In light of the circumstances, Z and I spent a lot of time thinking about how best to contribute in a productive and helpful way. We know that many schools and jobs are physically closed but are continuing online in some form or another. For this reason we thought it would be a good idea to start posting more technically helpful posts. We’re super excited to be introducing a brand new series on the blog today – How to: Humanities Writing!
Today’s post is inspired by my background in academia and literature. For a little context, I have a bachelor’s degree in English and History and got a masters in Gender and Culture studies, which I then adapted to write about literature. I am now almost halfway through my PhD in English Literature and Social Discourse. So when I say that most of what I know how to do is write analytically, I really mean it. A few weeks ago I wrote a post on what I learnt in the first year of my PhD, but I realised that I never really talk about the technical skills I learnt.
Interestingly, I remember going into my first year of my undergrad and expecting a lesson (well, more than one, to be honest) in the relevant skills needed in my field. This included foundational elements of essay writing, grammatical and spelling differences in different dialects of English, rules for different methods of citation, and the basics of literary analysis. Instead, what ended up happening was four years of gathering information to determine a framework I could follow in various areas.
Indeed, this was also relevant in the area of simple literary theories. Maybe due to the fact that I was not required to take a course on literary theories and concepts, I still find myself today (seven years later in the same field) questioning whether I am familiar with a concept. I am definitely guilty of nodding my head along sometimes when someone is talking about a concept with the assumption that I am familiar with the topic. The shame to be honest and openly declare, ‘I have no idea about this’ is so prevalent in academia that I sometimes wonder if anyone actually knows as much as they claim. If you cannot admit to not knowing something, why bother trying to learn?
Already, academia is a highly inaccessible area, one that demands money and a lot of time. Both Z and I hated the classist aspect of university right from the very start as we are adamant believers that knowledge should always be accessible. And yet, there is a stigma that producing convoluted and jargon-filled essays and papers is what makes you a ‘true’ scholar. Rather, I would say that if you cannot make an argument that is clear to understand and follow you are not very good at writing. Knowledge should be accessible, and every effort to make it otherwise simple adds to the rise of imposter syndrome in many people, when in reality they are surrounded by others who are similarly scared to say they do not know something.
So, in order to combat this, and in an effort to make learning more accessible, especially in such a time of uncertainty, we are starting this series. I have been meaning to refresh my skills on a lot of technical and theoretical concepts in the literary world recently and figured that this could be a great opportunity to create an accessible guide for others who might be interested in the topic as well. If this is something you are interested in, make sure to follow our Instagram and keep an eye on this space as the very first installment is coming just next week!
~S~
Featured Image by Andrew Neel on Unsplash
