Research Journal Prompts

Prompt #5 (for 11/23)
For your last research journal [rejoicing, exuberance, applause!], I'd like you to synthesize your research findings to this point. By "synthesize," I don't mean putting together summaries of individual articles, but rather discussing -- as coherently as you can -- a tentative "answer" to your research question, and drawing heavily on your sources to explain that answer. Think of this as a mini-thesis with an explanation, based on your research so far. Since I am unfamiliar with most of your sources, I'll need you to accommodate me as much as possible by unpacking terms and concepts from what you read. Educate me as much as you can so that I know why and what you are drawing from each text. It will probably take you several pages to do this (3-4, with separated Works cited), but I think it will give you some momentum before the Query-in-Progress paper. And, I'd like to challenge you -- just a bit -- by asking you to draw on at least 2 sources from the research bibliography I distributed, at least 2 chapters from Steedman's Dust, at least 2 sources from the coursepack, and any other sources you have located via JSTOR or Project Muse, as well as the key primary texts you'll be discussing from the Hennel Hendricks Collection.

Prompt #4 (for 11/9)
In 2-3 pages, discuss and justify whether you think women in archival spaces are best represented by one of the following terms: location (Jarratt); assemblage (OED, SAA Glossary, handout); or re/map (Bordelon). As part of your justification, discuss which aspects of each term make them the optimal choice. While your response will likely focus on the appropriateness of one term, you may also wish to discuss the inappropriateness of another, or to do some comparison of terms in your justification. Feel free to use either the Hendricks collection or one of the digital collections from Problem-Solving Report #2 to aid your response. Please draw heavily on all texts that you use.

Prompt #3 (for 10/7)

After completing both accounts of the Martha Ballard Case Study, in 2-3 pages discuss what kind of narrative or history each account allows you to construct. What are some of the reasons for that construction? Consider how the concepts of “absence,” “remembering,” or “representation” (from Steedman and Yakel) can help you discuss what you observe. What other questions did this activity raise for you?

Prompt #2 (for 9/28)

In 2-3 pages, compose a response to one of the following questions. Draw on Blouin, Steedman, Heilbrun, and/or Jarratt to help you make your response:

• What can or should be the relationship between archives and their subjects, and between subjects and their histories?
• How could we justify archiving as a distinctly "feminist" project, and what are some reasons why we might want to do so? Not do so?
• How could we justify archiving as mediation, interaction, or intervention (choose only one), and what are some reasons why we might want to do so? Not do so?

Prompt #1 (for 9/7)
Identify a collection held by you or your family and write a brief finding aid for it, in which you describe its origins, scope, arrangement, or organization, purpose, and contents. In a couple of pages, discuss the humanities (or other) research potential for such a collection. What principles from our readings (Cooley and Sharer) influenced how you would ultimately describe, arrange, or justify this collection?