Category Archives: Extra Credit

EXTRA CREDIT: Dr. Gretchen Henderson’s Life in the Tar Seeps

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One thing that I did not expect from Dr. Gretchen Henderson’s presentation on her book Life in the Tar Seeps was to be handed a stack of postcards and asked to write a short letter to a body of water. Any body of water. To the Pacific or the Atlantic Oceans, to the Seven Seas, to the river running along the Tijuana Estuary, to the puddle of water that never seems to dry up along the sidewalks where I live–any body of water that existed, no matter how big or small. I’ll admit, I was excited to write a giant, sweeping love letter to the Pacific Ocean as the entity that connects the California coast to the many seas of the Philippines. Initially, that’s what I wanted to write about. However, after the presentation, I found that I wanted to write a letter to the water store beside the Filipino restaurant in the shopping plaza near my house instead.

A large component of Dr. Henderson’s presentation was about nature conservation, but the aspect that stuck with me was the aspect of aesthetics in respect to what we choose to conserve. Whenever I think of nature conservation, I think of saving winding coastlines, lush green jungles, and sprawling forests. The tar pits in Utah’s Great Salt Lake are not the first thing that comes to mind when I think of nature conservation and the conservation of life within them. To be honest, I thought of tar pits as devoid of life before this presentation, so why should we protect a total wasteland that only serves as a graveyard for the living beings that fall prey to the sticky traps? ‘

As Dr. Henderson reveals in her presentation, these tar pits are naturally occurring, akin to the La Brea tar pits in Los Angeles, but the fact that there are more of them occurring is cause for concern. Climate change has caused more droughts in the Salt Lake area, causing the existing waters of the lake to dry up and recede. As the waters recede, more tar seeps out of the earth. These receding waters are home not to fish but to multiple forms of microbial life. Although the deaths of pelicans and coyotes and whatever happens to be trapped in the tar pits are considered a natural occurrence and a part of the circle of life, the cause for concern here are the receding waters of the Salt Lake and the microscopic lives that call those waters home.

Even in a “wasteland” filled with “death traps,” I learned that there was life and it was worth protecting in the same way that we want to protect wolves in the forests or whales in the oceans. It was in this “wasteland” that Dr. Henderson saw beauty and she shared that beauty in the short film that accompanies her book, where she voices over clips and images of Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty and the tar pits with field notes and ruminations on the role of art in helping nature conservation. What makes this drying salt lake any different from the ocean? The short answer: there is no difference. The waters that recede in this salt lake are the same waters that will make the ocean rise, as Dr. Henderson so aptly puts in the website of her book Life in the Tar Seeps.

In that same vein, what is the difference between the Pacific Ocean and the water store where my family refills our water jugs? There is no difference there, either. The water that sustains the turtles and whales is the same water that sustains me and my family. It is the water that we must conserve, no matter what shape or form it takes on.

EXTRA CREDIT DISCOVERY POST: Penguin Book of Mermaids

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For my Penguin Book discovery post, I wanted to dwell on the water spirits of the Philippines. Even though I was raised in a country known for its beaches and biodiversity and a culture that deeply values its rivers and seas, it still surprised me to see not one but four mermaid stories from the Philippines. When I lived in the Philippines, I’d only ever learned of the sirena or its male equivalent, the siyokoy, in passing and mostly as a joke to watch out for what lurked in the water. But the thing that interested me the most about these mermaid stories is the place that these stories are from: the Ilocos region. My dad’s side of the family is from the Ilocos region of the Philippines (specifically from Pangasinan) but this is the first I have ever heard of these mermaid/mermaid-aligned legends associated with the region.

