In ninth grade, I had a teacher named Ms. Herrington for a history class called “Eastern Civilizations.” At this point in my life, I was the furthest thing from a history buff or even a history fan, and I struggled to see studying history as interesting. In Ms. Herrington’s class, we studied the Silk Road and the Mongol Empire and that was the first thing in my high school history career that truly piqued my interest—why, I can’t really be sure. I still remember a packet that we had that told stories of Genghis Khan stuffed villagers into carpet bags and running them over with horses (once again, why this fascinated me so much, I’m really not sure). I am definitely looking forward to sending Ms. Herrington a letter at the end of the course when the website is posted and telling her about how I went on to college to serve as the teaching assistant for a large digital humanities project on the Silk Road, an interest that she originally cultivated in my education. Not only that, but I will be traveling 3500 miles along the Silk Road over 3 weeks in January. It’s crazy for me to think that one chapter that I particularly liked in my high school history book is now something that I get to go see and do. I never imagined that my academic career would bring me here, but I am so excited at the opportunity.
In class this week, while discussing the Mongol Empire, we talked about how Chinghis Khan holds the reputation of being incredibly violent, which, while true, conflicts with the reality that many towns peacefully surrendered to Chinghis Khan because they had heard about the Mongols by word of mouth. It stuns me that Chinghis Khan may not have actually intended to be a conqueror, but instead kept conquering for fear of retaliation from places he had already defeated. I find it fascinating perhaps the most successful conqueror in history may have done it by chance or convenience, rather than by intense engineering. While this video is aimed at a younger audience than our class, I think it gives a good basic representation of this struggle around Chinghis Khan’s reputation.
Category Archives: Silkworms
All of the blog posts for the Silkworms.
SYMBIOSIS
Coming back, I think we all feel a pressure to have some sort of solid work to present. As the Silk Worm, I do not feel that stress but I am waiting anxiously to see where we are headed. I trust that the members of my group will come through. From the beginning, I think my group members and I imagined this project to be much more elaborate than it is. When we (the Silk Worms, Eric, Zhihong, and Tierney) broke it down the other week, we were all able to breathe a little more easily. It is always best to make things as least complicated as possible.
That said, while awaiting for the research my team gathered, I was quite inspired by the content of this weeks readings. The readings focused around music along the Silk Road and the convergence of culture. What struck a chord with me was the clips of Abigail Washburn performing. Abigail Wahburn is a world renowned singer and banjo player who also has a background in Chinese. I became aware of her and her work after listening to an ON BEING episode. ON BEING with Krista Tippett is a wonderful podcast that explores what it means to be human in modern day. This particular episode starred Abigail Washburn and her husband, Bele Fleck. Although it was not specifically about Abigail’s travels and music performed in China, it focused in the bridging of past and present and different peoples through music. I found a really neat video that reflects this:
The video was contributed by Chris Heagle, who is the producer and technical director of “On Being.” The video captures the magic of what music brings to a moment. In the video, Abigail Washburn is sitting in a room in Urumqi among a Uygher feast sharing an impromptu jam session with her band and friends. What strikes me about this clip is the mingling of language and sound. She is singing an American classic–Wayfaring Stranger–yet is accompanied by traditional Chinese instruments. WHAT A SOUND!
My group and I have decided to focus on the present–what even is contemporary Chinese music? What we are discovering is that the “music of the Silk Road” may not take place on the Silk Road at all, but instead is performed in California and New York, etc. This brings up questions of authenticity in art. Does mixing sound, culture, and language somehow make an art form disingenuous? These are the questions that we are playing with.
On a side note, I have a new favorite word that I came across in the this weeks readings. It is SYMBIOSIS. I don’t know how it took me so long to learn of it because it is nothing but excellent.
SYMBIOSIS = a mutually beneficial relationship between different people or groups
Cultural Lenses and Story Maps
Sky Team- 9-30-16
Yesterday, the Sky Team met together and the most important things we discussed were the “why” of our research project and the reason our topic was important to research and talk about. We concluded that our topic was important because we have the opportunity to recognize a very under-represented group of peoples (Uyghur women and Uyghur queer individuals). Through the Sky Team’s research, we begin to barely skim the surface of the construction of gender identity and expression of gender minorities in Uyghur communities. We also have to be aware of the intersections of culture, race, time period, etc., that play a huge role in how gender is expressed or repressed. Furthermore, we will be paying close attention to who is writing, talking, taking pictures, filming, etc. when analyzing the research and artifacts.
