kids forgo eating the cookies themselves and instead offer them to Swarthmore students as a token of love and thoughtfulness before finals. It’s really rather wonderful when you see some Swattie bent over an organic chemistry textbook in the Science Center greeted by a 12 year old with a fist full of chocolate chip cookies. The reception tends to be positive.

Ethereal Path to my dorm

Swat’s campus is often regarded as one of the most beautiful in the country. I know his from living here, reading the occasional rankings on Huffington Post, and hearing from enthusiastic groups on my tours. Yet sometimes the beauty of this natural/academic space catches me completely off guard. I was chugging along, probably thinking through an upcoming seminar argument, when WHAM! The sun melted behind my dorm. Not sure this iPhone pic does my little evening moment justice, but here it is.

DG Columnists Debate

At long last the 2012 presidential election has passed. Everyone seems to have more or less settled down–both nationally, and on campus. In a post-election spirit, I’m planning on starting a blog project on Alexis de Tocqueville and civic engagement (stay-tuned). But to wrap things up, here’s a somewhat fuzzy recording of the Swarthmore Daily Gazette’s election panel.

My own library catalog

Today, seated on the first floor of McCabe (Swat’s humanities and social sciences library), I was up to some casual multi-tasking: switching between a database search, Robert Penn Warren’s collected works, and Twitter. There, amid the stacks, I realized I’ve never really blogged on Swat’s library system. Now seems as good a time as ever. Here’s a list of practical and idiosyncratic things I particularly enjoy:

1. Swarthmore has distinct library cultures. By that, I mean that there’s a different atmosphere in our 3 main libraries (we technically have 7, if you count our collections). Cornell, our science and math library, naturally attracts students majoring in the hard sciences. The wall-length glass windows look out on the Crum Woods, giving the space a pristine and clean “feel” that I think matches up nicely with the neat and orderly sciences. Of course, there’s no librarian gatekeeper kicking out students who arn’t studying chemistry–and I’ve certainly invaded the space with my long, not-so-orderly articles for my American Lit seminar. But for the most part you see a lot of statistics or engineering problem sets spewing out of the printer. For me, it’s a nice change of pace and a really satisfying studying space. Underhill, our music and dance library, is probably the most beautiful place to open a book, given the tall trees that circle the back windows.  Yesterday I watched the snowfall from one of those way-too-comfortable-for-your-own-good lounge chairs. There’s also something about being surrounded by texts on Bach and Mozart that encourages you to hum.

2. As most every Swarthmore tour/info session will surely have you know, Swat is apart of the Trico System with Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges. Even if you never take a course off-campus (I haven’t yet), TriCo is terrific because our library systems are joined. If, for instance, McCabe library has the chutzpah not to have that obscure text on underground poetry during the Brezhnev Era readily available on the shelf, I can open my laptop and get Bryn Mawr’s copy delivered within the next day or two. Picture your average liberal arts college library and then triple it!

3. Coffee, Tea & Cookies. Every night at 10pm, the McCabe staff puts out snacks to recharge students. It’s a chance to leave the recesses of your study space, snag a few Oreos, and chat with friends. Some people cheat and grab multiple snacks. Don’t tell.

4. The library texts me! Well, sort of. Technically, I text myself using the library website. Regardless, it’s nifty and helpful. When I search a text on the library catalog and am preparing to journey into the stacks, I can ask the site to text me the call-number. That way, I’m not stuck scrambling for scrap paper and jotting down a zillion digits from the Library of Congress’s crazy numerical system.

5. The librarians are actually helpful and kind and amazingly adept at locating every resource under the sun. As a kid, I loved libraries but disliked librarians, who inevitably judged the books I was reading or charged me fines or safe-guarded the printer lest you hand over an ungodly number of dimes. Thankfully, the Swarthmore librarians have redeemed my impression of librarians as smart and virtuous people.

6. We’re split 50/50 between Macs & PCs. Personally I have a Macbook, but there are times when I’d just prefer to do tasks on a PC. The option is nice, and Swat has a fair number of computers sprinkled throughout.

7. Unlimited Printing. Most Swatties are pretty environmentally conscious and try to avoid outright printing- bonanzas. With that said, if you need to print articles for class, or a paper draft, or meeting notes, go for it. Swat doesn’t have some complicated algorithm for how many pages you can print per semester. Just print what you need.

8. The hot water machine–on each floor! I bring a mug and brew tea as I work. If that’s unsuccessful, McCabe and Cornell are close to the coffee bars.