Congratulations to our Hirschhorn Award Nominees and Winners!

Draper would like to congratulate our 2011-2012 Hirschhorn Award nominees and winners! The Hirschhorn is given annually to the most outstanding thesis written by one of our students during the previous year. Theses are judged on the originality of the project, the strength of the research, and the quality of the writing.

This year we had thirteen total nominees and a tie for the award! The winners were Joey McGarvey (May 2012) and Scott Kaplan (January 2012). Their thesis titles and abstracts are below.

Our nominees were:

Christopher Cappelutti (May 2012)
The Many Faces of Ulysses: Joyce and Dante Rewrite Tradition

Michelle Dennis (May 2012)
Unyielding Passions: Reexamining Sentimental Fiction

Nick Gutierrez (January 2012)
Some Small Measure of Hope for the Possibility of Meaning: Reading the Ethics of Literature and the Literature of Ethics

Sarah Latanshyn (September 2011)
"From Uzhhorod there is a road" to Lemkovyna: Music and Identity Among the Lemkos

Tamir Morag (September 2011)
Public Atmosphere and Policy Making in Israel on the Eve of the Six Day War

Beatriz Olivetti (January 2012)
Conceptual Strategies: Curating Emptiness and Performance at the 28th Sao Paulo Biennial

Ryan Petersen (May 2012)
Heavy Metal Warriors and The Monster-Terrorist-Fag: subcultural Biopolitics and Heavy Metal Masculinity in America's War on Terror

Cara Ryan (May 2012)
American Catholics Meeting Islam: Soidarity, Partnerships and Resistance

Zeinab Saiwalla (May 2012)
Unpacking Rituals: Understanding What Lies Beneath Two Commonplace Dawoodi Bohra Practices

Roy Schwartz (May 2012)
Is Superman Circumcised? The Secret (Jewish) Identity of Superheroes

Eric Silver (May 2012)
Teacher/Preacher: Secular Proselytization in a Classroom Setting

And our winners:

Scott Kaplan
From an Elegant Despair to a Moral Exuberence: A Search for Utopian Feeling in Tony Kushner's Theatre of the Fabulous

Abstract:
In this paper, I will be exploring the political theatre of Tony Kushner and his Theatre of the Fabulous. By breaking down the various meanings attributed to fabulousness, I will be attempting to explain an evolution in quer theatre that Kushner is actively pursuing from the Theatre of the Ridiculous to his Theatre of the Fabulous. I will argue that Kushner’s methodology for this change is related to the way in which he politicizes feeling within two of his most Brechtian plays: A Bright Room Called Day and Slavs!. In these two plays, I will examine how Kushner’s characters both indulge in a hopeless complacent feeling I will refer to as elegant despair as well as willfully and hopelessly struggle with a complicated hopeful and powerful political feeling, which I will refer to as moral exuberance. Through these two emotions, I argue that Kushner’s political theory of the fabulous becomes most apparent, and invite us to imagine a way in which our queer aesthetic can imagine and feel toward utopia.

Joey McGarvey
The Stagecoach and the Pear: The New York Fruit Festival and the Metaphors of Ninetheenth-Century American Authorship

Abstract:
“The Stagecoach and the Pear” is divided into two chapters. The first takes a primarily historical approach and represents the first real exegesis of the Complimentary Fruit and Flower Festival, an event hosted by the New York Book Publishers’ Association on September 27, 1855. The event brought together seven hundred booksellers, publishers, and authors in New York City to celebrate the decade’s literary success. Significantly, as many as fifty—and probably far less—of those who attended were female authors. In this first chapter, I ask the question: Why fruit? Why did the Association’s secretary, publisher George Palmer Putnam, decide his menu would consist almost entirely of produce and pastries (and would entirely omit alcoholic beverages)? One clear answer is as an enticement to these women, who were both apprehensive about attending and phenomenal sources of profit to the publishers who could gain their trust. As I develop the macrohistorical themes of the Festival in a way that has not previously been done, I also reveal the Festival as an active site of negotiation among some of the most prominent men and women of letters at a highly charged moment in literary history. Specifically, I argue that male publishers develop a metaphor for authorship—particularly female authorship—through fruit, allowing them to treat these women as commodities.

In the largely literary second chapter, I theorize a genre of women’s writing that I call the tale of mobility. Here, I claim that the women writers invited to the Festival had begun to develop their own metaphor for authorship through periodical tales of travel and place beginning in the 1830s. This metaphor stressed experience over commodification, and suggests both women’s excitement and anxiety about authorship. In both chapters, I repeatedly draw on a previously untapped archive, the New York Public Library’s collection of over 190 response letters from authors and other literary notables invited to the Festival, preserved by Putnam in a scrapbook. These letters, I argue, reveal the dialogue, hopes, and fears inherent in the Festival—and in mid-century literary culture—in an entirely new way.

