New episode coming this Friday!

Introducing Mercedez Dunn, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Public Health

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About The Series

Retrieving the Social Sciences is a production of the UMBC Center for Social Science Scholarship.  Our podcast host is Dr. Ian Anson, our director is Dr. Christine Mallinson, our associate director is Dr. Felipe Filomeno and our production intern is Jefferson Rivas. Our theme music was composed and recorded by D’Juan Moreland.  Special thanks to Amy Barnes and Myriam Ralston for production assistance. Make sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, where you can find full video recordings of recent UMBC events.

The clocks have changed and the days are short, and the semester is continuing here at UMBC. In Seoul, the annual Lantern Festival is underway - a two-week celebration of lights and festivities which includes floating huge, colorful lanterns down Cheonggyecheon Stream through the center of the city. The 2021 festival is taking place now through November 21, and even if you can't get to Seoul in person, they have a variety of online events scheduled which you can check out! 

Reminder: Spring 2022 Advising and Registration!

Do you still need advising for Spring 2022? Asian Studies majors should fill out this Google Form to prepare for advising. Remember that you cannot add classes to your schedule without registration clearance, and you can't get registration clearance without making an advising appointment. For more information, visit our Advising Guide. 

There are hundreds of classes offered this Spring - how do you know which ones to choose? Your advisor (Dr. Oyen, if you're an Asian Studies major) can help you narrow things down. We also have a helpful guide to all the Spring 2022 courses that count towards Asian Studies, including their GEP designations! 

Event: Online Discussion with Angie Kim, Author of "Miracle Creek" - November 17

Join the Dresher Center, the Dept of Modern Languages, Linguistics, and Intercultural Communication, and Asian Studies next week in welcoming author Angie Kim to campus virtually to discuss her award-winning novel Miracle Creek! The online event will take place on Wednesday, November 17, at 4:30pm EST. For more information and to RSVP, visit MLLI's myUMBC page. 

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

• Now - Spring 2022 Advising and Registration (see above)
• Now - Winter 2022 Registration
• Nov 10 (tomorrow) - deadline to drop an individual class with a "W"
• Nov 17, 4:30pm - online discussion of novel Miracle Creek with author Angie Kim (see above)
• Nov 25-26 - Thanksgiving Break, no classes
• Dec 2, 4pm - online Humanities Forum lecture "A Lord, A Pauper, and an Artist: Putting People Back Into Samurai History" with Dr. Vaporis

[thumbnail image description: A photograph taken at night of a river running through a crowded urban area. A stone bridge crosses the river near the top of the photograph. Several large, colorful lanterns on barges, in the shape of fairy tale characters such as a knight, Peter Pan, and others, glow warmly as they float on barges down the river.]

When I started my undergraduate studies at UMBC, I was pursuing a degree in the Computer Science track. It seemed like a good career option and fit with the ideas and aspirations I had for myself at the time. I had always loved English and writing, but I never considered studying it until after a full year of realization that Computer Science wasn’t meant for me.

At the beginning of my sophomore year, I changed tracks completely to pursue dual degrees in English and Psychology, even though I still wasn’t sure that those subjects were what I really wanted to study. It wasn’t until my second semester that year, when I took my first class in medieval literature, that I truly started to become passionate about my English degree. From classes on the poetry of World War I and William Blake, to seminars focused on the portrayal of food in medieval literature, I found myself exposed to a breadth of different subjects and works from all sorts of authors and time periods.

The professors I met here continuously encouraged me to advance my abilities and research into topics of my choice. I took a number of classes with Dr. McKinley, and her encouragement helped me to pursue topics I found interesting, providing me with insights and guidance along the way. The enthusiasm she and all the other professors showed for their subjects meant they kept themselves open to discussions both in and outside of class and provided the utmost support to the students studying with them. Now, I work for the federal government, utilizing the critical thinking and writing skills I gained in pursuit of my Bachelor’s degrees every day. Working at our headquarters office means handling a fast-paced and ever-changing environment, as we assist with the administrative tasks that allow for our nationwide offices to continue their own work in support of our mission. While I do sorely miss my time at UMBC with
the English department, my hope is to continue in this line of work and eventually pursue a graduate degree. Whether I stay with my current job or decide to change tracks again, I hope to carry the passion nurtured here with me along the way.

The Library of Congress is seeking applicants for its next Junior Fellows Summer Internship Program, which will run from May 23, 2022, to July 29, 2022. This 10-week paid internship is open to undergraduate and graduate students interested in learning and conducting research at the largest library in the world. For the third year in a row, the internship will be conducted virtually. 

The deadline to apply is Monday, Nov. 8, 2021. 

For three decades, students have completed projects that explore Library collections and make collections more accessible. The 2022 Junior Fellows program is supported by an investment from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Of the People: Widening the Path is a multiyear initiative to connect more deeply with Black, Hispanic, Indigenous and communities of color by expanding collections, using technology to enable storytelling, and offering more internship and fellowship opportunities. Of the People: Widening the Path creates new opportunities for more people to engage with the Library, thus allowing the Library to share a more inclusive American story. The Junior Fellows portion of the initiative funds paid internships and fellowships to benefit from the wisdom of students, engage the next generation of diverse librarians, and create a range of digital engagements to connect with underserved communities and institutions.

This year’s Junior Fellows Program projects show strong alignment to the new Library initiative. These projects include cultural, scientific and digital projects that enhance access and engagement with the collections such as: Mapping the Stories: The Legacy of Daniel A.P. Murray; Allillanchu! Andean Stories; Mapping Historical Demographics: Race and Inequality; Online Exhibit Curation: American Archive of Public Broadcasting; and Content Development: Library of Congress Youth Center.

All of the proposed projects provide invaluable opportunities for interns to engage with the Library’s resources, interpret collections and share their findings with audiences through a wide variety of virtual channels. The Library anticipates hiring 46 interns for 27 projects. The project names for are listed below. For full project descriptions and a list of required skills and knowledge for each project, applicants must review the information at: https://www.loc.gov/item/internships/junior-fellows-program/ prior to applying.  Questions about the program or projects may be sent to juniorfellows@loc.gov.

The Library of Congress is an equal-opportunity employer. Women, minorities and persons with disabilities who meet eligibility requirements are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.