The benefits and challenges of double majors

This summer, I noticed that half of our 10 fellows have double majors. That's more than we've ever had, though it's not uncommon for folks in the program to have two majors. I was curious about those who have more than one major, so I asked a few of them questions.  

Victoria Lefler, from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, is a dance and history major. "I have always loved to dance," said Victoria, "and cannot see my life without dance being apart of it, but I also loved learning about history in grade school." That's why she chose to do both. 

She has noticed links with classes in her two majors. "There has been some overlap between my classes in both departments," she explained. "Seeing these connections has helped me understand certain topics better because I had prior knowledge from a different perspective."

Ryan Collins, from Pomona College, also majors in two fields. " I decided to pursue a double-major in Africana Studies and Political Science,"  he said, "because I found that my work in either field was intimately informed by the other which led me to embrace my passion for both fields of study."

According to Ryan, "the benefit of having two majors is definitely being able to get to know the faculty within two different departments. I’ve been able to take classes with amazing professors in both departments, and I’ve enjoyed being able to enjoy the department student programming events for both of my majors as well."

Sokeyra Francisco has a double major at Swarthmore College. "When it came time to declare my major," she said, "I looked back at the courses I had taken and saw that I was most interested in the ones in both the fields of History and Peace and Conflict Studies." For her, a benefit of pursuing the two majors is that  the learning is "both unrelated and interconnected." 

She explained that "All of your classes can be about different things but there are core connections that can be made." 

Sokeyra, Ryan, and Victoria also noted some challenges to pursuing double majors. Sokeyra noted that  because of the required courses with both fields, "you aren't able to take as many classes outside of your majors." Ryan said that completing two different senior assignments is challenging. "Finding the time to study sufficiently for each course can be a challenge at times as well," said Victoria. 

Related:

• AALCI 2021

Receiving guidance on tech/DH projects

One of the new activities this summer involved the production of data visualizations using the software program Tableau Public. Students designed projects based on a few different datasets, and throughout the process they had one-on-one meetings with Professor Margaret Smith, the assistant research professor at the IRIS Center at SIUE. 

I had previously worked with Smith on a few projects for my own research, which is what gave me the idea to ask her to work with our AALCI fellows. The students informed me that they benefited by drawing on her knowledge and getting her feedback on their projects. 

One student said these meetings were important because Professor Smith "asked me questions and gave me possible other routes that I could take the time to explore that helped to bolster my final product."

A few different students mentioned a common word when it came to the assistance that they received from Smith: "trouble shooting." As one of our fellows noted, "Without her support and quick tips to fix the problems I encountered, I wouldn’t have been able to finish the overall project."

"Those meetings with Smith were especially helpful," said another student, "since I could ask her for guidance in certain situations which were beyond my expertise." Yet another student pointed out that, "I could tell Professor Smith was really dedicated to making sure that I knew how to use the software" and added that "If it wasn’t for her I would’ve been frustrated with the software."

It's rare for students to get the one-on-one attention that they received from Prof. Smith this summer. Recognizing how much the students benefited, however, I'm going to start thinking through ways to expand this kind of educational opportunity. 

Related:

• AALCI 2021

On Nafissa Thompson-Spires's "Heads of the Colored People"

By Sokeyra Francisco 

"Heads of the Colored People" Nafissa Thompson-Spires is a whirlwind of a short story and ends in a place unimaginable from where it began. I thought, before the mysterious appearance of the police, when the incident was just Riley and Brother Man scuffling, that it seemed probable the misunderstanding could have been resolved through de-escalation and conversation. However, in our discussion, most of us came to the conclusion that we would avoid getting involved in or trying to break up altercations we happen upon. Evidently, people at the convention felt the same, but what would have happened if even one person at the convention, the presumably highly populated convention, stepped up to help?

Perhaps the people who passed by Brother Man but ignored the outstretched hand presenting his comic series? Perhaps the four people who had actually bought his comic series? What could we and the characters in the story have learned directly from Riley and Brother Man about the altercation had it been handled with more care and understanding instead of having their narratives be cut short? The narrator is generous in indulging us Riley and Brother Man's thoughts in the moments leading up to the fight, but consider what would have been possible had they been able to tell their own stories, in the first person 'I,' rather than through an omniscient narrator.

Related:

• AALCI 2021

On Nafissa Thompson-Spires's "Fatima, the Biloquist"

By Andrea Brown 

 In "Fatima, the Biloquist," Nafissa Thompson-Spires touches base on what Blackness means by approaching its polysemic nature. What does it mean to be Black if you grew up around all white people or if your features resemble whiteness? Thompson-Spires lets us know with this story that there’s no primary way to be Black and it is slightly impossible to try to place it under one roof.