Congrats, everyone!

Save the Date for the DSO's Upcoming Conference: Arriving at Confluence (Sat. April 28)

Arriving at Confluence

Saturday, April 28

3:00 - 6:00 PM

14 University Place, 1st Floor

Wine and refreshments will be served.  

Arriving at Confluence is an interdisciplinary graduate conference organized by the Draper Student Organization. This semester’s conference focuses on the connections between social upheaval and new forms of media/art.

Presentations include:

“Toward a Cinema of Revolution: 18 Days in Tahrir Square”
Walker Gunning

“Dawn of the Web: Cyber Anxiety and Zombies”
Weldon Press

“And out of the rubble comes a glorious noise: Artistic Responses to Violence & Collapse in Ireland”
Yvonne Garrett

“Street Art Intervention: ‘Ossario’”
Nicholaus Gutierrez

As well as fiction and poetry selections from the Draper Program’s graduate journal, Anamesa.

Threesis Reminder! This Saturday at Kimmel! Free Wine and Cheese!

The GSAS Threesis Academic Challenge hosted by the Graduate School of Arts and Science Master's College is this Saturday!!!

As you know, seven of our very own Draperites will be competing to get into this final round. Come support all the Threesis Competitors and vote for the recipient of the audience choice award.

Saturday, March 31st - Final Round begins at 4:00 PM.
Doors open at 3:30 PM.

NYU Kimmel Center for University Life,
60 Washington Square South, Fourth Floor, New York, NY

Please RSVP for this event through the link below
http://gsas.nyu.edu/object/gsas.threesis2012.rsvp

A wine and cheese reception will follow. This event will have an audience choice award worth $750 in prize money, so you being there will have a direct impact on the event's outcome. Please come out to support students from across the Graduate School.

Check out last year’s event’s highlights and winning presentations here: http://gsas.nyu.edu/object/gsas.masterscollege.thethreesischallenge

NYU Commencement and GSAS Convocation for May Graduates

Attention, soon-to-be graduates!

As you may know, there are two celebrations scheduled for students graduating this May: the GSAS Convocation and the NYU Commencement.

GSAS Convocation is specific to the graduate school. Graduates' names are read aloud, and a Draper representative is on stage to hood and congratulate graduates. This year, Convocation is on May 11, at 11:00 a.m., in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.

NYU Commencement is a University-wide ceremony held at Yankee Stadium for all NYU students graduating in the spring. Commencement this year will be held on May 16.

Specific information about tickets, attire, arrival times, and related receptions can be found on the respective websites for these ceremonies. Ticket and attire deadlines vary, so please pay close attention to those.

We wish you all the best between now and May!

Draper Student Dave Ferris Co-owns and Operates a B&B in Downtown Brooklyn

It's true! We just read about it in the L Magazine. It's called 3B and it's communally owned and run by a group of people who communally live one floor below. Pretty neat concept, we think.

You can read and see more about the B&B itself, its owners, and its ethos -- or book a room, if you need a getaway -- at the official website. Congrats, Dave and Co.!

Notes from Draper's recent MA Thesis Workshop

Draper student, Chris Iverson, took some detailed notes at Draper's recent MA Thesis Workshop that he was kind enough to share. We hope they will be helpful to many of you.

You'll see that both Steve and Theresa, who led the workshop, mention that Draper has a collection of award-winning and -nominated theses. It's true! We do! If you haven't heard of or seen it yet, please feel free to come take a look. The theses are housed in rm 107 and are available to browse during office hours (M-F, 9-5). You can read them at Draper or check a couple out for a week or so. As Steve and Theresa point out, this can be a great resource when it comes to writing/formulating your own thesis.

If anyone has additional notes from this workshop that they'd be willing to share, we'd love to post them to the listserv in addition to Chris's excellent overview, below.

Please email notes to draper.program@nyu.edu.

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Draper Thesis Workshop 2/24/12

· Draper has a collection of award-winning and -nominated theses to read.

o This might help with format.

· A thesis topic should relate to where you’ve been and/or where you are going.

o Draw on previous research or design the thesis to help in future work.

· Three starting points might help when considering a topic:

o Method/methodology

o Data/types of sources

o Theory

Steve Moga’s Talking Points

· Pick something that motivates you.

o If your topic does not interest you, this will be painful.

· Write all the way through.

o Do not collect data and wait to write. You may forget some context or lose steam.

· Be in communication with your advisor.

· Think about the thesis in the simplest possible way (elevator speech). It helps to think about a title to keep on track.

