Tracy Revels

Does This Happen At Other Schools?

The setting: my office, around lunchtime.  The cast of characters: Professor (me), Student 1 (male) and Student 2 (female).

Student 1 comes in, sits down, chats for awhile about football practice and classes.

Student 2 enters, sits down, also talks about classes, labs, and interim.

Both students discuss how cool their overseas interims will be.

Professor silently envies them both!

Student 2: "Hey student 1, I have a crush party coming up.  You want to go?"

Student 1: "What, as your date?  You don't have a date?"

Student 2: "That's why I'm asking you!"

Professor thinks "I didn't just hear that, did I?"

Student 2: "I have to do a lot of work at this party and you can have a good time without me being there to hold your hand all the time, right?."

Student 1: "Sure!  Sounds fun to me.  And I'll help you handle it if any guys get drunk and out of line."

Student 2: "Great."

This generation never fails to amaze me.

On HUM 101 Grading And Why I Hate It

There are many academic urban legends surrounding the grading process.  In my years at Wofford, I've heard it said (only half jokingly) that some professors go to the top of Old Main, hurl student papers off the steps, and then award grades based on how they fall---the closer to the bottom, the higher the grade.  I've also heard tales of a professor, decades ago, who gave grades based on the student's appearance.  Thus, one young man who protested that his test deserved an A was told "Yes, but you look like a C student, so that's all you get!"  Hopefully, both of those stories are just exam week rumors.

What isn't an academic legend is how difficult it is (for me at least) to grade HUM 101 papers.  I've never been much of an editor, and HUM papers aren't history research papers.  In HUM 101 I try to help students develop their skills as storytellers.  I'm always telling them to "trim the fat" and to "make your writing sexier!"  I want them to understand that it's not enough just to have a paper that is grammatically correct.  You can use perfect grammar and still write a paper so dull it puts the reader into a coma!

The good news is that so far my HUM students are above average writers. But everyone has room for improvement!  And that's where I struggle, because my instinct is to test and grade based on knowledge and critical thinking, not on style.  Grading a test or quiz in Western Civilization is easy---Henry VII did not have six wives, that's Henry VIII and no, you don't get points just for scribbling about a Henry!  But finding a way to give grades that challenge people to be better writers, that's tough, at least for me.

I wish students could understand that their professors struggle with grading as much as they struggle with writing. I haven't seen any papers go flying out of Old Main windows in search of As, Bs, and Cs, but sometimes, I'll confess, it really is tempting to try that method!

A Note Of Thanks

Over the last few months I've received several letters and e-mails from students, parents, and friends of Wofford College about my blog, and I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the folks who have written to me or made comments on-line.  Sometimes I feel very lonesome, so it's nice to know that people are reading this!  I started this blog because, well, I could!  I like to write and prattle on about things that are extremely important (like the research of my colleagues in the history department, or Wofford's win over Appalachian State) or not important at all (such as my desperate need for bifocals---are those glasses ever going to come in?) . I am really grateful to all the people who read this---including all the young alums that President Dunlap told me about meeting with in Washington, who said they subscribed.  You just have no idea how good it feels to know that the words aren't just vanishing in the ether.

Andy, You Made Your Grandfather Proud

By now, everyone has heard that Wofford beat Appalachian State yesterday.  It was a sweet victory and we're all very proud of the football players and the coaches for their fine work.  I'd say I'm impressed by the fans who toughed it out in the heat as well.

One moment in this game will always stick with me.  I happened to be sitting next to an older gentleman who was watching the game with great interest.  When Andy Strickland made that fantastic catch and first touchdown, the man jumped to his feet and proclaimed "THAT'S MY GRANDSON!!!!"  I had to ask him, a few moments later, if he was the one who taught young Mr. Strickland to play like that.  He modestly said no, attributing Andy's success to his own hard work and talent, and then spent several minutes telling me what a good kid Andy is.

His reaction made me think of the many times that we see parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings, and other assorted relatives at Wofford.  Family members are proud of their Wofford athletes and also of their Wofford musicians, actors, scholars, and volunteers.  While faculty members may sometimes groan about "helicopter parents" who want to hover and make all the kids' decisions for them, we realize how much the experience of doing well here (whether in sports or the classroom) matters to the students and the people who are most special to them.  Seeing a beaming mom or dad makes us happy too.  These are the moments when Wofford feels like a family and not an institution.

Pillage and Plunder! You Know You Want To!

How can ANYBODY resist a title like that?

As all Wofford grads know, one of the best parts of a Wofford education is the interim.  January finds Wofford students literally all over the globe, as travel interims jet away to exotic destinations to study art, history, language, and culture.  This year, two of my colleagues---Dr. Schmitz and Dr. Byrnes---are offering a trip that takes students to sites in Florida, South Carolina, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and Mexico.  The interim follows the footsteps of conquistadors and pirates, examining how the Spanish empire in the New World operated and how it was challenged by freebooters flying a variety of flags.

