No Such Thing as Useless Knowledge

Last week I addressed the demons of doubt we’ll all face sooner or later during our MALS careers.  This week I’ve asked current MALS student Valerie Bodell to share her thoughts on how interdisciplinary graduate study has proven valuable both to her topic of interest and her outlook on life. Valerie is in her third year in MALS, and she’s also a full-time ETSU employee. Her program of study concentrates on the role that comics, as a form of literature, play in forming cultural and personal identity. She has presented several papers at graduate liberal studies conferences during the last few years, and presented at The Graphic Novel Conference in Oxford, UK earlier this month:

Rabbit Race by Valerie Bodell

 A Few Interdisciplinary Thoughts

  First of all let me say that panic and confusion are normal.  In addition, elements that crop up throughout your interdisciplinary studies that seem crazy and not applicable to your situation will probably turn out to be the valuable tools, advice, or points of view you should keep in mind.  Also realize that we’re here to learn.  Since we don’t know everything - and some days it feels as if we don’t know much of anything - we’re going to make mistakes, lots of them.  That’s normal too. 

Another characteristic of interdisciplinary studies is that everything connects to everything else.  Therefore there can be no such thing as useless knowledge.  Now I want to take a moment to applaud my fellow students who are pursuing high ideals and socially conscious studies.  That recognition out of the way, I can tell you that my topic is creating a comics autobiography.  Is this a frivolous goal?  No.  If your topic interests you, go for it.  You’ll find that it connects to the larger picture of humanity sooner or later. For example, I learned that comics can help victims address trauma.  Further, as I consider identity in our modern, electronic world, incidents like the Colorado shooting at the Batman movie strike me as role playing fantasies gone wrong.   Can exploring the enduring allure of comics like the Dark Knight series, and fantasy in many online role playing games, illuminate how most people separate electronic realities from physical realities?  Is the Colorado shooting incident about male identity?
.... Valerie Bodell, MALS Student

Giraffe, Tree, Lion by Valerie Bodell

One of the greatest powers of interdisciplinary thinking is that it conditions you to make such connections. Interdisciplinary scholarship celebrates knowledge and recognizes the value in all forms of creativity, not just for their own sake but as tools to help us better understand both the natural world and the human experience. I encourage you to embrace your MALS journey and always to look for ways that your interests fit into to the big picture.

A Minute for MALS Students

For the past two years, the only voice in this blog has been that of yours truly, the esteemed MALS Online Writing Consultant. I am genuinely excited to say that that's about to change! During the coming weeks, a few current ETSU MALS students will be sharing their thoughts on graduate school, writing, and interdisciplinary scholarship. That's right - you'll get a break from my musings and hear from students you may know already.

I think you'll find their reflections to be interesting, helpful, and easy to identify with if you too are pursuing a degree in graduate liberal studies.

As much as I enjoy writing MALS in a Minute, I believe that when more of our peers enter the discussion, this blog can only become richer and more informative. It's simply the interdisciplinary thing to do. So, if you're a graduate liberal studies student at ETSU or otherwise, or if you are an alumn of a graduate liberal studies program, I'd love to hear from you too! Those interested in writing a guest post can contact me at malswritingconsultant@gmail.com.

Stay tuned - our first student's post will go up later this week!

Putting down the pen for a brief spell. 

How's This for an Answer?

For my Fall 2012 welcome post, I didn’t want to write another page on the beauties and challenges of interdisciplinary graduate study. I'm going to let my previous first-posts-of-the-semester do that. Instead, I wanted to address a situation (problem?) that I am willing to bet all of you have encountered at least once before, during, and, if you're a MALS graduate, after your time as a graduate liberal studies student. Here's how it goes: 

You: “Yes, I’m in grad school at ETSU. 

Family Member/Friend/Employer/Guy in Seat 4G  (Henceforth known as “Them”): “Oh, what are you studying?” 

You: (pause while you decide what to say) “I’m getting a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies.” 