In relation, I am actively avoiding pretending like our research is going to magically improve the lives of thousands of people and that we are somehow saviors by shining light on this subject and these people. The research encompassed in our project will be in no way an in-depth study. Moreover, we as individuals have to recognize our biases when it comes to writing about a whole other group of people who we know little about. We come from a place where people can more or less (depending on individual situation, of course) talk about gender politics and queer identity—we have the opportunities and language for discussing these things. We need to be aware of how we may be mapping our biases or our language and understanding of the world onto another group of people. Honestly, it is really important for the whole class to remember the lenses that we are looking through when researching and writing about each project topic.
Story Maps Tech Lab
In class, we also learned about Story Maps and Time Maps, which are the programs that the teams will be using to create the final project. (The Story Maps and Time Maps will then be linked to the final Silk Road website!) The actual Story Map and Time Map websites do not seem too hard to understand in regards to putting information in, in order to create the final product. However, I do worry about the narrative part for our Story Maps because I am not exactly sure what a narrative looks like in the context of this project. But I am sure that all the teams will get it and understand it once that section of the project is begun.
Final Thoughts for This Week
I am nervous for our team in regards to deadlines, and I think some members of the team feel pressure about deadlines as well. We really only have a little over a month to get things done- all of the research, artifact gathering (putting those into shared shelf), and creating the Story Map. The Sky Team seems to be on a good path, and the topic seems to be igniting curiosity and enthusiasm, so I hope that procrastination does not get the best of our group members! Additionally, from talking to other students in the class and reading some other blog posts, I do not think that we are the only ones who feel behind and who are having a slow start to the project. I think that Fall Break will be a great opportunity for the entire class to catch up and move forward with the projects.
Mapping Mania
Today we had a tech lab on using Storymap JS. IT WAS SO COOL! To finally do what we’ve been talking about this whole time was invigorating. What a cool program! I sensed that most of us in the room felt this way. All of us were plugged in, and in the best sort of way. Now I know where the sweetness of this project lies.
I decided to map out all of the buildings that my family members work in, in Center City, Philadelphia. I chose a map “Open Street Maps: Standard” as my map design, which provided an incredible amount of detail for that particular area of the city. It was colorful and beautiful. I put about six locations on the map all within about a six block radius. This felt a little clunky though. I was mapping out 3 peoples work places, so I wish there was a way to identify each of the pin points as an individual person (i.e. my moms pins are blue, my dad’s are green, etc.). I also wish that there was a way that we could draw lines between the points. How cool would it be to see how their commute route? I also had an idea of putting the transportation systems that they use on the map to show where they are all coming from, but without a line connecting the spots it seems a little silly. Also, I was thinking that it would be really cool if we could find the exact distance between each spot. What a useful tool this could be!
One can use Storymap for so much. You could map out your vacation, or use it to show your hometown. The possibilities are numerous. Another thing that I also noticed Storymaps is lacking is the ability to put multiple media clips/links at one location. It looks like one has to decide between putting a video or a photograph, etc. It would be ideal if we could put a street view image with the location as well as a link to the website and a clip of what they do over there. The way it is, I felt a little confined in what I chose to show.
A cool project I thought of was to map out contemporary photography scene in China. Are any of us researching contemporary topics? It would be pretty cool to research and then actually see these places or meet the people running them. I guess we’re doing this to a degree already, though.
I can’t believe how much fun I had on the computer today. Usually, I try to avoid the computer at all costs. Today though I was totally infatuated. Hopefully today was just as inspiring for my classmates as it was for me. I can’t wait to meet up with my group and hear about their experience. I wonder if today’s lab changed their vision of the what our project will be. Maybe it also helped them to narrow down what it is they want to research and show.