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• AALCI 2021

On Nafissa Thompson-Spires's "Belle Lettres"

By Cheaka Wilson 

 "Belle Lettres" by Nafissa Thompson-Spires enhances my sense of what a black story is because it features relatable black characters interacting with each other over something mundane. There is no trauma, abuse, or violence that requires the exploitation of black bodies or the manifestation of the "exceptional negro". It's just two educated middle class women communicating to each other via letters in a very passive aggressive and petty manner that incites laughter in readers (or at least me). A black story can simply depict black people doing black things, which can be as simple as letter correspondence between two mothers about their children as demonstrated by "Belle Lettres."

Related:

• AALCI 2021

Comments on June Jordan's "Poem about My Rights"

June Jordan's "Poem about My Rights"

“I am the wrong sex, the wrong age, the wrong skin…the wrong nose, the wrong hair, the wrong need, the wrong dream, the wrong sartorial. ” –June Jordan, “Poem About My Rights”

Black women exist in states of “wrongness.” Our intersections are greenlights to racism, misogyny, patriarchy, and misogynoir. Carefree Black womanhood is unfathomable because we are only able to exist in between the cracks of everybody else’s opinion. Yet, we persevere and create generations of dynamic Black women that build on the power of those before us. —Precious Thompson

With poise, fearless diction and a creeping sense of anger, June Jordan narrates her history of wrongs. The wrongs done to her as a Black woman in the United States are juxtaposed with the wrongs transgressed upon Southern Africa by nations around the world. The poet expresses that she is a product of the perpetuated history of rape within imperialistic societies— a history predicated on the violation of rights and dignity of its minorities. Aware that her skin, gender, heritage, and attitude challenge the very stability of the rape culture she inhabits, June Jordan is unwilling to pass the baton of terrorized incarceration any longer. --Bryan Ramos Romero

June Jordan’s “poem about my rights” takes you on a rollercoaster of emotions, while she moves from topic to topic to explain what “the wrong” person in an American society has to endure. This free verse style she chooses to write in shows her anger and frustration with the way the world controls those that it feels is “the wrong sex, the wrong age, the wrong skin.” She uses her identity as a Black woman to express the many intersecting ways this view society has directly impacts her. At the end of the poem, she renames herself and doesn’t claim the labels that have been forced upon her, which I believe is the most important part. –Andrea Brown

Related:

• AALCI 2021

Comments on Lucille Clifton's "won't you celebrate with me"

Lucille Clifton's "won't you celebrate with me"

Lucille Clifton’s poem invites a standing ovation. The poem is only fourteen lines long and despite the one minute twenty-four second time stamp on the video, the poem itself is only fifty-six seconds long. In that time, Clifton addresses the hurdles she has had to overcome being “both nonwhite and woman,” she asks, “what did I see to be except myself?” 

Clifton confronts the systemic hurdles, including racism and misogyny, that impact the everyday life and existence of a Black Woman, while still managing to carve out space for joy. Know before watching that it is every bit as impactful as the standing ovation it demands as Clifton recites the final lines, finding joy in failure and survival. —Sokeyra Francisco

The content, brevity, and intentional artistic conventions Clifton employs throughout the poem communicates a poignant illustration of her life. On the surface, the question--"won't you celebrate with me?” felt desperate in a way, but in this poem, it was clear that she doesn't want us to simply gaze upon her hardships but desires us to stand alongside her, and recognize the ways that she has withstood the terror that surrounds her; she wants us to simply celebrate with her. —Rasheen Purnell

"Won’t you celebrate with me'' is a poem that invites listeners to celebrate being self made. In it, Lucille Clifton describes the simple act of being as one of resistance. “Won’t you celebrate with me” is a reminder that every stride made in a space turned against you is a cause for celebration. Let this poem also serve as a reminder that rejoicing in yourself will always be more rewarding than the recognition or validation of others." -- Shala McKee

Related:

• AALCI 2021

Comments on Porsha Olayiwola’s "Angry Black Woman"

Porsha Olayiwola’s "Angry Black Woman"

The structure of Porsha Olayiwola’s performance of “Angry Black Woman” highlights black women’s ability to exist while also shouldering the burdens that come with this existence. Yes, a black woman can be sweet, funny, intelligent, and awkward while also being indignant and outraged about educational inequality, food deserts, gentrification, amongst the other very real threats to their own existence. It should not be so difficult to accept the fact that there are other adjectives besides angry that describe black women and that, surprisingly, these adjectives can exist simultaneously. Black women can be sweet, funny, intelligent, and awkward people that are angry, and rightly so, sometimes. --Cheaka Wilson

Porsha O’s performance of “Angry Black Woman” takes the poem to a new level. She starts off gentle and calm, then takes the audience on a roller coaster ride as her voice increases in grit and intensity. The delivery of the poem makes the poem itself more effective for the audience. —Victoria Lefler

