Here and there in the Digital Age

I attended a very interesting lecture yesterday given by Dr. Laurence Scott, of the Arcadia London Centre, about study abroad in the digital age.  Dr. Scott made a number of key points, such as the contrast between “here” and “there” being all but erased, as we can take here with us to there.  He also noted that the many ways we can interact digitally have created a fourth dimension.

For me, one of the most interesting aspects of the talk was the notion that we curate ourselves in digital space, but are also curated by others, as we are, for example, tagged and retweeted.  I was also struck by the multiplicity of identities one can simultaneously have in this fourth dimension. In the space of the ten minutes running up to Dr. Scott’s lecture, I acted as an administrator, a friend, a daughter, a scholar, and a colleague – on multiple digital platforms, including email, Twitter, and Facebook.

The connections that are possible in this digital age simultaneously link and separate us.  We can acquire news and information almost instantly.  And it can seem as if we are there, because of the proximity and rapidity of others – but we are still here and they are there, yet everywhere.  For those who study and travel abroad, the sense of being connected is a comfort, but the experience is mediated and made different because of those connections.  The connections enable us to process experiences differently, as we decide what to present in which digital medium, and challenge us to engage with the present in the moment.

Travel with students

My university has a wonderful program that allows our first-year students to spend spring break on cultural study trips abroad.  This year, Arcadia University will send nearly 400 students on seventeen courses in fifteen countries.  The students have been preparing for their trips over the course of the semester.  When they return, their experience will culminate with presentations at the Global Expo.

I am fortunate enough to be traveling with a wonderful colleague and nineteen excited students.  We will spend our week exploring British popular culture in London.  The themes we are studying include the role of sport in popular culture, the role of history, advertising, music, and everyday life.  Among the sites we will visit are the Olympic Park, the Museum of Brands, the home of Chelsea Football Club, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the Harry Potter Studio Tour.  I am excited to spend the week helping my students experience a place I love.

A Flurry of Conferences and Presentations

The autumn conference season is well underway.  Last month, I presented a paper entitled “‘You and Your Career’:  Careers Advice in Co-ed Magazine, 1956- 1965” at the Gender, Race, and Representation in Magazines and New Media Conference held at Cornell University.  This conference followed on from the Women in Magazines Conference that took place in London in June 2012. My paper focused on the magazine’s first decade, using the “You and Your Career” column in order to consider changes and continuities in careers presented in the pages of Co-ed.   It also considered other career-related pieces that appeared elsewhere in the magazine. The paper examined how various careers were represented as well as what advice was given about how to train for particular careers.

I was fortunate to be able to present a seminar for the Centre for the History of Women’s Education at the University of Winchester in November.  Our evening spent considering “Co-ed Magazine: A Source of Informal Education for 1950s American Teenagers,” was filled with fruitful discussion and convivial conversation, especially as we were able to examine copies of some issues of the magazine.

Next up is a trip to Exeter, United Kingdom for the UK History of Education Society annual meeting.  At that conference, my research colleague Stephanie Spencer and I will present “Professionalism in the Ranks:  Learning about Teaching and School Leadership in British and American Schoolgirl Stories.” We are using a British and an American series of schoolgirl stories to consider these works as sources of informal education for their readers about what teaching might be like as a career. In this paper, we highlight how authors detailed the characteristics associated with successful and not so successful teachers within schoolgirl fiction, focusing on the Chalet School books written by Eleanor Brent-Dyer and the Grace Harlowe high school series written by Jessie Graham Flower.

Reflections on Mary Lyon and Mountain Day

I spent this past weekend at Mount Holyoke College, my alma mater, at an Alumnae Association workshop.  Walking around the campus, I was struck,  as always, by its beauty and by how fortunate I had been to be able to attend this extraordinary college.  Founded by the redoubtable Mary Lyon in 1837, Mount Holyoke has always provided the opportunity for women to pursue higher education, often when social and economic conditions were not favorable.  Mary Lyon willed Mount Holyoke into being, raising funds to open her female seminary, designing the curriculum, and hiring the faculty.  She insisted that students walk for an extended period every day, to maintain good health, and that they share responsibility for some of the domestic duties.  The institution thrived and remains one of the leaders in higher education for women; it is a beacon in that landscape.