Them: Confused, Inquisitive, or Raised-Eyebrow Facial Expression 

You: “It’s an interdisciplinary, self-designed degree, but what I’m really studying is (insert concentration or list two disciplines here)” 

Them: “Okay. What do you plan to do with that degree?” 

You: Explain your program of study, being sure to explain that the degree does not involve lying under trees, staring at the sun, and philosophizing all day. 

Them: “Sounds interesting. Good luck.” All the while looking ever more confused, skeptical, or (the worst) disinterested.

I think this might have been the worst part of being a MALS student, even worse than the gobs of reading I had to do, worse than learning to pronounce the names of French theorists like “Beaudrillard” and “Foucault,” and worse than searching for a parking space at 9:30 on a Tuesday morning. I really hated having to constantly justify the time, money, and energy I was spending on what turned out to be the most difficult and rewarding experience I have ever had (MALS was way harder than any ironman triathlon, in my opinion), not only because it was annoying, but also because these encounters activated that menacing, not to mention false, little voice in my head that said, “yeah, Kit, why are you doing this? No one even knows what a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies is. Why are you working so hard when everyone thinks you’re getting some artsy-fartsy degree that won’t land you a job?”   

And I never seemed to have a completely satisfying answer to the “Why MALS?” question when I found myself in this situation. While I knew I was learning valuable skills in writing, critical thinking, and just “being,” I wasn’t able to put them in words that would fit nicely into the average resume, much less the average elevator speech.

Perhaps this is because there isn’t a single, static answer to the “Why MALS?” question. Part of the beauty of learning at such an intense and deep level is that your answers to “why” are constantly evolving. My answer to "why" one month into MALS would probably have been “because this is the degree that had the archival studies courses.”

"What should I tell "them"?

But now it is 100% different. My answer to “Why MALS?” now is: because MALS forces you to fully engage in the thought processes, reasoning, imagining, and problem-solving that will make you a better critical thinker, writer, worker, and community member, and you might not get that from following a strict, specialized, job-oriented, narrow, disciplinary path.

Let me be clear: there’s nothing wrong with a disciplinary degree. I’m not saying that I’m smarter than anyone with a PhD in biochemistry, nor do I believe Dr. Biochem to be narrow-minded. I am certainly not saying that the Doc is a less worthy human being than I am. What I’m saying is that MALS is designed to force you out of your comfort zone and be the one who considers the whole proverbial wheel instead of being the guy who knows a whole lot about the bearings in the hub. Both are necessary to create the knowledge that will make society better. When you condition your mind to study the whole wheel, you’ll know the right questions to ask of the bearing expert. You’ll also know that the state of the hub has an affect on the condition of the rim. Being able to recognize and act upon systematic relationships is a key skill you’ll develop in MALS.

The point is - and I think this is where we need to do a better job answering the “Why MALS” question when non-MALS people ask it - that the liberal studies student, who chooses an interdisciplinary course of study, holds value to society, employers, and academia equal to the highly specialized student.

So, the next time you find yourself in the “Why MALS” situation, think about giving an answer along these lines:

“I am in MALS because I am interested in doing this, and I see that the best way to learn how to do this is by studying how it fits into the larger picture. I can do this by learning to approach problems associated with this critically, and by using the knowledge of disciplines such as A, B, and Q, I will be better equipped to help develop solutions to the problem. And while I’m at it, I will be writing about complex issues at such a high level that I will have the skills to communicate with professionals not only in the fields of A, B, and Q, but also with community leaders and clients from diverse backgrounds.”

How’s that for an answer? Almost sounds like your MALS degree could land you a job, a community project, or a look of respect and sincere interest from “them.”

As you go through this semester, be ready to address the “Why MALS?” question. Not only to have a brilliant response for the unititiated, but also because you will be required to justify your program of study to your program director and your Graduate Advisory Committee. MALS not only teaches you to think critically, but also requires you to think critically about your approach to your program design.