· In the planning stages, it helps to set a deadline and work backwards. This is a way to get an vision of what the finished thesis should look like and break it up into more doable parts.

Theresa MacPhail’s Talking Points

· Writing is thinking.

o Freewriting is a valuable parctice when “stuck.”

o Idea mapping gives the material a physical dimension.

· Reverse outlining can help organize

o Taking a written passage and notating the margins can help find the stucture hidden in a written text. This allows for organizing at a basic level .

· Do not start at the beginning!

o The thesis or topic may not become clear until the bulk of the paper is written and organized.

· Look at other papers and “steal” the format.

o Like, for example, see Draper's collection of award-winning and -nominated theses.

· Have a friend or other educated reader take a look at the text to make sure that it does what you want it to do. If another intelligent reader cannot follow the logic, then it may not be organized properly.

· Write a one-sentence thesis statement to help simplify the idea that will make the core of the argument.

· Don’t be afraid to “kill your babies.” In other words, you may have to delete blocks of great text if they prove tangential and do not return to your topic.

o A way to make this less painful is to cut and paste “outtakes” into another file so thay are not lost forever. They may even prove helpful for a future project.

Reminder: Send Us Your Award Info for the GSAS Bulletin! (Deadline 2/22)

Don't forget to send us your award information!
We need to have it no later than Wednesday, February 22 in order to include it
in the GSAS Bulletin.

***

Dear Students:

Every year, the Office of Academic and Student Life assembles a list of students who have received fellowships and awards during the current academic year for the GSAS awards webpage. If you've received an award or fellowship this year (2011-2012)--we'd love to include it on GSAS' list, so please send us the name of any awards you've received, as well as any pertinent information about the organization you received it from.

If you'd rather not have your name included in the bulletin, please do still send me your information with a note that it should be kept private. Information about our students' awards and fellowships is helpful for us to have for our own reporting purposes, even if you don't want it made public.

Thanks!

Student Profile: Devin Moss

Some Draperites may live way downtown, but Devin Moss is undoubtedly the program’s southernmost full-time student. He currently works at the University of South Carolina as the campus LGBT Programs Coordinator while taking NYU classes remotely.

Columbia, South Carolina, where Moss lives now, is not geographically very far from Memphis, Tennessee--his childhood home and stomping grounds as an undergrad at the University of Memphis, where he earned a B.A. in English. Moss feels comfortable in Columbia, and notes that it “is very charming and has that 'authentic Southern’ feel,” though he is “almost too busy to enjoy it.”

Little wonder that Moss’ downtime is rare. Devin supplements his job and studies with artistic pursuits in documentary filmmaking. He currently has two projects in production. His short “Too-Ism: The Discrimination from Within the Queer Male Community” is viewable here.

Devin Moss Answers the Draper Dozen

1. When did you start at Draper?

Fall 2010

2. Are you a full or part-time student?

Full-time

3. Where are you from?

Memphis, Tennessee

4. What are your primary research interests?

General: The intersection of race/ethnicity, sexuality, and gender within educational environments. Specifically: Black male masculinity within educational environments

[Ed] What led you to examine black male masculinity within educational environments? For example, were you involved in any LGBT programs in high-school or as an undergraduate?

As a queer Black person myself, I experienced many things that lead me to focus on this topic in my research. The institution I attended in Mississippi was a Historically Black College/University (HBCU), and it was there that my sexuality became salient for me. I was getting comfortable being myself. I was very active on campus. I also wanted to be a Residential Assistant, but I was told I could not be one because I was gay and that would be a bad image for other students. I later wanted to become become a member of the campus chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc, but I was rejected because I was gay and out. Other members of the fraternity were gay, but the difference was that I was out. Later, I was verbally harassed by another student at the school. I wanted to do something about my experience so that others do not have to experience what I did. The homophobia that I have experienced within my environments is what has guided me to do the work that I do. If a fraternity is supposed to be about brotherhood, then why does my sexuality dictate my worth for the fraternity? That situation, along with others, has made me question and challenge Black brotherhood in terms of what is Black male masculinity. Does it have a sexuality/orientation? Does it have a worth? Does it have to be a competition? Has Black masculinity dwindled down to exist only in a few inches between the legs? Lots of questions drive this research interest.

Why, specifically, have you chosen to examine the issues of race/ethnicity, sexuality and gender within educational environments as opposed to, say, in the work environment or in MLB?

My world revolves around education. I will retire from education someday. It's just something about the ability to help individuals achieve goals through education that has drawn me to higher education. I would someday love to become the Dean of Students/VP of Student Affairs at an HBCU.

5. Why did you choose to pursue an interdisciplinary degree at Draper?

The interdisciplinary approach best fit my needs. There was not a program that allowed me to look at my research interests collectively. Most programs in education do not cover identity in-depth, and most gender/sexuality studies programs do not cover education. This was the best fit for my interests as well as career goals.

