Historiological Notes

Text and communication

I have not told you about the course I am attending on my research Wednesdays. It is at the Department of Linguistics and Scandinavian Studies, and is called Text and Communication (NOR2140 Tekst og kommunikasjon 1). It is a joint course for bachelor and master students and the level of discussion is quite high.

There were three reasons for taking this course. Firstly, I wanted to do something on society and linguistics or textual analysis; secondly, it was scheduled for Wednesdays… and thirdly, one of the lecturers is Professor Johan L Tønnesson who has worked on textual analysis of historiographical texts.

Now that the course has started, I am pleased to get a linguistic perspective on discourse analysis as I already have worked on discursive analysis in philosophy and historiography. The link between texts and communication seems interesting from any interpretative discipline’s point of view.

Last week, we discussed the concept ‘communication’ (very interesting three hours) and this week we did some Wittgenstein and Searle. I have worked on Wittgenstein earlier, but I cannot remember having read anything by Searle. We are reading Searle’s «A taxonomy of illocutionary acts» from Expression and meaning (1979). I have not finished it yet, but I enjoy the discussion he is making. I started a course last year (before I started work) in the philosophy department were we read Austin's How to do things with words. This is the "sequel". It is nice to know the background as it helps my reading.

O Joy!

Research Wednesdays are fantastic. This is the second week and I feel this was a brilliant idea. And it is perfect being Wednesdays. As it is, it feel as I only have two working days a week before it is weekend. Being a student is as good as having the day of.

When I teach, I am usually at school for 7.45am to prepare for the first lesson at 8.15am. Today I arrived at the university a bit later than nine and I felt wonderful as the library does not start to fill up until after ten. That is, by sleeping an extra hour I was one of the early birds at the university. It gave a wonderful feeling of being a good student. Then I enjoyed a tea break when I felt like it; not when the bell calls for one. In the afternoon, the lecture was very inspiring and even though it lasted for three times 45 minutes, it was not as exhausting as having control of an art class.

I got a new student card/ matriculation card today, so now I am officially a student. I look awful on the picture, still I feel quite good about it. It is my card to freedom; archive access, cheep gym, theatre discounts, cheep meals and most important, my symbol of my life with my research and not my pupils.

I am happy I can appreciate the joy of being a student - though it is only part-time - again. Student life is even better when one has tasted working life.

Good intentions lost?

I was asked the other day if I had read any biography lately and I must have looked quite surprised by the question. I was then reminded that I had stated in my new year resolutions that I was going to read biography this year. I had sort of forgotten about this and I decided to have look at my resolutions again.

1. Get a proper job.

- I have not worked on that one yet, but I have at least been able to make my working situation better.

2. Try to get an academic article published.

- I was so lucky to be asked to become a writing partner, but after that I have not done much. However, I have got my research Wednesdays and I hope they can be used for article writing too.

3. Write faithfully on Historiological Notes.

- Well. I started out with good intentions. I can now see that a week has gone by without a post.

4. Redesign Historiological Notes.

- Nothing yet.

5. Get enough sleep. - I have tried, but I still find it har to find the time.

6. Read more biography.

- I have one on Dorothy L. Sayers and one on A. J P. Taylor on my desk. I just need to start them.

7. Write more.

- I have done some writing, but not as much as hoped.

8. Get a holiday.

- Nothing yet.

9. Be more adventurous.

- ...

10. Eat less chocolate and exercise more.

-I have been stressed at work, so I have eaten chocolate. However, I have bought a yoga mat and used it. I feel half a metre of snow is a good excuse for not going for a run...

Perhaps three weeks are a bit too early to revise the new year resolutions, but I know that if I had not been reminded of my intention to read more biography, I would have forgotten about it.

Geometry Calendar

I have always had an interest in paper - all structures and qualities - and together with my fascination for mathematics this has developed a growing interest in origami. This autumn I folded several geometrical shapes, amongst them a perfect dodecahedron and a rhombic dodecahedon. However, I had not thought of making a calendar of 12-sided figures. However, someone else has. (The top one is a cut out one, not an origami one, but the bottom one is).

How convenient...

When you are giving a class you do not feel you have prepared enough, your head hurts and your class has a "Friday-it's-weekend" feeling, how convenient it is that the Ball committee need 15 minutes of your lesson to talk to your class...

Conceptual History as a mode of historical understanding

Being only half a research-Wednesday (I had to take four classes this morning) I only managed to make a quick draft on my new research proposal. I have thought around these ideas for a while, but it is something else putting it down on the computer.

I do not have anything like a title yet, but I want to develop a conceptual history as a general mode of historical understanding - that is a critical methodology that can be used on all aspects of history - and
a possible means of teaching history. I still only have an enormous quantity of strange uncombined ideas, but I am quite sure there is something good deep inside.

Does anyone know of anyone that has used conceptual history in teaching?  When it comes to philosophical ideas around conceptual history as a mode of understanding I believe I have some sort of overview, but I would love comments and ideas on that too.

The endless saw blade

On Monday I got an introductory tour of the wood works room and I was able to use the endless saw blade until I felt comfortable about using it on my own.

I have now used my skills in class, and I must say it is nice to learn new practical skills as well, not only the brain.

This week's story from school

During art classes we usually have the time for a chat while the pupils are working. This week pupils in two different classes asked me if I had any children. In both classes they were quite disappointed. However, in one of the classes I got a reason for the the disappointment.

- Now I will never mange to get a good mark in Art. All teachers like me if I make them tell me about their children. They seem to be quite taken by flattery about their children.

I must add that this was the same pupil who gave me a Christmas card with the greeting "From your favourite pupil"!

30 min on "things in history" from the 1990s

Tomorrow morning I am giving a 45 minutes lesson on Eastern Europe after the Second World War to my class of 15 year olds. I feel 45 minutes - that is approximately 30 minutes when taking in the need to calm down the class - is hardly anything on such a large topic. The text book has decided to emphasis ethnic conflicts, so i might go for that. I am talking without a manuscript as I probably would have too much to say anyway and it is better that I just remember the essentials.

I find it a bit strange to talk to people that do not remember there was such a thing as Easter Europe. They are born in 1990, so Gorbachev and the Berlin Wall are just "things in history". The text book is from 1999 and has not yet managed to get a distance to the dissolvement of Yugoslavia. All of this is so strange as I remember it so well.

Reading

I always forget how hard it is to start reading after a holiday. Now I have not read many academic texts for the last months and I fond myself to be a slow reader. However, it was very interesting to being more up-to-date with what is going on in the world of historiography.

Another note: I cannot understand how I could forget that reading one article gives a list of at least five other articles/books one should read. Thus it is quite quick to be in the discussion again (... and feel guilty about everything one has not read.)