Every student has heard of pirates and probably knows that St. Augustine (where they will be spending a few days) is the oldest city in the United States---but how much more do they know about the Spanish empire?  What an opportunity, to be able to learn while traveling, to walk in the same places and see how the legacy of conquest has lingered.  And, quite frankly, both of my colleagues are great teachers and just fun to be around.  I'm always telling them they should have their own sit-com.

I think sometimes students don't realize what a unique opportunity the travel interims provide.  They are more than just a chance to get out of South Carolina in the dead of winter.  They allow interaction with faculty members that is completely different to anything on campus.  Somehow, I don't think that my colleagues are going to be droning on about chapters 1-100 of some boring textbook.  The interim is about an educational experience, and in this case the education comes out of the book and comes to life.

Today was the day that students had to put a down-payment on their travel interim of choice.  PILLAGE AND PLUNDER hasn't filled yet, and my colleagues are keeping their fingers crossed that it will in the next week.  If it sounds like I'm trying to tap into my Florida roots and come up with some promotional literature for them, maybe I am.  I want them to be able to go, and I know that students who take this interim will have a fantastic time.  Dr. Byrnes is an accomplished actor, so if the group runs into trouble, he could probably talk them out of it.  And Dr. Schmitz is a fierce fencer, so beware to any real pirates who might attack.

Come on people, sign up for this interim!  Go to the Caribbean for interim!!!!! 

A Novel Conclusion

Josephine Humphreys, the author of RICH IN LOVE, was the featured speaker at a convocation this morning that served as the grand finale of the "Novel Experience" for first year students.  One never quite knows what to expect when a real live author comes to town---will he or she be quirky, confrontational, egotistical, or maybe so intellectual that nobody can understand the address?  I'm happy to report that Josephine Humphreys was simply wonderful.  Her stories were funny, she answered questions directly, and she used the student essays as a springboard for a consideration of the many different meanings of love.  She also credited the students with finding insights into the characters and their actions that she had never thought of.

Ms. Humphreys gave some great advice about writing---the first rule being read, a lot!  She urged her listeners to remember that they are all storytellers, whether they realize it or not.  She encouraged young people to find their own voices, to be "real" in their writing instead of trying to mimic the 9th grade essay form for the rest of their lives.  And she did warn us that writers have to stay a little off balance all the time, need to be a little crazy, though "not crazy enough to lock up!"

Following the convocation, the students with essays in the program (and a few of the lucky professors who have these students in class) went to Dean Bigger's house for a special lunch.  The students shared their meal with the author, while the faculty members were relegated to the folding chairs and the little table.  I was one of the lucky professors; I'm so proud of my student and I will say up front that she brought her beautiful writing style with her, I had absolutely nothing to do with it!  The meal was fantastic and the conversation reflected it.

I remember when the Novel Experience started all those years ago, I had my doubts about it.  And let me be honest and say that I haven't enjoyed all the books, or even come close to understanding some of them.  But this opportunity is amazing and it's the kind of thing that sets Wofford apart from other institutions.  Plus, even if students and faculty don't agree on the merits of a book, the debate about the book can be helpful.  It may be be the first time that freshmen have to defend opinions and ideas.  And however one feels about a book, the chance to hear from the author and consider his or her ideas is an experience that is valuable to the students' (and faculty members') development as scholars.

Was Lucille, the central character of the novel, really "rich in love"?  One thing is for certain, Wofford is a richer place for getting to know Josephine Humphreys.

Saints and Sex (In Historical Perspectives!)

Two of my colleagues who work in European history have ongoing projects that demonstrate the range of historical interest and research here at Wofford.

Dr. Tim Schmitz is busy working on a paper for the 16th Century Studies Conference, which is being held in October in Minneapolis.  When he told me the title, I gave it my vote for the best conference paper title ever---"NO REST FOR THE DEAD: MIRACLES ATTRIBUTED TO HERNANDO DE TALAVERA".  The saintly Hernando, who died in 1507, was the first archbishop of the newly reconquered Granada.  Shortly after his passing, a number of astounding occurrences were attributed to his intervention.  Dr. Schmitz specializes in Spain and the Catholic Reformation, and by exploding these stories he hopes to uncover how the archbishop's special legacy was constructed.  What exactly did the man meant to the people who adored him to the point that they "couldn't stop touching his body"?

Just as there's no rest for the dead, there's very little rest for the person who has to give a paper in just a few weeks.  Good conference papers aren't tossed off and set aside.  The writing, editing, and rewriting will probably be going on until Dr. Schmitz goes up to the platform.  And afterward, official commentators and people from the audience will ask questions or make suggestions.  The great thing about giving a paper is the feedback it garners.  Historians often take their papers and work them into articles and other publications.

