Book Chapter Excerpt

Beyond Territorial Disputes: Toward a “Disciplined Interdisciplinarity” in the Digital Humanities

Excerpt: Rhetoric and the Digital Humanities. Ed. Jim Ridolfo and Bill Hart-Davidson. 2015.

Abstract: This chapter suggests the digital humanities is uniquely positioned to serve what Charles Bazerman calls "the disciplined interdisciplinarity of writing studies" (RTE, 2011), providing unprecedented access to multiple disciplines for answers our field's key questions about writing and writers. Identifies two DH approaches, insisting the most common one (DH as situation) is also the one least compatible with this objective; challenges rhetoric and composition to instead approach DH as a situation enabling Bazerman's disciplined interdisciplinary. Concludes with an extended treatment of their NEH ODH-funded project "Remixing Rural Texas" as a concrete example of the latter approach.

Keywords: disciplined interdisciplinarity, territory, postcolonialism, writing research

If we choose the path to disciplinarity of narrowing the acceptable data, method, or theory, we are in danger of misunderstanding or even distorting the processes, practices, and products of writing. Rather . . . we should choose a path that finds discipline in our questions and goals, allowing us to draw on the resources of many disciplines.

–Charles Bazerman, “The Disciplined Interdisciplinarity of Writing Studies”

A near constant media presence in recent years, the digital humanities seem poised to either save the humanities or destroy them, depending on your perspective. We would like to think a successful rescue is underway, yet we are far more concerned with our discipline’s contributions to those rescue efforts. In this chapter, we draw upon what Charles Bazerman calls the “disciplined interdisciplinarity of writing studies” to suggest we concern ourselves first with DH’s potential contributions to our field’s key questions and goals. What do we want to know, as a discipline? What do we want to teach, as a discipline? How might the DH help us reach these goals?

In his recent retrospective, Bazerman argues “we should choose a path that finds discipline in our questions and goals, allowing us to draw on the resources of many disciplines.” We suggest the digital humanities offers rhetoric and composition rich avenues through which to “draw on the resources of many disciplines” to answer our field’s key questions about writing and writers. However not every approach to the DH is equally compatible with these goals.

Where DH is framed as a territory to be colonized, for example, our discipline’s contributions to DH seem limited, as are DH’s potential contributions to our own disciplinary goals. Instead of making new knowledge in our field, approaching DH in this way lends itself to territorial disputes, as we draw boundaries around what we claim as rhetoric and composition’s key concerns and everything else. To determine citizenship and map territory, we are forced to look inward rather than forward, feeling compelled to stake our claim over questions increasingly present across the digital humanities, arguing we were here first and that this is nothing new. Instead, we suggest we might more productively draw from our strengths, the key questions that align us as a discipline, asking what other disciplines and resources might have to offer us in our attempts to understand and communicate how writing works. For us, this very “disciplined interdisciplinarity” is the promise of the digital humanities.

We begin by acknowledging the significant ways the territory identified in recent years by digital humanists as “uncharted” (Rowe 2012) has, indeed, been inhabited by generations of rhetoric and compositionists, especially those in computers and writing. Next we read these tensions emerging from territorial disputes through a lens provided by Bazerman’s disciplined interdiciplinarity (hereafter “DI”). We suggest that metaphors more compatible with this approach are DH as situation (Alvarado) and instrument. To illustrate, we conclude with an extended treatment of this concept through the concrete example of our current interdisciplinary project “Remixing Rural Texas: Local Texts, Global Contexts,” funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Office of Digital Humanities.

Part I: DH as Territory

I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. . . . [I]t is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves or figments of their imagination, indeed, everything and anything except me.” –Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

Digital humanists often present the “territory” of the digital humanities as “uncharted” (Rowe 2012) or, at the very least, an isolated frontier recently populated by small settlements brought together under the “big tent” (Davidson 2013 , Kirschenbaum 2010, Pannapacker 2011) clearly identified with the markings that represent the “right kind” of digital humanist (HASTAC, for example). Yet much of the territory claimed by digital humanists was inhabited by rhetoric and composition long before DH arrived. In her contribution to the much-cited TechRhet listserv thread “Are you a digital humanist?” (April 2010), Cheryl Ball puts it this way: “We’re still the outliers there. And, yes, I relish a little in knowing that this field was DH before their ‘DH’ was ever born. And that we have a lot to offer. And that other fields are coming to realize that rhetoric is at the center of everything.”

This is a sample. If you’d like to read more, please contact Jen.

White Paper Example

The Changing Role of the Legal Secretary

Executive Summary

This white paper outlines the issues surrounding the changing roles of the traditional legal secretary and offers a definitive role-based solution that can be applied across the entire legal community, resulting in a more efficient and successful workforce that can be recruited across firms.

