- Adhere to accepted ethical and legal principals. Though there was little required of me in this area, I took care to create original materials, give credit to my sources where applicable, and to keep much of the family history research confidential, which is to say I only discussed findings within the context of the class and among my immediate family members.
- Use appropriate rhetorical tools and technologies tailored for specific audiences and purposes. For the family history project, I compiled data into a 20-page document that could be used by other family members as they continue their family history research. Also, for the graduate discussion and class facilitation portion of the class, I finally learned how to use Power Point to create a presentation for our class.
- Integrate verbal and visual elements in composing family history projects. Here is where I struggled the most in class. Without a clear structure for an 8-week project, and not nearly enough time to accomplish what I wanted to for this project, I found it difficult to compose a document with both visual and verbal elements. Though I did create charts and add photos to my final project, I did not feel successful in this aim of the course.
- Evaluate, interpret, and document archive materials. For both projects this semester, I evaluated photos, letters, and Internet artifacts for usefulness to my project, interpreted each through several lens to get more than a surface-level understanding of each, and carefully documented and labeled where and/or from whom I acquired each artifact.
- Collaborate with a non-profit organization (the LJHP) in producing something that meets their needs. For this portion of the course I have accumulated, documented, and organized a binder of research materials on Camp Pokagon.
- Keep an active research journal in which [I] reflect on the process of writing [my] own family history and of helping the LJHP write their manuscript. This entry, as well as all the following entries, illustrate the reflective practice I used throughout the entire semester.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Objectives Met
Upon the completion of Literacy and Family History, I find that acheived the six main objectives of the course.
Drafting My Lake James Project
In FieldWorking:Reading and Writing Research, 3rd Ed., authors Bonnie Stone Sunstein and Elizabeth Chiseri-Strater ask writers in the process of drafting to consider three crucial questions as they work toward their final projects. These include: What surprised me? What intrigued me? What disturbed me? As I prepare my final research binder for LJHP, I find it necessary to answer these, even though my final project is not a narrative (as I would have loved to do!).
What surprised me?
The amount of information available on Camp Pokagon for Girls came as a surprise to me. Within one day I unearthed weeks worth of artifacts perfect for the coffee table book Flaim and Jim are designing. As I scrolled through page after page, picture after picture, song after song, I found that many of the former campers had stayed in contact with each other over the three or four decades since their camping experiences on Lake James. Not only that, but they had composed a virtual scrapbook of memorabilia from their camping days that brought Lake James of the 1960s and 1970s alive for me. Even though their were very few stories shared on message boards, photos, maps, Pow Wow newsletters, recipes, and more told a story at the heart of the camping experience. The silliness, the sneeking, the singing--all the types of things I remember from my own camping experiences as a pre-adolescent were spread before me. Looking at a Crayola-crayoned drawing of the campgrounds showed me much more than what a traditional map would have. Though I did look for those "official" types of artifacts in my research, the hand-drawn map showed me where I could have found all the subversive activities of campers and counselors that never would have made it into the bi-annual Pow Wow.
What intrigued me?
What drew me into researching Camp Pokagon in the first place were my own childhood experiences camping on various lakes throughout Michigan. Since my camping experiences were always all-girl experiences, I never got to see camping from the eyes of boys. Sure I had read My Side of the Mountain and other fictional tales of adventuresome boys, but I always wondered what kinds of things boys did at camp. Did they sing songs? Did they have skit nights? What things might they have learned that girls did not?
What disturbed me?
As a full month of researching dwindled away, I became disturbed by the complete lack of information about Camp Pokagon for Boys. Though it had been in existence for at least two decades longer than Camp Pokagon for Girls, Camp Pokagon for Boys did not exist on the internet except in one tangential message board in which a former camper mentioned that the counselors used to ride their bikes down the giant slide after hours on Lake James. Oh yeah, and Google results also turned up this blog. This brings about many more questions. Is there something special about girls camp? What sorts of bonds between boys might have formed? Do bonds still exist? And if so, how do they manifest themselves outside of the Internet? Why didn't former boy campers come together in a virtual social space as the girls did? Where might the artifacts of boys' camping experiences reside? The list goes on.
