Week 1: January 23rd and 27th
Tuesday:
What to do before class:
- Please gather a few items that you think reveal something about yourself to bring to our first class. These can be things that you purchased and own, gifts you received from others, or objects that you inherited from a family member or friend.
Here are some broad guidelines to help you choose:
-Choose at least one item that, simply put, makes you happy. This can be anything: an item of clothing, a book, a souvenir, a knick-knack, etc….but whatever you choose, have it be something that sparks a bit of joy whenever you look at it or hold it in your hand.
-Please bring at least one object that says something about your family or personal history: an heirloom, antique, tchotchke, piece of clothing or jewelry, book, or other object that tells something about you or where you come from. If your parents or family members are nervous about you bringing the object to campus (or if it is very large) you may use a picture (or assure them that you are going to be performing serious scholarship on the object and will be very careful!!)
Friday:
What to do before class:
-Read “Preface” to Object Studies (distributed on Brightspace)
-Login to WordPress Website (email invitation)
-Choose a week on the syllabus that you would like to help lead class (see schedule)
Week 2: January 31st and February 3rd—Personal Object Narratives
What to do before class:
- Tuesday: Read Prologue and Part I of The Hare with Amber Eyes, by Edmund de Waal
- Friday: Read Part II of Hare and these web pages on taking good pictures of objects and on describing objects.
Short Assignment 1: Using the guidelines described in these resources, post a detailed description of one of your objects (about 500 words) to the course blog. This can either be one of the objects you brought to class, or another item. Include at least one image of your object in your post. Post due by 5:00 Friday. For a model, here are a few examples of what these assignments can look like:
“WWII Navy Medals and Case,” by Nick Piaquadio
“Proof of Purchase and Presence: A Ticket Stub from San Sebastian’s Plaza de Toros“, by Elise Bruce
“Victorian Needlework Case,” by Sandy Marsh.
Week 3: February 7th and 10th Personal Object Narratives, continued
What to do before class Tuesday:
- Post two comments to our blog about last week’s posts on object descriptions.
- Read Part III of The Hare with Amber Eyes
What to do before Class Friday:
Read Chapter 1 of Object Studies (distributed on Brightspace)
Week 4: February 14th and 17th Personal Object Narratives, continued
What to do before class:
- Tuesday: Read Part IV and “Coda” of The Hare with Amber Eyes
- Friday: Read “Where is it now and how did it get there?” and “What is its date?”
- Short Assignment 2: Write a post for our blog describing what you have been able to find out about the chain of ownership and specific history for one of your objects (once again, you can choose to do this on the same object you selected for your description last week, or on a new object). Post due by 5:00 Friday
Week 5: February 21st and 24th Browsing and Scrolling
What to do before class:
- Tuesday: Read selections from On Browsing (distributed electronically)
- Post two comments to our blog in response to last week’s short assignments on object history.
- Friday: No Class–Carry out Browsing Experiment
Short Assignment 3: Reflection on Browsing vs. Scrolling. For this assignment, I’d like you to carry out two experiments based on our reading of On Browsing:
Experiment #1 Choose something to shop for online. This can be something you have been planning to purchase, or something you think of for this assignment. It’s not necessary that you purchase the thing, but go about looking for it on your smartphone or computer. Go to websites that you typically use for this purpose, or use Google (or other search engines) to find the item.
Experiment #2 Go to a store (or stores) and spend at least 45 minutes browsing for something to purchase. I recommend that you try to shop for the same item you were looking for in Experiment #1, but that’s not a requirement of the assignment. I also recommend that you turn off or put your cell phone on do not disturb while you are browsing. Again, it is not necessary that you purchase anything (and in the second experiment you may, in fact, want to stop yourself from making a purchase!).
For each experiment, keep Field Notes (discussed in class) that record your experiences, feelings, thoughts, and observations about each activity. Then, write a brief reflection (about 400-500 words) that compares the two experiences using your notes as evidence. Did you find one easier than the other? Was one more enjoyable than the other? Did you have any expectations about this experiment before you began it? Were these fulfilled or were you surprised by your observations and reactions? Ultimately, do you agree with Guriel that we should do more browsing and less scrolling? Reflection is due to course blog by 5:00 p.m. Friday.
*Week 6: February 28th and March 3: Objects of World History
What to do before class:
- Tuesday: Read Excerpt from Everybody (Distributed through Brightspace)
Post two comments in response to scroll/browse experiments from last week. - Friday: Read Chapter 3 of Object Studies
- Short Assignment 3 (for presenting group members only): choose an everyday object, perhaps one that you take for granted, and do some research into its history. What are the different forms this object has taken through time? When was it invented and/or popularized in its current form and use? What are the different examples you see of this object today, and how does its use compare to historical examples. You should identify a particular example or examples (as in the Object Studies chapter) to use as an illustration of how the object was used or created in a particular time and place. What history or histories do you think are illuminated by your research into this object?
