Reggae and Ska: Overcoming Babylon

Underground Shoes Boots Clothes Accessories

The streets of Jamaica in 1962 were never quiet. Dogs barking, people laughing, and celebrating their newfound independence from Britain, but the most defining factor of this time period was the giant sound systems rocking the streets with groovy bass lines, booming drums, and floaty melodies. This presiding genre of the time period that I described above is called ska music.

 

What is Ska?

Ska is much more than just a genre of music, as it provided a platform for impoverished and suppressed Jamaicans to express themselves. It evolved with the generations on the islands, growing with the island itself into new genres, constantly taking new inspirations to its rhythms. Specifically, ska music and its counterparts, reggae, and rocksteady, all are significant in the development of the island’s identity. Being mostly defined by its extremely high energy performances and punk rock energy, the music itself has three main components, according to Masterclass.com, with the first being is the instruments. Ska is very drum and bass oriented while maintaining a rock and roll sound with brass, vocals, and a lead guitar. The second category is having brass and guitar solos, trading off with the vocalists, containing recognizable riffs that are unique for each song. The third is the four/four time signatures with an accent note on the second beat, called a ‘skank’, being a short and quick attack on a note that persists through most of the song with a intricate bass line. This blog post will outline how the genres assist in the cultural advancement while delving into the rich history of the music itself, explaining how the music evolved to where it is today in three segments; Ska into Reggae

 

Ska VS Reggae: 

A common misconception made by most people when they think about ska is categorizing it with as reggae. This, however, is not the case. Ska music became popular in the early 1960s when reggae, a variation of ska arose a few years later. When ska was made, it was a time where Jamaica could finally express itself after breaking free from their British colonial rulers, taking inspiration from many different genres and current popular musical trends, like 1950s Caribbean and Jamaican songs, Elvis, The Drifters, Sam Cooke, as well as respective bands throughout the late 1900s.  Reggae, being similar in the instrumentation minus the brass,  is a slowed down version of Ska. Taking more inspiration from African roots, this rhythmic music took much less inspiration from American and British pop culture as ska did, defining a more definitive genre. This type of music provided a platform for these concerns to be conveyed to their audiences, especially seen in the first defined wave of ska music. As this genre gained popularity among the young as well as the old in its inclusive sound, sub genres began forming, as Jamaica finally began forming its own identity in the world, prompting the creation of reggae and the rise of the Rastafarian movements.

 

Reggae and Rastafarians 

“‘Reggae must be lived, not played. It is a lifebeat everytime.’ Peter Tosh” (mentalitch.com). Reggae is far more complex than most people see on the surface, being an angry but positive expression against poverty and injustice while giving a sense of character to the islanders.  The word originated from the slang term, ‘rege rege’, meaning ragged clothing, appearing first in a song by the Maytals called ‘Do the Reggay’. The Rastafarian beliefs had been on the island before Reggae, appearing in the 1930s, being a Afrocentric religion that encouraged free-inhabitance of earth and the overcoming of ‘Babylonian’ restraints, being a symbol for all corruption and corporations in the world. This religion pushes its followers to freely traverse the world past boarders and private properties, the ceremonial use of marijuana, as well as the respect for fellow man, believing there is a bit of ‘Jah'(God) in each person.

