Autumn 2020
- _ imw6@uw.edu
- Nov 15, 2021
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 8, 2022
Autumn 2020 in 3 words: hectic, sustaining, endeavoring
During Autumn 2020, I found myself trying to keep very busy and working hard to contribute to several different RSOs in order to maintain some social connections outside of my immediate pandemic bubble. While adjusting to another entirely online quarter was difficult, and I really missed the freedom of campus, I still found that it was a very interesting and successful quarter in terms of academics. I thought that my Data, Science, and Diplomacy class was super informative in terms of possible diplomacy career paths; as well as for the practical diplomacy simulation final project.
Classes: Culture, Politics and Society in France from the Religious Wars to the Revolution, US-Latin America Relations, and Data, Science, and Diplomacy
Artifacts
Translation and Annotation of The Political Testament of Jean Baptiste de Colbert from my French history class
This particular assignment asked us to choose a text that we'd read in the course, or that related to course themes, and translate then annotate it. In class, we learned a lot about the development of the French economy through mercantilism, so I chose to annotate Jean-Baptise Colbert's text. In conducting more research into Colbert, I learned about how, while today, the French government has monumentalized him in a very positive light, he in fact played a very significant role in the expansion of French colonialism and the development of systemic racism in 'French' colonies. During my perusal of academic sources on Colbert's economic policies, I also found that a lot of them ceased to mention the racist and colonial legacy behind his policies. Overall, this assignment was important to me in terms of understanding the monumentalization of French historical figures, and how to approach the study of these figures with a critical eye and look for silences in academic sources.
From this assignment, I also learned how difficult translation can be, and how so much of it depends on the translator's unique interpretations and experiences. I think I underestimated how challenging this aspect of the assignment would be.
This assignment also influenced my choice of research project in Summer 2021, where I examined in further depth a figure who French government has monumentalized but whose continued monumentalization/celebration directly erases Black history and contributions throughout the Francophone world.
Wellness Weekly Podcast Episodes
This quarter, I had so much fun recording a podcast called Wellness Weekly with my co-host, Norah. At first, I had a harder time talking about mental health on-air, because it is still a more taboo subject. After a few episodes, I eased into it, and I found that I received positive reactions from listeners. Because the pandemic has caused or exacerbated mental health challenges for many people, this work felt very needed. We talked a lot about the stigmatization of emotions, coping skills for quarantine, and invited guests, including a UW therapist, other students, and some professors, onto the podcast.
Overall, I also found recording the episodes to be therapeutic in and of itself, as I'm a verbal processor, and I found that they allowed me some valuable reflection time.
Data, Science, and Diplomacy Essay
I wrote this essay on the negotiations surrounding the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam for my Data, Science, and Diplomacy course. I enjoyed this class for how relevant to current events it was. Aaron Salzberg, a former water rights negotiator, gave many guest lectures to our class, which intrigued me and made me consider this career path. I thought that our final project, which was a simulation of a diplomatic briefing on the GERD, was super interesting to be a part of, and allowed me to better understand the components of a diplomacy career.
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