Lets hope xx
StoryMap Tech Lab
We had another Tech Lab this morning in order to go through an introduction to the StoryMap tool. I think that this tool is going to be a great way to illustrate our research projects in a fun, interactive, innovative way. I was really surprised how easy and fun it is to create StoryMaps. The tool was very intuitive—I do not expect a great degree of difficulty from our team members in picking up the basics of this tool. I think my team is relieved to now be able to actually play with the StoryMap tool, which will help to plan the project in a more effective and more detailed way.
What I am most worried about is making sure the citations are accurately attributed to content within the StoryMap. I do, however, think that a larger bibliography page on our class website will be effective.
At this point, I’m getting more and more excited about what these projects will look like in the end. I feel like this process is pioneering a new method of academic research at Guilford and will make our school stand out.
I think the next step is to work on research until we have a basic idea of what each person is saying. From that point, we can figure out how many slides are needed for each person, complete the writing for each slide, find the media for each slide, and organize the citations. I see the last piece of the project being the actual StoryMap data entry. It seems that it will be much easier to organize and edit outside of that tool and that once we begin to enter it, we will probably want to be entering a near-final draft.
Old Friend
Blogging has been hard to keep track of. I think I need to set an alarm or something to remember to do it. More and more I’m questioning my scheduling tactics–I don’t write anything down. I just rely on my own memory. How much more productive would I be if I scheduled out blocks of time to do specific things? Organization, I’m finding, is key to being a TA. I’m fairly organized, but there are certainly areas in which I’m lacking.
This week I have greatly enjoyed the readings on Islam. We read a piece written by Seyyed Hossein Nasr on Islamic religion and history, as well as some writings on and by Rumi. Islam is very unfamiliar to me, but what I read I loved! Many of the ideologies we read about reminded me of what I know about Hinduism. There is something about non-dualistic religions that strike me as beautiful. Islam is that, but pays particular attention to God. These readings hit close to home for me. More than that, they fueled a fire from within that I’ve left to dwindle over the last few years.
I first encountered Rumi in my yoga studies–there is always a Rumi poem that comes up in practice. It is cool to read about Rumi in a different context. In yoga, we only take what applies to our own life. In the context of Islam, every line is relevant. What does this say about the importance of presentation? Is it ethical to read the words of Rumi in all scenarios? How can I apply these thoughts to our map project?
The project…isn’t going too hot at the moment. The Map Test really set us back. Hopefully this weekend we’ll be able to dig our teeth in and get a clear picture of where we are at before starting Fall Break.
On a thread
After filling out everything and completing the application (on my end) for the study abroad programs (both Silk road and Japan), I felt at ease. This thought was last week. Allowing me to take a breath and get on with my other work, such as working on these blogs and pre-flight quizzes. However, I missed one crucial part of it. There were more than just applications for the Guilford College. I was assigned to complete one for the ISA study abroad website.
My chill went inside out into a concentrated adrenaline rush, as the deadline was October one. Not to mention, they were all required to be mailed. If you read any further into this blog, it is mere fumes of myself and my problems that is in no way scapegoating.
So forth, on my list was this page and a half essay for my scholarship, and documents that need to be mailed to an office in Texas. My mind drifted away from anything considered class work and more into what will happen next year.
Still dealing with this problem, I sent 6 emails out to different departments in search for documents, and one came out to be a huge relief, which was the ISA study abroad office mentioning that they were going to extend the deadline to October 10. Such a time crunch, and this came to save my life. A relief that must go on this post as it was nearly the death of me, mentally speaking. And so, I will be able to catch up on all these posts, hopefully do this pre-flight quiz with ease tonight, fingers crossed.
And also, talking about study abroad. During my scholarship essay, my mention of cultural and modern bridges that Japan is so uniquely molded into, Daniel Diaz told me to add the current event of Emperor Akihito’s abdication. Yes, he will be abdicating, but is trying to find a method in doing so, as he does not think his mentality will hold much longer (which means he’s at the age of retirement). More so, he made an appearance on national TV, one of the rarest things in history, mentioning his abdication. Check it out!
Onward and Upward!
