Seanfdubb's Blog

Final

seanfdubb — Tue, 11 May 2010 09:50:06 +0000

Dear Dr. Carter,

Aside from my project website and final paper, most of my class material has been posted here: the memos, annotated bibliography, notes, proposal, translation project, and responses. However, I consider my website to make up a part of my Research Portfolio and all of my Final Project. The only thing I have not uploaded yet is the completed descriptive bibliography. I was also unable to upload my audio files. It seems they are too big for any of the frees sites, running twenty minutes or longer on some occasions. You will also find my presentation for today attached to my project webpage. Please let me know if there is anything more I need to do.

Best,
Sean

My Research Post 2

seanfdubb — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 06:58:11 +0000

I have spent most of my time this week annotating my bibliography and working with my descriptive bibliography. Descriptive bibliographies are generally hard to maneuver through, especially since unexpected scenarios can popup fairly frequently. For instance, I have little experience working with texts that contain quite a few detailed pictures. A strong descriptive bibliography should always describe as much of the picture as possible; however, as my copy of An Introduction to Bibliographical and Textual Studies indicates (MLA style guide to bibliographies), it is prudent to use short descriptions in cases where multiple pictures are used in a book, especially when time and space are limited. Since this is exactly the case for me, I have been trying to cut my descriptions down as much as possible. I think an accurate reporting of textual issues is more important than illustrations in most case; however, since I am using pictures quite a bit in my paper, I need to indicate enough that it is evident where I am establishing an argument through what I am seeing in the textbook. In addition to this, I think the photocopies of textbook illustrations on my website will offer support for my final analysis of the texts. I will comment on other sections of my research in the reflective memo, particularly my attempt to reach Sue Sheppard about an interview.

First Post on Researching

seanfdubb — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 08:38:15 +0000

Since I focused on my bibliographic research for the reflective memo (which is still in progress), I decided to offer a brief explanation of my archival and secondary research for the post. As I mentioned last week, Heath has been a big help in resolving some of my contextual issues with desegregation, but it is not as helpful for narrowing down where to find research about issues relating to desegregation in Commerce, TX. In order to familiarize myself with the local impact of segregation and desegregation, I have decided to take advantage of the resources available at the Commerce Public Library. I have noted that they keep up with a great deal of historic documents pertaining to such issues in this region. As of now, I am trying to obtain information about “Sheppard,” the instructor and owner for one of my textbooks (Treasure Gold). Since the library does not have much available online, I have to do much of my research by hand, which can be fairly time consuming for a single semesters worth of research; however, I am optimistic at the moment. I have also looked into research some of the publishers of my textbooks. While Google and other such search engines are terrible for finding reliable sources, they are great for providing information that will point a researcher in the right directions, and this is especially true when researching big, publicly traded companies. On a preliminary search, I found that one of the publishers of my textbooks—Treasure Gold to be precise—had recently been acquired by a larger publishing company: D.C. Heath & Company, the publisher of my textbook, was purchased by Houghton Mifflin in 1995. While this may seem insignificant to my research from an outside perspective, it actually tells me quite a bit. As my old bibliography teacher indicated, when publishing companies go out of business or are acquired by a new company, the possibility for bibliographers to access once sealed publishing records goes up, meaning there is a possibility that textbook records were released to public libraries after the acquisition. As of now, I am trying to find methods for accessing this information through the MLA Literary Research Guide, which has a great section on dealing with publishing records.