6. What do you plan to do after Draper?

I am currently working at the Coordinator of LGBT Programs & Services at the University of South Carolina. I came to NYU seeking an opportunity like this, and I hope to serve the LGBT community throughout my career.

7. Do you have any special activities or projects outside of your academic work?

While at NYU, I gained an interest in documentary production through the Center for Multicultural Education & Programs’ –ISM Project. Once my thesis is over and I am a little more established here [in Columbia, SC], I plan to continue to create self-produced short films about various social issues.

8. How exactly do you proceed with your Draper studies and keep up with class syllabi when, by geographical necessity, you miss lectures, etc.?

This past fall, I had two courses. When the job opportunity for LGBT Programs Coordinator at the University of South Carolina became an option for me, I reached out to my professors to see if, by chance, I could do something to remain in their classes but also take the job in South Carolina. One professor instantly said I could not miss his class, which I respected. My other professor said that she was happy for me and that we could arrange something where I did class via Skype. I Skyped into a few classes and even gave my final presentation via Skype. I also had an extra weekly assignment to supplement my absence in many of the classes. It was a hassle attending class while working full-time, but I survived it!

How does living in South Carolina while maintaining studies with a New York-based program compare with living and studying in one locale?

When I got to NYU, I was instantly overwhelmed by my workload. I have another master’s degree and that one was not as intense. NYU is intense. NYC is intense. South Carolina is charmingly laid back in terms of pace. I am able to step into both of these worlds, which does challenge me sometimes, but I am thankful for being here. I believe if I were in NYC writing my thesis I would have many distractions; the libraries would always be too busy for me to focus, and the noise would never lose me. Though I am very busy now, I am able to get away from people and noise in order to focus a lot more here.

9. Is there any one place (museum, library, shop, park, etc.) in New York that you particularly miss? Why?

I spent a lot of time in Harlem. It was so inspiring to walk around the very same streets as many of my idols. Big names walked these streets. However, even today, the culture in Harlem was very inspiring. I love Harlem in its entirety--special acknowledgement of Isaac Newton Middle School!

Do you have any new favorite places that you frequent in your new home in South Carolina?

I am a fan of the grocery store, Publix! I love that store. I do plan to visit the mountains and beaches sometime in the future. They may become my next favorite!

10. Coffee or tea?

Coffee!

11. Are you a fan and/or user of social media? Why or why not?

I do use Facebook, too much! It just gives me a sense of connectedness with the right amount of distance.

12. What was the last book you read for fun (not for class or research)?

We Real Cool by bell hooks

13. If you were not in academia, what would you be doing?

I would be doing some type of humanitarian work I believe. I love children and want to ensure that they have a great foundation for their futures. I believe I would be doing something in that field.

(Interview and profile by Lauren Roberts)

Anamesa Kickoff Meeting This Wednesday

Hello Draperites!

After a great time at the kickoff party, we are ready to get going on the Spring issue and would like to invite you all to attend our FIRST MEETING.

If you haven't participated in Anamesa in the past and want to get involved, now is your chance to find out everything you'll need to know. At the meeting we will discuss what your responsibilities as an editor will be, review the calendar of meeting dates and journal checkpoints, and answer any questions. It is a great opportunity to get to know the senior staff and your co-editors, and we hope you will join us!

Here are the details:
Wednesday, February 8
8:30pm - 10pm
Draper Map Room
*Snacks will be provided

If you want to get involved with the journal and are unable to attend the meeting, please email us with your name, NYU email address, and the genre(s) you want to work on this semester so that we can get you up to speed.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

All the best,
The Editors

GSAS' Second Annual Threesis Challenge for MA Students: One Week Until Deadline (1/31)

Draper encourages applications to GSAS' second annual Threesis Academic Challenge for Master's students. Eight of Draper's students participated in last year's challenge and two of our students were semi-finalists. More information about Threesis is below or is available on the GSAS website here. The application is attached, or can be picked up in hard copy in Draper's office.

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Save the date and submit your Application today for the 2012 GSAS Threesis Academic Challenge will be held on March 30th (qualifying rounds) and March 31st (final rounds)

The application for the 2012 GSAS Threesis Academic Challenge is open! This academic competition is for GSAS Master's Students. Students present the work of their thesis or final project (eg. creative project, science experiment or research paper) to a panel of judges in accessible language a non-expert can understand in three minutes or less. Competitors are judged on how well they grasp the subject of their thesis, their ability to discuss the topic to non-experts and presentation skills. Students compete for a grand prize of $1,000 and other prizes while learning to organize ideas and speak about them persuasively in a fun, academic atmosphere.

