Calling all Medievalists

Calling all Medievalists

Hi all -- I am reprinting (with permission), parts of a letter I received regarding the Berks conference. If you are looking for a fantastic conference and do anything on the history of women -- and this doesn't mean you have to be a women's historian or even a feminist historian per se -- please consider adding this conference to your roster. I had a fantastic time this year, and hope I can go again.

Dear Colleagues,

I just returned from the 14th Berkshire Conference on the History of Women at the University of Minnesota, where I was happily surrounded by medievalists, and not just those who study the European Middle Ages. I’ve been going to the Berks since 1992, when it was at Vassar, and it is always an intellectual high. But this year, thanks to Ruth Mazo Karras and a superb program committee, there were not only more panels devoted specifically to medieval women, there were more medieval historians, art historians, literary scholars, and theologians taking part in an impressive array of panels, workshops, and seminars that crossed temporal and geographic boundaries. The theme of the conference, “Continuities and Changes,” is evident in the following panels that directly addressed or touched on medieval feminist scholarship (see the Berks website for details here):

* Foreign Queens of the Bible as Political Tropes (session 13)
* Women’s Authority, Authorship, and Authorizing (29)
* Women, Royalty and Politics in Comparative Perspective (32)
* Feminist Provocations: Judith Bennett’s History Matters (47)
* Interrogating Women’s Agency: Voice, Choice, and Power in the Premodern World (56)
* Mothers, Wetnurses, and the Evolution of Reproductive Medicine in Premodern Europe (81)
* Seeing Women in Byzantine Society (112)
* Gendering the Plague (152)
* Using the Archives of Medieval Religious Houses to Reflect on their Secular Sisters (182)
* Discovering Women’s Lives amidst Premodern Numbers: The Application of Demography to Premodern Europe and North America (185)
* Managing Property, Constructing Gender (196)
* Singlewomen (199)
* Women and the Law Courts in Global Historical Perspective (202)


Many SMFS members presented papers, were discussants or chairs, and if the blogs (see the Berks website) are any indication, the conference will continue to generate the sorts of ideas and conversations that make our field so vibrant and vital.

If you have not been to a Berkshire Conference, put this on your list of things to do. And, believe it or not, start thinking now about the Berks of 2011. That may seem a long ways away, but it’s not. The conference organizers get to work very early and solicit session proposals roughly 18 months before the conference, so start brainstorming now. It is best to submit complete panels, and since these can sometimes take a while to put together, it's not too soon to begin to sound out colleagues about potential panels. As a rule, participants may take on only one role in a panel, although anyone can organize it. (But a presenter will not be a chair, for example, nor a commenter.) At this point in the calendar, we don't know yet where the Berks will take place, but it will most likely be on the east coast, and it will be around the second weekend in June. The schedule then, will look something like this:

* Summer/Fall 2009: Call for papers/panel proposals
* February 2010: Deadline for submissions
* June-July 2010: Panels accepted
* June 2011: Conference


The Berks conference is held every three years (this is called the Big Berks, not to be confused with the annual retreats called the Little Berks). If you are not a historian per se, don’t stop reading. Non-historians can deliver papers and act as chairs and comments. They also welcome proposals from independent scholars, whether or not they define themselves as historians. As a general rule, though, individual papers (and the panels and roundtables in which they appear) need to be intelligible to an audience made up largely of historians of women, and to be relevant to the current historical enterprise, broadly conceived.

Panels typically involve a chair, two to three papers, and a comment. Often panels focus more narrowly on a specific historical problem, field, area, or time period (though many are comparative across regions or periods, and they can be interdisciplinary). Roundtables tend to take on "larger," and somewhat more speculative (and sometimes more controversial) subjects, and they often feature shorter, more informal presentations by a larger number of people, and they usually include more discussion time for audience members. This year, for the first time, the Berks held a series of seminars and workshops based on pre-circulated papers; this format was generally successful, and it is likely conference organizers will do it again. These were held simultaneously on Sunday morning for 2 1/2 hours.

And, in the spirit of what Miri Rubin, in her plenary address termed the “generous history” of feminist scholarship, the Berks is not just for or written by women. I was impressed by the number of men, among them many graduate students and junior faculty, who study women’s history.

For those of you who subscribe to the medfem-L but have not yet joined the SMFS, please consider making us part of your array of professional organizations. We are devoted to keeping medieval feminist scholarship at the forefront of scholarship on the European Middle Ages and we not only welcome your expertise and your voice, we need you to continue to keep feminist scholarship at the forefront of intellectual life.

And finally, stay tuned to medfem-L. As the Berks organizers get ready for 2011, we will send you information so that you, too, can be part of a tremendous intellectual and feminist experience.

My colleague says this far better than I, but I have to say, she's absolutely right.

I heart John Scalzi

I heart John Scalzi

Well said, that man

Transformative Conferences

Transformative Conferences

Wow. I'm at the Big Women's History Conference. I had dinner last night with the plenary speakers (OMG I am still in major fan squee from being allowed to sit at their feet and drink in their wisdom!) and with women whose work I've been catching up on, because it has more and more to do with my own. And throughout this conference, I've been struck by how much generosity there is -- I've found that before, at the Late Antique conference especially, and at K'zoo. But it's a bit different here.

The transformative part, though, is the realization that women's history (and I'm not particularly a women's historian) forces us to be inclusive in ways that more traditional male-oriented history doesn't. I think many of us can and do regularly consider issues of class, gender, and race (where applicable), in our work, but it's because we are interested. Women's history seems to demand that those things be considered.

OTOH, I have heard two papers where the larger political and religious contexts were under-considered, IMO. Balance is good.

Otherwise, having a wonderful time, and am just enjoying myself, since I'm done with my paper!

Allen rehashes

Re-hashing Allen by Allen

Charlotte Allen re-hashes her weekly standard column and bashes at various interdisciplinary studies programs. It's pretty sad, really, in terms of writing (quoting the same passage twice in the same paragraph?) and in terms of her attacks. It's also pretty funny that she cites the sad case of Betsey Fox-Genovese, an academic who began as the type of Marxist feminist Allen derides, and ended up being anti-feminist and hugely conservative as she grew older. Allen's presentation of F-G as a victim of those "studies" people conveniently overlooks easily Google-able reports of a sex harassment lawsuit and other indications that she was not a powerless victim at Emory.

I suppose the up-side of all this is that Allen is coming off more and more like a sad crank.

HT to Matt Gabriele Larry Swain at Modern Medieval

Trying to gear up

Trying to Gear Up

Ok -- the school year and conference crap are over. I should be working on research, no? Except that I'm teaching a summer course so that I can afford my research trip, and I'm moving in 10 days. So this is not the post on gearing back up. This is the post that holds the place of that post. Meanwhile, I need to get to the gym and then to the office. And then go get more boxes. Eep.

Was she at the same conference?

Was she at the same conference? (warning: here be swearing)

Oh, for fuck's sake. Just ... can someone please bring me a clue stick?

A better question -- Why bother? Because let me tell you, it's not generally a good idea to go to conferences to pick out the papers you don't like. Some of us actually go to Kalamazoo and manage to go to plenty of good papers. Of course, maybe it's because I do the Late Antique and Early Medieval rounds, and we're still all about being stodgy proper scholars? Doesn't keep us from the wine hours and the dance, though.

Thank goodness for Scott Nokes, who has a much better post than I can manage at the moment. The comments there are good, too. And thanks, sort of, to Dr. Virago for pointing it out.

Basically, Charlotte Allen is the worst sort of big, fat liar with an agenda -- the kind who includes just enough of the truth that some things can't be denied. Yeah, there's more theory at the Zoo than you can shake a stick at, and some of it I can't fathom. And some of the papers have ridiculous titles and are on subjects than lots of us think are pretty silly. Me, I'd rather see some of the more lightweight stuff ditched rather than have the evil Thursday night session of doom -- but then I'd be fine with a couple of 8:30 a.m. sessions rather than an evening session.

But generally, it's just a bunch of half-truths cobbled together by a crank. Yeah, K'zoo is the cheaper conference for USians -- and perhaps there are more North Americans (Canada is actually a different country, last time I looked -- Canadians count as international) there than folks from other places, but you know what? Those cheap dorm rooms also make it possible for our foreign colleagues to make it there. And there are lots of them. Really. Ms. Allen, I knew there were well over 3,000 medievalists in the world. It's one of the reasons the job market is so tough -- not that you'd have first-hand experience of that yet. And it's not just the poor, bedraggled non-ivy folk who stay in the dorms (and I'm certainly not up there with the glitterati, but ever since LDW and I went to my first Zoo, I've stayed at the Rad. Shuttle service, good beds, and quiet, thanks) -- lots of the Big Names stay in the dorms, too. I actually get shit about this from some of my colleagues who are big names -- Fellows of the Medieval Academy -- who stay in the dorms, and think I'm a big wuss.