There is a need for law firms to come together to define the varying responsibilities of the legal secretary. Since 2004, advances in technology have affected these positions, resulting in a need for new definitions of specific functions. If the legal community can collectively define those roles, the result will be a more effective and successful workforce that firms can recruit with ease.

Because technology has impacted the way in which firms conduct business, there has been a breakdown across the industry in how legal secretaries perform work. In her article, “The Changing Role of Legal Support Staff,” Cynthia Thomas, Founder of PLMC & Associates, stated the following:

“Recent advancements in technology used by law firms have blurred the lines between legal assistants/paralegals and legal secretaries. What were once two separate and distinct positions now overlap, and both jobs have changed significantly.” (Thomas n.d.)

Quickly evolving technological advancements have created a shift in work culture, including the type of work secretaries do. Attorneys are able conduct much of their work without assistance, which leaves the secretarial team supporting more attorneys than ever. Further, the specific skill sets needed vary across firms, causing confusion and hiring problems during cross-recruiting.

The solution requires an understanding of the Traditional Legal Secretary (TLS) and the Legal Secretary of the Future (LSF). Whereas the former tends to be highly reliable with much more experience, the latter may be more highly educated and adaptable, and tends to commit to positions for only two to five years before moving on. This leaves hiring managers facing tough decisions during recruiting.

The solution proposed here is one that delineates specific roles based on skill sets of the secretarial force. Titles and roles include:

·         Legal Secretary

·         Legal Assistant

·         Legal Administrative Assistant

·         Pod Legal Secretary

·         Legal Word Processor

·         Workflow Coordinator

An industrywide standard agreement regarding the definitions of these roles will result in a more effective workforce with better skills, leading to the overall success of firms and their employees.

Introduction

The ratio of legal secretaries to attorneys has dramatically changed since 2004. The work load, however, has not changed. At first glance, it appears as if fewer secretaries are required to conduct business. However, based on my research, the real challenge is that technological advancements have had a major impact on the way attorneys conduct business; new applications and resources have given them more efficacy. Today, attorneys are more self-sufficient than ever and require less traditional skills from their legal secretaries. This has led to changes in the type of work required from legal secretaries and resulting in the need to define new roles.

In 2004, the average legal secretary to attorney ratio was one-to-one, and occasionally two attorneys to one legal secretary. In 2018, that ration has increased to four – five attorneys to one legal secretary. Why did this happen, and what does this mean for law firms and their hiring practices?

I began studying this topic in 2013 when a major Los Angeles law firm asked me to help them create solutions to the issues that were impacting company culture. There had been a shift in the way their associates and partners were conducting business, which had resulted in the need for fewer secretaries. Although the work load had shifted, there was still a need for the support of the secretarial team. Their legal secretaries were now paired with more attorneys than ever, and they wanted to discover a solution that would help them adapt to these changes.

TRADITIONAL LEGAL SECRETARY (TLS)

• A legal secretary with over 10+ years of experience working in a law firm or corporate legal department

• Someone who is most often reliable

• A person who is typically less technically savvy

• Often less open to change

LEGAL SECRETARY OF THE FUTURE (LSF)

• A person with his or her bachelor’s degree, as well as possibly a paralegal certificate

• Someone who will likely only commit to a position for 2-5 years before moving on to something else

• A person with exceptional technology skills and adaptability, but may require some training on follow through and being proactive

• It will be important to the LSF to be constantly evolving as the technology continues to evolve

Challenge

In 2013, a major Los Angles law firm asked me to help them facilitate solutions to help their legal secretaries adapt to the increased pairings with attorneys. This was important because the secretaries’ work was still in high demand as they are a major component to the firm’s success. I spent several months researching the specific changes they expected, how those changes would impact the type of work secretaries were expected to do, and how they would execute that work.

Throughout the project, I focused on listening and allowing them to offer feedback and suggest possible solutions. By stepping out of the way and allowing them to create their own solutions, they became more empowered around the changes impacting their careers, which led to less stress and anxiety. During change management, communication and training is key to the success of the firm; Team cultures thrive when people are informed, and companies are transparent.

Based on this initial research, I discovered that the biggest changes facing law firms today are:

 Technology has changed the way firms conduct business, and they are searching for solutions to help them and their employees adapt in a quickly moving economy.

 Technological advancements have given attorneys the ability to execute most of their own work, therefore requiring fewer “traditional legal secretary” roles.

This includes associates as well as leadership. For example, one managing partner of a boutique real estate firm in Los Angeles stated, “I no longer need my own secretary. I can use my own boiler plate forms to do most of my work.”

Later that year, I led a class for Legal Secretaries Incorporated, where I discussed the previously stated issues as well as the following:

• When change happens, people feel left out.

• There can be fear that a person’s current job is no longer safe.

• An individual’s skills are becoming obsolete.

