Author Archives: Liv Raddatz

Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar (HART 316)

Instructors: Prof. Monique Scott & Prof. Sylvia Houghteling

Course Description:

This course provides students a forum in which to ground, frame and discuss their hands-on work in museums, galleries, archives or collections. Whether students have arranged an internship at a local institution or want to pursue one in the Bryn Mawr College Special Collections, this course provides a framework for these endeavors, coupling praxis with theory supported by readings from the discipline of Museum Studies. The course will culminate in a final poster presentation, an opportunity to reflect critically on the internship experience. Prior to taking the course, students will develop a Praxis Learning Plan through the Career and Civic Engagement Center. All students will share a set syllabus, common learning objectives and readings, but will also be able to tailor those objectives to the specific museum setting or Special Collections project in which they are involved.

Common Learning Objectives:

To connect Museum Studies theory and practice
To connect internships in museum, archives or galleries to your individual interests and career goals
To gain knowledge about some of the fundamentals of Museum Studies—including the history of museums, the role of museum in society, current trends in museums, museum ethics and about the variety of museum professions

Amelia Stieglitz, Anthropology, BMC ‘22

Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar

Faculty Advisor: Sylvia Houghteling & Monique Scott

Field Site: Arch Street Project – Rutgers University – Camden

Field Supervisor: Kimberlee Moran

Praxis Poster:

Amelia Stieglit_ Final Poster

Further Context:

For my praxis course, Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar, I had the opportunity to work with the Arch Street Project. The Arch Street Project started in late 2016/early 2017 after human remains started turning up at a construction site at 218 Arch Street in Philadelphia. The medical examiners office was contacted anonymously by a worker who was concerned about continuing work with the presence of human remains. It was determined that the remains were archaeological in nature, as opposed to modern forensic remains, belonging to a burial ground associated with the First Baptist Church of Philadelphia from 1702 to 1859.

Salvage excavations soon took place to recover the remains and to continue with construction. Coffins with remains in them were taken to TCNJ, where internal excavations took place. The commingled or fragmentary remains, many of which were harmed by construction equipment, went to Rutgers University – Camden under the supervision of Kimberlee Moran, a professor and forensic archaeologists.

Every week on Wednesday’s and Friday’s, I went to Camden to accession the remains. The process of accessioning includes entering necessary information into a data base. Information includes the particular bone type, its completeness, the sex, the age, the ancestry, and any pathologies. Lastly, as the remains will be reburied, a quality photo is needed. Accessioning all the remains in this population allows for researchers to access data quickly and easily.

Working with human remains comes with many ethical problems, because in many cases, consent was not given. It is, therefore, imperative that the utmost respect is taken when handling the remains. These ethical problems led me to think about many questions relating to how I can honor these people in my work and why it is important that they be studied in the first place.

Yi Ren, History Of Art, BMC ‘23

Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar

Faculty Advisor: Sylvia Houghteling & Monique Scott

Field Site: The San Francisco Asian Art Museum

Field Supervisor: Clothilde Schmidt O’Hare

Praxis Poster:

Yi Ren_Final Poster

Further Context:

Thank you for the great opportunity to participate in the Museum Fieldwork Seminar partnered with the San Francisco Asian Art Museum. The immersive internship in the Marketing and Communication team helped me get a clear vision on a career in museum institutions. At the beginning, I worked in the Museum database called DAMS to get information to write instagram stories about Exhibition Weaving Stories, which presents vibrant textiles from across Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia revealing stories as varied as the region’s hundreds of weaving traditions and as universal as cloth. Later I moved to work on TikTok marketing research and presentation in which I collected thousands of real TikTok performance data, including the Rijksmuseum, Sacramento History Museum, Museum of Neon Art, the Metropolitan Museum, the Barnes Foundation etc. and analyzed the data to find practical ways to make TikTok accounts successful. There are multiple essential elements for running TikTok which involve the content of videos, the length of videos, the funding or sponsorship and so on. I learned to analyze and visualize data and make qualitative reports on my research. The skill sets developed in the remote internship are valuable in real workplaces, and it’s very different from studying in classes. I hope to do more internships in the field next semester!