What surprised me?
The amount of information available on Camp Pokagon for Girls came as a surprise to me. Within one day I unearthed weeks worth of artifacts perfect for the coffee table book Flaim and Jim are designing. As I scrolled through page after page, picture after picture, song after song, I found that many of the former campers had stayed in contact with each other over the three or four decades since their camping experiences on Lake James. Not only that, but they had composed a virtual scrapbook of memorabilia from their camping days that brought Lake James of the 1960s and 1970s alive for me. Even though their were very few stories shared on message boards, photos, maps, Pow Wow newsletters, recipes, and more told a story at the heart of the camping experience. The silliness, the sneeking, the singing--all the types of things I remember from my own camping experiences as a pre-adolescent were spread before me. Looking at a Crayola-crayoned drawing of the campgrounds showed me much more than what a traditional map would have. Though I did look for those "official" types of artifacts in my research, the hand-drawn map showed me where I could have found all the subversive activities of campers and counselors that never would have made it into the bi-annual Pow Wow.
What intrigued me?
What drew me into researching Camp Pokagon in the first place were my own childhood experiences camping on various lakes throughout Michigan. Since my camping experiences were always all-girl experiences, I never got to see camping from the eyes of boys. Sure I had read My Side of the Mountain and other fictional tales of adventuresome boys, but I always wondered what kinds of things boys did at camp. Did they sing songs? Did they have skit nights? What things might they have learned that girls did not?
What disturbed me?
As a full month of researching dwindled away, I became disturbed by the complete lack of information about Camp Pokagon for Boys. Though it had been in existence for at least two decades longer than Camp Pokagon for Girls, Camp Pokagon for Boys did not exist on the internet except in one tangential message board in which a former camper mentioned that the counselors used to ride their bikes down the giant slide after hours on Lake James. Oh yeah, and Google results also turned up this blog. This brings about many more questions. Is there something special about girls camp? What sorts of bonds between boys might have formed? Do bonds still exist? And if so, how do they manifest themselves outside of the Internet? Why didn't former boy campers come together in a virtual social space as the girls did? Where might the artifacts of boys' camping experiences reside? The list goes on.
The US Supports Family History Research!
Early this week a man came to the front door of my house, explained that he worked for the US Census, asked a few questions about the type of residence I live in, and then proceeded next door to do the same. He left me with a handout that read:
"Your answers are confidential and protected by law. All U.S. Census Bureau employees have taken an oath and are subject to jail term, a fine, or both if they disclose ANY infomration that could identify you or your household. Your answers will only be used for statistical purposes, and no other purpose. As allowed by law, your census data becomes public after 72 years. This information can be used for family history and other types of historical research. ..."
All semester we've struggled with answering the question, Is family history research a legitimate type of research within the academy? Here, we have the government suggesting it! Not only that, but they group it together within the spectrum of historical research, which suggests a place for it among history classes. Wouldn't it be great to offer a 16-week family history composition class crosslisted as a history course?! I think this would be a great fit and bring many types of researchers together on campus.
"Your answers are confidential and protected by law. All U.S. Census Bureau employees have taken an oath and are subject to jail term, a fine, or both if they disclose ANY infomration that could identify you or your household. Your answers will only be used for statistical purposes, and no other purpose. As allowed by law, your census data becomes public after 72 years. This information can be used for family history and other types of historical research. ..."
All semester we've struggled with answering the question, Is family history research a legitimate type of research within the academy? Here, we have the government suggesting it! Not only that, but they group it together within the spectrum of historical research, which suggests a place for it among history classes. Wouldn't it be great to offer a 16-week family history composition class crosslisted as a history course?! I think this would be a great fit and bring many types of researchers together on campus.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Writing Center as Service-Learning
An argument in class last week that discredited the Writing Center as a site of service learning was that there is never a time when consultant and consultee are both experts on the writing they are doing. The consultee is always there for help that the consultant gives.