The story that I was particularly interested in was the first story: the Mermaid Queen of Binalatongan. According to the section introduction, this story is “one of the oldest stories in the Ilokano volumes, dating back to the 1600s” (213), and its paragraphs are full of snippets of the Philippines’ pre-colonial economy and politics. The story tells of a prosperous kingdom called Binalatongan, named for its main export of balatong, or mung beans, which sees traders from China, Japan, and Borneo, its ordinary citizens wearing luxurious Chinese silk as everyday clothes, and its rivers flowing with gold. (215) Although the last two items might be a bit of an exaggeration, this is a far cry from the image of pre-colonial Philippines that is usually painted for the everyday person, including me. I was taught that before the Spanish came to the Philippines, the country was a savage, untamed land and its people were equally savage and untamed, with no religion, culture, or economy to organize the land and its many islands and tribes. Imagine my surprise when I learned through this story of the complex political systems and lush trade routes that existed long before the Spanish even put the Philippines on their maps.

Another aspect of the story that interested me was how the mermaid of Binalatongan is portrayed in contrast to how the sirena is painted. In the story, the mermaid is a benevolent spirit who guides fishermen back home after a storm, saves children from drowning, and gives widows pearls to help support themselves after the death of their husbands. (215) This is also a far cry from the image of sirenas that I grew up with. Growing up, saying that my favorite Disney movie was “The Little Mermaid” and that I loved mermaids was met with a wince or a grimace. Sirenas in the Philippines have a reputation for drowning any unsuspecting person who comes too close to their territory or luring them with their looks and voices to watery deaths. To delight in a creature that uses its beauty to kill was not a popular opinion; in fact, it might have been downright controversial. The word sirena, along with the sinister mythology that came with it, was borrowed from the Spanish who brought Christianity to the Philippines. The kind mermaid of Binalatongan is nothing like the Spanish sirena, which exposes each culture’s relationship not just to nature but to women as well.

In the beginning of the story, Maginoo Palasipas yearns “to be conquered by the heart of a woman” and to have someone fair and beautiful rule alongside him and his prosperous kingdom, only finding his match in the mermaid that has helped his people many times. (215) It does not matter to Maginoo Palasipas that the woman is not entirely human; it only matters that she uses her powers to help rather than hurt. This reveals the pre-colonial view of nature as benevolent and life-giving and the pre-colonial view of women as essential to the function of society and politics. Contrast that with the colonial view of the sirena as a temptress, constructed to demonize women and to illustrate the natural world as capricious and something to fear. The sirena‘s folklore, especially when coupled with Christian indoctrination of the Philippines, reveals not just a change in attitude within the people towards women and nature but within the culture as well, from an egalitarian view to a more patriarchal, misogynistic one.

Extra Credit- Digital Humanities Showcase

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Attending the digital humanities showcase was a really great experience! It opened my eyes to all the different forms of art and literature can take. It was really cool to see how presenters were able to take essays and transform them into a digital interactive format. One of the presentations I saw was an analysis of The Deep and the communication within the novel. It was a really interesting presentation where the presenter explained that the pain expressed in the novel was done both physically and emotionally. The physical aspect of the way that the wajinru communicate was an intentional choice to not only provide an explanation of how people might communicate underwater but to also showcase how the wajinru can experience pain. The presenter also explained how pain, especially in a community, can be cyclical and be passed down through generations until a person is ready to begin the healing process to let go of that pain. The source that the presenter chose to use for the digital essay was also done intentionally. It was done on Twine and clicking through the digital essay produced a cycle that the reader could ultimately decide to click out of. This was done to showcase how people can begin the healing process and decide to “exit” out of the cycle of pain. I learned a lot about how to create interactive stories and essays such as this one and it inspired me to look deeper into interactive stories. What fascinated me the most about creating these essays was the fact that, on Twine specifically, the photos integrated into the essay had to be from websites and would disappear as the websites did. It made me think about how literature is adapting to and reflecting the want for everything to be online. I think that the artistry and creativity that is required for that shift are fascinating and make me want to look out for the new ways that people produce literature. 