And apparently, there are no Important People who attend the conference. Let's see -- maybe that's true for the some fields, I guess. But I find it hard to believe anybody in my field would say that Ralph Mathisen, Danuta Shanzer, Paul Fouracre, Bryan Ward-Perkins, Bernard Bachrach, Charles Bowlus, Thomas FX Noble, Patrick Geary, Judith Bennett, Barbara Hanawalt, Paul Hyams, Florin Curta, Michael Kulikowski, Walter Goffart (not there this year, but a frequent attender) ... you get the idea. If they aren't Important, maybe Ms. Allen forgot to send them the memo? Because you know? I have a PhD from a reputable R1 program, and I've met at the Zoo probably 2/3 of the people whose work I needed to read to pass my comps. The ones I haven't met? A bunch of them are singing with the choir invisible. Or they go to Leeds. Even the Big Names can't go to ALL the conferences! When it comes to the up-and-coming scholars, it's also the place to be. There are some pretty cool projects that come out of those wine hours, after all.

Speaking of things that come out ... that excrement stuff? Dunno -- didn't go. Because I go to the Zoo to learn new stuff relevant to what I do (as well as to socialize). But I do know a couple of historians who work with shit. That is, they do archaeological and ecological stuff, and those people can find some cool stuff by looking at middens. But you know, you'd have to think in order to get that far. Ms Allen is going for the cheap shots.

I suppose she's right about our dress sense -- Many of us dress sensibly, rather than at the height of fashion. Some are old and famous and don't care. Some are young and don't have the cash to waste on being fashion plates for people who care more about the quality of our minds and our scholarship -- and possibly, about whether we are nice people -- than about our clothes. Some of us have been to the Zoo enough to know that only crazy people try to hike from the Valleys to Schneider in heels! But most of us show up in presentable professional garb, appropriate to our age and station. Kind of like people in general.

I'm not entirely sure what her beef with the dance is, except that she seems to believe that there are age and weight restrictions on having fun? Me, I kind of like seeing the different styles of dancing, which reflect generational AND geographical difference. But then, it's hard to appreciate much about the Zoo when you've got such a giant stick up your ass that it's grown through to form an incoherent chip on your shoulder.

A conrep, of sorts

A conrep, of sorts

Since I'm finally done with the post-conference catching up, I thought I'd post something about this year's K'zoo, as experienced by ADM...

Panel highlights:

Kulikowski on Ammianus and the dating of book 31 (I think -- I was a minute or two late). Absolutely convincing and elegant, I thought (the paper!), especially in terms of the dating argument. Followed by a couple of interesting papers on Sidonius that elicited good questions. Then a very tight paper by Andy Cain on Jerome's adoption and use of a phrase found only in the younger Pliny.

Duelling Bachrachs! (actually, not so much of the duelling -- in fact, it was a very collegial panel), followed by a mad rush across campus to hear a paper on Dragontius, which was lucid and made me laugh to hear parts of Ghostbusters quoted!

Coin hoards on e-bay!! Bryan Ward-Perkins on what looks to be a really neat project (Late Antique statues), and a good paper by a very brave grad student on natural disasters and civic reconstruction.

If you've noticed a theme, yes, I was mostly at the really early papers -- there were very few Carolingian ones this year. Went to another LA panel in the afternoon, where I ended up getting ideas to send to LDW for his current project, and sat through one paper that managed to connect the Battle of Omdurman (implied through a poor choice of illustrations) to LA church councils.

Early Medieval stuff at last! Two papers that were very interesting, although I'm not sure I bought them entirely. Still, the discussion was fab, and all kinds of Big Names (and some of us not-so-big ones) jumping in to ask questions. There were responses to all of the questions, although not exactly answers. And a note to presenters ... some of us find it really distracting when you constantly lean/step backwards and forwards whenever you speak.

After that, another good bunch of papers, including one by Paul Fouracre on perpetual lighting. I wish I'd been looking at my documents before the conference, and the paper made me realise just how much more I need to know about various types of land transactions. If anybody has some good basics, feel free to send me references. The problem is that I'm working with a set of documents where the editor just calls them traditiones, venditiones, etc., and one has to read through to see if they are praecarial grants, and even then the words aren't always used...

Oh -- and my panels were good, too! Fantastic discussion (I thought) between the audience and some of my co-panellists, and the panel I chaired was really, really impressive.

Social Highlights:

Lunch with Beachy U friends -- I was at loose ends, and went down to Valley III, where I kind of expected to see them, and there they were!

Blogger meet-up!!!! But sadly, none of the folk from ITM were there. Still, I met lots of new folk, and didn't get to spend enough time with some of them.

Wine hour with narsty yet cheaply seductive K'zoo wine, and then off to a dinner, where my friends and I arrived and sat by ourselves -- until we were all of a sudden a packed table of wimmins! Seriously, one person I've always found very intimidating, and a bunch of people I should have found intimidating, but it was terribly fun!

Dinner with Tiruncula and Meg and a few other really cool folk.

More wine hours -- more subdued than last year. Met lots of nice people, and re-met a few more. Promised a senior colleague I would try to catch up with him in an Oxbridge-y place this summer. Was reminded yet again how truly generous people some of the people in my field can be.

Wonderful dinner with Steve Muhlberger, Lisa Carnell, Mike Drout, the Digital Medievalist, and MacAllister Stone, too! Some talk of medieval history and lit, but lots more talk about things Whedon, Tolkien, Frank Herbert, and even more on the sf/f side of things. Shouldn't have had dessert, though -- I think it wiped me out, because I honestly couldn't stay at the dance for more than an hour. But that was cool, because Extremely Cool Colleague and I hadn't had much time to catch up, even though we were sharing a room!

The trip back:

Weather. Not actually in Kalamazoo. In Chicago and Atlanta. Eejits in Kazoo airport couldn't decide on whether to put us on buses or not. So they sent us through security, and then after a couple of hours brought us back to put us on a bus, maybe, and then decided no, we were taking our plane, maybe. And then it was a mad dash to get back through security to get to the plane, then (a good thing, considering I got to O'Hare about 3 hours late) waiting for a couple of hours for my plane, back at about 2 am, and back to work!

It was a good K'zoo, but I missed a lot of friends, and didn't spend enough time with the ones I did see.

Carnivalesque XXXIX

Carnivalesque XXXIX

Hey everybody -- somewhen while I was writing a conference paper that just about killed me, the ever-fab Jon Jarrett has posted the latest Ancient/Medieval Carnivalesque. If you don't know Jonathan's blog, you really should go. It was mentioned many a time at the Zoo this year, because it's one of the really erudite and scholarly medieval blogs. I know what my internet breaks will consist of today!

sunday funny

Sunday Funny

Because I'm still writing that damned paper.

More drive-by Kazoo Blogging

More drive-by Kazoo Blogging -- RBOK version

Still writing a conference paper and getting together a proposal to send to Matt Gabriele tomorrow, but before I forget ... some conference highlights:

• OMG People!! Mike Drout is like, totally famous in Taiwan! His fans squeed over him AND took pictures with him
  
• I had my own (subtle, I hope) fan squee -- I met Bryan Ward-Perkins and was not a complete dolt, I don't think
  
• I discovered that a senior medievalist from the other coast, who has always scared the heck out of me, and about whom I had heard rumours of unkindness, is not above gently teasing a nervous panel chair auf Deutsch
  
• Cornell seems to have cornered the market on really good dancers
  
• The people I had dinner with on Saturday night are awesome -- more on that later!
  
• Notorious, PhD and I know we know each other from somewhere, but can't figure out where. OH! maybe MAA when it was in Seattle? Anyway, one of the people on the panel I chaired really likes the Girl Scholar's blog!

Right, back to the paper.

Watch this space

Watch this space

So I have a gajillion things to do, but need to remind myself that I need to post about the absoeffinglutely craptastic trip home from the Zoo, where YOU PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR UNITED IN KALAMAZOO??? YES, YOU!!!!! YOU ARE THE MOST FRAKKIN', GORRAM INCOMPETENT MISFITS EVER TO BE EMPLOYED BY A MAJOR AIRLINE!!!!

Seriously. If there were awards in boobish incompetence, these people would get all of them. Ever.

Meetup over

Meetup Accomplished

OK -- this is way too funny. I'm blogging this from the computer bank in Fetzer, where someone who logged on earlier had logged on and looked at this site to find out where the meetup was! Attendees were Steve Muhlberger, Ancarett, New Kid, Tiruncula, Dr. Virago, Dame Eleanor, meg, MacAllister Stone, Digital Medievalist, and Lisa Carnell (I don't think I left anybody out). Scott Noakes showed up at the end. If you missed us, check the wine hours in Valley III later.