War on Rastafarian

In 1963, a war was waged against all Rastafarians by their newly born government, being hunted down by the government, imprisoned, and having their dreads cut off per the orders of white Prime Minister Alexander Bustamante following the death of detective in a fire lit at a gas station at Coral Gardens. This event the public afraid of Rastas, despite the police being the aggressors during the incident. There were laws made to target Rastafarians, such as the outlawing of marijuana, tighter vagrancy laws. Police often shot at Rastas unprompted, beating them, as well as leaving them for dead. In 1972, Jamaica began a seven year experiment with socialism under the People’s National Party (PNP), causing even more violence and economic instability after being labeled as a target by the CIA. This unrest could be seen explicitly after an assassination attempt on Bob Marley and Rita Marley in 1976 during Smile Jamaica music festival for the festivals affiliation with the PNP. Nobody was killed, and Bob Marley’s band, the Wailers even continued to play the show, portraying the resilient spirit of Reggae. The Reggae music in this time period reflected specific struggles in this time period, such as the popular ‘Rivers of Babylon’ by the Melodians, outlining a symbolic cry for help against the institutionalizing and oppressing government they were facing while comparing their situation to that of the First Testament in the Bible. In 1980, the socialist leader left office, being replaced by a democratic leader, Edward Seaga, prompting a period of economic growth. This growth was formed because of Reggae music, bringing in copious amounts of profit through tourism and the recognition and the recognition of the Rastafarian movement after the popularization in the US and Britain, as people began to show sympathy for what they were enduring in Jamaica.

Overcoming Suppression:  Reggae is the Voice of the Island

Reggae music gaining support was one of the best things that could happen to the country of Jamaica, allowing the impoverished and suffering to have their voices heard over the dominantly white aristocratic government. The positive energy created by reggae while pushing for social change caught the attention of the middle class Jamaicans and foreigner’s, lightening the harsh feelings against the Rastafarians, allowing growth in communities and acceptance. With the improvement of the economy, it brought the stage known as ‘Roots Reggae’ to a close, opening up new ska and reggae alike in the second wave.

Two Toned: Second Wave of Ska

The two toned movement is a display of the effect of Reggae music on society, creating multiracial bands after a large late 1970s immigration wave of Jamaicans to the UK. The wave began in 1981 with the rise of the British Two Toned Record Label.  different races playing the same music together on the same stage was a huge deal for British and American society, the main audience for this wave, integrated the brass and guitars from the original ska waves with an even higher increased tempo, mainly singing songs with Jamaican politics and slang, racial integration, and opposition to the conservative Margaret Thatcher led UK government. Surprisingly, the Skin Heads were also into this wave of ska, listening to two toned Ska music and early Reggae because of the punk rock energy and catchy melodies that it produces. this genre had attracted young rebellious fans, called ‘Rude Boys’, as the rude boys were popular back in Jamaica in the 1960s, dressing in flashy dress clothing and having the attitudes of 1920s American Pseudo-Gangsters. They became the image of  this time period of ska. This wave prompted the creation of influential bands  ‘The Specials’, ‘Bad Manners, and ‘English Beat’.

 

The 1990s: Third Wave Ska

The third wave of ska, often called ‘Ska Punk’ was largely based out of the US from bands influenced by early Reggae and Ska bands. These bands take a lot of inspiration from early Reggae and Ska, using Jamaican slang and rhythms while incorporating distorted guitars and uplifting rhythms. Bands off the label Skunk Records like Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, the Ziggens, or others like Reel Big Fish, The Planet Smashers, Less than Jake, Band, Goldfinger, and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are all third wave ska bands. There is an argument that some of these bands can be seen as culturally appropriating the original movements with the use of slang and dawning Rastafarian principles, as the majority of these bands are from California, never experiencing or being involved with Jamaican culture outside of listening to Reggae music. However, the band members are usually self aware, only appreciating the sounds by creating modern renditions of Reggae music. This can be seen how the band Sublime frequently made songs inspired by 1970s and 60s Reggae, such as their use of ’54-46 was my number’ by the Toots and the Maytals in a more modern sounding Ska song, also called ‘5446 Was my Number’.

 

Final Thoughts

The island of Jamaica would not be the same as it is today if not for Reggae Music and all of its respective artists, as the social and economic changes prompted by its creation was detrimental for the island to move out of the state of severe poverty it was in. Ska and Reggae have forever moved so many with their unique rhythms and allowing people to voice their hardships first hand. Although roots Reggae and Ska have had many issues resolved since they have been originally made, struggles still exist today, and songs are still being made to reflect new hardships, like heavy drug use, or relationship struggles. Just remember,

“‘Better to die fighting for freedom than be a prisoner all the days of your life.’ – Bob Marley.”(mentalitch.com).