A member of the round table discussion referenced a story about a firm in Sacramento that had to “get rid of their support staff altogether.” This left the members of the roundtable discussion very disconcerted.

The class had a significant impact on many secretaries in attendance, as many could relate to the issues we discussed. After the class, one individual approached me in tears and shared with me, “After your program, I can see why I’ve been terminated in several of my recent positions. I now have an action plan to be an indispensable resource where I work next.” She landed a new position soon after that meeting and was with that firm for over five years. The key to her success was determining what was missing and her willingness to adapt to change. She learned that we cannot alter our behaviour until we identify what is missing.

This is a sample. If you’d like to read more, please contact Jen.

Article Example

Art, Architecture, and Film: The Encounter between the Post-War Psyche and the Frame in Hitchcock’s Notorious

Hitchcock is well known for his perfectionistic tendencies, carefully constructing film sets through the use of the storyboard; each scene artistically composed, designed and blocked to a cinematic effectiveness that creates tension, anxiety and suspense. In Notorious, he designs sets and scenes with precision. Nothing exists within the shot that is not purposely placed in exactitude. The result is an aesthetically seamless flow throughout this film. While the Egyptian theme is subdued in this film, it is there, quietly and subversively. Hitchcock employs pyramidal composition as a means to employ the Egyptian theme, and he also places objects d’art throughout the interiors; positioning pyramids throughout the sets and drawing on the triangle motif as much as possible. 

In the décor of Alicia’s Rio de Janiero apartment, two statues, one a Hindu god, referencing the Mata Hari, the other a bust of Cleopatra, reference the sacred power of the feminine as well as the power of seduction. And both allegorize particular aspects of Alicia’s journey. Alicia acts as a modern Mata Hari; seductress and spy. She nearly dies of poison, in similar fashion to Cleopatra’s infamous suicide. Notably, the film features pyramids and triangles throughout the set, specifically where they are built into the design of the doors of the FBI offices, with three pyramids inlaid upon them. The set design ultimately works as a means to allegorize the post war psyche and to subversively play upon the victory of the Allies.

The encounter between composition, frame and narrative formulated by Alfred Hitchcock in his films highlight the filmmaker’s background in art and art history as well as his interest in psychology and the dark side of human nature. The filmmaker’s mastery of the art of film is exhibited through the employment of cinematic techniques that are grounded in fundamental artistic practices, such as composition and lighting, which are often overlooked. The compositional strategies that he employs, developed through his perfection of the storyboard, invokes the association between art and film technology to design shots that perpetuate a dialogue between narrative, camera and frame. In particular, it is through the engagement of art and architecture as well as symbols and motifs, that Hitchcock carefully constructs compositions that allegorize his films and deepen the narratives; individual shots become allegories of the underlying meaning within the film. 

Notorious is arguably one of Hitchcock’s best films of the forties, as noted by Donald Spoto, “It is surely one of the dozen best in his catalog”.1 It stars Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman in a complex narrative involving American FBI agents spying on Nazi’s who are presumably hiding uranium ore (the MacGuffin that, in the plot, works as a substance that could possibly be utilized to develop an atomic bomb). In this spy thriller, Hitchcock employs an Egyptian theme that serves as an allegory that represents the post-war psyche of the West in the year following the end of World War II. This theme derives from his British roots and recalls the victory of the Allies in the North African Campaign in 1943 that ultimately stopped the Axis forces in that region. The film screened in August 1946, approximately one year after the atomic bombs devastated Japan and shocked the world with the horror of the reality of the Holocaust. 

The story opens in a courtroom with an American being sentenced to life in prison for spying for the Nazi’s. The daughter of the spy, Alicia Huberman, played by Ingrid Bergman, is distraught and spends the following evening throwing a wild drunken party where Devlin, played by Cary Grant, appears and seduces her in the late morning hours.  It is during this first meeting that their desire for one another is sealed and Devlin later engages her as a counterspy for the FBI. Her target is Alexander Sebastian, played by Claude Rains, who is harboring a group of Nazis in his mansion in Rio de Janiero. Although she and Devlin are in love, Alicia is pressured by Devlin via the FBI into seducing and eventually marrying Sebastian in order to spy on him and the Nazis that he is working with. The character of Sebastian is featured as an impotent man who still lives with his elderly mother who, in typical Hitchockian style, is characterized as the classic overly-controlling, domineering and terrifying mother-figure; the archetypal foreboding matriarchal character that appears in films such as Rebecca and Psycho. As such, in Notorious, it is Alexander’s mother who discovers that Alicia, her daughter-in-law, is a spy. She and Alexander attempt to poison her, thereby creating the perfect scenario for her lover, Devlin, to rescue her from the arms of her Nazi husband and his mother.

Published : Interdisciplinary Humanities 32.1 (2015): 53-65

This is a sample. If you’d like to read more, please contact Jen.