I made a promise to start blogging substantial things again, but not till I'm done with the conference (which I shall blog) and my paper for the next conference ...

Think the Humanities are important?

Think the Humanities are important? Sign the petition!

Lots of people are writing
about this situation at the University of Toledo.

I am really sorry that I haven't time to blog properly on this -- regular, thoughtful blogging will recommence after May 15. But it is something that bothers me, as I see evidence of this sort of thought even at SLAC, where my school is seen primarily as a n unwelcome service necessity -- some of the other schools can't exist without those of us who teach a traditional university liberal arts curriculum. I fight this regularly, and it makes me really angry. Things at Toledo are much worse. If this sort of thing bothers you, Go Sign The Petition.

Kazoo meetup post #3 -- time adjustment?

Kazoo meetup post #3 -- time adjustment?

Ok -- is anybody actually planning on going to the plenary? Because I've been reminded that 7:30 is awfully early, and the first actual session isn't till 10 ... so I'm thinking 7:45 or 8 might be a bit more civilized ...

Otherwise, I'll be there at 7:30, I guess, with some sort of super-sekrit token of my identity.

Making us cry in hope and anger

Making us cry in hope and anger

Bitch, PhD has posted some amazing links today.

Second Notice -- Kazoo Blogger Meet-up

Second Notice -- Kazoo Blogger Meet-up

Hey, all -- I noticed elsewhere that people were asking about the meet-up, so here are the details again. I am pretty sure the name of the coffee shop is Mug Shots, if anyone can confirm. Please feel free to pass on the info.


See you there!

No surprises

No Surprises

Got this in the mail from the AAUP. All about salaries. It's not surprising. And it pisses me off.

Carnivalesque 38

Carnivalesque XXXVIII

Argh! I am busy, busy busy. I forgot the latest Early Modern Carnivalesque at A Walk in the Berkshires. It starts with a one-sheet of the Albert Finney version of TOm Jones, and has all kinds of great stuff from blogs like Clews, which I love, but keep forgetting to visit in my spare time. Need a break from grading? Go and read!

Next Ancient/Medieval version will be in the middle of May at A Corner of Tenth Century Europe!

Google Books = yay?

Google Books = yay?

More and more of the old books I like to use are becoming available on Google books. I like this, in that most of them cost our ILL people (hence my department) $15-$35 each. But I don't like having to be tied to my computer. And I am not looking forward to having to justify my BL trips on other grounds ("But I need the hard copies, dammit!"). Still, if you're looking for a way to quickly check some of the classics of Ortsnamen- und Personennamenkunde, you may find them on Google books...

ETA: Well, it would be a whole lot cooler if I didn't keep getting pages that said "Image Not available"

Haiku meme

Haiku Meme

Funny thing is, this is absolutely true! Nicked from Pilgrim/Heretic:

Haiku2 for blogenspiel
i go in search of goat curry like my friend the mathemetician
@ aboutmylife.netadvogato.orgblogger.comblogs.gnome.orgblogspot.comdeadjournal.comgreatestjournal.cominsanejournal.comlivejournal.commyspace.comspaces.msn.com
Created by Grahame

Charlton Heston, RIP

Charlton Heston, RIP

OK, Steven Colbert has probably the best tribute to the man. I had mixed feelings -- after all, he was in some decent science fiction films. He was in some amazing blockbusters that I loved throughout my childhood, although I watch them now, and prefer Cecil B. DeMille when he's directing someone like Gary Cooper. A friend of mine pointed out that he had an amazing screen presence -- which he did, but you know? I think John Wayne was better at that kind of presence. I've not seen Touch of Evil (a weak point, I know), so perhaps I haven't seen his best performance. I did like the piece I heard on NPR that tied his performances in post-apocalyptic sf films to the whole NRA thing. Makes some sense to me. But mostly, I just think of the man's unwavering masculinity.

Official Kazoo Blogger meetup?

Official K'zoo Blogger meetup? first notice

Dr Virago wanted somebody else to organize the festivities this year. I think it would be great to go out for drinks. I plan to go out for drinks. But evenings are harder to plan. So ... I suggest that we have one official meetup, and maybe a few other "if anybody is around at X, I'll be there" meetups. Speaking of which, I think Karl Steele is the only blogger I've ever seen at the cheap wine hours (not counting Cranky, but I spend as much time as possible hanging out with my academic sib).

But anyway -- providing the same coffee shop is still available (it's in the building with the dining hall, right?) from around 7:30 till whenever on Friday morning?

Yeah, it's vague. Sue me and/or help with the details. All I know is that I drag my ass out of bed and either get on the shuttle or meet up with NK for a ride, because she always has a car, and we toodle off and I follow other bleary-eyed medievalists who take over a huge space and gain the glares of our peers.

Another question

Another Question

I'm all questions these days, folks. So I was teaching with penitentials, and could not answer the following question: Why and how would you want to steal a monk?

Any answers?

Also, can I say how much fun it is to be able to point out that the penitentials assume that women are agents in their own (obviously sinful) sexuality more than than do many laws in the US and UK?

I should know this

I should know this

OK, so yeah, I'm a medievalist. And I know when it was agreed that Easter would be celebrated (in the west, at least) on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. But what I don't think I've ever known is ... why doesn't Easter just coincide with Passover? I mean, if the Last Supper was really a Passover Seder, then that makes sense. If it wasn't, but theologians wanted to enforce the idea of connection to Passover and Jesus as the Lamb, then it still makes sense. I mean, is it just one of those things where it's important to pick out the Messianic prophecies in the OT, but reject the 'Jewishness' of the same?

Yes, I am teaching about Whitby this week, and also, I am supposed to be reading now. But mostly, I just never really thought about this before, and am too damned lazy to look it up.

Carnivalesque XXXVII

Carnivalesque XXXVII

OMG!! Eileen Joy The Tiny Shriner at In the Middle has put up Carnivalesque XXXVI, and it looks typically smart and ambitious. There are blogs there I've never heard of, and covers a wide range of topics -- Hugh Despenser and Zenobia! and everything from academic blogging to ancient and medieval pop culture and even pedagogy. I know what I'm doing after I get my prep done for tomorrow!

Thanks, Tiny Shriner!

Blogger Meet-up!

Blogger Meet-up!

Spring Break is over. I got very little done, but I feel relaxed and settled about a lot of things in my life. Part of that comes from seeing the wonderful What Now for a few hours today!! We went for a long walk down into Dabbaville, and then had a snack, and then walked back. It was nice to talk about allowing ourselves to go where life leads us, and to laugh about how sometimes, we end up happy doing things we never thought we'd do.

Of course, I thought for a very long time I'd like to be a Real Academic. Apparently, that happened. Still working out how to live the fantasy ... Oh -- and I can't remember if I mentioned this: have had an article accepted (needs some revisions, but accepted) and am currently negotiating a contract (there is a verbal and e-mail agreement) for a project (possibly to need finishing by the end of summer OMG whatamIdoing??? -- LDW is helping to make sure I don't agree to anything stupid), and that other thing I owe VCE??? I've got about 4 paragraphs to go.


Oh -- and Dabbaville is actually undergoing a bizarre transformation where there are good and inexpensive Asian, South American, and ... Caribbean? restaurants opening up. Tomorrow, I go in search of goat curry. Like my friend the Mathemetician says, "It's Goatalicious!"

Match it for Pratchett

Match it for Pratchett

As I mentioned sometime back, Terry Pratchett is suffering from a rare form of early-onset Alzheimer's. This week, he donated £500,000 to the Alzheimer's Research fund. Author Pat Cadigan has begun a "Match it for Pratchett" campaign. A friend of mine made this for people who would like to help match Terry's donation. Please feel free to use it on your blog, LJ, website, etc.






Link to: http://www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/

What teachers make

What Teachers Make

Got this from the same friend. I like this guy:

Yes, I do have a juvenile sense of humor

Yes, I do have a juvenile sense of humor

Hey -- I just got out of grading jail. And a medievalist colleague who shall remain nameless pointed this out to me. And it's funny, but the language may be NSFW. You have been warned. Funny as hell, though. And soooo true.

Stupid Congressional tricks

Stupid Congressional Tricks

Dear Congressional Asshats,

Daylight Savings Time is a questionable concept in my book. Daylight Savings Time before the Equinox? Really lame. As lame as a lame-filled lame cake with lame icing on a bedding of shredded lame. With bells on.