 

 

NOTE: Audience members for this article are those that are passionate about the histories of music, people who like to listen to Reggae and Ska, as well as people that like stories about overcoming oppressions and hardships.

Reggae and Ska: Overcoming Babylon

Underground Shoes Boots Clothes Accessories

 

 

The streets of Jamaica in 1962 were never quiet. Dogs barking, people laughing, and celebrating their newfound independence from Britain, but the most defining factor of this time period was the giant sound systems rocking the streets with groovy bass lines, booming drums, and floaty melodies. This presiding genre of the time period that I described above is called ska music.

 

What is Ska?

Ska is much more than just a genre of music, as it provided a platform for impoverished and suppressed Jamaicans to express themselves. It evolved with the generations on the islands, growing with the island itself into new genres, constantly taking new inspirations to its rhythms. Specifically, ska music and its counterparts, reggae, and rocksteady, all are significant in the development of the island’s identity. Being mostly defined by its extremely high energy performances and punk rock energy, the music itself has three main components, according to Masterclass.com, with the first being is the instruments. Ska is very drum and bass oriented while maintaining a rock and roll sound with brass, vocals, and a lead guitar. The second category is having brass and guitar solos, trading off with the vocalists, containing recognizable riffs that are unique for each song. The third is the four/four time signatures with an accent note on the second beat, called a ‘skank’, being a short and quick attack on a note that persists through most of the song with a intricate bass line. This blog post will outline how the genres assist in the cultural advancement while delving into the rich history of the music itself, explaining how the music evolved to where it is today in three segments; Ska into Reggae

Ska VS Reggae: 
A common misconception made by most people when they think about ska is categorizing it with as reggae. This, however, is not the case. Ska music became popular in the early 1960s when reggae, a variation of ska arose a few years later. When ska was made, it was a time where Jamaica could finally express itself after breaking free from their British colonial rulers, taking inspiration from many different genres and current popular musical trends, like 1950s Caribbean and Jamaican songs, Elvis, The Drifters, Sam Cooke, as well as respective bands throughout the late 1900s.  Reggae, being similar in the instrumentation minus the brass,  is a slowed down version of Ska. Taking more inspiration from African roots, this rhythmic music took much less inspiration from American and British pop culture as ska did, defining a more definitive genre. This type of music provided a platform for these concerns to be conveyed to their audiences, especially seen in the first defined wave of ska music. As this genre gained popularity among the young as well as the old in its inclusive sound, sub genres began forming, as Jamaica finally began forming its own identity in the world, prompting the creation of reggae and the rise of the Rastafarian movements.

 

Reggae and Rastafarians 

“‘Reggae must be lived, not played. It is a lifebeat everytime.’ Peter Tosh” (mentalitch.com). Reggae is far more complex than most people see on the surface, giving a sense of character to the islanders and a platform to express social injustice in Jamaica.  The Rastafarian belief had been on the island ever since the 1930s, being a Afrocentric religion that encouraged free-inhabitance of earth and the overcoming of ‘Babylonian’ restraints, being a symbol for all corruption and corporations in the world. This religion pushes its followers to freely traverse the world past boarders and private properties, the ceremonial use of marijuana, as well as the respect for fellow man, believing there is a bit of ‘Jah'(God) in each person.