*Week 7: March 7th and March 10th: Museums and Collections
Tuesday: Read these two essays on the ethics of museum collections:
Article #1:
The following link is not homework–we will be working on this in class and is here for easy reference: https://naturalhistory.si.edu/exhibits
Post 2 Comments to Blog from Last Week
Friday: Read Chapter 5 of Object Studies (Distributed through Brightspace)
Short Assignment 4 (for presenting group members only): Museum/collection analysis–here are some ideas and general guidelines for writing your analysis of the collection you chose. Depending on what you are working you may only choose
Week 8: March 14th and 17th: Spring Break
Week 9: March 21st and 24th (No Class on the 21st) Reading Things: Frankenstein
Tuesday: No Class (Thursday Classes Meet this Day)
Friday: Tuesday: Read Frankenstein: Preface, Letters, and Vol. I pp. 64-110
*Week 10: March 28th and 31st Reading Things: Frankenstein
- Tuesday: Read Frankenstein: Vol. II 111-160 Additional Readings to be selected by presenting group
- Friday: Finish Frankenstein, Vol III 161-221
Week 11: April 4th and 7th: Reading Things, Continued
- Tuesday (no seated class): Spend some time reviewing the entries on Storied Objects (focusing especially on objects taken from the collections at Historic Huguenot Street). Pick out one or two objects and/or themes from local history that interest you and email Prof. Mulready (mulreadc@newpaltz.edu) to share these with him. Due by 5:00 p.m..
- Read “Books as Objects” from Object Studies (distributed by Brightspace) as a way to reflect on our reading of Frankenstein (this is especially important if you might want to do a final project on the book or on books as objects).
- Friday: No Class (Passover/Good Friday)
- Short Assignment 4 (Only for presenters this week) choose an object from Frankenstein or another fictional text that interests you (please let me know if you are choosing to write about another text). That object could be (for instance, but not limited to): an object mentioned or suggested in the novel, an item of clothing, a location, or some other physical thing that comes up in the course of the story. Find out as much as you can and in your 500-800 word post try to elucidate the history of the object as related to Shelley’s time, and to provide some interpretive insight about the novel as a whole through your reading of the object and its relevance. Due Monday, April 10th
Week 12: April 11th, 12th and 14th (Note Additional Class Meeting This Week)
What to do before class:
- Tuesday–meet at Historic Huguenot Street for tour (9:00 a.m. *note earlier start time*) | Read Chapter 2 of Object Studies (Distributed through Brightspace) before class.
- Wednesday and Friday: Workshopping and discussion of Community History Project!
*Week 13: April 18th and 21st: Consuming Objects
What to do before class:
- Tuesday: Read Chapter 7 of Object Studies (Distributed through Brightspace) Additional Readings to be selected by presenting group
- Friday: Short Assignment 5 (only for presenters). Choose an object that you purchased recently or currently own and provide a detailed history of how the object came into your possession. “Object” in this case might include food that you purchased at the store or in a restaurant, an item of clothing that you own, a watch, computer, phone, or other electronic, or any other consumer good that interests you. Carefully break down your object into all of its component parts (at least as a thought experiment, not necessarily physically!). You may write about any dimension of the object you choose in this 500-800 word post. With clothing, for instance, you might think about the fabric, dyes, design, and so on. Make sure that you also account for packaging, transportation, labor, and all dimensions of the object’s creation and conveyance to you for purchase. Where are the places your object was made? How far did it have to travel to get to you? As an alternative, if you are interested in looking back historically, you can choose to do the same research on an object from an earlier historical period by selecting an item from the British Museum or similar institution
*Week 14: April 25th and 28th Thinking with Things
- Tuesday: Read Chapter 8 of Object Studies (Distributed through Brightspace) Additional Readings to be selected by presenting group
- Friday: Listen to this podcast:
https://alchemist.camp/metacast/cognitive-artifacts
Short Assignment 6 (only for those in presenting group): First, write a detailed description of your analogue experience (see below). Then, based on the notes that you took, write a reflection on what you learned from this experiment. Follow the guidelines about “Self-Experimentation” in Object Studies. If you would like to carry out a different kind of object-related experiment that’s fine, but please run it by me first.
Plan to share your own plan for an “analog experience.” You should choose to do something in analog that you normally use a digital technology to accomplish. Here are some possibilities:
-Listen to music on an LP or cassette tape
-Take photographs using film
-Write a letter to someone
-Have a conversation on the phone
-Write a paper (even this week’s blog post) on a typewriter (there are typewriters available in the Sojourner Truth Library “Maker Lab”)
-Keep a daily journal in a notebook
-Play a table-top board game with some friends
-Read a newspaper or magazine in print
If you have an idea you don’t see listed here let me know! This assignment will work best if you choose an experience that you rarely (or never) have in analog form. Thus, if you are already a record enthusiast with a large collection of LPs, or a photographer who works regularly with film, I encourage you to choose a different experiment.
Week 15: May 2nd and 5th Workshops on Final Projects
Week 16: May 9th
Final Draft of Community History Project Due–Class Presentation of Project
May 19th: 10:15-12:15 Final Project Presentations and End of Term Celebration Final Project and Reflections due today
The Materials of History, Thought, and Art 