Look at what one competitor had to say about last year's experience:

The Threesis encourages students to take a step back from their research to see how it sits in a world outside of academia. It is about explaining what you are writing about in a way that grandma and grandpa, mom and dad and the random person that you meet on the street can understand. It is the opposite of what were are trained to do in our masters work and that's what makes it so challenging.

Jailee Rychen 2011 GSAS

Threesis Winner

Have you submitted your 2012 Threesis application? To submit your application, send the application and your abstract to gsas.threesis@nyu.edu. Applications are due by January 31st!

Watch the highlight video from last year's competition here:
http://gsas.nyu.edu/object/gsas.masterscollege.thethreesischallenge

Anamesa Spring Kickoff Party THIS FRIDAY (1/27)

Hello Draperites!

We hope you've had a fantastic January term and are as excited as we are to get going with the Spring journal. To welcome everyone back, we are holding our Spring 2012 KICKOFF PARTY on Friday following the Draper welcome party.

When: Friday, January 27 8pm-10pm

Where: Peculier Pub

The Deal: Same as last time, Anamesa will provide your first 2 drinks and you will receive a discount beyond that.

Please join your Anamesa editors to toast a successful Spring journal! We hope to see you there, and have a wonderful first week of classes.

All the best,

The Anamesa Editors

Draper Student Profile: Samuel Belkin

Samuel Belkin answers the Draper Dozen

1. When did you start at Draper?

Fall 2010

2. Are you a full or part-time student?

Full-time

3. Where are you from?

Born in Durham, NC, raised in Scarsdale, NY, and have lived in Manhattan for the last seven years

4. What are your primary research interests?

I’m all over the place. In Draper I’ve taken two non-fiction writing courses, two philosophy courses, one on Kafka, one on Hitchcock, a fiction-writing course…

For my thesis I focus on three ‘movements’ in popular music of the 20^th century: rock n roll, punk, and hip hop—the ones that really transformed mainstream culture worldwide. While historical circumstances give each of these movements its own identity, a close and analytical look shows that they are all expressions of the same human impulse. I argue that this impulse is a manifestation of a metaphysical idea that Nietzsche explored in his first book The Birth of Tragedy: the co-existence of two artistic forces in nature, which he names the Apolline and Dionysiac.

5. Why did you choose to pursue an interdisciplinary degree at Draper?

I wanted to be a better writer. I did undergrad at Tisch in the recorded music program, but obviously I have a very broad range of interests. I wanted to take the kinds of classes I didn’t have the chance to take before.

6. What do you plan to do after Draper?

Get a job. I'm keeping an open mind. I would ideally like to turn my thesis paper into a book. But I'll have to see how feasible that sounds in a couple months.

7. Do you have any special activities or projects outside of your academic work?

I am a songwriter and recording artist. I used to play in a band called Nobody Can Dance, but now I’m on my own and just released my first solo record. It’s called Seven Songs, and it can be heard and downloaded at www.sambelkin.bandcamp.com. It’s all completely free, not even an email address is required, so I encourage people to go and download it.

This particular project, Seven Songs, I would categorize probably as folk or singer/songwriter or something. This project is definitely more of a mellow, acoustic affair, with very short songs about simple things, like new love, old love, jealousy, etc. Kind of like a more lo-budget Leslie Feist. These particular songs were written at different times, the first track is from 2005, the last from 2009. None are new. I have a catalog of songs I've written, a shoe box full of notebooks and scraps of paper, and I chose ten of them that fit together on an album, and then I only ended up recording seven of them. So that's where Seven Songs comes from.

8. How does living and studying in New York impact your educational experience?

Living in New York has shaped who I am, for better or worse. I may have spent my childhood in Westchester, but my post-high school years were truly my formative years, emotionally and intellectually, and they were all spent in NYC. I don’t know if I’ll be able to define its influence on me until I know what it’s like to live somewhere else.

9. Is there any one place (museum, library, shop, park, etc.) in New York that is your favorite? Why?

I love the 48 cents rack at the Strand, a dive bar in the East Village called B Side, and Amy’s Bread below my apartment in Hell’s Kitchen.

10. Coffee or tea?

Coffee

11. Are you a fan and/or user of social media? Why or why not?

I’m a fan of Facebook. I think it’s amazing to be able to see how your childhood friends have grown up, who they’ve become—people I otherwise would have forgotten. It’s also currently my only means of publicity as a recording artist.

12. What was the last book you read for fun (not for class or research)?

Einstein’s Dreams, by Alan Lightman. Before that, The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy and a novella called The Beach of Falesà by Robert Louis Stevenson.