Ways with Words: Language, Life, and Work in Communities and Classrooms

seanfdubb — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 10:17:11 +0000

In Ways with Words: Language, Life, and Work in Communities and Classrooms, Shirley Brice Heath conducts ethnographic research over two communities during desegregation in Roadville and Trackton in the Carolinas. She is interested in the linguistic variation between rural, urban, African American, and white populations in this region, particularly in the development of children’s linguistic practices. I found this book to be incredibly useful for my project. Since I am interested in perusing research on narratives available through textbooks in the Norris Community, a study on children’s linguistic developments during desegregation is incredibly useful to my research as a secondary source. In the “Prologue,” Heath fills me in on information I have been trying to research for my own project, particularly when the United States began to mandate desegregation in public schools, which apparently became “a fact of daily life” in the 1960s (1). I was also interested in how Heath became inspired to conduct this study through the enthusiasm of her students, who come from a variety of backgrounds around the area in which she taught and studied (2-3). I have frequently been inspired by my students to conduct research as well. This semester is no exception. I have noticed my student’s engagement with their textbooks and have tried to imagine if their reaction to assigned text is similar to the ones I am trying to reconstruct through my bibliographic research and ethnography. I have always tried to keep all of my textbooks (I even kept a few of my high school texts) and this makes me an unusual case. Since my family really stressed importance of books and reading, I have hard time imagine someone with a different perspective, but I feel it is important for me to understand this perspective if I am going to try to discover an entire communities reaction to specific texts.

Final Proposal

seanfdubb — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:16:33 +0000

Narrative Literacy Through Textbook Literature in The Norris Community

The Norris Community has been the primary focus of a number issues pertaining to this class. As such, I plan to focus my project on a few of the textbooks available at the old Norris Community School. Since I believe a selective discussion on just a few of these textbooks will yield a deeper analysis for a semester’s worth of research, I plan to focus my final project on three textbooks centered primarily on the literature available to this community through texts; however, I do plan to discuss (whether by comparison or otherwise) the other textbooks I have obtained through the Norris school or the Gee Library’s archives. The primary texts will consist of Treasure Gold (1964), Finding New Neighbors (1957), and Days of Adventure (1962). I propose to create an electronic archive of my sources on a blog site, where I will house my research paper, descriptive bibliographies, pictures, recordings and other data relevant to my research. To accompany all my texts, I will create a detailed descriptive bibliography and brief analysis/summary of each textbook. I will also write an eight to ten page paper analyzing and contextualizing the three primary texts. My goal is to determine what sorts of popular and literary narratives would have been available to the Norris Community through the public education system in the City of Commerce through the late 1950s and 1960s. As of now, my research indicates that a classical literary approach was offered in a mixed format for grades K-12, a method consistent with early twentieth century methods of teaching grade school. This method seems to be consistent with other areas of Texas at this time.

The three textbooks I selected for my primary research were chosen because they yielded a clear literary approach to teaching, which distinguishes them from my other samples, which largely focus on the disciplines of math and science. Since I wish to examine the kinds of stories available to the Norris Community, I felt that textbooks offering a literary approach would make for the best selection. Treasure Gold, the first textbook I analyzed, is especially interesting because it is a teacher’s edition. While there is little in the way of handwritten notes in the textbook, I was able to find the name Sheppard, presumably one of the instructors, on the inside corner of the textbook. As of now, I have not had much luck cross referencing the name through the library’s resources; however, I plan to obtain copies of teaching records through either the Commerce Public Library or perhaps through the Courthouse. If I am able to determine the statues of this teacher (i.e. where he/she taught, when he/she taught, and for how long), I believe I will be able to determine whether the teacher taught at the Norris School during segregation, which would allow me to cautiously speculate (and of course I can’t stress the cautiously enough) on the kinds of narratives emphasized in the Norris School during that period. While this will only be the speculative input from one instructor, I still believe it will be fruitful for others interested in studying this community.

Days of Adventure and Finding New Neighbors are each student edition textbooks and offer a wide variety of historical and literary narratives. As with Treasure Gold, I did not find much in the way of handwritten notes in both of these textbooks; however, I suspect students did not write in them because they were technically property of the state (as indicated by the stamp on the inside corner of the textbooks) and only belonged to them on loan. In each of these textbooks, there is a list of the students in possession of the text with the year and condition clearly labeled. From this record, I am able to determine when the book was in circulation and possibly when it was no longer being circulated (however, I must acknowledge that students might not have always filled this information in or accurately). On further examination, I was able to cross reference the student’s dates of circulation and the print date of the textbook. My findings here are somewhat intriguing: it appears that the textbooks were not in circulation for quite some time after their publication. Days of Adventure, published in 1962, has two student entries: the first does not contain a date, but the second indicates that it was still in circulation in 1974, more than ten years after its publication, which indicates that the textbook was not likely updated for quite some time. Finding New Neighbors, published in 1957, is a similar case; it was first in circulation in 1963, but it did not leave circulation until 1967, ten years after its publication. In Finding New Neighbors, there also seems to be a large discrepancy between the two known students that used the book. The first used the book relatively close to its publication date, but the second did not use the book until four years later. As stated earlier, this could be because the students did not mark their names in the textbook or it could be because the book was out of circulation for a time until it reached the Norris School. In any which case, the fact the books stay in circulation for so long insinuates either that the Commerce School District was too poor to by new textbooks or was pushing old texts onto the Norris School. In order to verify this concern, I plan to investigate how long public school districts generally keep their textbooks and whether any state regulations mandate they update textbooks within a certain amount of time. I believe finding this information will offer key insight into this problem.