And while your answers to this question will evolve as you become more familiar with the tenets of interdisciplinary study and research, never let the negative voices get the better of you. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I learned to shut them up. Sure, I wish the rest of the world would give me the same automatic respect they seem to give Dr. Biochem, but I would rather have to continue answering the “Why MALS” question than I would have to be the “them” asking it.

Write on,

Kit

P.S.>  I still wonder if I say Beaudrillard’s name correctly. Readers of this blog may never know. That, my friends, is one of the great advantages of writing. 

Warming Up

I don't believe I've ever really shared much about my life outside of academia (other than a hint at my weakness for reality TV), but today I made a connection between the rigors of graduate school and those of my true passion - triathlon. Yes, your trusty MALS Online Writing Consultant is a triathlete in her other life. And, like MALS (or really any graduate program for that matter), triathlon is hard. It is time-consuming, grueling, at times monotonous, and altogether rewarding. This sport, which requires me to swim, bike, and run in succession with no rest between, takes years of training to truly master and appreciate, even though it may sound simple on the surface. The general public even seems to harbor a tendency to misspell and misunderstand the sport (folks, it’s triathlon, not triathalon), just as they seem to misspell and misunderstand interdisicplinarity, oops, I mean interdisciplinarity. 

Yes, the similarities go on and on. But there is one aspect of triathlon that I had never really compared to graduate school until today, as I sat in a warm cafe, drinking warm espresso, with my laptop's warm battery burning my legs. And, my friends, in case you have not yet guessed, that aspect is the warm-up. Just as you need to warm up for triathlon, I believe you need to warm up for graduate school.  Exactly how you warm up will vary depending on the event. Let me explain.

The longer the race, the shorter and less-involved warm-up I typically do. Why? Because longer races (think Ironman) require me to use far less intensity and far more pacing than do the shorter races.  Shorter (sprint distance) races require a very high level of intensity. In other words, I can ease into longer races during the event, whereas in a sprint triathlon, I’m going full throttle from start to finish. If I don’t warm up, I not only reduce the chances that I’ll perform my best, but I also risk injury. So, for a long race, I’ll generally do some light stretching and loosening up, maybe spin through the gears on my bike, and jog to the port-a-john and back. The entire warm-up might be 5-10 minutes. In contrast, my warm-up for a short race can top half an hour: I’ll often run up to 2 miles, throwing in some fast intervals, and follow up with about 10 minutes on the bike and some swim drills. 

I argue that graduate school is so much like a triathlon in this respect. Your entire grad school career is like an Ironman – it is challenging from start to finish, but it is also an endeavor of long duration (about 12-15 hours for an ironman; 2-4 years for a MALS degree… close enough, right?) that you don’t want or need to waste energy you’ll need for the day (or years) by warming up for a long time. In grad school terms, this means you don’t really study much before beginning MALS, but instead loosen up your mind and get your ideas flowing during your introductory classes – MALS 5000 and 5100.

A semester, on the other hand, is much like a sprint triathlon - intense, painful, and over before you know it while simultaneously taking forever. If you’re a returning MALS student, you know what I mean. If you’re a new student, get ready to be busier and more challenged intellectually than you perhaps ever have in your life. After years away from school, or even after a summer off, your mind has entered a “rest” mode. When classes begin, you’ll be running at full intensity from day one. Now, you can either have a really painful first few weeks, or you can be ready to handle that intensity by warming up.

I know what you’re going to ask: “How on earth am I supposed to warm up for classes?”

The exact method will vary according to your individual strengths, weaknesses, and personality. However, the objective remains the same – you want your warm-up to loosen up your brain and prepare your mind, body and spirit for the intense amount of thinking, discussing, reading, and writing you are about to do. Practically speaking, you want to reduce the time you spend in beginning-of-semester-panic-mode as much as possible. This means gently bringing grad school to the forefront of your mind. 

Here are a few ideas for warm-up techniques that might benefit you:

1. Do some organizing. Be that nerd who sets up a home desk, complete with freshly sharpened pencils, file folders for each class, a wall calendar and a pegboard. Before you pass this off as busy-work, or think “yeah right, that’ll last about a week,” consider this: the benefit you receive simply from the act of preparing for your upcoming semester is in itself beneficial. Sort of like the act of writing to learn, the act of organizing will help you transition from summer mode (or mom/dad/worker mode) to student mode. Here’s a link to an article called Organization Tips for Graduate Students that you might find helpful.