Sofia Mondragon, History Of Art, BMC ‘22

Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar

Faculty Advisor: Sylvia Houghteling & Monique Scott

Field Site: Bryn Mawr College Special Collections

Field Supervisor: Marianne Weldon

Praxis Poster:

Sofia Mondragon_Final Poster_Revised

Further Context and Supplementary Booklet:

The Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar is a Bryn Mawr College PRAXIS class that is made up of an internship at a field site and a lecture class. The field site I worked at was Bryn Mawr College’s Special Collections where I conducted independent research on the MacGaffey Collection. The MacGaffey Collection was donated to Bryn Mawr College in January 2022 and is comprised of ethnographic photographs, 12 Congolese ceramics, and one article describing the
ceramics. The ceramics, which I was researching, are mostly water pitchers, were collected by
Wyatt MacGaffey (Professor of Emiratis, Haverford College) and Janet MacGaffey (Ph.D. 1981,
Bryn Mawr College) from 1965 to 1970. I cataloged, photographed, researched, and rehoused
the objects. My comparanda research has yielded important insight into the vessel shapes, secondary usage, and the engraved motifs.

Sofia Supplementary Booklet_compressed

Joy Kruse, Anthropology, BMC ‘23

Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar

Faculty Advisor: Sylvia Houghteling & Monique Scott

Field Site: Penn Museum

Field Supervisor: Katy Blanchard

Praxis Poster:

Joy Kruse_Final Poster

Further Context:

I spent this spring exploring the shelves of the Near Eastern Collections of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. Through the Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar and under the mentorship of the collections’ Keeper, Katherine Blanchard, I worked to further develop my collections management skills and contribute to a large-scale project processing objects from the site of Beth Shean, Israel.

Julie Knoepfler, Anthropology, BMC ‘24

Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar

Faculty Advisor: Sylvia Houghteling & Monique Scott

Field Site: Penn Museum

Field Supervisor: Katy Blanchard

Praxis Poster:

Julie Knoepfler_Final Poster

Further Context:

For my internship at the Penn Museum, my primary task was to inventory, photograph, label, bag, and put away material from the archaeological site of Beth Shean. Along the way I also got to label and box cuneiform tablets, make boxes for the larger tablets, and put away and pull objects for researchers. Besides learning how to properly do all of my assigned tasks I also learned a lot from handling the objects. Katy was able to give me many insights into how ancient life in Beth Shean was like.

On this poster, I have broken down my favorite objects, that I’ve worked with, into categories to showcase the broad connections I’ve made between them. The first category is Water and Agriculture. One of the objects is a pipe to transport water, from Beth Shean. In class, I had previously learned about the complex irrigation systems implemented by various Western Asian empires/rulers. Being able to hold this object in my hands showcased to me the massive and extensive nature of this system of moving the flow of water. The second object, the strainer, was used for beer making. Katy informed me that reeds were used in Mesopotamia to drink beer, under the floating hops. However, reeds didn’t grow in the Levant, so strainers were used. It was interesting how the movement of water via a strainer was also being controlled, and was largely shaped by the environment and agriculture, but on a much smaller scale. The second section of the poster concerns writing. Holding ancient tablets in my hands that were potentially letters, legal documents, or accounting lists was fascinating. I was holding a piece of written history in my hands. As for the tile fragments from Rayy, in Iran, they contain Arabic writing. Katy informed me that it was likely for religious purposes. It was fascinating to contrast two entirely different languages and usages for language. However, both kinds of objects were ultimately created to communicate a narrative. The third poster section is Brick Impressions. These impressions emphasized to me how the identity of the person/animal who left this impression will likely never be known but they have still made both a literal and more symbolic impression which has been preserved. The last section of objects contains ceramic objects. I like to think of these objects as illustrating a kind of “life cycle” of a ceramic piece. The first object showcases how ceramics were made, with a stand used for baking each piece in a kiln. The second kind of object, the broken sherds containing holes, illustrate how an ancient person would’ve likely fixed a broken piece, using wire through the holes. These objects teach us both about the ceramic pieces’ original creation and what happens when they eventually break.

