A watershed is a geographic feature that divides water into different systems. A watershed also represents the tributaries and gathering ground for a central body of water. As graduate students at the University of Nebraska, we acknowledge the significance of watersheds to indigenous peoples, to the agricultural industry, as well as to the ecology of the Great Plains region. The University of Nebraska is a land-grant institution with campuses and programs on the past, present, and future homelands of the Pawnee, Ponca, Otoe-Missouria, Omaha, Dakota, Lakota, Kaw, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Peoples, as well as those of the relocated Ho-Chunk, Sac and Fox, and Iowa Peoples (Source: Center for Great Plains Studies). In addition to these geological and geographical meanings, perhaps most popularly, a watershed is known to be a crucial event or occurrence recognized as causing a turning point or change.

 

This blog, Watershed, began as a series of conversations among graduate students with a significant interest in Critical Theory.  It has since expanded beyond its Critical Theory origins to encompass scholarly interests as diverse as the studies of UNL's English graduate student body.  Throughout our academic adventures to this point, we have come across many ideas, scholars, and issues that we find interesting but that we may not be able to  pursue within the scope of our primary work. These ancillary academic pursuits comprise the contents of this blog. We consider these posts to be tributaries returning to a larger source. This blog is not intended to offer authoritative conclusions. Rather, it is meant to initiate or continue conversations. Our goal, as much as there can be a goal, is to try out ideas new to us and make connections that may be unexpected, to emulate exchanges that take place at coffee shops near university campuses or over a beer. If you are so inclined, please join in and let us know what may interest you.