Alumni Voices: Dr. John Gronbeck-Tedesco, Asst. Prof. of American Studies, Ramapo College
Today we share with you some insight from Dr. John Gronbeck-Tedesco, Assistant Professor of American Studies at Ramapo College in New Jersey. Dr. Gronbeck-Tedesco graduated from the department with a Ph.D. in 2009.
How is the work that you're doing right now informed by the work that you did as a student in American Studies at UT?The work I do right now evolved out of the nourishing range of experiences I enjoyed as an American Studies graduate student and temporary citizen of Austin, Texas. UT introduced me to an invigorating intellectual atmosphere where I could explore many facets of humanistic study. At first, the flexibility of American Studies can be frustratingly amorphous, with its oft-cited lack of consensus on the query, "What is American Studies?" (and outsiders' persistent question, "What is it not?") But as an interdisciplinary, malleable form of study, American Studies continually demands reinvention of itself through its refreshing breadth and creativity. The program allowed me to tailor my scholarly interests into a set of paradigms and methodologies that still govern my work today. Classes on Cuban history, the American Left, the African Diaspora, U.S. foreign relations, and on race and ethnicity in the United States helped me produce my own definition and working model of American Studies, which I took with me on the job market, inscribed onto syllabi, and crammed (if uncomfortably in parts!) into my dissertation cum book manuscript. American Studies at UT gave me the resources and peer/mentor support to travel to Cuba to conduct research and form a community of scholars and friends that continue to shape my personhood today. And Austin was a place where I politically matured by joining activist organizations that organize on behalf of immigrant rights, compulsions I keep up on a weekly basis in Queens, NY. UT American Studies is a thriving community that still dazzles on the ASA stage. I consider myself lucky to have been a part of it.Do you have any words of wisdom or advice for students in our department about how to get the most out of their time here?Explore, explore, explore. Then write a manageable dissertation. It seems to me that through this exploration we develop an understanding of the scholarly domains to which we will ultimately contribute. It's important to have a sense of where our work fits (in journals, departments, conferences) and where it doesn't. The advantage of American Studies is that we can have several options in this respect. Having a good relationship with your mentors is also key. I have been in awe of my mentors' capacity to tirelessly help me well beyond graduation.I think the most important words of advice I can give is something that I did not learn until I was deep into my degree. That is to indulge in the vulnerability it takes to unmask and remake the hidden assumptions and understandings you carry into the program. This is intensely personal, much more than I realized until later. We are intimately invested in our knowledge production because it is inseparable from our profound sense of selfhood. Breaking down time-tested barriers and defense mechanisms is a discomfiting but unconditional part of the liberatory process of education. Knowing this at the outset, I think, is advantageous in graduate school.
Undergrad Research: Honors Thesis Symposium TODAY
Research week at UT begins next week, and the American Studies honors thesis writers will be presenting a year's worth of hard work at our annual symposium on Wednesday, April 17, 5:30-7:30pm in Burdine 214. Below are some brief remarks about each thesis and each presenter. Come by to see the great work these students have done!
Aaron Davatgar
Amanda Martin, "Pole Power: A Photographic Exploration of Pole Dancing Fitness as 'Female Empowerment'"
“Pole Power” is an interdisciplinary thesis exploring the ways contemporary women claim “empowerment” through mediums some feminist scholars consider regressive. For this creative project, I am photographing members of a pole fitness studio and performance troupe called Brass Ovaries.
Amanda Martin is a senior in American Studies with a minor in photojournalism. She was first introduced to photography and writing while working for her high school newspaper. Since then, she has cultivated a deep love for telling human stories, both visually and verbally. After she graduates in May, she plans to continue pursuing freelance photography.
Lawrence Peart, "Objects of whatever, people and their things"
"Objects of whatever" is a visual exploration of people and the objects they find significant to their identity, well-being, or sense-of self. For this project I photographed a selection of individuals alongside an object they regarded as especially significant, and interviewed each person about their object and what it meant to them.
Lawrence Peart is a senior in American Studies and International Relations, and has been working with photography as a medium for the past three years.
Richard Stein, "Home Lost and Found: Sonobeat Records and the Formation of the Austin Music Scene"
In the late 1960's Austin, Texas was a growing city of 200,000+ people. Known for its universities and the state capital, Austin's music scene consisted primarily of a handful of bands playing fraternity parties and the occasional club gig. In 1967 the father and son duo Bill Josey Sr. and Bill Josey Jr. formed Sonobeat records and began to record their favorite local groups around town. Many of the musicians they recorded would go on to become nationally recognized artists and would play a major part in establishing Austin as the "Live Music Capital of the World."
