Global Posts

Hello, everyone! I have now updated my e-portfolio to be up-to-date with all of my information for my first two years at Longwood University. Be sure to check it out!

Is there anything that puts more joy in your heart than seeing your child graduate from college? As the parent of a college graduate myself, I’d have to say, “Nothing I can think of.”

All the questions we parents ask ourselves while our sons and daughters are in college—Will they make friends? Will they be happy? Will they find their academic niche?—are laid to rest on the morning of Commencement day, and all that’s left is the celebrating.

And I can tell you there was plenty of celebrating on campus this past weekend as graduate and undergraduate students received their degrees in person, surrounded by their fellow graduates and seated in socially distanced family pods, where they were flanked by loved ones. Longwood’s senior class was among the few across the commonwealth to gather entirely together for Commencement.

If you didn’t attend the ceremony and would like a summary of what happened, you can read all about it here. You can also view a digital copy of the Commencement program.

But, as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so that’s what I’ll devote most of this post to today.

Heartfelt congratulations to all of you whose Lancers moved to alumni status this weekend. Please know that, along with your students, you are a forever part of the Longwood family.

—Sabrina Brown

 

MUSC 325 was a class I never expected to take but after hearing numerous amazing things about the course, I decided to register myself. This class reviewed years 1955-1975 and we explored the culture throughout this time period. We learned about the famous trends of the era, the songs that hit the Billboard Hot #100s, popular movies, and the affects of the Vietnam War on the United States. The class was lecture-based with the inclusion of music videos and clips from a documentary on the Vietnam War. I loved how Dr. Kinzer incorporated these video clips into the class because it was so much easier to understand the content once we could visualize the information. This class was writing-intensive so we did many assignments that required us to look in depth at certain songs and research the history and sound behind the songs. This was a new experience for me and really pushed me as an individual and student. As someone with a lack of music experience, this class taught me many great skills and helped me understand the deeper meaning behind music.

Below I have attached our final paper for the course. This paper required us to select five songs from the time period we researched and fully discuss them in detail. Some of the songs had to fit in certain categories such as; protest songs, topical songs, and anti-war songs. I decided to include this paper as my artifact because it really demonstrates my understanding of the content from this class!

(I wasn’t able to add the actual document because of a storage error so I have copied the text and pasted below)

Influential Songs Through the Years

Beginning in 1955, the Vietnam War spanned over 20 years lasting until April 1975. The United States officially joined the war in 1961 when U.S troops began accompanying South Vietnamese troops on operations and remained in the war until the fall of Saigon in April 1975. The war had a lasting impact on the United States and even became a cultural divide for people in the states. Within those several years there were new leaders, conventions, protests, and songs all in an effort to get the governments attention. The United States involvement in the Vietnam War caused many debates between people and remains one of the U.S.’s deadliest wars. Because of the controversy surrounding the war and time period, many artists released songs and albums to convey their feelings. Songs such as “Walk Like a Man” and “This Fightin’ Side of Me” were meant to support the war while “Eve of Destruction” and “Give Me Love” were used as protest songs. Music was a creative way for artists to showcase their opinions throughout the war and give individuals an outlet for their emotions.

Released in January 1963, “Walk Like a Man” become one of the first songs to be interpreted as a song related to the Vietnam War. This high energy song is recorded by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. This band is originally from New Jersey and is composed of band members; Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito, and Nick Massi (Wikipedia contributors, “The Four Seasons”). The band found commercial success in the 1960s and 1970s with hit songs “Sherry” and “Big Girls Don’t Cry.” “Walk Like Man” charted #1 on the Billboard Hot #100s chart on March 2^nd, 1963 and remained on the charts for three consecutive weeks marking the bands third #1 hit (Wikipedia contributors, “Walk Like a Man”). In the song, Frankie Valli has a few solo parts but the chorus of “Walk Like a Man” is sung in harmony with the band members. The song is played at a tempo of 118 BPM and the use of a keyboard, drums, and guitar can be heard throughout the duration of the song (RhinoEntertainment). The dominant beat can easily be heard in the background keeping the band on track. The sound, “WoooOooo” is continuously heard throughout the song showcasing its cheerful sound. Franke Valli’s vocal style is crooning and is supported by the bandmates throughout the duration of the song. “Walk Like a Man” is a very upbeat song with a catchy tune that supports the meaning behind the lyrics telling listeners to literally, walk like a man.