This morning, I received an email from the Alumnae Association, declaring that it was Mountain Day.  Although I am many years removed from my undergraduate days, those two words still carry a thrill.  On Mountain Day, the college chapel’s bells ring and ring, proclaiming the day, on which all academic activities are suspended and the college community is encouraged to enjoy a day out of doors.  Many students walk to nearby Mt. Holyoke and climb to its summit.  Mountain Day offers a chance to pause and to reflect.  Although I won’t be climbing any mountains today, I will still take a moment to reflect on my good fortune and on women like Mary Lyon who have made history.

Midsummer musings

As the summer races by more quickly than I’d like, I’ve been working on three projects.  The first is reading the six books in the Grace Harlowe overseas series, in which the lead character and her friends serve in various volunteer capacities in France during WW1.  This reading is in preparation for writing the abstract, then the paper, for next summer’s International Standing Conference in the History of Education, which has the theme of ‘Education, War and Peace’. It has been fascinating to read about very familiar characters placed in equally unfamiliar settings. I am also reading through multiple issues of Co-ed magazine, which began publication in the 1950s and was designed to be of interest to ‘Career Girls and Homemakers of Tomorrow.’  There are several projects involving this magazine afoot.  Finally, I am writing a new chapter for my manuscript about images of athletic American women in late nineteenth and early twentieth century.  I also need to rewrite the introduction, in light of many recent sporting events, and send it on for review.

Women’s History in a Digital World

The following paragraphs are excerpted from a paper I gave on 22 March 2013, entitled “What’s it all about, Alfie?:  conducting research in a digital age – Sensuality, Serendipity, and Sources.”  The paper was part of the Women’s History in a Digital World conference held at Bryn Mawr College under the auspices of the Albert M. Greenfield Digital Center for the History of Women’s Education.  This material must be cited and may not be reproduced without my permission.

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There is something about the smell of dust in the archives that represents research.  Learning to negotiate the physical space of the archives is a rite of passage for historians and remains an essential part of “what we do.” I am sure that all of us remember our early experiences doing archival research–the mysterious soft lighting, the smell of old paper, the gloves required to examine photographs, and yes, the dust of elderly pages– all of our senses engaged in the process of research.  There is a certain sensual allure to the archives and we can hardly deny the attractions of archival research.

Yet there are negative features as well–the distances we must travel to access materials and the costs of getting there, the restrictions that must be imposed on handling rare materials, not having the requisite pencil for note taking, the inaccessibility of key sources, the limited hours.  All of obstacles to research frustrate the historian, and the increasing availability of digital collections certainly helps to reduce some of the challenges inherent in research.  Does utility trump sensuality? Does working with digital sources change the way we interact with them?

The ability to find, to record, to access, to connect, to explore massive numbers and kinds of sources has changed the way we practice history.  Digital projects make women’s stories accessible to those who would never have had the reason or resources to work in an archive.  As we embrace the richness and range of what is available to us, we need to think carefully about how and whether access to digital archives and other sources will change the way we practice history and how we need to refine our skills and training to use such sources appropriately and effectively.

One aspect of research that may be lost with increasing reliance on digital archives is the sense of serendipity and discovery as one works diligently through a box of folders.  Not knowing what is there and what may be found is part of the allure of archival research.  The box next to the one that looked so promising may actually yield better results.  Consider for a moment the changes emerging technologies have made in how we access a source as simple as a letter.  Initially, transcripts of letters were published online, providing access to the text, but simultaneously losing some of the historical sense of the letter – what the writing looked like, how this particular letter related to others in the archive.  Scanning technologies provide us with the actual appearance of the letter and the 3-D imaging that is now available augments that interaction.  Despite technological innovations, we are still distant from the actual source, leading to a different kind of intimacy with our materials.  We look at the same object, but do we do so in the same way? The result may be similar in the way that we write about the letter, but is the experience of doing research the same . . . and does that matter?