Finally, I highlight the trip that Katy took Joy and I on to New York City to visit The Met and ISAW on the poster. On the trip we learned about different museum careers and got to learn about both curation and renovation of galleries, in various contexts. It was also interesting how much the “everyday” was emphasized on the trip. At ISAW, along with wall paintings of great heroes like Hercules and Achilles, there were depictions of common people going about their lives. At the Met, along with statues of great rulers, such as Gudea, and reliefs and prominent statues from palaces, there were also various examples of everyday items. Ultimately, both my internship at the Penn Museum and trip to New York, has made me appreciate the more everyday objects I have been able to work with and learn from. Classes I have taken, in the past, were focused more on the big picture. We learned about kings, empires, and large-scale military conquest. We also studied the corresponding objects: reliefs and steles, palaces, and ziggurats. “Common” people, in the ancient world, were often not emphasized in the classes I’ve taken previously, yet at the museum their everyday objects were key to my learning experience.

Cate Farrell, Growth and Structure of Cities, BMC ‘22

Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar

Faculty Advisor: Sylvia Houghteling & Monique Scott

Field Site: The San Francisco Asian Art Museum

Field Supervisor: Sarah Lidwell

Praxis Poster:

Cate Farrell_Final Poster

Urban Projects (CITY350)

Instructors: Jennifer Hurley & Gary McDonogh

Course Description:

This course put groups of advanced students working with professors to work with local
groups around concrete projects in planning and renewal. Class sessions provided
background reading as well as evaluation of tools and experiences.

Learning Goals:

Use skills you have learned in Cities and other courses to work on an applied research
project on behalf of a community partner
Develop your abilities at communicating research products, both in oral and written form,
as well as the ability to assess your own work and improve it by revision
Become part of a community of learners who support, encourage and learn from one
another.
Learn what your skills and strengths are and how to use those strengths to help your
project team function effectively.

Community Partner Projects for Spring 2022

Iglesias Gardens – Studying the Conversion of Community Garden Space in Point Breeze
Philadelphia City Planning Commission – Trip Generation Tool Development
Historic Germantown & Friends for the Y – Community Organizing & Historic Preservation

Politics, Policy and Power Praxis Fieldwork Seminar (POLS B420)

Instructor: Marissa Golden

Course Description:

This course supported students while they engaged in Praxis fieldwork in organizations that focus on politics, elections and/or public policy. In addition to the 8-10 hours spent at their fieldwork placements, students met for one hour weekly in a Praxis seminar with the instructor and other Praxis students. These seminar meetings provided students with an opportunity to reflect together about their experiences in the field and to helped connect those experiences to political science theory and to academic readings about American politics, policy, and elections.

Clara Chamorro, Anthropology, BMC ‘22

Museum Studies Fieldwork Seminar

Faculty Advisor: Sylvia Houghteling & Monique Scott

Field Site: Arch Street Project, Rutgers University-Camden

Field Supervisor: Kimberlee Moran

Praxis Poster:

Clara Chamorro_Final Praxis Poster

Further Context:

In the past few years there has been a reckoning in the museum field surrounding museum collections of human skeletal remains. Many of these collections were collected at a time when practices that we would consider highly unethical today were the norm. Although the Arch Street Project isn’t a permanent collection of human remains, working with Kim and the Arch Street Project’s human skeletal remains at Rutgers Camden has allowed me to start engaging with questions and understanding practices that are applicable to archaeological projects as well as museum collections. Through my work with the Arch Street Project, I have been able to learn about proper protocols for handling and storing human remains. One of the main things that it is important to remember in this work is that you are a custodian of these remains. Kim was legally entrusted with care of the remains until they are reburied in 2023 and as someone working in her lab I am also held to the same standards of care and respect for the personhood of these individuals.

Something I’ve learned that I wasn’t initially expecting to be how to communicate with everyday people about this kind of work. For most it isn’t immediately apparent what can be learned about the past or about someone from looking at human skeletal remains. Explaining the intricacies of this work takes skill and I am really glad that I was able to start developing this skill through conversations with my classmates and other peers who I told about my internship.

