Inquiry Conference Notes Summary - 4

Other presentations I was able to attend included Exploration of the Tongan Landscape, by Nick Tanner, Confessions of a Field Study Student: Conclusions Still in Progress, presented by Sarah Bowers, and "Stop Your Whining, Queen Elizabeth!": The Advantages of Field Experience over Library Research, by Averyl Dietering. Instead of going into each of these individually, I'll just give an overview of the principles I learned from these students that I feel will assist me in my own studies.

I will be able to network and connect better with people with the help of a translator. If people in the area are approached by a foreigner trying to learn more about their lifestyles, the chances are better that they will trust me if I am accompanied by a translator. Also, it is important to have a large pool of people to talk to and interview to gain a better perspective of them and their culture. I also need to seek out areas where people congregate so I have a better opportunity of interacting with them. When speaking with people, I need to allow them to open up to me by letting them talk about what they want to talk about, and simply try to direct the conversation.  

Inquiry Conference Notes - 3

Kristen Cardon also presented Thursday afternoon on a topic entitled, Tibetan Digital Literacy: A Case Study of New Media as a Research Medium. She researched the Tibetan's relationship with the internet, and came to some interesting conclusions about the importance of the internet in research.

I can apply a lot of what she said to my own Field Studies work. Although it's questionable whether online chatting can be considered a legitimate form of research to cite, Kristen commented on how extremely beneficial it was for her to communicate with people in the field before she even went. Whether in the form of skype, email or facebook, there are a variety of ways to easily communicate with people and receive, as she put it, "real-time information," rather than information from a book that was published a few years ago and may be outdated. At this point, I have contact with two native Indian men with whom I can communicate and are willing to answer questions and aid me in my Field Study preparations. A final word of advice I can draw from Kristen's presentation is this: While in the field in southern India, I need to find a balance between experiencing life there, and documenting it. Both are very important factors.

Inquiry Conference Notes - 2

Rachel Rueckert followed with a presentation called Social Media and Cross-cultural Learning. I felt like there was a lot for me to learn from this presentation, mainly because technology isn't my forte. She spoke about how the use of modern technology aided her in her research during her field study.

Here's what I can apply to my own Field Studies experience: Fist off, she gave specific examples of how her blog was read and used by people around the world, demonstrating that our research as students, can and will benefit others! In a voice of caution however, she pointed out that because people have free access to what is posted on our blogs, we are accountable for whatever we write! We need to take caution that what we say is accurate, appropriate, and non-offensive in any way. It is also important to comment on other people's blogs, and connect with other people, as you will be able to bounce information and ideas off each other. These things can benefit you long term, because you can stay in touch even after you are finished with the program.  

Inquiry Conference Notes - 1

A "Classical Studies" major named Randall Meister was the first presenter I heard at the Inquiry Conference on Thursday, February 23rd. His presentation was entitled, The Ashtadhyayi Today: Modern Perspective from Sanskrit Pedagogy in India. He discussed the use and importance of Sanskrit in contemporary times in India, and admitted he was surprised to see how alive Sanskrit really is! Sanskrit speaking villages, Universities teaching the language, and even an Organization called "Samskrta Bharati," which promotes the speaking and teaching of Sanskrit as an everyday language for all castes, were all evidences that this traditional language still thrives today.

As I thought of ways Randall's project could apply to me or my own research project, I thought of the importance of researching the traditional culture of India before I go out into the field. If the Sanskrit tradition is important to a large population in India, it should be important to me also. I want to be aware and appreciative of their culture and their past. By researching things such as Sanskrit before entering the field, I will be more prepared to relate and understand the Indian people.