I am one of those people whose natural clock seems to follow the sun. Sun starts to come up, birds begin to sing, ADM wakes up with minimal help from the cats. Sun goes down, ADM starts to get tired. Thanks to you, I'm not getting tired till after 11, and not waking up naturally till well after 8. This is problematic, as it conflicts with my teaching schedule. At the very least, you might think of staying on the same schedule as everybody else, so that my LDW and I don't have to think about the time difference. Oh -- and the whole changing of the date for "fall back"? Also lame. I've been getting an extra hour of sleep for my birthday all my life, and I would like it back, please.

no love,

ADM

Carnivalesque Call for Submissions

Carnivalesque Call for Submissions

The March Ancient/Medieval edition of (that's number XXXVII, folks!) will be hosted by Eileen Joy at In the Middle on or around the 16th of March.

If you'd like to submit something, or suggest something else for submission, either email Eileen Joy at ejoyATsiueDOTedu, to the carnival email address (carnivalesqueATearlymodernwebDOTorgDOTuk), or use the handy submission form at Blog Carnival.

Carnivalesque is certainly not just for academics. We welcome perspectives from a variety of fields, especially history, literary studies, archaeology, art history, philosophy - in fact, from anyone who enjoys writing about anything to do with the not-so-recent past. You can nominate your own writing and/or that of other bloggers, but please try not to nominate more than one or two posts by any author for any single edition of Carnivalesque, and limit nominations to recent posts.

Interested in hosting? Let us know! We have a host for May 2008, but no host for the July Ancient/Medieval edition.

Monday Blegging

Monday Blegging

Bleg One:


Still looking for a host for this month's Ancient/Medieval Carnivalesque. Anyone? Professor Noakes? ITM? Bueller?


Bleg Two:


Does anyone have a favourite Ren-Ref textbook? The last time I took a Ren-Ref course was undergrad, and we used Spitz. I know I would like to teach Martin Guerre, and will probably use Engels' The Peasant War in Germany. I might also use Scarisbrick, The Reformation and the English People and/or O'Day, The Debate on the English Reformation. But I really am at a loss on the Renaissance (apart from some Machiavelli and maybe More's Utopia) -- and I am leaning too far towards England (although that's probably a good thing, as the only reason I'm teaching this class is that the ed. majors need it).

But any suggestions would be appreciated.

Ways in Which a T-T position has changed my life, pt 1

Ways in Which a T-T position has changed my life, pt 1

Right -- so I've only promised to write this for about a year. Obviously, the first way in which having the job I started at SLAC 3+ semesters ago is this: my blogging has decreased. Or, to be more precise, my blog reading has decreased. I can't keep up with my blogroll.

Part of this is that I somehow feel like I have more to lose, now that I'm going to be coming up for promotion in a year or so. Most of this is that scholarship is no longer a luxury that I tried to do on top of a 15-hour per term load -- it's something I have to do on top of a 4-3 load. I'm still trying to work on self-censorship, and have taken many of the most personal things private.

A different part is that I am trying to forge more friendships and solid collegial relationships at SLAC, and that eats into my blogging time. I've also been trying to maintain some old friendships and a few new ones that have grown out of my relationship with LDW. Those things eat into my time more than I expected.

But mostly? It's that I'm stuck in what's still basically a new town, still adjusting to a new college, even as its going through huge amounts of change and growing pains (mostly the good kind), still finding my feet in a new community where people all know each other ... and we're back to self-censorship. Well, that and learning how to manage a different workload while not having to look for a job. So be on the lookout for an upcoming post on ideas of risk and self-censorship coming soon to this blog -- after grading jail!

This just made me happy

This just made me happy

Got this in a roundabout way from Ancrene Wiseass:



More blogging soon, as I'm hoping for decent news in the next week or so, and am currently in grading jail. And still looking for a March Carnivalesque host!!

My life at the mo'

my life at the mo'

Right now, my favourite phrase can rhymed with "clucking bell." My very favourite phrase can be abbreviated, "FFS". Some people. I ask you.

In need of SCUBA gear, good chocolate and Laphroaig or sim.

In need of SCUBA gear, good chocolate and Laphroaig or sim.

• SCUBA gear because I am buried alive under a never-ending pile of OMG too much frakkin', gorram work and administrative bullshit and colleagues who make me feel like I'm Mary-Sue-ing the "groundhog day" episode of Xena: Warrior Princess that LDW showed me when I was visiting him in fabulous European Capital, and large cat. X, having read about my fear of being buried alive ("I'm not dead yet!"), suggested I be buried in a cardboard box with an oxygen tank, just in case...
  
• good chocolate because of the endorphins
  
• Laphroig or sim.? Need you ask?

Also ...

Host needed for the next A/M Carnivalesque ... SQ? Tenth C? Magistra?

A small pet peeve

A small pet peeve

I used to think it was SLAC -- the academic calendar is often hard to find, and we're lucky if it's set 6 months in advance. SLAC drives me crazy with its tendency for last-minute planning -- rooms not assigned until the week before classes start, finals schedules that make no sense, especially when there are often grades due before finals are given ...

I just looked at LDW's schedule, though -- or tried to. He teaches at a reasonably prestigious uni. There's no academic calendar at all. They've gone to a monthly calendar, and there are no dates set for the beginning of the fall semester. I'm annoyed, because long-distance relationships are hard enough. But I know that both SLAC and Prestigious Uni are enrolling more and more non-traditional (e.g., working) students. They are also both trying to deal with enrollment problems, in that they are chasing enrollments. I was a working student for much of my academic life. I never had to pay tuition and fees, but I had to live (the grad fellowship was not enough to live on, partially because Grad U housing cost half of my stipend ...).

Attention, you silly institutions! When you are trying to attract and cater to a non-traditional demographic, it isn't *just* about offering evening classes. Working people need to be able to plan their work schedules (and sometimes, babysitting schedules) so that they can both keep their jobs and do well in their courses. They need to know the exam schedules well in advance, because the kinds of jobs students usually hold are not particularly flexible. And if that helps poor faculty fools whose relationships stretch over time zones and miles, that's not a bad thing, either.

warm and fuzzy, as they say

warm and fuzzy, as they say

My classes were good today. Students had fun. I told them one of the Latin Fathers also made me feel like my head would 'splode, and they laughed. One took pictures of a theological diagram I drew on the board. Two of my colleagues whom I respect a lot and who are well-respected across campus gave me compliments. And most of the students had done most of the reading. Doesn't get much better.

World History Question

World History Question

Or maybe one for the Americanists? I'm teaching about the Columbian exchange this week . One of the required readings makes a point that part of the problems Europeans had in dealing with the New World and Native Americans is that they didn't know how to fit the Native Americans into a world view based on the biblical creation. These difficulties contributed to an ongoing discussion about the humanity of the Native Americans, including church councils (Salamanca, IIRC) that defined whether or not they had souls, etc. Part of the reason for this was also because, at least for the Spanish, being human and capable of salvation meant that the Native Americans should be protected from being enslaved.

Makes sense to me. More or less (I'm condensing about 35 pp. into a paragraph here).

Here's where I'm stuck -- if humanity is one of the reasons that one should be protected from slavery, what was the justification for bringing African slaves to the New World? Because if one sticks to the biblical accounts and extrapolations therefrom, Africans were the descendants of Ham, the son of Noah. So they'd definitely be human. Europeans would have known that some Africans were Muslims, so capable of religious belief, even if, to Christians, it was the wrong belief. So ... ??

I am not looking for answers that say anything simplistic like, "well, Europeans were trying to justify their racism to get rich." That's not my point. What I'm wondering is if anyone knows how Europeans justified this differentiation in treatment of Africans, who were more or less 'known' peoples, and Native Americans, who were 'new'. What were the rationales, if any?

Teaching Question

Teaching Question

For the first time, I am teaching an upper-division course in my area of expertise. I am really not happy with it. I let myself let the reading assignments define the pace of the class, and the course is consequently moving too slowly. I'm using Innes' new book from Routledge, and it has some great qualities, but I am realising it just isn't balanced enough. It's a Rome and Barbarians book masquerading as a coherent text.

So I am feeling like I need to add more lectures and pick up the pace. But I don't want the students to feel too burdened (they aren't reading what I would call a lot, but it's not a light load, either.)

So, denizens of the blogosphere -- what happens when you realise you need to re-vamp a course that isn't quite working? Do you just leave it and re-vamp the next time? or do you hope for student patience and rearrange during the semester? How do you do it without looking like an idiot? Give me the benefit of your wisdom, bitte?

Note: the students know this is a new course, and I have already re-structured one thing, having given them input on it. I also do try to do regular checks on what is and isn't working, and why, because they seem to value having some input.

Survivor guilt?

Survivor Guilt?

So say you have to compete for funding for conferences. You know your friends compete with you. You get most of the funding you ask for. Do you mention this when people are talking? Do you hide it?