Great news for the Sky Team! We discussed our ideas for the project with our professors and finally settled into a topic that is very interesting! I got the feeling after the meeting that the team seemed more invigorated now that we had a more solid direction, or at least I felt a new wave of interest for the topic! Our new direction is looking at contemporary women and queer identities through beauty standards, aesthetics and fashion, and the performative nature of gender, including drag, in the Uyghur peoples of the Xinjiang Province in China. I am actually very excited for this topic, and I hope that the rest of my team is as excited about it as I am! I feel like there is a great avenue for research and learning and analyzing that can be done with the topic that could be really fascinating! The Sky Team will meet again this week to discuss more about research, ideas, and the Story Maps.
The only thing I worry about now is making sure our team gets things done in a timely manner. Half of the semester is almost over and we essentially have a month to finish the research, make the Story Maps, gather all of the pictures and documents that we need, and put them on the class website. After that, the TAs have to take the finished Story Maps from all the teams and compile them into a huge map for the front page of the website! But we will see how this week goes, and on into October. I have no doubt my team will get things done, though. We’ve got this!
Where It Is ~ What It Is
Duhduhduduhn! I just completed the first map test! And it took me way too long. The test was (although very long) pretty cool. I must say, I learned a lot. For the first time all semester, I finally have some clue as to where all that we have been learning is–and let me tell you, by knowing where it is, I feel like I have a better grasp on what it is, too.
The test covered a large range of topics from routes explored, to current events, to geographic terrain and borderlines. It required a lot of looking at the map and not just memorizing where each place is, but understanding the geographic pattern of terrain. That said, I had to look at the map a lot just to be sure. I found interactive websites the most helpful–there was one that took us through Marco Polo’s route and one site that had a map that showed not only the routes of explorers, but also the religious belief of each region, the language primarily used, etc. I also did many extensive google searches. Wikipedia and Google Maps became my best friend.
It was really cool to see what’s already out there (mapping wise). There are some neat maps I found on China made with Google Maps and Timemaps. The Timemap I found seemed a little clunky. There were many dates, but the organization of them all was not quite clear. I think that when my team builds our Storymap, we should be weary about how many slides we include. Also, it kind of makes me want to set a window of time that our project is focused on (maybe over a 200 year span?).
I also wanted there to be more pictures. On Friday, we had another tech lab with Tierney about Shared Shelf. Of course I had heard of Shared Shelf, but I had never used it before. It seems pretty straightforward and simple. The only thing that bums me out is that I now have to take an extra step to put any picture in my blog–which makes me not want to put any pictures in my blog. See, I’m already doing it. I’ll get over it at some point, I’m sure.
My team hasn’t met for a few days now. We’ve all been overwhelmed with work and the current events going on in Charlotte. So long as we get back on the horse this coming week, I think we will be just fine.
Till then…
Finding a Rhythm
This week, the Sky Team was able to meet and discuss the research project, which was very much needed! It turns out that others in the team were feeling the same way I was in regards to communication- or lack thereof. To make amends and move forward, we had a talk as a team about increasing communication within the group so that we can make greater strides for the project. So far, I have noticed a little more communication, so our discussion was successful in that aspect. Besides fixing the communication breakdown, I think at this point, our team is a little overwhelmed with how to best narrow down the research topic. Although everyone is heroically moving forward and doing the best they can with research this weekend, I do notice that there is still a nebulous feeling about our topic. I think that is because our topic is very much centered on ideas and concepts that were created in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, such as gender identity. I fear that it will be much more difficult to find the historical research that we need.
Thankfully, we will be meeting this week with the professors of the course to get help finding a specific area of interest that will be conducive to the scope of the project. Furthermore, to ease stress and make sure we stick to deadlines, we have agreed as a team to have the bulk of the research done by the end of next week so we can begin the story mapping process and collecting “artifacts” (pictures, documents, videos, etc.) that will supplement the overall narrative and research of our topic.
Besides working with our teams, everyone in the class has been busy completing the first map test, along with other readings and quizzes. I am very grateful that we were given an extension on the map test (which was supposed to have been due this past week). I would not have been able to finish all of the other work for the course on top of the map test and my work outside of Guilford! I think that this course got off on a little bit of a rocky start because the class was not ready to go from zero to seventy-five on the first day, but I do feel that the class is starting to find a rhythm.