I disagree. Many times undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty come to the Writing Center as experts of their own fields and the questioning, brainstorming, writing, and revising that is formed as a result of these consultations is more collaborative in nature that the typical tutor-over-tutee relationship.
I disagree. Many times undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty come to the Writing Center as experts of their own fields and the questioning, brainstorming, writing, and revising that is formed as a result of these consultations is more collaborative in nature that the typical tutor-over-tutee relationship.
Positioning and Service-Learning
Last week I wrote "Public service entails joining others in a common project of social change. How are we helping a larger public than just the LJHP? And why haven't we discussed issues beyond our immediate projects?" I've given this topic a lot of thought, especially as I've worked on my annotated bibliography, and the conclusion that I've come to is that our project is safe. I say safe because (our and their) race and class among other positionings are not challenged in the process of completing our project(s).
Students and instructor included, we are all white (though some of us may have well-hidden racial backgrounds) and bring with us white privilege. We all have at least four years of university experience and, since we are highly educated individuals, we are all assumed to be middle-class Americans, or at least people who had a middle to upper-middle class upbringing. All of those distinct positionings, though we rarely analyze them, give us the privilege to do exactly that--ignore our positionings and assume that we are all the same (or drastically different from Others).
Flaim and Jim, as representatives of the LJHP, are white, college-educated, middle-to-upper-middle class individuals, so there is little to discuss as far as social issues in our project(s) with them. However, one of the goals in many definitions of service-learning is to work with a group toward social change. Without the added critical look at social issues within the LJHP, I feel like this part of the course is aimless. So I've helped and will continue to help these people. So what? Without a critical look into "social injustices" that brought about the need for this project, I cannot answer that most important question. In fact, without professor guidance (i.e. questions for the blog, modeling of stories, etc.), we are not posed to delve into the issues, if any, that bring about a real need for this project.
I guess the question of need is a stopping point for me. I have a hard time justifying the work I'm doing as a real need of the LJHP and the greater community. In fact, considering the positionings and privileges of LJHP members, I see our research as fulfilling more of a want than a need. They want to produce their book sooner rather than later (maybe in five years, as opposed to the ten without our collaboration). Does the community need this book? I don't really think so. Will the community benefit from this book? No. Flaim and Jim claim that one of there missions is to stop the growth of McMansions on Lake James, but I don't see a connection between their project and this.
What could their projects, and our reflections, look like if the focus was truly on stopping the McMansion-izing of Lake James? First of all, I don't think the final product would be a book. In fact, I believe this course would focus on creating and performing public events in Angola and around Northeast Indiana to shed light on how upper classes taking over lake property effects other classes and lake life in general. Flaim and Jim already do this, but their focus is more on nostalgia and entertainment rather than on preservation. Instead of helping them with research for a book, we could be writing to government officials and giving demonstrations at town halls. Instead of journaling about research gaps, we could be reflecting on social injustice in class readings, our personal lives, and in our service-learning experiences. In this way, the course could also be cross-listed with an undergraduate sociology course.
Students and instructor included, we are all white (though some of us may have well-hidden racial backgrounds) and bring with us white privilege. We all have at least four years of university experience and, since we are highly educated individuals, we are all assumed to be middle-class Americans, or at least people who had a middle to upper-middle class upbringing. All of those distinct positionings, though we rarely analyze them, give us the privilege to do exactly that--ignore our positionings and assume that we are all the same (or drastically different from Others).
Flaim and Jim, as representatives of the LJHP, are white, college-educated, middle-to-upper-middle class individuals, so there is little to discuss as far as social issues in our project(s) with them. However, one of the goals in many definitions of service-learning is to work with a group toward social change. Without the added critical look at social issues within the LJHP, I feel like this part of the course is aimless. So I've helped and will continue to help these people. So what? Without a critical look into "social injustices" that brought about the need for this project, I cannot answer that most important question. In fact, without professor guidance (i.e. questions for the blog, modeling of stories, etc.), we are not posed to delve into the issues, if any, that bring about a real need for this project.