I ask because I have been very fortunate with funding -- maybe. Last year, I got funding for one conference where I didn't present (but a major conference in my field), and one where I presented twice. This year, they found money for me to go to one conference where I'm presenting and chairing a different panel, and a prestigious conference where I'm giving a paper. Next year, I'm putting in for two conferences and a subvention. I will probably get 2 out of three. That is more than most folks get (i think).

But ... I am giving papers and presentations. I'm negotiating a contract for a publication that I may have to get out the door this summer. I'm behind on a couple of things, but I've also submitted one essay for publication and have the beginnings of a second book-length project. I am on an accelerated contract (and who knows, this may dry up after I go up for T&P). I taught an overload last semester and am teaching a summer course to pay for a research trip this summer. Last summer, I graded AP exams to offset research costs. I'm not as productive as I'd like, but I'm carrying my department's enrollments (next is someone who teaches about 20% fewer students), have the most advisees, and as much or more committee work as anyone else (again, the service falls on the departmental women). I know that there are good reasons I get the support I get that have nothing to do with being my likeable self.

So why do I feel guilty about the support? Why do I feel I have to hide it from my friends and even my departmental colleagues? Well, apart from the fact that sometimes the reaction is, "well, I wish I had time to do all that!" I don't have time. I'm juggling like a crazy person. I'm just not willing to give up something I've been working for for so long.

Massive Congratulations!!!

Massive Congratulations!!!

Everybody!!!! My academic sibling, one of my oldest friends, the Cranky Professor, has just been informed that he has joined the ranks of the tenured professoriate!!!

I am so very happy for him. He deserves it. Feel free to pass the word around the medieval blogosphere, too! I am initiating a virtual congratulations party as of now!!

East Asian Medievalists

East Asian Medievalists

Are any of you regular readers who comment here also East Asian (especially Japanese) medievalists? Or, do any of you regulars (i.e., people I feel I kind of know, because you read and comment here) know any? I have an idea. Please free to e-mail me at my personal addy if you know it, or my ADM addy if you don't. Also, MG, you might be part of it. Be afraid. Be very afraid. ;-)

And more on Sartorial splendour

And more on sartorial splendour

This has been yet another week of busy, so I've missed some good blogging. Today I was at New Kid's, and found a typically sensible and strong essay, this time on the latest Thomas Hart Benton essay in the CHE. In it, Benton talks about the effects of dressing less casually (or as he thinks of it, more formally) on his interactions with students. New Kid responds to part of his essay with a:

Well, DUH! And I also wanted to say, Any woman professor could have told you that. Well, okay, maybe almost any is more accurate. Because while I know there are lots of women out there who teach (brilliantly and successfully) in very casual clothes, I have also had the same conversation with lots and lots of women faculty - the conversation in which we agree that in order to project a certain authority in the classroom, we dress formally for teaching.*

And those of us who feel this way have reached this conclusion long before our first post-tenure year.

Because we've HAD to figure it out - because students respond very differently to men and women teachers.

New Kid rightly points out the gender issues of professional dress, and the comment thread is packed with good and thoughtful points on gender, dress, and authority in the classroom. I realised I had such a lot to say about these things -- not particularly in the most organised way, because really, I need to drag my ass to the gym and get a ton of work done today. So apologies for the lack of careful crafting.

I teach on a campus where there are no real dress standards. I like that. I'd like to think it doesn't really make a difference what I wear, but you know, it does. Our undergraduate population comes largely from a demographic where the only people who go by 'Dr' are men. Pretty much every freshman male automatically calls female faculty 'Miss' or 'Mrs.' (hardly ever that nasty feminist 'Ms'), and the male faculty 'Dr' or 'Professor'. Why yes, this is one of the first teaching moments in any of my classes! Of course, the fact that the most influential people on our coaching staff continually refer to us (especially women faculty who don't seem to understand that we need to support our athletes by letting them slide) by our social titles doesn't help. I have to say, I find it pretty amusing that a couple of my colleagues (male and female) have received nasty emails from these folks addressed to 'Mr' or 'Mrs', yet signed, 'Coach' or 'X, Athletic Director'.

I know, I've moved quickly from student perceptions to peer perceptions. The thing is, for me, I know I can get away with teaching in jeans, if I really want to. That is, I can walk into a classroom and teach in jeans, and my authority is not all that diminished. I'm questionably fortunate in that my students frequently find me intimidating. One brand new student actually told me s/he needed to speak to me because s/he loved my class but also dreaded having to show up and participate in class discussions run by a particular barbarian chieftain who showed up in Rome in 451. I've had colleagues tell me I'm intimidating, too -- especially male colleagues. I've been accused (or complimented) for 'communicating like a man' and 'having big brass ones'. Whatever it is, and really, I think what people find intimidating is that I question them. I ask students to defend their assertions, and expect them to be able to back up what they say. And, like any good bull terrier (which I've just realised I may physically resemble in shape of nose -- if I were using bird allusions, it really would be aquiline -- and constant smile, even when going for the throat), I tend not to drop a subject in class until I've got my point across. Ok, I sometimes do go off on wild tangents, but I always come back. So maybe a bull terrier with some Golden Retriever or Irish Setter. What do I know? I'm a cat person. So ... I can maintain my classroom authority in blue jeans.

But ... I hardly ever wear jeans of any colour in the classroom. I have some nice cords that I'll wear with nice pullovers or jackets, and I don't wear suits, because that's not our campus culture -- at least not in our College. But I try to look grown up, professional, and put-together. I take myself more seriously when I show up looking tidy and with my hair and face done, and so do my students. With them, it balances the fact that I run a very relaxed classroom. It also makes it easier to enforce my 'no pajamas and slippers in class' rule. But you know, as I read New Kid's essay, I realised that my dress issues are really less about my students than they are about my peers, and far, far less about my peers in the College than they are about my peers in the professional Schools, administrators, and middle-management types. Those are the places where image is most important.

My College at SLAC is, and has been, the poor stepchild for almost its whole existence. We are seen as serving the needs of the Schools, by providing the core curriculum so that their students can go on to earn Degrees That Mean Something. To be fair, there has been a push to change that for about 10 years, but the fact that College faculty do the vast majority of teaching in terms of both personal loads (4-4 or 4-3, as opposed to 3-2 or 2-2) and the range and number of courses taught. Since I joined SLAC, publication requirements have been added, because our brethren (there are few sistren) in the Schools believe that we must raise our scholarly profile. The faculty of the Schools wear suits and ties. Casual dress for them is neatly pressed khakis, button-down shirts, and ties. They polish their shoes. I now sit on a couple of campus-wide committees. Meetings often fall on my non-teaching days. The guys in facilities have mentioned that they know when I'm teaching by what I'm wearing. They call me by my first name (as they do most of the College faculty they like), and they treat some of us as equals in a 'we're all here together to make this place work' way -- which I think is how it should be. This semester, they aren't so sure. Why? Because I'm dressing for my peers.

I mentioned that I'm on a couple campus-wide committees, right? I'm the only College rep, and often the only woman. I'm frequently the junior person (in rank, not age -- or I'd be really screwed). And I am frequently ignored. Despite the fact that I am on one committee precisely because I have more expertise in the business side of something we are dealing with, and as much or more expertise in the academic side, my contributions are (usually) politely listened to, and then dismissed. Part of this is the top-down nature of SLAC, I think, but it has only recently occurred to me that I am loaded with perceived disadvantages. I know -- it took me a year to figure this out? D'uh! I also have a feeling that I'm on these committees because of the bull terrier thing. Superdean, who has his own bull mastiff (or possibly bull in a china shop) qualities, trusts me not to do what lots of my College peers do in the same situation, i.e., just give up and stop going to the meetings. Me? I guess I'll be pulling out my old industry clothes and dressing like people in the Schools. I don't know how much it will help, but hey, I'm thinking that in this case, clothes are a medium, and the medium is the message.

Carnivalesque 35

Carnivalesque 35

Hello, readers -- Carnivalesque 35 is now up at Atol is þin unseon. Heavy on the mediæval this time, but it rounds up a lot of posts I missed during the rush of semester's end, and I'm really glad to see them. Have fun, and if you'd like to host one of the next Ancient/Medieval Carnivalesques (March and May), please let Sharon at Early Modern Notes or me know!

Late AHA blogging

Late AHA blogging

Right -- so it's been ages. I can only say that I came home from AHA to prep and moving office, which has been very interesting. That and start of the semester. Serious blogging to re-commence soon, as part of my goal to write something purposeful every day. But for now, I am posting Blogger meet-up pix -- dinner with Pilgrim/Heretic. Sorry about the focus -- I'm still learning to use the new camera and also, I need new glasses.

P/H, her LWI, and I went to a place for dinner where we could order lots of small things and share. Here's what we had. Apologies for not cutting -- I can't remember the code at the moment.


Out of focus, but this is a lovely field greens salad big enough for three. Very nice vinaigrette -- just simple and tasty.