Elizabeth Zhao, Sociology, BMC ‘22

Social Justice and Social Change Praxis Fieldwork Seminar

Faculty Advisor: David Karen

Field Site: Community Action Development Corporation (CADCOM)

Field Supervisor: Debbie Soto-Vega

Praxis Poster:

Elizabeth Zhao_Final Poster

Further Context:

For my Praxis seminar, I volunteered at CADCOM’s Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program providing free tax prep to low-income Norristown residents. I also co-coordinated the Bryn Mawr side of the program. My typical day at CADCOM would look like driving myself and the volunteers in a school van to the site, preparing tax returns, answering volunteer questions, and helping clients drop off and pick up returns. At Bryn Mawr, I would collaborate with my student co-coordinators and supervisor to improve the program—planning pop-ups, team-building events, and receiving and incorporating feedback from volunteers.

As a sociology major, I spend a lot of time learning about the ways societal structures disproportionately disadvantage and harm people. My Praxis semester at CADCOM gave me the opportunity to do something about it and reflect meaningfully on my work.

I started this semester unsure of how doing taxes could count as social justice. What social change is coming out of opening TaxSlayerPro? When TurboTax spends millions lobbying against making tax prep accessible, is free tax prep “enough?” Maybe not, but it is necessary, and I can print 1040s and work towards making it unnecessary in the meantime.

Mahima Silwal, Economics, BMC ‘22

Social Justice and Social Change Praxis Fieldwork Seminar

Faculty Advisor: David Karen

Field Site: Four Walls Interior Design

Field Supervisor: Soné Ehabé

Praxis Poster:

Mahima Silwal Final Poster 4.26.22

Further Context:

I am so grateful to have been able to take part in David Karen’s praxis seminar on Social Justice and Social Change. For my fieldwork, I supported 4Walls Interior Design with their social media and brand strategy. I met Soné Ehabe, Principal Designer and Founder of 4Walls Interior Design because I was invited to participate in the interior design committee for the new Student Life and Wellness Building. In particular, I was motivated to reach out to Soné about the possibility of joining 4Walls as part of my praxis fieldwork because I wanted to explore the interactions between design and creating truly inclusive spaces. So many of the initial conversations, ideas, and stylistic choices that came out of the interior design committee pushed me to think critically about the spaces I experience daily. Who designs the spaces I experience? What are the intended or unintended consequences of the identity of who creates, designs, and decides the elements of a space? Why is it important to be intentional about creating spaces that ALL people feel welcome? What are the historical and sociological theories and perspectives that explore the intersection of urban design, social justice, and advocacy work?

This semester, I enjoyed spending time learning more about the history, mission, and motivations of 4Walls. It was essential for me to under the brand’s values and mission to orient and guide social media strategy across channels. For my fieldwork, I conducted background research on client sites and artist partners. I found it particularly rewarding to learn more about how intentional Soné is about acknowledging and incorporating the history of a space when creating interior design plans, as well as partnering with women and people of color and local Philly based artists. My favorite thing about my work building out a content calendar with weekly themes, outlining categories for Instagram highlights, and collaborating on copy was seeing the intentionality behind Soné’s choices at every stage of a process. From the clients she works with, the materials she uses, the partners she leverages, and the stories she tells with her designs, I have learned a lot about the connection between design and creating inclusive spaces. Above all, my biggest takeaway from my praxis experience is that I have complete agency to create opportunities to do meaningful social justice work through my skills and passion for digital work.

Amelia McDonnell, Psychology, BMC ‘22

Social Justice and Social Change Praxis Fieldwork Seminar

Faculty Advisor: David Karen

Field Site: Philadelphia Health Management Corporation

Field Supervisor: Megan Richardson

Praxis Poster:

Amelia McDonnell_Final Poster

Further Context:

How can statistics be utilized to be a “science of social justice”? This semester, I sought on a path to investigate this question within the Public Health Management Corporation, based in Philadelphia, PA. More specifically, I worked with the Division of Teaching & Learning within the Research and Evaluation Group, who view education inequality as a public health issue. In this position, I assisted in both evaluation and research for projects centered on improving preschool through postsecondary education. I built firsthand experience of how evaluation of initiatives through qualitative and quantitative data serves a crucial role in advancing social justice. This social progress is achieved through their recommendations to practitioners and policymakers. Moreso, I learned the importance of viewing community building as a process not a project, which requires a focus on helping create the conditions that make social change more likely to take place.