I guess the question of need is a stopping point for me. I have a hard time justifying the work I'm doing as a real need of the LJHP and the greater community. In fact, considering the positionings and privileges of LJHP members, I see our research as fulfilling more of a want than a need. They want to produce their book sooner rather than later (maybe in five years, as opposed to the ten without our collaboration). Does the community need this book? I don't really think so. Will the community benefit from this book? No. Flaim and Jim claim that one of there missions is to stop the growth of McMansions on Lake James, but I don't see a connection between their project and this.
What could their projects, and our reflections, look like if the focus was truly on stopping the McMansion-izing of Lake James? First of all, I don't think the final product would be a book. In fact, I believe this course would focus on creating and performing public events in Angola and around Northeast Indiana to shed light on how upper classes taking over lake property effects other classes and lake life in general. Flaim and Jim already do this, but their focus is more on nostalgia and entertainment rather than on preservation. Instead of helping them with research for a book, we could be writing to government officials and giving demonstrations at town halls. Instead of journaling about research gaps, we could be reflecting on social injustice in class readings, our personal lives, and in our service-learning experiences. In this way, the course could also be cross-listed with an undergraduate sociology course.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Oral Performances at Camp
(Chapter 6, Box 27 Action)
Here are three songs representative of what at least one generation of campers sang at Camp Pokagon for Girls.
SPIRIT OF POKAGON
By Lou Meynard
Wake up every morning with a smile upon your face
Like the sun as it dawns across the lake.
Dreams of Pokagon that your memories can’t erase
The fragile times that time could never break.
Spring has its blossom, and autumn drops her leaves
But summer at Pokagon never ends.
‘Cause now it’s yours forever, sing out what your heart believes:
The spirit of Pokagon is your friends.
The spirit of Pokagon is your friends.
Due to lack of humor, this particular song seems to be one of the more serious songs sung by campers. From the use of metaphor in this song (and the sheer amounf of songs I've compiled--about 200) we can tell how much of a bonding force 4-8 weeks of camp life was for these girls.
TAKE ME OUT TO POKAGON
Take me out to Pokagon, take me out to the camp.
Buy me a sweatshirt and sleeping bag;
I don’t care if my counselor’s a hag!
For it’s slap, slap, slap the mosquitoes,
Stay away from the snakes!
For it’s 1,2, 3 clean the john
And the other rakes!
This song, sung to Take Me Out to the Ballgame, illustrates some of the more humorous elements of camp life. Campers eveidently needed sweatshirts, which tells us that weather was probably unpredictable at camp. Apparently, there also seems to be a tradition of ugly "hag" counselors, as well as persistant pests, such as mosquitoes and snakes. This song also reveals some of the values at camp; cleaning was definitely something everyone, like it or not, had to participate in.
WE ARE POKAGON GIRLS
We are Pokagon girls, we wear our hair in curls.
We wear our father’s shirts, we are the biggest flirts!
We wear our dungarees way up above our knees.
Hey boys, here come Pokagon girls! Hey!
To me, this song reveals the desire many girls had to maintain their feminine side while spending their summers in a traditionally masculine way. Though these girls wore men's clothing, they still did their hair and maintained a charm to attract what I assume to be the boys from Camp Pokagon for Boys. This song also alludes to the fact that there may have been a connection between the boys' camp and girls' camp, though they were located in different areas on Lake James.
Here are three songs representative of what at least one generation of campers sang at Camp Pokagon for Girls.
SPIRIT OF POKAGON
By Lou Meynard
Wake up every morning with a smile upon your face
Like the sun as it dawns across the lake.
Dreams of Pokagon that your memories can’t erase
The fragile times that time could never break.
Spring has its blossom, and autumn drops her leaves
But summer at Pokagon never ends.
‘Cause now it’s yours forever, sing out what your heart believes:
The spirit of Pokagon is your friends.
The spirit of Pokagon is your friends.