Pizza Margherita -- close to perfect, I thought.


A Quail! on Polenta! with lovely little olives!


One of the many good things about blogger dinners is finding you and your friends have similar tastes. The menu offered several sardine preparations, and we were all of one mind that they needed to be included. We chose the most simple variation -- salted sardines with butter and lovely bread.



My personal favourite: duck and rabbit rillettes. Very rich, and delicately seasoned. yum!

Add wine/beer, and it was very nice. But really, as wonderful as the food was, it ws nothing compared to the company. If ever I find myself regretting blogging, I will be able to argue that it has done me far more good than ill. Through this blog, I have made friends who I know will be RL friends for life. How cool is that?

Blogging the AHA

Blogging the AHA

Let's see -- the AHA. I never got to any of the professional panels, because there was too much going on! Yes, there was a whole lotta medieval. Seriously -- On Thursday, not so much on Friday, and again on Saturday and Sunday. Not just Medieval, but Early Medieval cleverly slipped in under the radar (because no one wants to hear that stuff). Plus blogger meetups and plans for a Kazoo panel!

So here's the short (for me) version of my AHA this year (and can I say how much better AHA is when not on either side of the interview table? Still, the only reason I can think of to go is to see non-medieval folk, because there's something about it ...more on that later).

Day One: The student who accompanied me really wanted to go to the first panel. I'm glad s/he did. Ran into Extremely Cool Colleague from Jesuit U while registering. Yay! Then a very decent panel, especially the papers on portents and forgeries. I was less enthused about the comment, because post-Postmodernism is only slightly more interesting to me than Postmodernism. I think it's because I'm not really convinced that our approaches to texts is legitimized by Postmodern theory -- perhaps more in the eyes of lit people, but ...?? Then, I think you all know by now that I tend to use whatever approach works, and feel no need to worry about how things get into my toolbox, as long as the tools are there. Jargon aside, I really didn't agree with some of the comment anyway, because I thought there was too much lumping of Classical sources with Late Antique, and sometimes I think they have to be considered separately.

Day Two: Due to a nosebleed, I only made it to part of the first panel -- outside my normal choices, but on a subject that does hold my interest, plus a friend was presenting. Made it to her paper, and joined into lively discussion, then went to an overpriced lunch with nice people. After, met up with the student to go to the book room -- to which s/he had already gone. So we went to a panel of the student's choice -- on late Medieval Spain. Enjoyed watching the student absorb the fact that Europeanists are expected to speak other languages -- one of the papers was in Spanish, and the question and answer session was bilingual. Still, the papers I understood (I got about a quarter of the third, but Castilian is hard for me to follow, and I really don't speak Spanish properly anyway) were pretty good, especially -- and this is hard to admit! -- the one on customs (the tax sort) after the unification. Even better, I ran into Pilgrim/Heretic on the way in, and we firmed up our plans for meeting for dinner.

Dinner was fantastic! We went to one of my favourite places in DC (thanks to Tiruncula for the idea!) -- Two Amys. Food pix to follow. Let's just say it was affordable and very tasty. Plus I met the famous LWI, who is one of the most charming people I have ever met.

Day Three: Blogger meetup was me and Belle. Apologies from many, who had either overslept or had interviews. Still, that was fun. Then off to the first Medieval Social Justice panel. All the papers were good, although really, they needed to be seen in the context of the second panel as well. The second paper was the one I appreciated most in terms of my own work, as it dealt with law and showed very convincingly, I thought, that there was a good deal of unease in the Carolingian period over the extents to which the judicial system seemed at the mercy of political tides. The third paper, on hostages, led to a really interesting discussion about what hostage-taking even means. This paper and the first fit best into the purpose of the session, which was looking at the MA in terms of approaching social justice issues now.

The aims of the panels became much clearer in the second session, where we were given not one, but two calls to action -- to speak out against social injustice. Or at least, the aims of some of the panelists. The paper on marriage equity was, I thought, fantastic, and it and the very first paper, on prisons, made me think an awful lot about the role of faculty in exploring ideas of social justice. They also -- and this is true of most of the papers that explicitly addressed social justice issues -- made me more convinced that we really do have to keep our roles separate. I think, and I said this, that there is a huge difference between introducing certain themes, and arguing whether they are right or wrong. This is especially true when dealing with the MA -- and honestly, I think that we do our subjects an injustice when we try to make the past too relevant. Yes, some of the same, or similar, issues were important to them as to us. BUT -- I think it shortchanges the importance we must place on context if we try to draw too many parallels. I think this is why I appreciated the approaches in the hostage, prisons, and marriage papers the most (in terms of raising issues). Yes, in at least two of them, there were implicit parallels being drawn; but they remained on the side where the parallels were used to explore the questions, and how they were conceived in the MA. They were good reminders that these were not new issues, and that there have been different, and sometimes better, arguments made around those issues in the past. Yet they remained separate: the audience could make the connections, but in a way that raised questions, not that supplied answers.

One of the more eminent audience members contributed fairly eloquent responses to the issue -- although it was noted that he himself has spoken up on social and political issues. Moreover, it was noted many times that, for many of us, being historians does inform our world views and often helps to hone our arguments when it comes to social and political issues. But whether it shapes our ideas of social justice, or whether we should in turn use our positions as academics to legitimize our ideas of what are essentially issues of right and wrong is a different matter. Happily, the sessions proved especially beneficial in raising those questions -- what are our rights and responsibilities? Where do we draw the line between scholarship and politics? They were indeed 'thinking' sessions, and were worth the price of admission.

After that, lunch. Then back to roam around, unsuccessfully try to catch up with old friends, unexpectedly meet up with Ralph Luker and Sepoy and another friend for coffee, run through the book room (which I found far too overwhelming) and then to meet the student for a reception. The reception was fun, but I didn't eat enough, and then was unable to meet with some folks for dinner, so ended up going to another reception, then running into Sepoy and some of his colleagues in the lobby, where they kindly included me in their group and we sat and talked for a very long while. Should have eaten more! But I think I have a good idea for a session for Kalamazoo in 2009, which is always a good thing.

Day Four: Ugh. Far too tired, so met Pilgrim and LWI for breakfast, then went off to the last session -- Really good. All Carolingian! All the time! Stuff I could ask questions about AND comment on without feeling an idiot! And I'm chairing a panel with two of the panelists in May, so that's a good thing. Plus, I got to meet somebody else I'd wanted to meet for a long time, and had a very helpful talk on sources, my current project, and other such things. Had to leave before lunch, but still was happy to have been there. Got home hours and hours later, fed cats, collapsed.

How was your holiday conference?

AHA Meet-up

AHA Meet-up (eta: Saturday Morning)

In an attempt to accommodate flow, variable traffic, and lots of running in and out, we're going for the cafe option, which always works well at the Kazoo meet-ups. Through the kindness of a bloggy friend who knows the territory far better than I, a venue has been chosen:

Cafe International, 2633 Connecticut Ave, just across Connecticut from the Woodley Park metro entrance. The map in the AHA Program should suffice to get you there.

It opens at 7:00 a.m., and that's when we'll meet (early birds willing to help stake out seats are welcome!). I'll be leaving in time to get to session 96 at the Marriott at 9, but obviously people can hang out as long as they want!

ETA: Feel free to pass the message. As usual, anonymity and pseudonymity to be respected as necessary!

More on the AHA

More on the AHA

Info on meet-up (Saturday am around 7) to follow. But how is it that pretty much every interesting professional panel is across from one of the very few medieval panels? Again, I'm having to choose between things that could be really useful in terms of teaching and SLAC's focus on being a 'teaching school' and Stuff That I Never Get to Hear in My Own Field, Not to Mention People With Whom I Should Stay In Contact.

Aargh. But, since I am taking 4 undergrads with me, I can send them off to Tony Grafton's Saturday morning panel (one of the really interesting TG ones across from the medieval stuff), and maybe send the two who are getting their secondary ed credentials to one of the others that looks useful. Yay for minions mentoring. I'm really looking forward to that part. I took my two favourite and most promising community college students to AHA a few years back, and we all had a blast going through the program and picking sessions (and them elbowing me when I started to doze in one session), and coming back and reporting on what the others had missed. The 'bring students' lower registration rate is one of the best things AHA has done in ages, I think. The two students I took before both did very good degrees in History, and one is now working on an MA, hoping to move on to a PhD (after she gets her damned languages!); the other did a bunch of study abroad and is now going to med school. This year, my students have broad interests, none in my fields, really, but none of my SLAC colleagues seemed to think taking students was a worthwhile operation. The only thing I regret is that I think I'm having to cough up for this one out of my own pocket ...