Amirah Hewitt, Mathematics, BMC ‘22

Social Justice and Social Change Praxis Fieldwork Seminar

Faculty Advisor: David Karen

Field Site: FringeArts

Field Supervisor: Zoe McNichols

Praxis Poster:

Amirah Hewitt_Final Poster

Further Context:

My name is Amirah (she/her), a Mathematics senior interning at FringeArts.

What is FringeArts? FringeArts is a contemporary arts organization dedicated to artistic, cultural, and community development through innovative showcases featuring comedy, theater, cirque, and other forms and through engaging, enriching spaces.

What did I do? Work at FringeArts consisted of both administrative and project-based tasks. At my self-scheduled hours during the week, I would start my digital work day going between these tasks whether it was reading relevant research and articles for curatorial and artistic research or corresponding via email to arrange housing and travel for incoming artists.

What did I learn? Learning and work at my placement felt like an intertwined, integral process. Being new to this space and this work, I understood there was much learning to do but, because my placement’s supervisor encouraged and structured this learning into our experiences working (and learning) together, I felt better equipped to engage with newness and complexity, take on challenges, and approach them with curiosity, compassion, and confidence.

Connections to Praxis? Being a part of the Social Justice and Social Change Praxis, my Praxis placement was a site of organizational work where I was able to contribute to social justice and change while, my Praxis course, with its readings, reflections, and discussions, was a site of learning work where I could engage with social justice and change. Because I had these two spaces simultaneously and symbiotically, I had opportunities to create connections between my placement and my coursework that grew my understanding and practices in truly unique, valuable ways.

Ani Dixit, Biology, BMC ‘22

Social Justice and Social Change Praxis Fieldwork Seminar

Faculty Advisor: David Karen

Field Site: Nationalities Services Center

Field Supervisor: Brianna Andrews

Praxis Poster:

Ani Dixit_Final Poster

Further Context:

“We are the ones we have been waiting for. We are the change that we seek”- Former President Barack Obama

To direct my anthropological and sociological exploration, as well as further my skills to be a more effective social advocate, I participated in the fieldwork seminar Social Justice and Social Change interning with the Survivors’ Services (SS) under the Refugee Community Integration department/Refugee resettlement program in the Nationalities Service Center (NCS) of Philadelphia. I worked with the Anti-Human Trafficking Team (AHT). I have gained a much deeper understanding of the complexities that exist within public benefits, advocacy work, resource allocation, and how small tasks can be the first steps into larger social change.

Under guidance of AHT case manager Bianca Taipe, I worked directly with 7 clients who had undergone human trafficking and indirectly with 15 clients under the umbrella of Survivor Services.

Support Groups

I helped to create, lead, and facilitate 5 different support groups for the 7 Hindi-speaking refugees. Prior to my involvement, there had not been an organized support for this group of refugees as many were pre-literate and could only speak Hindi. As a Hindi-speaking language advocate I ensured that the refugees were getting full access to all of the resources NSC has to offer.

The first support group I facilitated was entitled “Navigating Challenging Emotions” wherein we discussed the horrifying experiences and traumatic emotions that arise from human-trafficking. We used trauma-informed care and deployed strategies to avoid re-traumatization. We also discussed mental health resources, and used an open forum to talk about challenges with adjusting to living in the U.S. We further reviewed self-kindness practices, and worked on recognizing individual strengths. I helped to create content, as well as materials for the support group including flyers in both English and Hindi that were sent to clients. I further sent messages and placed calls to the refugees, ensured PowerPoints were accessible, and acted as a second translator during the support group meetings to facilitate communication.