Extra Credit: Digital Humanities Showcase

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I went to the Digital Humanities showcase this morning as I had some of my photos being presented, and I got the opportunity to look around at other people’s projects. There was an educational VR project that involved putting on a VR headset and going on a ride into the paleolithic era. I thought this was a super innovative way to approach education. Another interesting project I got to see was one on transit in San Diego. There was a group of students in a journalism class that put this together, and the project looked into the transit system in San Diego. They analyzed a few different perspectives, such as corporate interests and comparison to other countries. I found this project to be interesting because of the differences between the U.S.’s public transit and other countries. When I traveled in Europe and Asia, the public transit was much more efficient, organized, and clean. The same presenter for this project also told me about a project she did individually about composting. Apparently, in 2022, San Diego passed a law saying all organic waste should be composted in the county. I found this surprising because I literally have never seen a green can in San Diego. Where I am from, in the Bay Area, everyone has composting bins along with their trash and recycling. The girl I was talking to also said that the city said they would give out green cans but then only followed through with about 200,000 cans, which isn’t enough for the population of San Diego. It’s interesting to see what’s going on in the county that I might be oblivious to.

Extra Credit Discovery Post

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For my extra credit discovery post, I chose the Sirena story from the Penguin Book of Mermaids. This story is based in Guam, and part of the Chamorro culture. I wanted to read this story because one of my closest friends is from Guam. This story is an important contribution to my learning in this class because of the different cultural perspective it provides through intergenerational oral traditions and curses. 

At the beginning of this tale, a scene is painted of a grand-mermaid spending time with her nieces. The two young mer-girls want to hear the story of how mermaids came around, and beg her to tell the tale even though they have heard it many times before. “An ancient grand-mermaid sits on top of her pearly throne, brushing her long white hair. Upon her lap perch two little mergirls, their sparkling tails twisting and twirling… ‘All right, sit down and behave. I’ll tell you the tale of Sirena,’ laughs the grand-mermaid. Looking at the two mergirls with their rapt eyes, she slowly nods. And so the story begins…” (p.234). This type of storytelling is important because it follows the route of oral storytelling, as opposed to written word. Often, oral storytelling is used to teach lessons, as it is in this story; it is a story about the importance of responsibility. In addition, oral storytelling is more common in indigenous cultures, and the Chamorro culture is an indigenous one. When I talked to my friend from Guam about this story, she immediately knew what I was talking about without me even mentioning the title, and said it’s a legend there, and that both her grandmother and mother told this story to her when she was growing up. She said there’s also a statue of Sirena on the island, which shows how important this tale is to Chamorro culture. 

Another important part of this tale is the use of curses. When Sirena does not keep up with her responsibilities, and her mother is left to do her chores, her mother becomes very upset. She curses Sirena, which shows the power that an elder holds, as well as consequences. “‘Sirena!’ Her mother’s face loomed out of the darkness. Her angry eyes burned with wrath. ‘Shame, shame, shame on you! Careless, idle child! Your own sister of six can do better! Shame, Sirena! I had to walk over to your auntie’s house myself for the breadfruit. Sirena, if you ever go in the water again, you will become an ugly, fat fish!’ her mother screamed. Sirena knelt trembling in a corner, her godmother’s hand on her shoulder. ‘No, please, no!” Sirena wailed when she heard her mother’s curse” (p.236). This is an origin tale of a mermaid, created by a curse. Even though Sirena’s mother says she will become “an ugly, fat fish”, Sirena transforms into a mermaid when she goes into the water next. Whether this is just a mishap of the curse, or nature being more forgiving than a human, is unclear. What I found most interesting about this passage was that her mother has this power to curse her child. I wonder if there is more respect for elders in Chamorro culture, like there is in some East Asian cultures (when compared to the U.S.). Does this respect give them the power to curse? Can they curse anyone? Or can they only curse their offspring? Since this is a legend on Guam, it also creates fear for the children who hear the story, who then feel they must be responsible children otherwise something similar may happen to them. 