So I'll be blogger-breakfasting, going to at least one reception, trying to get to a bunch of the medieval panels -- especially the one on Sunday, and seeing friends, all the while meeting up with the students for updates. Yipes! It's not like I have writing, contract negotiations, and class prep or anything -- but so do you all!

Carnivalesques Galore

Carnivalesques Galore!

Aargh! Somehow I missed a Carnivalesque when I was in grading jail! The December Early Modern version is up at Cardinal Wolsey's place.

The next Ancient/Medieval version will be on or about January 20 at Atol is thine unseon, which is something in Anglo-Saxon, but I have no idea what, since my experience of A/S is pretty close to non-existent! I leave it to you all to tell me. This is one of the first times we've turned the reins over to an undergrad, so imagine the pressure!
Contributions to (ahem) floweringnutcase AT gmail DOT com.

And, of course, if you are interested in hosting, please drop a line.

In other news, the blogger meet-up post is here. I'm leaning towards Saturday, and am checking on coffee shops ...

AHA Blogger Meetup

AHA Blogger Meetup

How does an early Saturday breakfast or Friday at 5-ish sound?

Assessing Assessment

Assessing Assessment

The semester is officially over. All I can see is work piled up from here to the next apocalypse. But tonight I am filled with Chinese food and a little beer, and I'm tired. I've also been percolating some thoughts about this gig at SLAC, now that I've been there for over a year. And I'm thinking about some of the underlying assumptions for assessment and accreditation programs (and yes, for how they fit into the T&P portfolio) and how they leave me cold these days. I've also been thinking about World History again, but that's for another post.

At one point at the beginning of the semester, I thought I'd hit my SLAC groove. It lasted about ten minutes. This semester kicked my butt, and not in that good way that leaves you exhilarated. I taught 13 lecture hours this semester. Two courses were upper-division courses I'd never taught before, and for one of those I had never taken any formal coursework -- I just knew that the students seemed to want something other than had been offered in the course before. I'd have liked some input on the course, because it's a service course. As such, it makes sense to me that the course be fairly consistent no matter who teaches it. Not so much. So I made it up as I went along. Part of the course was on the history of the writing or history, the rest was on the doing of history. I think the best day in the course was when one of the students said s/he thought it was going to be one of those classes where you're not really sure how it all fits together at the time, but you find yourself drawing on in all your other courses. I really hope so. The other course was in a field I know, but the SLAC mentality seemed to have made it hard. Or maybe I just don't know how to teach Upper-division courses effectively yet. What I wanted was to divide the week between topical lectures/discussions and discussions of primary source readings. The topical part kind of went by the wayside when I saw students trying to find what I was talking about in the text. Most of what I was talking about couldn't be looked up. Except for the military history, students didn't really read the primary sources. There was, admittedly, a good bit of reading for SLAC -- all of about 100-200 pp. a week. The surveys should have been easy, but they weren't. Again, there was a problem with preparation. Students just didn't do the reading. They didn't bring notes. Several students turned in only one or two assignments out of four. Much of the time, the students hadn't prepared because they said they didn't understand the language. That is, there were unfamiliar words, and looking them up in a dictionary made no sense.

Well, that's sounding bitter. To be fair, I had some students who really did try hard, and did do all the work. They kept me sane. They also made me feel guilty, because the classes could have been so much better. And in terms of personality, sense of humor, and being a mensch? I'd say probably 75% of the students are just really there. Despite that, though, this is the first time in my teaching life where I really thought, "these people aren't me." Not one of my students showed an interest in being really good, let alone excelling. They all simply seemed to want to be good enough. Good enough means getting a D if it's a non-major class, and a C if it is. Minuses are fine. It's sort of a shock. When I taught community college, I had a lot of grade-grubbers. I had a lot of students who were there to save money and who wanted to transfer into selective universities for their last two years. My classes weren't required, and so only those with an interest took them. Here, I have great enrollment numbers. My classes are not required, but they do fulfill a requirement. And students take classes with me more than once, even when they don't have to. My evals are fine. Students say they like me and that my courses are challenging. But they don't seem to want the A. Or maybe those who do are, like me, so brought down by those who don't care that they've given up.

That was all in aid of getting me to assessment. We're doing lots of assessment things at SLAC. Everybody is, it seems. We review out courses, departments, programs, etc., and re-examine the instruments of assessment. We redefine and refine our outcomes. We are told we must measure not only our students' performance, but our own. How do we measure that? By whether or not our students are successful. We must survey them. We must find standardized tests in our fields to give exiting seniors. We cannot be objective, we are told, so we must let external criteria be our guide.

In principle, I think most of this is fine. I like collaborating and norming with my colleagues, to a point. I like it when I can bounce an idea off a colleague and have him or her tell me I'm being a hard-ass, or unreasonable, or too easy. LDW has served as an external examiner for other universities. I like the idea of having an expert not employed at SLAC looking at what I'm doing and telling me it's in line with what is being taught at other places. After all, there is no one else here who teaches what I teach. How do I know if I'm doing it right? How do I know if I'm letting my standards slip or expecting too much? Sometimes it happens. LDW told me today that he thought the essay question for the Civ final was really hard. Admittedly, he doesn't teach World History, so the idea of a very broad comparison seemed very difficult to him. I had to explain that I was looking for big-picture and not too detailed answers, rather than the kind of deep and detailed essay I'd have wanted in a Western Civ class.

On the other hand ... well, all of the assessment of us as faculty is predicated on the idea that students are here to learn. It's based on the idea that students do learn, and remember. Even though we like to cringe, because so much of assessment and accreditation seems to focus on whether students are getting value for money, it *is* also based on the idea we try to impress upon our students: what we teach is important, and a BA/BA is not just a piece of paper that means a better entry-level job. But what if that's all the students want? What if they aren't so worried about the experience, about savouring and remembering what we try to teach them? What if, as one of my students said to me, they just aren't that into it and really just didn't feel like getting the A they could have got, because all they needed to graduate was 70%? For most of my students at SLAC, that seems to be the rule. Going to SLAC is kind of like buying a Louis Vuitton purse: you pay for it so people can see you did, but really, it's not all that special (I was going to compare it to a Prada bag, but hey, at least they are really good quality leather and they are frighteningly overpriced. Schools like SLAC are more like LV -- you pay too much, but not an insane amount and can't always be sure it's not a knock-off)

All kidding aside, how do we assess places like SLAC in a way that is fair to the good faculty and to the good students? If a campus tries to push a reputation as 'selective', then how do we integrate the results for those students who came in on waivers? There are many days when I'm not so sure I taught my students history. Most days, at least I'm sure I taught them something, even if it's a few new words or a better way to write a sentence or something that will be useful in the long run, but may not be on the course description. And if they aren't, they don't get assessed. Unfortunately, I can't teach the things I'm assessed on unless I teach them the tools to survive in a college class. It's exhausting.

And soon, I will also be assessed on how well I've managed to be a scholar on top of the teaching and service. I got one article (pedagogical) submitted at the beginning of the year. I somehow got elected to an office in a professional organization. I applied for a Dream Job (search suspended) and a postdoc. I'm behind on reviews, and I still have to write a conference paper, a scholarly article, and finish negotiating a contract for a project that is scholarly, but in the way of an aid, rather than something monograph-ish. And when I get that negotiated, I've got to finish it. And then I can work on another paper and the book. In between teaching those 13 hours (only 9 next semester), plus a summer course, and a new prep every semester for the foreseeable future. I'll let you know how that goes.

Still in Grading Jail

Still in Grading Jail

Anybody else?

And really, if you're done, just keep it to yourself, thanks!

Sad News for People whose lives have been brightened by Mr. T. Pratchett

Sad News for People whose lives have been brightened by Mr. T. Pratchett

This is very sad news via Paul Kidby's Discworld site. He aten't dead, but good thoughts are in order.

I think the phrase is, "WTF??"

I think the phrase is, "WTF??"

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales has said teachers who refuse younger students access to the site are "bad educators".



Is there enough snerk in the world to respond to this adequately? I think not.


ETA How do people feel about a Saturday morning breakfast?

AHA Meetup?

AHA Meetup?

Hello, all. Is anybody going to AHA, and if so, do you want to have a blogger meet-up? Also, are any of you female types looking for a roommate for one or two nights?

Thank goodness it's a meme!

Thank goodness it's a meme!

Squadratomagico tagged me for a meme! yay, a reason to blog. Actually, I'm working on a post about balancing teaching and writing, but I owe a very cool editor a review and will not write my post till I finish that. So this is the seven unconnected things I don't think I've revealed about myself before:

1. I have a real fear of my body being disposed of before I'm really, dropped-a-house-on-me-and-saw-my-feet-curl-up dead.
   
2. The first time I named a pet, I chose "Six Spots." I was only 2 1/2, but I was not allowed to name another pet till I was much older.
   