Porsha Olayiwola’s poem, “Angry Black Woman,” is a stunning testament to the different pressures affecting Black life. One of her passionate statements about slavery is, “(I’m) mad niggers call each other niggas,” which begets the time tested question, should Black people reclaim ‘nigga’? Given this debate is such a hotly divided debate within the Black community, whose side is more valid than the other’s? —Ryan Collins

Related: 

• AALCI 2021

Comments on Kehinde Wiley's Anthony of Padua

Anthony of Padua, 2013 

Posed and proud, Anthony of Padua stands chest wide with a vibrantly red/floral back drop. His octopus chain is my favorite element of this painting, which, fun fact, is resident to the Seattle Art Museum! —Ruth Zekariase

My favorite element of this painting: a subject fashioned in a military jacket patterned with cultural symbols against a lurid backdrop of various patterns and transforms the artistic composition of a timeless piece by adding dynamic elements, such as a piercing gaze and vibrant color palette. —Rasheen Purnell

Dynamic elements rush to the human eye—a seductive and empowering gaze stares right back, an overwhelming joy of color and floral vibrancy that feels just right, and Anthony of Padua stands stall and proud as a Black Panther of his own time. He is a new master, the owner of the confident swagger he flaunts. --Bryan Ramos

He masters a confident swagger as he stands in all his elegance, adorned by his many patches. To me, his panther patch is reminiscent of the Black Panther Party and seeing this delicate representation of a group deemed “violent,” brings me joy. —Shala McKee

Related:

• AALCI 2021

Comments on Kehinde Wiley's Naomi and Her Daughters

Naomi and Her Daughters

Woeful shyness has no place in Kehinde Wiley’s work. Naomi and Her Daughters depicts a mother and her daughters on guard, on all sides, ready to face whatever or whomever comes their way. –Ryan Collins

Ready to face whatever or whomever comes their way, Naomi and Her Daughters is the quintessential image of strength as they stand together, a unit, staring intensely. They are a force to be reckoned with. —Victoria Lefler

They are a force to be reckoned with, signified by the bright colors and defiant stares, Kehinde Wiley presents Naomi and Her Daughters in stark contrast to its original, offering a depiction of strength, love, and determination through the embrace of its subjects and the bold colors that surround them. —Sokeyra Francisco

Through the embrace of its subjects and the bold colors that surround them accurately captures the intensity of a mother’s love and the desire to protect Black girlhood. The passion of Naomi’s stare illustrates her willingness to protect her daughters from any danger that they will encounter. —Precious Thompson

Related

• AALCI 2021

Comments on two paintings by Kehinde Wiley

Kehinde Wiley's Napoleon Leading the Army Over the Alps, 2005 

The Timbs, cargo pants, bandana, sweat bands, tats and white tee tell me everything I need to know about how Kehinde Wiley feels about code-switching. –Andrea Brown

Kehinde Wiley's Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness (2013)

Why is it that Wiley chooses to change not only the race but the gender and age of the subject in Saint John the Baptists in the Wilderness unlike in his other featured pieces? –Cheaka Wilson

Related:

• AALCI 2021

AALCI 2021

Here's our notebook of writings by and about our 11th cohort of the African American Literatures and Cultures Institute (June 7 - 30).  Like last year, we are hosting our meetings remotely. 

Entries charting our progress, activities, and thinking.

Artwork commentary 

• Comments on two paintings by Kehinde Wiley

• Comments on Kehinde Wiley's Naomi and Her Daughters

• Comments on Kehinde Wiley's Anthony of Padua 

Poetry commentary 

• Comments on Porsha Olayiwola’s "Angry Black Woman"

• Comments on Lucille Clifton's "won't you celebrate with me" 

• Comments on June Jordan's "Poem about My Rights" 

Heads of the Colored People commentary 

• On Nafissa Thompson-Spires's "Belle Lettres"

• On Nafissa Thompson-Spires's "Fatima, the Biloquist"

• On Nafissa Thompson-Spires's "Heads of the Colored People"

Additional 

• Receiving guidance on tech/DH projects

• The benefits and challenges of double majors 

Related:

• A Notebook on AALCI, 2010-2020

AALCI at a Glance

Since June 2010, we've coordinated the African American Literatures and Cultures Institute (AALCI) at the University of Texas at San Antonio. The program was created by Joycelyn Moody. I cover the curriculum.

During the summer, we discuss a variety of Black studies readings, African American visual art, and challenges and opportunities associated with scholarly research. 

The participating summer fellows receive: 

• abundant intellectual nourishment

• extensive feedback on writing 

• selection of free books 

• guidance on creation or development of research projects 

• consultation on Digital Humanities, data storytelling project 

• assistance on graduate application materials.

• a small stipend ($2,000.00)

Here's a glance at the fellows, 2016 - 2018:

poster session 2016

Poster session 2017