The Master of Humanities Newsletter is published quarterly by the Master of Humanities Program, College of Liberal Arts, Wright State University, for the purpose of providing information to graduate students in the Program, to Faculty, to Administration, and to Alumni. While all submissions are welcome, emphasis and priority are given to articles of interest to those associated with the Program and to articles pertaining to Liberal Arts. Please forward submissions to the Graduate Assistant.
Graduate Assistant
Diane Dunham <s005djd@wright.edu>
Program Secretary
Joan Mullins <jamullin@wright.edu>
Phone - 937-775-2740
Director: Dr. Charles Taylor - <ctaylor@wright.edu>
Stefanie Massink at her parents house in Maastricht, Holland with the family dog, Joep.
When Dutch native Stefanie Massink says she loves to be a foreigner, she is not just talking about her past three years of schooling and travel in the United States. This 24-year-old Master of Humanities student means anywhere in the world besides her native Holland. "I really like my country, but I don't [always] have to live there," she says. "I love to be totally immersed in another culture, speaking the language as close to native as possible. You get to be a kind of an insider, but you're really an outsider." For Stefanie, there is no better way to learn about one's own country and culture than to be living and traveling outside of it.
Stefanie was born and raised in Maastricht, Holland where her parents and younger brother still reside. Her mother, Antonia, is a trained psychologist working in the field of prevention, and her father, Jacob, studies and plays music. Brother Thomas, 16, attends gymnasium and is considering studies in engineering or architecture. Stephanie attended university law school in Maastricht for one year before deciding to do some exploring.
This brought her in 1995 to upstate New York, where she attended one semester at Community College in Johnstown and met José Velazquez, her boyfriend and a native of Spain. From there, these two travelers chose to attend the University of Southern Colorado, from which Stefanie received a B.A. in political science in 1997. She was on the lookout for a good school at which to pursue her Masters degree, while José wanted to continue his studies in mechanical engineering. Wright State University became a good choice for both of them.
When asked about the differences between the educational systems in Europe and those of the United States, Stefanie can cite many contrasts. In European universities, "It's very anonymous. There, you are basically a number," she says. It is, for the most part, easier to get in, but more difficult to come out with a degree. "You have a lot of literature to read and you take four big exams a year. The professors don't really help you. There is this distance between them and the students. It's a really old tradition. I think they [the professors] feel distinguished."
For Stefanie, it is the professors who are the best part of higher education in America. "Here, you are more as a peer. Professors view you as a peer." There is no off-putting mystery about the work that professors do, or how they earned their own PhDs. "They show you their own difficulties and struggles. They give you these little secrets. It's more inspiring." For Stefanie, this has changed the way she approaches her own studies. "I have improved," she says. "Here, you have room to develop yourself and discuss things with your professors. They get to know how you work." This is in direct contrast to the European system, where the professors try to "trick" you. They want to make it hard for the student to succeed. "What I know is that I have come to trust American professors," says Stefanie.
As for American culture itself, Stefanie finds things to like and dislike, as with all cultures. She characterizes American culture as "extreme" and finds that the people in it are "kind of closed. I think Americans have difficulty opening up. Everybody is so busy with their own things." In Europe, there is more of a sense of community available in the smaller cities. There are places to go and things to do and people to see, unlike in American cities, where these features of street life are spread out under the roof of an impersonal mall. For Stefanie, her visit to Boston provided her with the most European sense of community life with the open-air markets and public activity. Yet one of Stefanie's favorite things to do is "get in the car, turn on the radio, and drive, drive, drive." The sheer volume of space in America makes travel a great pleasure for her.
Stefanie has not had a lot of time to pursue her hobbies since coming to the United States, but when time permits, she can be seen slipping into the creative arts building to practice the piano. She studies classical music, and like her father and brother, appreciates jazz, but unlike them, does not play it. Her interest in field hockey has also had to take a back seat to her studies.