As I crossed referenced my primary texts with what was available in our library, I noted only one of the three of my textbooks is available in our archive, Finding New Neighbors. The other two are not listed amongst our textbook collection. As such, I think my research can expand the database in our archive to include a greater collection of textbooks; and, if the library is willing, I plan to donate these textbooks to their collection once my research is complete; however, they are in such poor condition that I am not sure if the library will take them.

In attempt to contextualize my research, I have started reading articles discussing textbooks and schools systems in relation to segregation. As of now, Richard L. Hughes is my primary guide into the scholarship and history of my topic. In “A Hint of Whiteness: History Textbooks and Social Construction of Race in the Wake of the Sixties,” Hughes investigates the way African Americans were presented in public school textbooks throughout the United States. He is particularly interested in the way slavery and Civil Rights are presented in textbooks. He argues that criticism of these textbooks have focused on two issues:

(1) that blacks were largely absent from the story of American history and (2) that when texts included blacks in a few areas such as slavery and Reconstruction, they portrayed blacks in such a way as to ‘reinforce all the old Negro stereotypes’ [quote citations removed] of childlike caricatures or social problems ill-prepared for the demands of citizenship. (202)

With his research as a guide, I have noted that all three of my textbooks reflect the concerns he is explicating about reinforcing racial stereotypes. Days of Adventure, Treasure Gold, and Finding New Neighbors depict African Americans and other races as childlike and primitive. In fact, the only depictions of African Americans I can find in these textbooks are of native Africans living in a jungle; all modern day depictions seem to be of only white men and women.

As for my translation project, I plan to create an eight to ten minute video which will serves as an introduction for my website and research. I am still writing the monologue for this video, but I hope to complete it by the end of the week. If all goes as planned, I will have a friend record my introduction and help me upload it to the homepage of my website; however, I will place a link to it on my blog site until my final website is up and running. As for interviews and other data (provided that I use them), they will appear in a similar fashion on the final webpage; however, I am still considering whether I need to consult interviewees. I am not sure if they will be able to provide information relevant to my research. If everything goes as I have suggested, I would imagine that literacy scholars, bibliographers, and historians would be interested in the kinds of research I am doing. And from what I can tell, this is relatively an untouched field of research. I have not seen anything to indicate scholars have conducted a bibliographical study of texts available to children of segregated public schools.

Field Working: Reading and Writing Research

seanfdubb — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:13:26 +0000

The Field Working textbook is a great way to introduce new ethnographers/students to fieldwork and research terminology. Since I use this textbook in my classes, I can attest to its usefulness as a prep-guide for ethnographic research. In my class, I particularly stressed the availability of definitions and exercises in Chapters I and II. In fact, I adapted Box 1 for an in class exercise, where I had the students create a list of rituals, groups, phrases (insider language) and behaviors they were noting in their communities, and then discuss their thoughts on the list with their group members. I also discussed distinctions in field jargon: one such example is the discussion I held on artifacts. I had my class use the textbook to help them distinguish what would can as an artifact in their community (a man made or modified object) and then asked them to identify whether this object was simply a tool (something used for a designated purpose) or a symbolic object (an object used to symbolize something beyond its use). We then discussed how identifying the differences between these objects can yield and interesting reading of their community. Uniforms, cooking utensils, and hairnets can all yield interesting information about a restaurants community—whether it’s a chain business, local business or even upper or lower class establishment. Personally, I find the textbook to be invaluable to my class and my student’s research.

