SUM-400 – Sylvia Marshall

Contextual Explanations

admin — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 18:43:37 +0000

Below are general explanations of some posts featured on this website.

Goals for Senior Seminar

Section: HIS-420

Purpose: A reflection on what I hope to achieve for my senior thesis. This post outline some basic goals that I will strive to reach by the end of the semester of Fall 2019. It introduces the category as a whole and demonstrates my deliberative strength.

And it’s a wrap…Almost

Section: HIS-420

Purpose: A reflection of the presentation of my senior thesis. The post includes a brief reflection of my experience presenting and contains a 33-minute recording of the presentation. The post showcases the research I have conducted during the semester of Fall 2019 and how I synthesize the information into relevant points for a presentation. The audio demonstrations my ability as a historian that can collect, organize, and articulate information.

Resurrection with Patrons by Kara Walker

Section: ART-260

Purpose: The post is a continuation of my analysis of Kara Walker’s Resurrection with Patrons. This piece is an audio recording and transcript of a condensed visual analysis of the work which is a part of Agnes Scott College’s permanent collection. The talk showcases my interests in art history and how I apply my research and anthropological skill in the presentation of the piece.

Research Journal Series

Section: ART-260

Purpose: The collection of posts entitled “Research Journal” is done in connection with my project for Methods in Art and Art history. The focus of the project was learning how we researched and seeing what interested us for further research in the future. The series is a collection of notes, reflections, and findings from this project.

Travel Blog Series

Section: Travel Tab

Purpose: The collection of posts are travel journals and reflections on my travels as an undergraduate student. The series documents my travels from Croatia as a first-year student and later as a junior studying abroad in Northern Ireland. The series is a real-life application of anthropological study by living in and participating in a new cultural environment.

My Clifton Strengths

admin — Mon, 09 Dec 2019 15:33:31 +0000

Context

“People exceptionally talented in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history”

Restorative

“People exceptionally talented in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems. They are good at figuring out what is wrong and resolving it.”

Intellection

“People exceptionally talented in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity. They are introspective and appreciate intellectual discussions.”

Input

“People exceptionally talented in the Input theme have a need to collect and archive. They may accumulate information, ideas, artifacts or even relationships/”

Deliberative

“People exceptionally talented in the Deliberative theme are best described by the serious care they take in making decisions or choices. They anticipate obstacles.”

I Wanted to Find Them

admin — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 16:44:24 +0000

I worked as a curatorial intern this summer at the Columbus Museum in my hometown. My project consisted of conducting original research on women in the Chattahoochee Valley. I examined material concerning a variety of topics in women’s lives in Columbus from the nineteenth century into the twenty-first century. However, I focused on local women’s involvement in politics locally and statewide. The research included reviewing primary and secondary documents, photographs, and objects concerning women in Muscogee County. My primary objectives involved researching relevant topics, finding material that would be appropriate to display, and developing a gallery guide for a portion of the exhibition.

I believe I met these goals of the internship after writing a gallery guide and even arguing for certain pieces to be included. I found a fair amount of information concerning women’s political involvement in Columbus and have a written text that displays that information. There were also some photographs and objects to illustrate that history. However, I wish that I had found more ephemera related to suffrage in the local area, especially about the Georgia Women Suffrage Association; and more material before 1922. I also found it hard to find material on women of color in Columbus and their involvement in the local political scene. I was frustrating to know that the were a part of this dialogue, but lack artifacts and sources to truly tell the story. I struggled and was at one point stuck during my research because of it. I always want to create content that is well-rounded and represents a multitude of perspectives.

I reconciled with myself and used the amount of material I had to build a narrative of women of color in Columbus of politics. When they were not present, I discussed why they were missing. I had to think outside of the box and start using some of my anthropological background when trying to find these women. I began thinking about the functions of social institutions in these communities and how women operated just outside the dominant lens to find them working behind the scenes in churches and auxiliary clubs. The finished product still did not present a holistic view in my opinion. However, I learned a lot about patience and how sometimes the material you want to find may not exist, or it may exist but cannot be found. These are experiences and ideas that I would like to keep in mind when conducting archival research and trying to make sense of history.

Rejection and Persevering

admin — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 16:39:46 +0000

I believe that my volunteer work at the DeKalb History Center has greatly influenced my personal and professional interests, but my relationship with the center did not have a smooth start. The spring semester of my sophomore year, I awaited the decision on the Joyce-Cohrs DeKalb History Center internship. The internship was paid, and it would have been my first ever internship. I managed to obtain an interview and waited. Unfortunately, I received the dreaded “I regret to inform you…” correspondence. I was greatly disappointed, and the feeling of rejection left a bad taste. For a few days I reflected on that rejection email and decided to not let it discourage me. That a rejection and perceived failure was not the end. I might not have gotten the internship, but I managed to place my foot in the door and make an impression on the people that worked there.

I realized that an experience is worth more than a title and decided that volunteering would be just as informative. I was able to conduct research and work in the archive writing blog posts and meeting patrons. I gained a network, an experience, and mentorship from my time at the archive. More importantly, I learned to never let an opportunity go, even when it seemed to have slipped away. There are alternative ways of achieving that can yield the same or even greater results. I am still making an impact in within the community through my work at the archive.

Volunteering and Discovering

admin — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 16:34:03 +0000

I have been a volunteer at the DeKalb History Center archive for around three years and in that time, I have grown as a historian. As a volunteer for the DHC archive, I research African-American life in DeKalb County, Georgia using a combination of primary and secondary sources. I try to access where the center’s information is lacking regarding African-American history and to bring that history to life in blog posts. My research is conducted independently and in conjunction with other volunteers and interns at the center. A component of my role in the center is taking the information I gathered and creating blog posts that engage with the public and communicate history to a wider audience via social media and the DHC blog. I did not realize the amount of response I would receive from the community. The head archivist and coordinator for the center, told me about the positive responses from their audiences and how they were commenting and engaging with the content. My work at the center has given me a defined purpose.

I always wanted to major in history, but before volunteering I had always thought my focus would be on European history. However, I found that I was connecting more with the content I was writing about at the DHC than I had originally thought I would. Volunteering at the DeKalb History Center has reinforced the importance of oral histories and the amount of historical and cultural knowledge that a researcher can gain from them especially in the African-American community. In a community that has historically used non-written means of communication to impart collective knowledge and history, oral histories become central in the process of researching and understanding African-American communities. Additionally, I have come to understand the importance of making culture and history available to the public. I now plan my future goals around this outlook and seek skills to help me achieve my goals.