War on Rastafarian

In 1963, a war was waged against all Rastafarians by their newly born government, being hunted down by the government, imprisoned, and having their dreads cut off per the orders of white Prime Minister Alexander Bustamante following the death of detective in a fire lit at a gas station at Coral Gardens. This event the public afraid of Rastas, despite the police being the aggressors during the incident. There were laws made to target Rastafarians, such as the outlawing of marijuana, tighter vagrancy laws. Police often shot at Rastas unprompted, beating them, as well as leaving them for dead. In 1972, Jamaica began a seven year experiment with socialism under the People’s National Party (PNP), causing even more violence and economic instability after being labeled as a target by the CIA. This unrest could be seen explicitly after an assassination attempt on Bob Marley and Rita Marley in 1976 during Smile Jamaica music festival for the festivals affiliation with the PNP. Nobody was killed, and Bob Marley’s band, the Wailers even continued to play the show, showing the resilience of Reggae. The Reggae music in this time period reflected the struggles in this time period, such as the popular ‘Rivers of Babylon’ by the Melodians, outlining a symbolic cry for help against the institutionalizing and oppressing government they were facing while comparing their situation to that of the First Testament in the Bible. In 1980, the socialist leader left office, being replaced by a democratic leader, Edward Seaga, prompting a period of economic growth. This growth was formed because of Reggae music, bringing in copious amounts of profit through tourism and the recognition and the recognition of the Rastafarian movement after the popularization in the US and Britain, as people began to show sympathy for what they were enduring in Jamaica.

Overcoming Supression:  Reggae is the Voice of the Island

Reggae music gained

Reggae and Ska: Overcoming Babylon

Underground Shoes Boots Clothes Accessories

 

 

The streets of Jamaica in 1962 were never quiet. Dogs barking, people laughing, and celebrating their newfound independence from Britain, but the most defining factor of this time period was the giant sound systems rocking the streets with groovy bass lines, booming drums, and floaty melodies. This presiding genre of the time period that I described above is called ska music.

 

What is Ska?

Ska is much more than just a genre of music, as it provided a platform for impoverished and suppressed Jamaicans to express themselves. It evolved with the generations on the islands, growing with the island itself into new genres, constantly taking new inspirations to its rhythms. Specifically, ska music and its counterparts, reggae, and rocksteady, all are significant in the development of the island’s identity. Being mostly defined by its extremely high energy performances and punk rock energy, the music itself has three main components, according to Masterclass.com, with the first being is the instruments. Ska is very drum and bass oriented while maintaining a rock and roll sound with brass, vocals, and a lead guitar. The second category is having brass and guitar solos, trading off with the vocalists, containing recognizable riffs that are unique for each song. The third is the four/four time signatures with an accent note on the second beat, called a ‘skank’, being a short and quick attack on a note that persists through most of the song with a intricate bass line. This blog post will outline how the genres assist in the cultural advancement while delving into the rich history of the music itself, explaining how the music evolved to where it is today in three segments; Ska into Reggae

Ska VS Reggae: 
A common misconception made by most people when they think about ska is categorizing it with as reggae. This, however, is not the case. Ska music became popular in the early 1960s when reggae, a variation of ska arose a few years later. When ska was made, it was a time where Jamaica could finally express itself after breaking free from their British colonial rulers, taking inspiration from many different genres and current popular musical trends, like 1950s Caribbean and Jamaican songs, Elvis, The Drifters, Sam Cooke, as well as respective bands throughout the late 1900s.  Reggae, being similar in the instrumentation minus the brass,  is a slowed down version of Ska. Taking more inspiration from African roots, this rhythmic music took much less inspiration from American and British pop culture as ska did, defining a more definitive genre. This type of music provided a platform for these concerns to be conveyed to their audiences, especially seen in the first defined wave of ska music. As this genre gained popularity among the young as well as the old in its inclusive sound, sub genres began forming, as Jamaica finally began forming its own identity in the world, prompting the creation of reggae and the rise of the Rastafarian movements.