13. If you were not in academia, what would you be doing?

I’d probably be drooling in an office from nine to five, or working for peanuts in that circus they call the music industry. At least that’s where my resume shows the most experience. I do have career aspirations as a songwriter, but music is so abundant these days that it has no financial value anymore. When you start to rely on your music for a paycheck, there are strict rules you have to follow. It ruins all the fun. But working for other artists doesn’t strike me as an ideal alternative.

I very much enjoy writing about music, as well as film and literature, and I would love to pursue a career path that allows me to do that. I’ve always been an analytical thinker, but school is what has helped me become an analytical writer. So were I not in academia, I’d probably have some day job that I didn’t find very fulfilling.

Draper Student Profile: Angela Leroux-Lindsey

Angela Answers the Draper Dozen

1. When did you start at Draper?

Fall 2010.

2. Are you a full or part-time student?

Part-time; I work full-time at NYU to subsidize my MA tuition.

3. Where are you from?

I grew up just outside of Boston.

4. What are your primary research interests?

Science studies and its intersections with lit theory.

5. Why did you choose to pursue an interdisciplinary degree at Draper?

My interests are sort of widespread, and I wanted a program that would allow me to explore the connecting threads of what could be considered disparate fields.

6. What do you plan to do after Draper?

I’m not sure yet.

7. Do you have any special activities or projects outside of your academic work?

I’m the editor of a literary magazine, as well as for an independent publishing company; I’m also a freelance writer.

8. How does living and studying in New York impact your educational experience?

The access to so many intellectual and artistic outlets—from the NYPL to the Bowery Poetry Club to the World Science Festival—is intoxicating, and really inspires me to participate in events and projects outside of NYU, which in turn inform my academic work.

9. Is there any one place (museum, library, shop, park, etc.) in New York that is your favorite? Why?

That’s an impossible question, ha! I love Central Park, and the Frick, and the Strand, but would have to say that listening to live music or a poetry reading in the East Village is my favorite “place” in the city. Working full-time and being in school can be a hectic schedule, and occasionally it’s a relief to sit, have a drink, and let my mind do nothing but enjoy what’s happening around me.

10. Coffee or tea?

Tea.

11. Are you a fan and/or user of social media? Why or why not?

Sure, I think social media is an easy, effective, and fun way to connect. I use Facebook, I blog.

12. What was the last book you read for fun (not for class or research)?

The Pale King by David Foster Wallace. Also—if I can plug—Instructions for Killing the Jackal by Erica Wright is phenomenal.

13. If you were not in academia, what would you be doing?

I think being a nature photographer would be pretty awesome.

Notes on the Recent Draper MA Thesis Writing Workshop

Our thanks to Scott Silsbe for providing the following notes!

On writing a thesis

It should be an original argument embedded within the current work on the subject.

When choosing a thesis topic think about the following: What have I done? Where am I going? Think broadly at first, then narrow the topic down. What are my 'key terms'? How will your thesis be formally organized, i.e. chapters, sections, etc.

Five hints for choosing a thesis-writing:
1: Pick something that motivates you, not something you think you ‘should’ do.
2: Pick something you can finish in the allotted time.
3: Write throughout the entire process. ('Writing' includes note-taking, graphing outlining, etc. in addition to drafting the essay itself.)
4: Be in communication with your adviser.
5: Throughout the process, think about your title as well as write and rewrite your abstract. Ask yourself, "What is my ‘elevator talk’?" How do you explain your thesis in 300 words or less? In 50 words or less? In ten words?

Three possible starting points are:
1: Methodology - how will you go about your research and analysis?
2: Data - what is the material you're working with (primary sources or literature on the subject you'll be analyzing)?
3: Theory - what ideas/system of ideas will you be using you make sense of your data?

Keep in mind: the time between when the thesis-approval document is due and when the thesis itself is due (about 3 months) is not enough time to write a thesis. Start working early.

Set early personal deadlines. Your personal ‘final draft’ deadline should be two weeks to one month before the actual final draft deadline. Work backwards to plan your schedule.

One Month from Today...

Two Important Reminders for Friday, December 16!

Thesis Submission for January Graduates

Please be reminded that those of you who intend to graduate this coming January will need to submit your completed and approved Master's thesis to Draper no later than one month from today: Friday, December 16. Any theses received after 6:00 PM on December 16 will be held over for May graduation. There will be no exceptions.

For more information on thesis guidelines, please see Draper's Web site, here: http://www.draper.fas.nyu.edu/object/draper.program.thesisguidelines

All thesis related forms--including a sample cover page and second reader sheets--can also be downloaded from the Draper website, here:http://www.draper.fas.nyu.edu/object/draper.forms

If you have any questions or concerns about the thesis submission or graduation processes, please feel free to email us at draper.program@nyu.edu.