My colleague Dr. Clayton Whisnant has just returned from giving a paper at a meeting in Germany.  Dr. Whisnant's field is one of the more recent ones; gender historians look at the way cultures have defined sex roles and what limitations have been placed on people because of the way masculinity or femininity has been viewed.  Dr. Whisnant has been busy as a co-editor on a special edition of the Journal of Sexuality, working with other historians on their articles and penning the introduction to the edition.  He is also writing an article called “REFORMING PARAGRAPH 175: HOMOSEXUALITY, SCIENCE, AND THE PROGRESSIVE PROJECT OF THE 1960s," which deals with the role of science in the political rhetoric that developed around the decriminalization of male homosexuality in 1969.  Articles and journals are essential to our profession, something that it takes students (who think everything is in a book!) some time to understand.

Both Dr. Schmitz and Dr. Whisnant have books in their futures, and both travel overseas to do research.  And, naturally, when they come back from their European jaunts, we Americanists can get a little jealous!

Research Isn't History Here!

At a teaching college, it might be assumed that professors concentrate only on instruction and that any kind of research or further professional development has fallen by the wayside.  That's definitely NOT true at Wofford, especially in the History Department.  While teaching is first and foremost on our minds, we realize that if we want students to understand what historians do, and why this work is important, then we have to be active historians and not just people who tell stories in class.

So from time to time I'm going to take this forum to talk about the work that goes on behind the scenes. It may be research for a book or an article, writing, or attending conferences.  I want the general public to know us better, to know what our respective fields are and what we're interested in.  Wofford was kind enough to give me a soapbox to stand on, so I plan to brag a little on my colleagues because they deserve it!

And I'm going to start at the top.  If you see Dr. Phil Racine on campus looking at bit blurry-eyed, it's not just because he recently had optic surgery---it's because he's been in the final stages of proof-reading and indexing his latest book.  The working title is GENTLEMEN MERCHANTS: A CHARLESTON FAMILY'S ODYSSEY, 1828-1870.  It's an edited collection of the Gourdin-Young family correspondence, a project that Phil has been involved with for several years.  Editing is more than just transcribing tiny print---it involves making careful decisions about what to include and what to leave out, not to mention tracking down obscure references and compiling extensive notes to help the reader understand the people, places, and the era itself.  Phil is a Southern historian and a Civil War historian, but I think he'd probably agree that what his work really revolves around is not a set of battles, but an understanding of how people in the 19th century lived, worked, and responded to the great events of their time.  I think Dr. Racine would also like you to know that indexing a book is awful.  Terrible.  It is a process that will drive you insane by steady degrees!  But it has to be done, because an index is one of the most valuable tools for a reader doing his or her own research.

Dr. Racine's book will be out in April, from the University of Tennessee Press.

A Milepost That I Can't See

I experienced one of those "big events" on Friday.  No, not a wedding or the birth of a child or even a student finally understanding why the Renaissance is so darned important.  Nothing happy like that.

I was fitted for bifocals.  Rah.  Hooray.  Hoorah.  Do you hear the sarcasm, or the despair?

I probably needed bifocals back in March, but I was determined to hold out for at least one more year.  Then I realized I couldn't read the phone numbers on pill bottles, or the phone book, either!  And forget reading anything within twenty minutes of waking up or two hours before going to bed.  So I finally broke down and went back to the eye doctor, who took all of one minute to say "I told you so" and scribble out the prescription.

As a colleague of mine said, it's not that I'm vain (OK, I am, but not as bad as some people!), but that when you get bifocals you have to admit that your body is never going to be really young again, and things won't ever get better, just worse.

I sure hope my students understand why the Renaissance is important, and soon.  Because when those new glasses come in, I am seriously going to need some cheering up!

Oh To Be 18 Again!

If a humbling experience is what you seek, I can tell you where to find it.  Just head down to the Richardson Center exercise room around 4pm.

I'm trying to do better about exercising.  I have a horror of "middle-aged spread" plus I have that has-a-tenancy-to-high-cholesterol genetic makeup.  Not good, considering which birthday I just celebrated.  So I give myself a guilt trip every day that I don't do something active. 

But going to use the treadmill at the Richardson Center is so....well, embarrassing isn't exactly the right word.  Maybe awestruck would be the right one.  And it's not the football players who sling weights like Atlas tossing around the planet who make me feel so pathetic.  It's the maybe one hundred pounds soaking wet young ladies who can run in place for a solid hour that get to me.  At ten minutes my ankles start to protest, by fifteen my knees are grumbling, and by twenty the entire body is begging for the misery to cease.  And that's just from walking, not galloping like Secretariat down the home stretch of the Belmont!

When I was 18, nobody could have convinced me to exercise.  I'd just spent four years in marching band and figured I'd had enough exercise to last me the rest of my life.  I loved college because it involved going to class and hanging out in the library---plus there was a shuttle bus so I never had to traipse too terribly far.  (And yes, I am a native Southerner and therefore convinced that one should never walk when one can ride!)  But now I'm finally aware that I do have to take care of myself, and that staying physically active helps one stay mentally alert.  Senility also runs in my family and, God willing, I want to avoid that as long as possible.  (I can just hear some of my former students saying 'too late, Dr. R!')

I've always avoided joining a gym because Wofford offers great facilities for free.  But I'm beginning to wonder if maybe I should go somewhere a bit less intimidating!