Semester Assessment
Now that grades are in and I’ve had sufficient time to wind down, I’m assessing the last three months of work in order to claim my victories and cut my losses.
The Victories
The Fulbright application was motivating and instructional. My liberal arts professors are usually content with my writing, give me good grades, and leave it at that. Given the more concrete goal of getting the grant, otherwise cheerful professors were nit-picky and opinionated about every aspect of my writing. This was intellectually stimulating and served to identify previously overlooked weaknesses in my style. Regardless of weather I get the grant, the time was well spent, and I’m grateful to everyone who helped.
My history class on Cold War Media and Technology was a dazzling conglomeration of cold war politics, feminist sensibility, and new media theory. And all from a historical perspective! Not so much a victory as an enthralling start, this was one of those classes that opened up a dizzying array of validating and disorienting avenues for exploration.
University Student Senate (USS) has been a broiling mess of activity this past semester. Under the leadership of Peter Cummings, we pushed forward initiates around sustainability practices and minority services in the midst of politicking by the university and students alike. Activities across the university to confront the negative ramifications of Bob Kerrey’s presidency provided vital openings for these initiatives to become school policy. Despite advice from my advisers that I shouldn’t be involved in student government and focus on thesis work instead, I chose to continue on as a USS representative this year. Sustained involvement has broadened my perspective on implementing the initiatives and refreshed my organizing skills first developed in grassroots media projects before college.
In September, I started working with Michael Shaw at BAGnewsNotes to produce online salons where academics, photographers, and blog readers discuss visual politics. The more time I spend on this project, the more I enjoy it. The Bag’s political analysis of images tests my sometimes over-academic approach to visual literacy. I’m required to get specific and practical in order to produce a climate for conversation around a set of photographs. This introduction to the inner workings of a political blog has me stoked to work with the social and discursive potential of online digital venues. The next Salon is in two Sundays.
The Losses (to Put it Harshly)
The two major losses involve resolution about not following my professors’ advice in two areas.
Since I got to the Design&Technology department, and even before with many of my professors in Photography, people have been pressuring me to do video work. I took two video classes, the most recent this past semester. The experience has been largely frustrating and unsatisfying. I’m not sure if I should chalk this up to the moody (if insightful) nature of my video professors, the abominable situation of equipment rental at The New School, or something more directly involving my proclivities and interests. Maybe some day I will do serious video work. For now, I throw in my hat.
Professors also push me to work on my graphic design skills. This is not because they think I could be good at it but because I’m just plain bad at it, at least by Parsons standards. I’ve read typography books during the semester and sat in on a few visual design courses. My appreciation for the art has deepened, and I am familiar with the contours of my own ignorance. I intend to leave it at that.
So Now What?
In panic over thesis class, where I felt unable to effectively communicate my interests and goals to the professor, I looked outside school for grounding and inspiration. These efforts landed me a winter internship at Local Projects, a design studio that focuses on collaborative story telling and interactive media. While my friends chide me for being freakishly overachieving (Their chiding is a sign of love. I appreciate it, really.), colleagues light up with enthusiasm convinced that this is a perfect fit. Background research for the areas I will be working on at Local Project in January is stoking my excitement for their approach to narrative and interactivity that should capitalize on my diverse experience in history, photography, and design technology. I start Tuesday.
Catch Me While You Can!
Busy semester, right? I should have more down time than usual in the coming weeks, so I encourage neglected friends and colleagues to get in touch. I’d love to see you and catch up!