 

Reggae and Rastafarians 

“‘Reggae must be lived, not played. It is a lifebeat everytime.’ Peter Tosh” (mentalitch.com). Reggae is far more complex than most people see on the surface, giving a sense of character to the islanders and a platform to express social injustice in Jamaica.  The Rastafarian belief had been on the island ever since the 1930s, being a Afrocentric religion that encouraged free-inhabitance of earth and the overcoming of ‘Babylonian’ restraints, being a symbol for all corruption and corporations in the world. This religion pushes its followers to freely traverse the world past boarders and private properties, the ceremonial use of marijuana, as well as the respect for fellow man, believing there is a bit of ‘Jah'(God) in each person.

War on Rastafarian

In 1963, a war was waged against all Rastafarians by their newly born government, being hunted down by the government, imprisoned, and having their dreads cut off per the orders of white Prime Minister Alexander Bustamante following the death of detective in a fire lit at a gas station at Coral Gardens. This event the public afraid of Rastas, despite the police being the aggressors during the incident. There were laws made to target Rastafarians, such as the outlawing of marijuana, tighter vagrancy laws. Police often shot at Rastas unprompted, beating them, as well as leaving them for dead. In 1972, Jamaica began a seven year experiment with socialism under the People’s National Party (PNP), causing even more violence and economic instability after being labeled as a target by the CIA. This unrest could be seen explicitly after an assassination attempt on Bob Marley and Rita Marley in 1976 during Smile Jamaica music festival for the festivals affiliation with the PNP. Nobody was killed, and Bob Marley’s band, the Wailers even continued to play the show, showing the resilience of Reggae. The Reggae music in this time period reflected the struggles in this time period, such as the popular ‘Rivers of Babylon’ by the Melodians, outlining a symbolic cry for help against the institutionalizing and oppressing government they were facing while comparing their situation to that of the First Testament in the Bible. In 1980, the socialist leader left office, being replaced by a democratic leader, Edward Seaga, prompting a period of economic growth. This growth was formed because of Reggae music, bringing in copious amounts of profit through tourism and the recognition and the recognition of the Rastafarian movement after the popularization in the US and Britain, as people began to show sympathy for what they were enduring in Jamaica.

Overcoming Supression:  Reggae is the Voice of the Island

Reggae music gained

How to Write the Methods Section

Madison Boulay and Allison Yu 

 

How to Write a Methods Section 

 

The methods section of a research paper describes the actions taken to investigate a research problem and the rationale behind implementing those techniques and procedures. Below are a few things to address when writing the methods section: 

 

  • How was data collected and analyzed?
  • Was the data collected in a way consistent with the accepted practices in the field? 
  • What were the methods and materials used to collect data? 
  • How are relevant variables being identified?
  • Are the methods justified?
  • What were the potential limitations? 

 

Method sections should also be precise and written in past tense/passive voice. Another researcher in the same field should be able to repeat your research just by using the methods section.

 

Survey/Questionnaire

When collecting qualitative data by means of a survey or questionnaire, it is important to provide a description of the participants, measures, and statistical analysis. 

 

Participants: 

Describe the target population and population size. Include participant demographic information as applicable such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, etc. How was the survey distributed and how long was the survey available? 

 

Measures: 

In this subsection, identify the independent and dependent variables. Explain the questions asked in the survey/questionnaire and justify why those questions are appropriate. If there is a score range, explain what the scores mean in relation to the overall aim of the study. If standard scales and indices were adapted in the research, explain why they were used. Any extra materials that were used to collect your data can also be included here (ex: pictures included in your survey). 

 

Statistical Methods/Analysis Plan: 

In this section, describe how you analyzed your data and explain any software or model you used. Be specific, but precise. 

 

Secondary Data Analysis

Secondary Data Analysis usually involves sorting information from a variety of sources into categories to analyze trends between variables. This may be in the form of a table or spreadsheet.

The methods section should define dependent and independent variables. This section should thoroughly explain why each category was selected and what it will measure. How these categories will be used to analyze the data collected should also be included.

 

If necessary, a key may be included for each category. This is most often used if numbers are used for qualitative measurements (i.e. 1=yes, 2=no, 0=unknown).