The second support group explored how to use the public transport in Philadelphia (buses, trolley, train line), and what landmarks and cultural sites they can visit. The third support group encompassed a presentation to familiarize them with their interpretation rights and a workshop on how to ask for an interpreter when going outside of the NSC for an appointment (including going to a hospital for mental or physical health care, pharmacies, or visa offices).

The fourth support group assisted with learning about the DMV and how to obtain a driver’s license. The final support group was a feedback meeting without any case managers present to hold an open forum wherein refugees provided feedback on programs that worked well within the NSC, and what could be improved to best assist them in their journey without fear of retaliation.

Client Accompaniment and Advocacy

When possible, I accompanied clients to appointments and tasks including going to doctor’s appointments, pharmacies for COVID vaccines, to stores to get phone plans in the role of an advocate to assist with questions about the process and mitigate any challenges. When I was unable to physically join the refugees to their appointments due to my own class and work schedule, I helped by preemptively creating maps and directions (in English and Hindi) to ensure that they could make it to the new location. Additionally, I created and provided them with a template on how to ask for an interpreter when they reach their destination.

Resource Compilation

I indirectly assisted many clients of Survivor Services through local resource accumulation such as collecting information on all the nearby places in Philadelphia that serve hot, fresh, nutritious meals. This was especially useful for a client with medical problems who also benefited greatly by my calling to ensure the client was eligible for the services that were available. Additionally, I assisted clients with their driver’s license test. I also provided information on nearest nursing programs, and libraries that are walking distance from the client’s home.

Connection to Class

Class fieldwork allowed me to implement ideas of frameworks of structures within society, how one can fit within that structure in order to lead social change, and understand/avoid potential power dynamics. Through my personal academic readings, I found a study which reviewed services for sexual assault survivors in Texas published in 2022. They found that the best ways to ensure that victims have the best experience with services and recovery is to ensure that there are no limitations on times of service, consistent trauma-informed practices, nearby service locations, and plentiful information provided to survivors. In order to ensure there are no gaps in my work with the AHT clients, I made an effort to ensure that support groups sessions were held on times that were easy for them to take part in such as during lunch hours, on days off from work or, in the evenings from 6-7pm after office hours when they are back at home. Moreover, I completed all trauma-informed care trainings and avoided retraumatization. I provided multi-pronged assistance, by meeting in-person at the NSC office, went to the refugees’ homes for accompaniment, and also held support groups online so they can join from any location. Further, I made sure to make NSC programs available in their native tongue and frequently called to check in.

Acknowledgements

Praxis has been a phenomenal journey for me. I am exceptionally grateful that I have been able to participate in it. It gave me a special and deeply important opportunity to apply the theoretical frameworks accumulated through years of study at Bryn Mawr College to practically impacting lives of humans deeply affected by traumatic experiences– Linking words in a book to direct action and constructive change. This experience could not have been possible without the guidance, direction, and support of Nell Anderson & Dr. David Karen at Bryn Mawr College and Brianna Andrews & Bianca Taipe at the Nationalities Service Center. Thank you all so much.

Article:

Kellison, B., Sookram, S.B., Camp, V., Sulley, C., Susswein, M., McCarty-Harris, Y., Dragoon, S., Kammer-Kerwick, M., & Busch-Armendariz, N. (2022). Voices of Texas sexual assault survivors : Services, gaps, and recovery journeys. Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, The University of Texas at Austin.

What is Praxis?

Praxis is an experiential, community-based learning program that integrates theory and practice through student engagement in active, relevant fieldwork that is integrated into academic courses.

There are three types of Praxis courses, which require increasing amounts of fieldwork but do not need to be taken successively.

Praxis I and II

Praxis I and Praxis II courses are offered within a variety of academic departments and are developed by faculty in those departments.

Praxis Independent Study

Praxis Independent Study courses are developed by individual students, in collaboration with faculty and field supervisors.

Students may enroll in more than one Praxis course at a time and are sometimes able to use the same field placement to meet the requirements of both courses.

Praxis Fieldwork Seminars

Praxis Fieldwork Seminars bring students working at independent but related field sites together to meet with a single faculty advisor.

For more information about Bryn Mawr College’s Praxis program, please visit our website.