3. I have met a real DC Comics super hero -- or at least an actor who played him -- when he was doing a signing (in costume) on location. I was about five, and I think this may have been my first brush with fandom.
   
4. I was a co-founder of a Star Trek fan club in 7th grade. Our leader is now a professor of physics (he does quantum stuff) at a large midwestern university
   
5. I once received a hand-coloured original picture from Mike Mignola as a Christmas card
   
6. I'm comfortable riding horses in three different types of saddles, but I'm not particularly great at any of them
   
7. I don't really do jealousy, or even envy.

Here are the (slightly modified) rules:


1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog. On it.

Everybody I can think of who would do this has been tagged, so if you haven't, consider yourself obliged. Or not.


Ooh! and from Pilgrim/Heretic, another!

Your Score: Fennel

You scored 50% intoxication, 25% hotness, 75% complexity, and 25% craziness!

You are Fennel!

You're a cool cat. Crisp, clean, fresh, and extremely complicated. You're like quantum physics or modern jazz. Think Niels Bohr meets Ornette Coleman. You may look normal now, but once you sprout, you look kind of, uh, funny.

Link: The Which Spice Are You Test written by jodiesattva on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

Carnivalesque XXXIII

Carnivalesque XXXIII

Hello, all, and welcome to the 33rd edition of . It's been a while since I've been able to really enjoy looking at blogs, so the theme for this Ancient/Medieval version is "some really cool stuff I wish I hadn't missed the first time 'round." With any luck, you may have missed some of this, too.

Even though it's not always considered history, I thought I'd start out with some prehistorical discoveries. First, and this is absolutely not historical, but I heard it on the news this morning and thought y'all might be equally amazed, here be dragons? Seriously, has anyone done any work on whether tales of dragons and other mythical creatures might have been discoveries by early fossil hunters?

To get to something a bit closer to our time period, Ancarett points us to prehistoric fashionistas. Meanwhile, both The Antiquarian's Attic and The Cranky Professor report on the discovery of a support village for Stonehenge. It might be Neolithic, but I don't think any ancient or medieval historian would debate that these big honking stone circles and the debates over their purpose and their builders haven't affected concepts of pre-Roman civilizations. Not to mention their importance to Asterix and Obelix! And, it appears, to Jeffrey Jerome Cohen.



Digs at more recent archæological sites are also in the news. Over at Memorabilia Antonina, Tony Keen recounts the possibilities, likely and imagined, of finding a Latin Library at Herculaneum. If you're interested in whether or not Alexander the Great was an alcoholic -- and many of my students are, for some reason -- World History Blog has been reading up on the possibility For those of you who are really interested, there's an even older article out there, I think either in The Lancet or in The New England Journal of Medicine that is an attempt at a forensic report based on what our ancient sources tell us about Alexander's life and death. IIRC, the result was that he was probably not poisoned.

I'd like to stay in chronological order, but really, this time I can't. You'll see why. Moving forward to the Middle Ages, though, there are some really interesting tidbits. My favourite all-around cool thing is this very cool video of a medieval church being moved, lock, stock, and barrel -- again, posted by Cranky Professor. And what's a church without saints? Or at least, saints' days? Over at Executed Today, we find that Saint Brice's Day in 1002 was not a particularly good day for Danes living in England. While you're there, you might also check out somewhat macabre tale of Frederick of Isenberg. Ick.

On a possibly less gory note (if we try to ignore those 4000 Saxons, at least), Magistra et Mater looks at the management secrets of the Carolingians. I don't completely agree, but it's good reading, and I'm very glad to have found her blog, because, well ... another blogging female Carolingianist!!!! I found her through Jonathan Jarrett over at A Corner of Tenth Century Europe. Jonathan also has a post up that is drawing some great comments. In the post, he addresses that perennial question: "what is our purpose?"

Apparently, most of our purpose these days is to talk about Beowulf. The movie, not the poem. My Long Distance Whatever and I saw it the other night. Take two early medievalists who are also sff fans and put them in front of a CGI-assisted film version of a poem they've both taught (and he's actually taught an entire course on the damned thing) from a historical perspective and see what happens. And no, X, we did not bore each other to death! Actually, we did both have to cover our eyes a couple of few times. Neither of us found too many nits to pick, possibly out of Gaiman-loyalty, possibly because for me, at least, the CGI really made it a bit alien to me, and I just felt the film was ... detached? from the poem. There's a lot to say, but really, I think some of our colleagues have done better jobs. First, The hype at In the Middle. Then,Dr. Virago asks, Hwaet the Hell? and later, tells us what she really thinks! Meanwhile, over at Got Medieval, LL Cool Carl waxes philosophic about Angelina Jolie's CGI breasts. No critique of modern views of the medieval could be complete without Matt Gabriele's review at Modern Medieval. And, of course, someone had to help with all the work -- I started collecting these when the film came out, but trust Scott Nokes to have beat me to the punch and posting. What I've missed, he's found. Enjoy!


As a final message, Ralph Luker over at Cliopatria would like me to remind you that The 2007 Cliopatria History Blog Awards are underway. Please check them out and nominate/vote for your faves.


Update: Links now fixed.

Carnivalesque Coming Soon

Carnivalesque Coming Soon

I hope it will be up by this evening, PST, but there's a chance it won't be up till early Wednesday, because I'm about to lose my internet connection!

Introducing my newest Reader

Introducing My Newest Reader

So I called X on my way to Fabulous European Capital to say hi and goodbye in case the plane crashed. And he said he'd found this blog and was reading it! So everybody, meet X. X, meet everybody. I hope you like each other. And you know, I guess it says something about the way I feel about him even now, that he's the person I wanted to talk to, just in case something happened. We weren't the greatest of partners, but I think we've managed to be pretty good friends.

Carnivalesque Bleg

Carnivalesque Bleg

Aaaaargh!! I am not just Another Damned Medievalist, but I'm another so screwed medievalist! I had these grand plans to host a Carnivalesque next week, because I was going to have cleared my desk of all work except for editing LDW's book, and was going to try to enjoy my Thanksgiving week with him in Fantastic European Capital. My desk is so not cleared! I feel like I haven't read blogs in forever. So ... if you can think of any particularly good Ancient/Medieval posts from the last two months, please feel free to send me (or post) links. All I can say right now is that there will be a Beowulf section -- with a review if it's opened in Fabulous European Capital.

We remember the day

We remember the day, but we seem to have forgotten why.

History Carnival 58

History Carnival 58

History Carnival 58 is up at Aardvarchaeology.

Sorry for the late notice, but I am in grading jail, had a mild case of 'flu, and it's advising week.

Non-Punitive Quizzage

Non-Punitive Quizzage

In this post, I talked about students not doing the reading and how I didn't want to infantalize my classes by giving quizzes. I got lots of great suggestions that made me do a little re-thinking, and in the last two classes, I gave quizzes. I'd actually warned the first class -- the teeth-pulling one -- that there would be a quiz. Despite this, the results were largely pathetic. But the results of the class period were much better. After the students completed the quiz, I collected it, looked all of the quizzes over, and returned them to the students after getting an idea of where they were. Then we arranged our chairs for a discussion and went over the possible answers (it was an amazingly open quiz -- name five major things that happened in what had been the Roman Empire between that emperor who legalized Christianity and the guy who won the battle of Lechfeld, for example). Most of them had little to go on from what was written down, but if one person knew something, someone else could add to it, and then someone else could come up with another related thing, and so on. So I was able to demonstrate to them that they knew more than they'd thought, AND that they all needed to study more.

The second class erupted in protest. And then a couple of them said, "but we're usually prepared -- you should make it a group quiz!" So I told them that, as long as we could get really good answers to all the questions, we could do that. So we got in a group, and they were all over it. And they ribbed each other about wrongish answers ("Dude! That's like a hundred years too late! What are you thinking??"). It was really fun.

Best thing is that I managed to review a ton of stuff I'd been trying to get to, clarified a lot of things people were having trouble with, and tied it up with a big overview ribbon! I think I may start doing this more often, and earlier.

What will be on the final?

What will be on the final?

Dear Students,

If I keep trying to get you to discuss a certain question in class and online, it might be because I think it's important. If it's a question about my own area of expertise, I probably think it's important. If it's an issue that I think you are letting popular knowledge get in the way of reality (like the ebil Catholics ran the world from the time of Constantine to Luther's reformation), or that the Emperor kept the Pope in his pocket for the same period (despite considerable time spent on the Eastern Roman Empire, Barbarians, etc.), I might think it's important. If I keep saying, "but what about ...?" and "I think you might need to think again about issues of time and geographical location, among many other factors that are right there in your textbook and that you are ignoring ...", I might think it's important.

If I think it's important, there's a good chance it will be on the final. kthxbai.