Proposal

seanfdubb — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:38:50 +0000

The Norris Community has been the primary focus of a number issues pertaining to this class. As such, I plan to focus my project on a few of the textbooks available at the old Norris Community School. Since I believe a selective discussion on just a few of these textbooks will yield a deeper analysis for a semester’s worth of research, I plan to focus my final project on three textbooks centered primarily on the literature available to this community through texts; however, I do plan to discuss (whether by comparison or otherwise) the other textbooks I have obtained through the Norris school or the Gee Library’s archives. The primary texts will consist of Treasure Gold (1964), Finding New Neighbors (1957), and Days of Adventure (1962). I propose to create an electronic archive of my sources on a blog site, where I will house my research paper, descriptive bibliographies, pictures, recordings and other data related to my research. To accompany all my texts, I will create a detailed descriptive bibliography and brief analysis/summary of each textbook. I will also write an eight to ten page paper analyzing and contextualizing the three primary texts. My goal is to determine what sorts of popular and literary narratives would have been available to the Norris Community through the public educations system in the City of Commerce through 1950 to 1967. As of now, my research indicates that a classical literary approach was offered in a mixed format for grades K-12, a method consistent with earlier century methods of teaching grade school. Whether this is consistent with other areas of Texas at the time is still to be researched.

Works Cited

Gold, David. “The Accidental Archivist: Embracing Chance and Confusion in Historical Scholarship.” Beyond The Archives: Research As a Lived Process. Ed. Gesa E. Kirsch and Liz Rohan. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2008. 13-19.

—. Rhetoric at the Margins: Revising the History of Writing Instruction in American Colleges, 1873-1947. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2008.

Kirsch, Gesa E. “Being on Location: Serendipity, Place, and Archival Resarch.” Beyond The Archives: Research As a Lived Process. Ed. Gesa E. Kirsch and Liz Rohan. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 2008. 20-27.

Sitton, Thad and James H. Conrad. Freedom Colonies: independent Black Texans in the Tim of Jim Crow. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2008.

Textbooks Pics

seanfdubb — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 08:37:53 +0000

Shane, The Lone Ethnographer

seanfdubb — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:49:49 +0000

Shane, The Lone Ethnographer is great way to introduce inexperienced graduate students or undergraduates to conducting research and ethnography. I particularly enjoyed the charts and classrooms scenes, but I am not sure the cartoon is as helpful for experienced graduate students. While there are some elements of the cartoon that present new information to experienced students, most of the information will seem simple and all too familiar to experienced researchers; although, it may be of greater interest to graduate students without a strong background in anthropology. In any which case, I plan to make copies of parts of this cartoon for my classes. I think they will love the informal presentation of ethnography.

Beyond the Archives

seanfdubb — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:26:37 +0000

“In a Treeless Landscape,” Chapter Seven of Beyond the Archives, Kathleen Wider attempts to conduct an archival/oral history of her grandmother, Augusta Mercedes Maguire Wider. She discovers that her grandmother was once a great orator that traveled the country performing and lecturing in the early part of the twentieth-century. However, while conducting research on her grandmother, Kathleen Wider discovers that Augusta entertained political views that are seen as racists and monstrous by today’s standards; in a political speech, her grandmother advocated eugenics or the “sterilization of the ‘unfit’” (71). Despite this dark discovery, Wider forgives her grandmother on the grounds that every history presents a darker side and that her grandmother was largely a product of her generation. While this statement carries certain truths, it certainly seemed a disappointment when considering all of the great things her grandmother accomplished. Nonetheless, the article does hint on some important points to consider when conducting ethnographic research: 1) the internet is great starting point no matter what the stigma and 2) strong ethnographic researched is based on accurate reporting no matter what the findings.

Personal Comment: I generally find the internet an invaluable way of getting started with any research project I have little familiarity in. While I agree that internet research is unreliable and should not be used reliable material in research article, I do believe it’s a great place gain a rough familiarity of a topic.