Draper's Year-End Celebration Party

After you've turned in your thesis and/or had your last class for the semester, stop by Draper to celebrate the end of another busy year with food, wine, and general merriment. Feel free to bring your loved ones!

Let us know if you're coming: RSVP to draper.program@nyu.edu.

Student Profile: Jennifer Celestin

Jennifer answers the Draper Dozen.

1. When did you start at Draper?
I started at Draper in the Fall 2010

2. Are you a full or part-time student?
I am a Full-Time student

3. Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. My parents are Haitian immigrants so I spent many summers and winter holidays in Haiti.

4. What are your primary research interests?
I am interested in the construction of transnational identities and the mediation or expression of identity through language. I particularly look at the work of Haitian-American writer, Edwidge Danticat and her use of English, Haitian Creole, and French in a single text.

5. Why did you choose to pursue an interdisciplinary degree at Draper?
I had originally applied for an MFA in fiction where I would work on material that employed the use of code-switching (the use of more than one language in a single exchange). I was instead referred to Draper and found that this interdisciplinary degree provided me with more academic freedom to flesh out my burgeoning ideas on Haitian-American identities.

6. What do you plan to do after Draper?
I want to be working on a novel and teaching undergraduates as an instructor; acceptance into a fully funded MFA programs would allow me to do both.

7. Do you have any special activities or projects outside of your academic work?
I am a performance poet and have performed at the Brooklyn Museum, Brecht Forum, La Mama Experimental Theatre, the Bowery, and El Museo del Barrio. I was a featured storyteller at the Bridge Culture Summer series in 2010. I have done voice-over work for museums exhibits on Caribbean History and through the help of the Haiti Cultural Exchange I have been able to work as a teaching artist with bilingual children, encouraging them to write poems in their native language.

I am happy to share that I have been accepted into a delegation of artists, mental health specialists, and organizers for the Ayiti Resurrect Project. I will be going to Haiti in January 2012 to help victims of the 2010 earthquake find expression and healing through poetry.

8. How does living and studying in New York impact your educational experience?
I went to Wesleyan University located in Middletown, Ct for my bachelor’s degree. It was far from my family and there were few local distractions. It was an ideal place for serious study. Some of us on campus even called it a bubble. Now, as a graduate student I am living outside that bubble and feeling the pressures that ‘real’ life can impose upon you even when there’s an assignment due. It has helped to give me the perspective and discipline I will need if I plan on being a novelist in the future. I make the hard choices to stay in and work on my material even when tempted to unwind with family and friends.

Being home in New York also allows me to stay close to my Haitian community. New York has one of the largest Haitian immigrant populations in the US and staying close to my community keeps my work and my voice relevant and fresh.

9. Is there any one place (museum, library, shop, park, etc.) in New York that is your favorite? Why?
Peppa’s Jerk Chicken Spot on the corner of Woodruff and Flatbush Ave. It is open all night long! The food is amazing and I can count on it if I’m up late writing or coming in from a night out.

10. Coffee or tea?
Coffee. I love the bold, chocolaty flavor. I have to monitor my intake though because if not I will talk your ear off while attempting to do pushups.

11. Are you a fan and/or user of social media? Why or why not?
I am a user of social media but wouldn’t really call myself a fan. I’m happy we have ways of staying connected but find our dependence on them disconcerting. The entire way that we interact with each other (and ourselves) has changed. I find myself having a thought while walking to the train and thinking, “I’ll have to post that onto facebook.” No, I don’t have to do anything. It has weaved its way into our thought process and everyday life. I will say that I am a longtime fan of Beyonce and my friends might find my unwavering support for her more unsettling than facebook.

12. What was the last book you read for fun (not for class or research)?
I am in the unique position where most of the books I read now bring me pleasure and are related to my research. But I have a feeling that you really want me to tell you about the last book I devoured before entering grad school: Prospect Park West by Amy Sohn.

13. If you were not in academia, what would you be doing?
I would still be performing poems and facilitating creative writing workshops but my day job would be different. Before I entered NYU I was working as an advocate counselor at a transfer high school with a community-based organization. If I did not get into graduate school I would probably look into becoming a guidance counselor and work with the Department of Education.

Good News! Updates & Announcements from Draper Community Members

Hilarie Ashton (January 2011) will be publishing her essay, "Urban (as) Flâneur: Narrator and City in Edgardo Vega Yunque's The Lamentable Journey of Omaha Bigelow Into The Impenetrable Loisaida Jungle," in LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES: Critiques of Contemporary Cinema, Literatures, Politics and Revolution (Academica Press) later this year or early in 2012.