It is no small wonder that she has been too busy to regularly pursue her leisure activities: Stefanie entered the Master of Humanities Program last fall, and will be finishing her degree by the end of this summer. Her future plans? "I am very open to traveling around, to living just anywhere in Europe." Meanwhile, she has applied to the London School of Economics and Political Science in order to pursue another Masters degree in Comparative Politics. There may be a PhD in her future, but Stefanie is in no hurry to pin herself down to a career right away and spend the next 30 years pursuing it. Her major interest in politics centers on International Relations and the dynamics between developed and developing nations. She would like to someday be doing something in the area of Human Rights. Perhaps the next thing we hear from Stefanie Massink may be coming "out of Africa."
D.D.
Spring mountains, clouds and pine trees
c. 1050
Nancy Brown Diggs, 1989 graduate of the Program, has a book out from the State University of New York Press entitled Steel Butterflies: Japanese Women and the American Experience. Nancy's graduate interests are extended in this volume that offers new insights into how Japanese women view their own country from the vantage point of living in the United States. Some of the topics discussed include education, ethics, and the freedom - as well as the problems - of living in the United States. Her book also offers insight into why Japanese women both envy and feel sorry for American women. Nancy designed and teaches a course for adults called "Why Aren't the Japanese More Like Us?" at the Institute for Learning in Retirement at the University of Dayton and other centers, and she frequently lectures to civic organizations about Japan.
The flowering apple tree
1912
Wright State University's Women's Studies Program held an International Women's Day Luncheon on March 6 of this year. On this occasion, the Program gave out awards for excellence in academics to two outstanding students. Linda Lindsey received the honors for her work as an undergraduate, and Dina LeClair, Master of Humanities student, was this year's recipient for her graduate work. In addition, Maggie MacDonald was acknowledged as the outstanding Women's Studies faculty member. This is the second year for the Women's Studies Program Awards.
Albrecht Dürer
The piece of turf
1503
Andrea Attaway-Young will present her thesis project on May 28, 1998, 7:00 p.m. at the Creative Arts Center Recital Hall. Her program, entitled African American Music: Songs of Pride, Perserverence, and Progression, will focus upon the lyrical content identified in African American musical forms during four historical periods following the slavery era. Andrea will provide examples of how members of this racial group have used music to unify, fortify, and promote progressive attitudes in American culture. Further, the technique of "symbolic interactionism" will be discussed. This is the interpretative process by which other cultural groups in America have developed sociological orientation and appreciation for African American musical expressions. Andrea has been involved in research in African American music literature and related studies for several years, and her narrative/musical program will be a unique opportunity for anyone wishing to attend.
Prospectus Submission
Three program meetings are scheduled for this Spring Quarter. Any student wishing to submit a prospectus for consideration should do so one week before any of the following meeting dates:
Thursday, April 23, 1998 - 10:00 - 11:00 am
(Submit by Thurs. Apr. 16 - Humanities Office, 400 Millett)
Thursday, May 21, 1998 - 10:00 - 11:30 am
(Submit by Thurs. May 14 - Humanities Office, 400 Millett)
Thursday, June 4, 1998 - 10:00 - 11:30 am
(Submit by Thurs. May 28 - Humanities Office, 400 Millett)
Thesis/Project Submission
For June 13, 1998 Commencement,
submit by June 12, 1998
For December 5, 1998 Commencement,
submit by December 4, 1998
Please notify the Humanities Office of any change of address
In recent years assessment of degree programs has become widespread throughout academia and is underway here at WSU. Program assessment means the assessment of outcomes for students who complete the program. These judgments concern the program and are not assessments of individual student performance. Programs are assessed according to how well the goals of the program are achieved by graduates.
According to the M. Hum. Assessment Plan the specific outcomes assessed in the M. Hum Program are:
1) Graduates of the program should be conversant in the scholarly
literature related to their project topic from at least one humanities
discipline.
2) Graduates should have an interdisciplinary understanding of their
chosen area of study.
3) Graduates should have a foundation of humanities scholarship that
supports future reading and study.
Part of the assessment process involves looking at student work to see if the above-named outcomes are being achieved. In order to complete the assessment procedure the M. Hum. Program Committee needs copies of papers students have written in courses other than the HUM Seminars (HUM 700, 710, 720).
In order to collect the papers needed for this process, students will be asked to turn in two sample papers at the same time that the final Program of Study is turned in for approval. Appropriate sample papers should address outcomes 1 and 2 above.
Thank you in advance for your co-operation in this matter.
CST