 

Experimental Research

Experimental Research is typically research in the “hard sciences” (physics, chemistry, biology, etc) that involves designing and performing a series of experiments to try and observe a relationship between two or more variables.

The methods section for experimental research often includes a detailed description of reagents, protocols, data collection methods, variables, and controls.

  • Include concentrations, but not volumes
  • If a kit is used, don’t write out the protocol but include the kit name and serial #.
  • List factors that are held constant throughout the experiment
  • Define variables
  • Describe techniques used

 

Creative Writing

In a creative thesis, the “Methods Section” is part of the reflection paper. This section describes the decisions that went into making the creative piece and how/why they were made. There should be an explanation of what the sources are, why they were chosen, and what factors decided whether or not a source would be used for the creative project.

 

A creative thesis often serves the purpose of evaluating or understanding theories or events. The methodology section should reflect how the creative work will be used for this purpose. 

**Example** A creative artwork that resembles various mental health disorders is created to visualize the actual thoughts and feelings of individuals suffering from these illnesses. 

Link: https://www.aawp.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Boyd.pdf for more information on creative thesis methods.

Questions for Common Experience – Plastics – Math & Physics Dept.

Common Experience 2019:

Impact of Plastics

 

Discussion questions for Math & Physics Department Meeting:

 

  1. Earlier today, you heard from five professors, all with different perspectives on plastics. What was the most surprising thing you learned about plastics from these presentations, either positive or negative?

 

  1. Can you see any connections or possible applications of this topic to your field of study?
    1. Or: How do you see your field of study contributing positively or negatively to the plastics issues discussed so far?

 

 

  1. How could you collaborate with your peers from other majors at the university to help solve the plastic problem?

 

  1. Approximately how many plastic bags do you think Americans use in the course of a year?

 

  1. Approximately how many plastic bags do Connecticut residents use in a year?

 

 

  1. What percentage of American plastic bag use are CT residents responsible for?

 

  1. How many bags does the average CT resident use? (What information do you need to answer this?)

 

 

  1. Original estimates indicate a revenue of $55 million over the course of two years. How is this revenue planned to be used?

 

 

  1. At 10 cents per bag, can you estimate how many bags a local Stop n Shop might sell in one day? (What other information might you need to be able to answer this?)
  2. Does the supermarket save money on not providing the plastic bags for free? Explain.

 

  1. Pick a state that you think is doing really well in curbing use of plastics. Explain why you think they are doing well.

 

  1. What else can we do to curb our use of plastics in Connecticut?

 

  1. The issue of excessive plastic is a huge problem, but what is one thing you could do this week to make a positive impact?

 

 

Digital Editions of Valentine and Orson

This TAPAS project was created as a part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the summer of 2018. My initial focus was on early children’s literature and creating a collection to analyze this literature. While doing reading and primary source research on the subject I found the story of Valentine and Orson (VAO). Because of how unique and interesting not only the story, but also the publication history was I decided to devote my entire project to VAO. In this project my goal was to find, collect, transcribe, and encode as many editions as possible into a single collection. I found over 40 versions that were accessible to me, but was not able to use all of them in my collection. I eventually determined that I would need to select a representative sample of editions.

Please view my TAPAS collection through the link below. I recommend reading the “Introduction” and the
“Encoding Guidelines” first. Please view the files behind the visualization on my GitHub. If you would like to learn more about my step-by-step process for creating a digital edition, please view the “SURF Poster” under the files tab.

Project on TAPAS:

http://www.tapasproject.org/digital-editions-valentine

Project on GitHub:

https://github.com/noorka/SURF2018

Digital Editions of Valentine and Orson

This TAPAS project was created as a part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the summer of 2018. My initial focus was on early children’s literature and creating a collection to analyze of this literature. While doing reading and primary source research on the subject I found the story of Valentine and Orson (VAO). Because of how unique and the interesting not only the story, but also the publication history was I decided to devote my entire project to VAO. In this project my goal was to find, collect, transcribe, and encode as many editions as possible into a single collection. I found over 40 versions that were accessible to me, but was not able to use all of them in my collection. I eventually determined that I would need to select a representative sample of editions.