Take Aways

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After taking this class I wasn’t expecting to learn the things I have and to really apply them to not only the rest of my college career but also my life after college. I would say one of my biggest take aways is the ability to question what I’m learning. I have had no other class be able to show the “so what” aspect of the class or why it’s important to learn what they’re teaching or if it’s even credible and how do we know it’s credible. A lot of my past professors have just lectured without the importance of why or how this is relevant and the moment someone questioned something it was almost like a crime to do so. This class showed me the importance of questioning what I’m learning and that it is okay to do so.

Another big take away is being able to have an actual discussion. Some classes before signing up are labeled as “discussion” but there’s nothing really to them, other than 20 or so students all staring at each other without a single thing to say. This class allowed for conversation to be built, where our opinions/thoughts mattered as it contributed to conversation in any way. There was really never a right or wrong answer with what we had to say but instead it allowed for either the conversation to grow further or it really just sparked a completely different topic.

Finally it allowed me to work better on my writing and really analyze what I was reading, why it’s important, how does it relate to the bigger idea we’re learning, and how does this impact my perspective on topics. This is one of the class I feel like I actually learned something not just about literature, environment, mermaids, but more about myself as to how to be better as a student but also in my writing for future classes. It was a challenging class but in the end felt worth it as I have taken away so much from my professor but also my peers.

Extra Credit Discovery Blog: Sirena

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The origin story if Sirena can serve as a lesson for the children it is read to listen to their parents. This story is set in Guam and is about a Chamorro girl named Sirena. She is infatuated with the water and swimming in it. One day, her mother is in need of some assistance in the kitchen when she asks her daughter, Sirena, to “-come, take this basket from your brother and fill it with breadfruit from auntie’s. Hurry, come directly back.” As she was on her way to her Aunts house, who so conveniently lives near a river bank, Sirena is convinced by the birds in the sky who begin diving in the water that she must join them in their play. It would seem that Sirena stayed in the water a lot longer than she had realized as the sun leaves the horizon and the realization that she has not fulfilled the errand her mother sent her on has not been fulfilled.

When she returns home, Sirena is scolded by her mother as she, figuratively and literally, curses her saying “Sirena, if you ever go in the water again, you will become an ugly, fat fish!”. Sirena then runs away from this scolding and flees to the river, and hops in. She chooses the water as she felt that her connection to it far outweighed the life she had on land. To her surprise, she did not turn into an ugly fish, but “-instead, [formed] an iridescent tail stretched down from her waist.” She whispered goodbye and that goodbye is to have said still echos across the land. Despite the fact that Sirena sort of got a happy ending, I feel it still gives a warning to the severity of not listening to your mother and failing to be well behaved as an outlined duty for children. I feel like the story argued that you either listen to your mom or you live an entirely different life; there is no in between.

EC – Snatching Joy: Black Feminist Approaches to Digitial Humanities

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This presentation with Catherine Knight Steele was an interesting presentation but also one that was difficult to follow. Steele was providing a significant amount of information and examples throughout the entire presentation but what I thought was the clear message was seeing how society views the life of Black Americans through a “white lens”, meaning we see things (movies, TikTok, videos, media, etc.) in a more concealed way, which results into encouraging Black Americans into taking back or “snatching” their culture back.

She provides a significant amount of information through the use of TikTok, which is relatable as it is something that is almost embedded in the younger generation. An example that resonated with me was the use of certain dances such as the “Renegade” dance that was originally made from Black Americans but only became popularized due to other “influencers” who are Non-Black Americans. Steele makes this comment as she was able to say something along the lines of not accrediting the rightful creators. This is an ongoing problem as many things today that originate from Black Americans are not getting the rightful credit they deserve, and only become popular or apart of the “trend” because other Non-Black Americans are able to popularize trends.