As historians, especially as historians of women, we try to shine a light on the past and discover what we can about those who lived it.  Digital technologies offer many advantages as we pursue our craft, but we need to reflect on how changing practices influence and shape how we work as historians.

 

An International Odyssey

I am traveling throughout the United Kingdom, connecting with our students, faculty and staff who are part of Preview at Arcadia.  This program is an amazing opportunity for first year students, who take a study course on campus, then travel to the place they have been studying.  The geographic range is impressive, from England, to South Korea, to Costa Rica, to name but a few of the nearly twenty sites in this year’s program.

I spent time yesterday afternoon with students in London, as they explored the Churchill War Rooms to gain an understanding of the diplomacy involved among world leaders during World War II. Next stop is Edinburgh, where I will meet up with the class exploring Scottish film and literature.  Then it’s back to London for a visit to Parliament.

In addition, I have also been able to spend a bit of time at the University of Winchester, where I am a visiting research fellow. This is a connection I hold very dear.

It’s been a busy fall

The new semester started off well and I have been getting to know colleagues and students across the Arcadia campus.  I have been pleased to be part of several events for prospective students, at which I now sport a pair of custom-designed Chucks!

My work at Arcadia is to serve, essentially, as an academic dean of students, ensuring that policies are in place to support the students’ academic progress.  I have a wonderful and dedicated staff.

On the scholarly front, I have presented a paper at the UK Women’s History Network conference as well as a seminar for the Centre for the History of Women’s Education at the University of Winchester.  I was honored to participate in the graduation ceremony of Zoe Milsom, one of the Centre’s Ph.D. students, in November.  Just after Thanksgiving, I will return to Winchester for the History of Education Society’s conference, at which I am presenting a poster entitled “‘Future Perfect’:  Co-ed Magazine as a Source of Informal Education for American Teens”.  Co-ed Magazine billed itself as “The Magazine for Career Girls and Homemakers of Tomorrow” and offered instruction in domestic skills, dating and relationship advice, and information about a range of careers.

Women’s Sports and Popular Culture

Much of my research has considered the historical dimensions of women’s athletic activity. I am also very interested in how popular culture responds to women’s sports.  So where better to be than at the gold medal women’s football match at the 2012 Olympics?  I was honored to watch a thrilling match between the US and Japan, which the US won 2-1.  The match took place at Wembley Stadium, which has hosted many epic contests.  Last week, over 70,000 people watched Team GB in their match against Brazil (GB won 1-0).  Tonight, 80, 203 filled the stadium’s seats to watch the final match.

It will be interesting to see if there is any long-term impact in Britain, whether the public support of the sport, not only the home team, will influence the success of the women’s professional league (the Women’s Super League).  The excitement of the US team’s success in the 1999 World Cup led to the launch of a professional league that folded after three seasons;  a new league appeared in the 2000s, only to collapse within a few years.  Women’s professional leagues have had much more success in Europe than in the States, though results rarely feature in the sports pages.

Finding the right strategy to market and sustain women’s professional sports is challenging.  One thing that can never be doubted is the quality of play offered by the teams.  The Olympics is about more than taking part–it is about giving your all and your best when the whistle blows.

Settling in at Arcadia

I have begun my new position as Dean of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies at Arcadia University.  Everyone I have met here has been very welcoming and helpful.  They are very patient and willing to answer lots of questions from a rookie.  The campus is lovely;  it even has a castle!  It’s been a delight getting to know new colleagues and a new place.  I am looking forward to the coming weeks as the faculty and students return.