Due to lack of humor, this particular song seems to be one of the more serious songs sung by campers. From the use of metaphor in this song (and the sheer amounf of songs I've compiled--about 200) we can tell how much of a bonding force 4-8 weeks of camp life was for these girls.
TAKE ME OUT TO POKAGON
Take me out to Pokagon, take me out to the camp.
Buy me a sweatshirt and sleeping bag;
I don’t care if my counselor’s a hag!
For it’s slap, slap, slap the mosquitoes,
Stay away from the snakes!
For it’s 1,2, 3 clean the john
And the other rakes!
This song, sung to Take Me Out to the Ballgame, illustrates some of the more humorous elements of camp life. Campers eveidently needed sweatshirts, which tells us that weather was probably unpredictable at camp. Apparently, there also seems to be a tradition of ugly "hag" counselors, as well as persistant pests, such as mosquitoes and snakes. This song also reveals some of the values at camp; cleaning was definitely something everyone, like it or not, had to participate in.
WE ARE POKAGON GIRLS
We are Pokagon girls, we wear our hair in curls.
We wear our father’s shirts, we are the biggest flirts!
We wear our dungarees way up above our knees.
Hey boys, here come Pokagon girls! Hey!
To me, this song reveals the desire many girls had to maintain their feminine side while spending their summers in a traditionally masculine way. Though these girls wore men's clothing, they still did their hair and maintained a charm to attract what I assume to be the boys from Camp Pokagon for Boys. This song also alludes to the fact that there may have been a connection between the boys' camp and girls' camp, though they were located in different areas on Lake James.
Insider Language
(Chapter 6, Box 25 Action)
In gathering information about Camp Pokagon for Girls, I found a lot of terms used by former campers. For instance:
Pow-Wow The end-of-camp newsletters issued by Herman Phillips--"Phil"--the director. I found copies of these newsletters dating from 1966 to 1976.
However, I found many mentionings of camp events and, without explanations, I can only guess from pictures what they entail. For example, I found pictures of whaleboating, Miss Icky, Water Olympics, Kangaroo Court, Pokagon Playhouse, Dew Drop, Horseback Breakfast, and several other events.
I'm awaiting a reply from the former Camp Pokagon for Girls staff, but so far all I've gotten is an automated message that tells me rather enthusiastically that I will be receiving a reply soon. Without an interview, will some of the events be lost, only recorded as random pictures? Here is where our family history project research ties in with service learning research. In both areas of study this semester I've come across great artifacts (pictures, letters, etc.), but have had little luck finding an insider to tell me the stories behind the artifacts.
Due to limited time, what I might have to do is collect as many songs, jokes, and other written oral performances as I can and let those artifacts tell the stories. Afterall, performances reveal at the very least "the everyday rules and rituals that a culture lives by" (337), so I might be able to create narrative materials loosely based on the word choices repeated in songs.
In gathering information about Camp Pokagon for Girls, I found a lot of terms used by former campers. For instance:
Pow-Wow The end-of-camp newsletters issued by Herman Phillips--"Phil"--the director. I found copies of these newsletters dating from 1966 to 1976.
However, I found many mentionings of camp events and, without explanations, I can only guess from pictures what they entail. For example, I found pictures of whaleboating, Miss Icky, Water Olympics, Kangaroo Court, Pokagon Playhouse, Dew Drop, Horseback Breakfast, and several other events.
I'm awaiting a reply from the former Camp Pokagon for Girls staff, but so far all I've gotten is an automated message that tells me rather enthusiastically that I will be receiving a reply soon. Without an interview, will some of the events be lost, only recorded as random pictures? Here is where our family history project research ties in with service learning research. In both areas of study this semester I've come across great artifacts (pictures, letters, etc.), but have had little luck finding an insider to tell me the stories behind the artifacts.
Due to limited time, what I might have to do is collect as many songs, jokes, and other written oral performances as I can and let those artifacts tell the stories. Afterall, performances reveal at the very least "the everyday rules and rituals that a culture lives by" (337), so I might be able to create narrative materials loosely based on the word choices repeated in songs.
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