Hilarie will also present her paper "The Doppelganger Artist: Reuse and/or Originality in Postmodernity and Popular Music" at the Canadian Association for American Studies Conference this November.

Mario Cancel-Bigay is a musician and songwriter. He will be performing his original compositions "I Got my NYU Card," "I Don't Have to Wear a Tie," "Please Forgive Me, I'm Unemployed," "Matriarchal Revolution," "In the Subway," and other witty and poetically critical songs at Shrine (2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd. in Harlem) on Thursday November 10^th. Have a listen to Mario’s music and find out about his upcoming performances at http://www.myspace.com/mario-cancel/

Heather Dodge (December 2010) recently presented her paper, "The New Animal Taxonomy: 'rendering' animals visible in Sue Coe's slaughterhouse sketches," at the 2nd Annual European Conference for Critical Animal Studies in Prague. In March, she will present another paper entitled, "Going to the Dogs: human and dog relationships in Marlene van Niekerk's Triomf" at the Northeast Modern Language Association's 2012 Convention.

She is also delighted that a co-authored paper, "The New Virtual Librarian: Learning to teach and teaching to learn digital literacy, " will be published in a special issue of Learning, Media and Technology sometime in 2012.

Russell MacKenzie Fehr (January 2009) presented at the Graduate Student History Conference and at the California Conference for the Promotion of History in October. He expects to be ABD by June of 2012.

April Fisher (May 2009) published her short story "Ecology" in the October edition of Burnt Bridge (http://burntbridge.net/). She gave her first reading in Brooklyn on Oct 12, 2011, at Linger Cafe's short story writer series. More of her stories can be found at http://aprilbacon.com.

Yvonne C. Garrett (Draper 2010) and her fellow-poet Mary Ellen Sanger have put out their first book of poetry, Waiting for the end of the world: Thoughts of bullfrogs and guerrillas, through their own small press. The collection is available through Amazon, here.

Andrea Hines (May 2010) began a new position in August as the Executive Assistant to the Institute Director at NYU’s Neuroscience Institute.

Jess Kelly was invited to present her paper "Post-Colonial City Planning and Police Homicide in Derry, Northern Ireland and Los Angeles” at UPenn for the International Herbert Marcuse Society's "Critical Refusals" conference in October.

Jess’ paper, which discusses the similarities between the racialized violence and riots that occurred after the Rodney King incident and The Troubles in Northern Ireland, is the jumping-off point for her thesis research on the reactionary punk subculture of 1970s Northern Ireland - an exploration of the anti-capitalist, anti-establishment subculture (ethnicity?) and its rejection of the religious sectarianism and subsequent violence.

Additionally, Jess’ thesis abstract was accepted as one of 14 finalists for a special punk issue of the journal Patterns of Prejudice which will publish 12 of the 14 finalist papers in 2013.

Ji Hyuck Moon (May 2011) published his first collection of short stories, Two Nights With a Lion, in Korea this September. Ji Hyuck plans to translate this work into English in the near future and is currently looking for a literary agent.

Ji Hyuck was also recently hired as an adjunct instructor in NYU’s East Asian Studies Department. He is teaching one Elementary Korean Class this fall and says that teaching students the Korean language inspires him as a writer.

Devin D. Moss, M.S. Ed has been hired as LGBT Program Coordinator at the University of South Carolina November 1^st. This is a newly created position at the institution, and he is thrilled to lead initiatives that will create safe and inclusive environments for LGBT students.

Kathleen Reeves (May 2011) published her article "Bodied Time and Ghosted Narrative in The Body Artist" in Concordia University's Journal of Religion and Culture in September. Kathleen presented the article as a paper at Concordia's 16th annual Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference "Crossroads and Borders," in February. She attended the conference with additional assistance from one of Draper's Travel Grants, which she was the recipient of in November/December 2010.

Kathleen's article can be downloaded in .pdf format from the journal website, here. (Her article is second to last in the issue.)

Cara Ryan began an internship at the Interfaith Center Of New York, working on the Catholic-Muslim Social Services Project on September 1st. The project, which involves Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, various churches, mosques and social services in the Bronx, Staten Island and Manhattan, complements Cara’s thesis, a study of the relationship between American Catholic and Muslim communities.

Corinne Woods was recently hired as the Production Manager for the inaugural year of the All for One Theater Festival, a ten day festival celebrating solo performance which begins 11.11.11 at Theatre 80 St. Marks.

And lastly...

Congratulations to former Draper Global Histories Fellow/current adjunct Maia Ramnath on her first major publication: Haj to Utopia: How the Ghadar Movement Charted Global Radicalism and Attempted to Overthrow the British Empire.

You can read the first chapter and/or purchase the book at the publisher website: http://www.ucpress.edu/book.php?isbn=9780520269552