Please view my TAPAS collection through the link below. I recommend reading the “Introduction” and the
“Encoding Guidelines” first. Please view the files behind the visualization on my GitHub. If you would like to learn more about my step-by-step process for creating a digital edition, please view the “SURF Poster” under the files tab.

Project on TAPAS:

http://www.tapasproject.org/digital-editions-valentine

Project on GitHub:

https://github.com/noorka/SURF2018

Digital Representation of Narrative Elements in Valentine and Orson

This was my Honors Thesis project presented in May 2019. It utilized the digital editions created in my SURF project as a basis for encoding adaptation and narrative change. In the first stages of the project I was looking for an existing adaptation/ narrative theory that could be used as tags to break down and analyze my stories. I was interested in seeing how the story changed over time and what elements were consistent across all versions of the story. Because I did not find a theory that suited my needs I proposed the theory of narrative blocks. The theory imagines the significant events in a story as the building blocks for that story or version.

Encoding narrative blocks made me consider the limitations of the platform I had been working with (TAPAS) and the constraints of a hierarchical mark-up language (XML). Ultimately the best method for this project was to create a Dynamic Table of Contexts (DToC) with the narrative blocks encoded as if they were index terms. Please view the DToC representation linked below as well as the files behind the visualization on GitHub.

 

Dynamic Table of Contexts for Valentine and Orson:

https://voyant-tools.org/dtoc/?corpus=964f7762ab7859ababfb799eb76dbbbc&docId=7f5b31b8409ffe940bea008289233974

GitHub for Narrative Blocks:

https://github.com/noorka/NarrativeBlocks

Digital Editions of Valentine and Orson

This TAPAS project was created as a part of the Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in the summer of 2018. My initial focus was on early children’s literature and creating a collection to analyze of this literature. While doing reading and primary source research on the subject I found the story of Valentine and Orson (VAO). Because of how unique and the interesting not only the story, but also the publication history was I decided to devote my entire project to VAO. In this project my goal was to find, collect, transcribe, and encode as many editions as possible into a single collection. I found over 40 versions that were accessible to me, but was not able to use all of them in my collection. I eventually determined that I would need to select a representative sample of editions.

Please view my TAPAS collection through the link below. I recommend reading the “Introduction” and the
“Encoding Guidelines” first. If you would like to learn more about my step-by-step process for creating a digital edition, please view the “SURF Poster” under the files tab.

 

http://www.tapasproject.org/digital-editions-valentine

Collaborative Tools

As you have probably figured out already, I believe that we can do quite a lot together as students and teachers. This page will link out to the collaborative tools that students from prior semesters have developed and the tools that we will develop during our time together.

First, please check out the Academic Inquiry Toolbox. This is a resource that Fall 2018 ENGL 1112L initially put together; they combed through Blackboard and selected what they felt was most helpful. There are links to webpages on reading and analyzing texts, the writing process, and research. We also copy/pasted some of the better assignments that I had come up with. The toolbox keeps growing (and probably needs some editing, I won’t lie). If you can think of anything that should be there that isn’t already, certainly let me know!

In Spring 2019 ENGL 1104, ENGL 1112, and 1113 all worked together to develop a Course Dictionary. The idea behind this was to make it easier for students to keep track of vocabulary that they learned in the academic articles they read that would then help them write in the future. It also includes some definitions of words from the essay prompts; students rightfully felt it important to share what “gaps, tensions, ambiguities, difficulties, and contradictions” meant when it came to dealing with “opportunities for conversation”!

Keep your eyes peeled for the up and coming Annotated Bibliography, due out in Fall 2019!