Ricky Stein is a 28-year-old American studies senior, aspiring singer/songwriter, and lover of Austin music. A second-generation Austin musician and third-generation Longhorn, Stein has contributed to The Daily Texan as a music columnist and has written and released two critically-acclaimed self-produced albums. He became interested in the story of Sonobeat Records and its place in Austin history while interning for KLRU-TV.
Laramie Stroud, "Inside Looking Out: The Relationship Between the Johnson White House and the Civil Rights Movement"
The years 1957-1969 saw arguably the most decisive victories for civil rights since the 1860s. Beginning with the successful maneuvering of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, as Senate majority leader to the eventual signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 as President, Lyndon Johnson showed special interest in carrying the cause of civil rights. The purpose of the research is to analyze the strenuous, but yet successful relationship between the Johnson White House and the civil rights movement.
Laramie Stroud is a senior double-majoring in American Studies and Government. His desire to study both the Civil Rights Movement and the 1960s coalesced in this work in order to shine a different light upon the various relationships within the Movement. Upon graduation, Laramie hopes to attend law school and eventually serve in a public capacity.
Lauren White, "Don't Blame the Grease, Blame the Media: Soul Food, Neo-Soul, and the Media"
"Don't Blame the Grease, Blame the Media" is an analysis of African-American soul food culture and its portrayal in the media. By discussing the history of soul food, it will lend credibility to the mostly silent neo-soul food movement and debunk the popular image of traditional soul food as being the only authentic choice. Soul food can be prepared to meet all dietary needs and still encompass the rich flavors of African-American cuisine.
Lauren White is an American Studies senior and ethnomusicology minor. Food culture has always been a part of her life, but she did not truly begin examining it until her junior year. She fostered this and her other interests by writing articles for food studies and pop/geek culture blogs and refined her analysis skills in the process. She hopes that her interest in food, music, and pop culture will continue to coexist peacefully in her graduate studies.
Announcements: The End of Austin Featured in 'Life and Letters' Magazine
We've shared quite a bit of information with you about The End of Austin, a digital journal launched by Dr. Randy Lewis and a smattering of graduate students in the American Studies department.
And, in that vein, we have more exciting news to share. The End of Austin is featured in the Spring 2013 issue of UT College of Liberal Arts's Life and Letters magazine, and you can read the article here as well as in the print edition (and we highly recommend you click through for some wonderful illustrations of cyclops-like monsters attacking the city, as they often do).
A brief excerpt:
So what does the future hold for Austin? Will the city build a better freeway system or buckle under the heavy pressure of rush-hour commuters? Will the skyline be recognizable a century from now, or will it morph into another sprawling megalopolis? The city’s fate depends on the decisions that are being made right now, Lewis says.
“We have the raw ingredients of a great city based on location, climate and the university,” Lewis says. “But the decisions that we make in the next 10 to 20 years will determine whether Austin will be a world-class, great city, or if it will just be another Sunbelt urban zone.”
The hope for the writers and contributors of the website is to provide a shared brainstorming forum for both the community and the university—and ultimately find possible solutions for Austin’s biggest challenges.
Announcement: Performing Blackness Symposium Today!
The Department of Theatre and Dance’s Performance as Public Practice program and John L. Warfield Center’s Performing Blackness Series will host a discussion today of Charles O. Anderson/dance theatre X’s TAR, with conversation about Black dance, producing Black art, and the role of art in generating social change. The symposium will take place in the Oscar G. Brockett Theatre in the Winship Building on the UT campus from 1:30-5:00p.m.Keynote Speaker: Dr. Thomas Frantz, Professor of African and African American Studies/Dance/Theatre Studies, Duke UniversityFeatured Panelists:Ms. China Smith, Founder and Executive Artistic Director, Ballet Afrique, AustinDr. Omise’eke Tinsley, Associate Professor, African and African Diaspora Studies, UT AustinDr. Michael Winship, Professor, Department of English, The University of Austin
The symposium is in conjunction with two public performances of dance theatre X’s TAR on April 12 and 13 at 8:00 p.m. in the Oscar G. Brockett Theatre. Both performances are free and open to the public.Hope to see you there!