Watershed

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The Space Betwixt and Between:
Watershed Moments from Spring 2018

Apr 24, 2018

The Space Betwixt and Between: Watershed Moments from Spring 2018

Photo Credit: learner.org At the end of my three years serving as a member of the Watershed Collective, I’m poised to shed the graduate chrysalis and move into the next phase of my academic career. So it’s no surprise that I’m drawn to theoretical and cultural representations of transition, upheaval, and change--fascinated by processes of becoming. With this orientation in mind, I appreciate the opportunity to reflect, not only on the phenomenal collection of posts shared by

Humanities on the Edge Preview: Bridget R. Cooks

Apr 17, 2018

Humanities on the Edge Preview: Bridget R. Cooks

In 1969, under the direction of curator Allon Schoener, the Metropolitan Museum of Art opened an exhibition titled Harlem on My Mind: Cultural Capital of Black America, 1900-1968, which aimed to represent the cultural history of Harlem. The exhibit was comprised of photographs (which at the time were not considered to be fine art) that depicted the people and buildings of Harlem. Despite being the first exhibition of African-American art at the museum, the exhibit did not inc

Reframing the "DH Bust"

Gabi Kirilloff and Jonathan Cheng

Feb 20, 2018

Reframing the "DH Bust"

In October of 2017, The Chronicle of Higher Education published an article, “The Digital-Humanities Bust”, by Timothy Brennan, a professor of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature at the University of Minnesota. Brennan expresses skepticism that the Digital Humanities (DH) are producing valuable scholarship. Though Brennan does allow that there is value in some digital work, particularly archival work, his article strongly critiques text analysis (the study of broad pat

The Power of Praxis: Reflections on a Watershed Semester

Dec 5, 2017

The Power of Praxis: Reflections on a Watershed Semester

Photo Credit: dreamstime.com As I read and reread the collection of posts our Watershed team has contributed this semester (15 truly stellar pieces of writing in all), I was struck by their shared commitment to expanding theory’s reach beyond the computer screen and into the world. These texts are saturated with calls to action, reorienting readers toward the pursuit of praxis. Although I teach writing and consider myself mathematically challenged, there is one equation I con

Humanities on the Edge Preview: Timothy Scott Brown

Sep 26, 2017

Humanities on the Edge Preview: Timothy Scott Brown

Timothy Scott Brown’s latest book, West Germany and the Global Sixties: The Anti-Authoritarian Revolt, 1962-1978, discusses the complex web of political, social, and cultural factors that contributed to the anti-authoritarian movement in West Germany during the 1960’s. Typically associated with the German Student Movement, the critical conversation surrounding the West German Protests of ‘68 often revolve around the widespread desire for social change and dissatisfaction with

Some Thoughts on the Canon

Mar 28, 2017

Some Thoughts on the Canon

Though the figure is a rough estimate, researchers at Google Books have surmised that there are approximately 129,864,880 books in the world. Supposedly, this number represents unique titles and does not include repeats. This number was estimated in 2010, and given the consistent increase in book publication, including the booming self-publishing industry, the figure has probably grown quite a bit by now. Some estimates put the number of new published English language works o

Don’t Read This: The Reader’s Role in Second Person Narration

Nov 22, 2016

Don’t Read This: The Reader’s Role in Second Person Narration

“This is not for you” is, if you think about it, a very odd way to start a book. Mark Danielewski’s House of Leaves begins with this anti-epigraph, which functions as a sort of warning. The novel’s warning takes on a special significance given the narrative: it is suggested that if you read House of Leaves, you will become hunted by a sinister presence. At the same time, however, Danielewski’s direct address of the reader also encourages the reader to engage in a particularly

Resource Management Games and the Desire for Finite Systems of Knowledge (or, Where did all my time

Apr 12, 2016

Resource Management Games and the Desire for Finite Systems of Knowledge (or, Where did all my time

I’ve got a confession to make: I spent an embarrassing amount of time last week playing the recently-released PC game Stardew Valley. I now find myself humming snippets of the game’s delightful soundtrack while I wash the dishes. Yesterday, I became deeply confused about what season it was in the real world, since I had just finished harvesting my pumpkins amid the wondrous snow globe effect created by thousands of falling digital leaves . . . Stardew Valley is an RPG (Role P

Textual Possession: Some Thoughts on Materiality, Ownership, and the
Power of Books

Dec 1, 2015

Textual Possession: Some Thoughts on Materiality, Ownership, and the Power of Books

I am writing this post on my 11 inch MacBook air, which is significantly lighter than my previous MacBook, a chubby, white, rounded model that never seemed quite as officious as my newer device. My current laptop feels much different in my hands; the weight, size, and shape all contribute to decisions regarding my reading habits (laptop if reclining in bed, iPad when sitting up, etc.). The computer smells a bit like pizza because of my growing tendency to eat directly off of