Overall, I thought this presentation was impactful as Steele was able to provide relatable examples that multiple generations would understand or even know a bit about, and it leaves you with thoughts of how majority of things can be seen through the “white lens” she speaks of. Speaking for myself it left me with a number of questions about how media is constantly using a “white lens” meaning, in some forms of media such as movies there isn’t an actual representation of stories but instead are made into a way that will satisfy and leave people on a good and uplifting note. I believe it does encourage more of rightful accreditation and to be properly informed to begin as it is something that is lacked when all forms of media are being produced.

EXTRA CREDIT–PANEL ONE: Humans’ Very Real Relationships with Not-So-Real Relationships

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I attended the first panel of Networked Narratives last Friday, March 15th. Presenters Warner Stoddart II and Micah Sakado talked about volunteering abroad with various foreign armies and the parasocial relationships created in V-tubing, respectively. At first, I wondered why these two wildly different presenters would be put together. What does volunteering for an army fighting battles that are not your own and engaging with a live stream of a fictional, motion-captured anime character have in common?

Only after their presentations did it occur to me that the common thread between Warner and Micah’s presentations is parasociality.

Thanks to social media, parasociality and parasocial relationships are regarded as symptom of delusion, a malady of the brain. Having a parasocial relationship with a celebrity or a fictional character can be met with at best, disbelief, and at worst, disdain or disgust. Why are these parasocial relationships met with such negative reactions when everyone in some way, shape, or form engages in these relationships? Sports fans buy their favorite athletes’ jerseys and music lovers attend their favorite artists’ concerts, so why the negativity?

Micah redefined a parasocial relationship as an “asymmetrical relationship with critical distance,” rather than a one-sided illusion of a face-to-face relationship. Defining a parasocial relationship as “asymmetrical” removes power from the “one-sided” aspect of the initial definition, as both parties contribute to the relationship in some way but there is considerably more effort being exerted from one side than the other. Micah noticed that the key to having a healthy parasocial relationship is for the individual to recognize that the relationship only evokes the feeling of having the relationship they desire rather than having the actual relationship. His interviewees said that they got into V-tubing because interacting with their favorite V-tuber was “like having a friend” or “like having a crush on someone”–the key thing to note is that these interviewees differentiated between having a friend in real life and a friend through the screen.

Warren, who presented on volunteering for the YPG Kurdish militia and Ukraine, among many other foreign armies, touched very briefly on the volunteers’ motivations for volunteering. For some of them, their reasons for joining were political, but quite a few said they felt a calling to “chase the dragon of combat.” I wanted to ask if there was also an altruistic approach to volunteering for foreign armies that these volunteers took. Did some volunteers feel like this was the best way to help the civilians affected by the terrorist groups? Did they feel a connection to these civilians, despite not knowing them personally? In a way, I can see some form of parasociality in the decision to volunteer.

Extra credit: Antje Schmidt

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Dr. Antje Schmidt’s talk focused on close readings of the book written by Carla Cerda, which was filled with poems. These poems all related to each other, but stepped in and out of each other. Some of the main ideas in these poems were the effects of the lithium industry on the environment, the effects of the lithium industry on Chile, and human interaction with technology. 

This talk relates to our course through the commentary on the environment. Our class is focused on “literature and the environment”, as it is named. This book, written by Carla Cerda, often discusses the interactions of humans with the environment, and being a collection of poems, it is literature. The poems speak on how humans have caused destruction in the environment through lithium mining (disturbing flamingo populations, local populations, indigenous populations), which is similar to how we discuss human interactions with the environment through use of the mermaid as a symbol of the environment. Also similar to our class, this book uses a story to make commentary about the environment. The poems loosely follow the story of a tour group on an elevator, which stops at different floors.

Another important part of this talk that is relevant to our class was how it exposes the current society. Often, in class, we talk about the influence of historical society or historical events on the writing (themes of Christianity, attitudes toward the environment, marriage). This collection of poems reflects the technological times of this decade through random inserts of technology related words or graphics. It also reflects current political times by making commentary on the lithium industry in Chile and its effects on the people and environment.