CRC Annual Report
2017-2018
Archives and Digital Media
Coordinators: Alicia DeVos ‘18, Hana Estice ‘19 (fall)
The Archives and Digital Media Co-Coordinators Alicia and Hana published a weekly electronic newsletter; the CRC newsletter featured the advice column called, "Dear CRCers:" as well as stories about students in CRC programs.
Building on the work of Anna Stacy '17, Hana created a series of program logos representing each of the CRC's program areas. In the spring, Alicia developed a CRC style guide detailing copy editing guidelines, publishing pointers, and appropriate logo-usage, to create a more robust visual identity for the center.
Sample "Dear CRCer:" Feature on facing writer's block, imposter-syndrome, and anxiety:
Dear CRCers: I have a 25-pge term paper due at the end of the semester. Even as a senior, I'll be honest and say that I'm terrified. I guess I feel a combination of imposter syndrome and writer's block anxiety when I think about it, and I need this class to graduate. Help!
— Signed, Crawling to the Finish Line
The Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison came to Brown to participate in the inauguration of President Ruth Simmons in 2001. In her remarks, she shared two stories about writing. In the first, she said that at a conference for writers in Europe, a fellow attendee approached her and said (paraphrasing here), "Ms. Morrison, you must help us. In my country, writers are censored and cannot freely express our views. What can we do to free ourselves?" In the second, she said she had a doctoral student who in college had been an athlete, the president of his class, and a successful undergraduate scholar. Yet in graduate school, he told her that he was paralyzed with fear about producing writing for his graduate work.
What is the difference between the two stories? Both people feel real barriers, though the first's is structural and the second's is self-imposed (perhaps). Writing well is a lifelong pursuit, and it is something that gets (a little) easier as we keep showing up to the page. In Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor's memoir My Beloved World, Sotomayor shares her own battles with writing, starting with the time a professor handed back her paper circling a myriad of her grammatical mistakes and highlighting her lack of a thesis statement.
The point here: Don't let your anxiety get the best of you. Brown students are fortunate to have professors who willingly spend time with their students outside of class on strengthening their writing skills, and of course we have a robust set of services at the Writing Center.
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As for some concrete advice, break down the assignment into smaller tasks, such as doing your research well in advance of the deadline; formulating a thesis statement and rough outline; and writing even one page at a time, to help you get over the psychological barrier.
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CRCer Ruth says:
When I was in high school, my debate coach gave me a great piece of advice: Don't let perfect be the enemy of good. That bit of wisdom has stuck with me for years, and I find myself coming back to it frequently. I often struggle with starting essays because I feel like I don't have anything smart to say, or I feel like I can't properly express what I'm thinking, so I don't end up writing anything at all. When I notice myself struggling to get started, I repeat my debate coach's advice and give myself permission to write a draft that won't be perfect, knowing that it's better to have something on paper that I can come back to and develop than to have nothing at all. Having some ideas down helps me build momentum and makes me feel like I'm making progress, which is nice when I'm feeling bogged down by an assignment. Another trick that you might find helpful: I'll often write a first draft of my papers like I'm explaining the idea to a friend in conversation, then I translate what I have to into "academic-ese." I find it's much easier to get my ideas out first without worrying about whether I'm sounding smart. Good luck! You can do it!
Dear CRCers: I read what you said last week about the concentration choice and career path not being the same decision-making process. But honestly, the liberal arts and open curriculum don't really work for me; I have to put my interests behind what I need to do for others. So I think what I do for a career and concentration are related in my case.
— Signed, Trying to do the right thing
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We often hear it said either explicitly or implicitly that students can't afford to explore, to study what they are passionate about, or to be passionate about what they study. We want to respect the fact that we all come to college with a history, from a context, and with a diversity of expectations and responsibilities.
The tradition of the "liberal arts" (stemming from Latin words meaning "free" and "principled practice") dates back to classical antiquity, or the ancient Greco-Roman era. The belief in the relevance of seven areas of study - grammar, logic, rhetoric, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music - was that together this knowledge prepared "free persons" for participation in civic life. And students pushing for changes leading to the Open Curriculum, founded during the US Civil Rights era, saw a need for more diversity within and direct relevance of their studies.
We have the audacity to believe that a Brown education - its open curriculum organized around the liberal arts - is open and accessible to all within our diverse student body. The privilege of it, and the responsibility we all bear, requires us to think critically about what knowledge we ought to engage with as "free persons" who will have an impact on others - in the workplace, in civic life, and without our communities of belonging. So yes, the weight if the choices before us are daunting, as are our decisions about how to pay it forward.
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Your choices are yours. A concentration that you think you need to choose because it is directly related to a financially-stable career path should also feed your intellectual interests; the two need not be mutually exclusive. And, your concentration is not the equivalent of your entire college education! Continue to take advantage of the
Sample "Dear CRCers:" More on Concentrations and Careers:
multifaceted learning opportunities in college. And if you'd like to talk with someone, drop by the CRC (Faunce 228) this week, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.! This Wednesday and Thursday, we have dedicated these days especially for sophomore advising hours.
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It's okay to choose a concentration out of a need to support others, but get all the information you can about your choice. If you need to do computer science to make money, figure out what areas of computer science interest you most. Every field has a lot of diversity in terms of specializations and methodologies, so even with a concentration you can find a niche that touches at least one of your passions while still providing you with practical resources.
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CRCer Ruth says:
One of the things I like most about the Open Curriculum is that it allows all of us to choose our own paths. We all come to Brown with different interests, needs, and goals, and those things shape the choices we make during our time here. If you find yourself gravitating toward a concentration because of its ability to help you fulfill certain obligations (supporting family, paying educational debt, etc.), that doesn't mean you're doing the Open Curriculum wrong. In my view, the Open Curriculum is a document that encourages us to make informed, reflective choices about our educations. Considering what your needs will be after Brown is part of that process. There are many ways to engage with Brown's liberal learning goals in every concentration. And remember, just because you're a concentrator in a specific department doesn't mean you're confined to that department! There are always opportunities to take courses in different departments.