2. Get your books a little early and start reading a bit. Yes, this is by far the most obvious warm-up technique, and I know you’ve already thought of this yourself. I only suggest it because this is probably the warm-up technique you’ll be most resistant to. Who has the time to read early, after all? I’m not talking about taking your Research methods book to Key West, reading it cover to cover while you sip margaritas on the beach.  Just get the books a week or two ahead of time, look through the table of contents, read the introduction, and flip through the pages. You can even just look at the pictures. That’s what I did. Again, even just spending time with your books will alert your brain that you are about to learn a whole lot more about a subject, and you’ll be more keyed in on the first day of class.

3. Write. (Come on, you knew this was coming). But here’s what you might not expect – write about anything! Write about turtles, write about dogs. Write about dancing, write about clogs…. Before I intimidate you too much with my stellar poetry, just start writing! Because, (speaking of clogs) writing kind of unclogs your imagination and starts to get your critical-thinking-pipes moving. By starting to write now, you will find yourself more quickly and easily writing to learn when you begin classes. The topic doesn’t matter during your warm-up, the fact that you write does. So get to it!

4. Finally, connect with other graduate students. If you’re an ETSU MALS student beginning work on your thesis or capstone project, you might consider attending the ETSU School of Graduate Studies Thesis/Dissertation Boot Camp as a warm-up regimen. Otherwise, now would be a good time to get in touch with one of your MALS core classmates from last spring. Get together for a cup of coffee, or just get on the phone and ask about your colleague’s upcoming semester. This will not only get you thinking and talking about grad school, but will remind you that you are far from alone in this arduous race.

Just like the longest, most challenging triathlon, the pain of graduate school is temporary, but the sense of accomplishment you’ll get from finishing is irreplaceable. Add a good pre-semester warm-up to your routine and you’ll not only finish, but you’ll finish strong! 

Me finishing the Watauga Lake Triathlon (a short, painful race);
photo courtesy of my friend,  Lauren Root, © 2012

Your Paper Trail

So it's summer, meaning that many of us have temporarily abandoned the academic writing chunk of our brains. In light of this fact, while I've truly wanted to write a blog post during the merry month of June, I confess I haven't had much to talk about except Season 9 of "So You Think You Can Dance" (I wish I could dance), my cat's recent tooth surgery (he's fine and eating like a termite), or my upcoming trip to Dollywood Splash Country (I am irrationally excited about this). And I fear that a rambling post about any of these would reveal just how little I get out of the house; never mind the fact that none of the above have a single thing to do with writing, interdisciplinary scholarship, or graduate school.

Lucky for you, when I was reading today's edition of MALS student Kari Roueche's blog Archiventures, I received some much-needed inspiration. (Thanks, Kari!) One point she made struck me as worth repeating. Reflecting on how the authors of some letters she is processing for her practicum used such kind and polite language, even when corresponding informally with close family members, Kari notes:

"What you leave behind in the way of writing sets an example for the next generation" 

Wow. Kind of adds value, and perhaps some pressure, to our writing. Even if much of our written work doesn't make it to the next generation, it certainly lingers on at least a short while, outlasting spoken words, which are gone as soon as they are uttered. After all, there's a reason we create (and tax evaders try to demolish) the all-important "paper trail." Whether typing a quick email or writing a dissertation, our writing indeed provides a tidbit of our lives, an example of how and why we did our job, talked to a friend, or learned a new subject. In short, what we put in writing documents who we are. 

Knowing that your writing serves as an example of yourself, I'll end my post with the following request:  take a moment to think about what you want your paper trail to say about you. What do you want the "next generation" of scholars, family, or community members to learn from and about you? Whatever your answer, try and let this knowledge guide and motivate your writing throughout your life.