The lyrics of the song originally share the story of a man in a bad relationship being told to “Walk Like a Man” out of the relationship. This song later became interpreted as a pro-military and pro-war song as the older generation telling the younger generation to “Walk Like a Man” into war. This song became widely popular and was later used in several films such as, Hearts and Souls in 1993, Sleepers in 1996, and Mrs. Doubtfire in 1993 (Wikipedia contributors, “Walk Like a Man”). 

Two years later, the anti-war song, “Eve of Destruction,” was released by artist Barry Maguire on an album with the same title. This song was written by P.F Sloan in 1964 and recorded by several artists, but Barry Maguire reached high success with his recording. Barry Maguire was born in Oklahoma City in 1935 and moved to California when he was two years old. He released his first song in 1961 called “The Tree” but did not receive commercial success until the release of “Eve of Destruction,” (Wikipedia contributors, “Barry Maguire”).Within the song, listeners can hear an electric bass, drums, and a harmonica that help keep the beat of the song. The sound of the song can be described as loud, dark, and brassy. The song was intended as a “Dylanesque” song with references to the folk genre. “Eve of Destruction” is played at 116 BPM and Barry Maguire has a very angry and panicked vocal style when singing (alltimebestofmusic). Maguire’s raspy voice supports the meaning behind the song of all the destruction and turbulence that was occurring throughout the world.

The lyrics make references to the Vietnam War, the draft, Civil Rights, Cold War, the nuclear threat, and the Middle East making it a very topical song. The song was so controversial it was banned on some American radio stations and conservatives called it “an aid to the enemy.” The lyrics “Don’t you understand what I’m trying to say? Can’t you feel the fear that I’m feeling today? If the button is pushed, there’s no running away. There’ll be no one to save with the world in a grave,” demonstrates his belief that the world was truly approaching self-destruction. Many conservatives believed the song benefited the Communist in Vietnam and was not reflective of the United States. The song began at #103 on the Billboard charts and it eventually rose to #1 within two months (Wikipedia contributors, “Eve of Destruction”). This anti-war song became very influential during the time period and is known as one of the most popular songs referencing the Vietnam War.

Another very influential song was released a few years later in 1967 by Aretha Franklin, called “Respect.” Originally released by Otis Redding in 1965, the song told the story of the traditional family dynamic of the man working all day, coming home and demanding respect from his wife. Aretha Franklin took the song and put her own spin on it spelling out the word respect, “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” and making it a Civil Rights Anthem. Aretha Franklin, also known as the Queen of Soul, was born in March 1942 and went on to become a singer, songwriter, actress, pianist, and Civil Rights Activist. She went on to record 112 charted singles on the Billboard Charts with 77 of them being Billboard Hot 100s entries (Wikipedia contributors, “Aretha Franklin”).

Franklin’s version of the song became a cultural sensation and Civil Rights/ Feminist Movement anthem. It reached number #1 on the Billboard charts in June 1967. The song is played at 114 BPM with a strong influence of a jazz band. The sound of the song can be described as strong and rich. There is a heavy presence of drums, saxophone, brass instruments, and background singers (TatanBrown). The background singers can be heard singing in harmony with the phrase of “just a little bit.” Aretha dominates the song with her strong vocal style and can be heard demanding respect throughout the song. The strong female lead throughout the song supports the meaning behind the lyrics demonstrating the desire and demand for respect from the world. The lyrics were interpreted as the story of women demanding respect from the world and that they deserve nothing short of it. Because of the impact this song had, I would easily define it as an agent of change. “Respect” was a cry for change and could be seen as a turning point in the Civil Rights and Feminist Movement (Wikipedia contributors, “Respect”). In 2014 President Obama said, “She had no idea [“Respect”] would become a rallying cry for African Americans and women and anyone else who felt marginalized because of what they looked like, who they loved,” (Obama, 2014, as cited in Rhodan, 2014) which demonstrates how this song was truly an agent of chart. “Respect” was a defining song of the century and can easily be identified as a Civil Rights anthem.

Released in 1970, “This Fightin’ Side of Me” was written and performed by Merle Haggard and The Strangers. The song was an instant hit reaching #1 on the Billboard charts in January 1970 where it remained for three weeks. Merle Haggard was born in April 1937 in California and rose to fame with his song contrary to the popular anti-war themes. Over his career he had over 38 number one hits on the Billboard charts and has had a very successful career (Wikipedia contributors, “Merle Haggard”). Within the song, listeners can hear the use of an electric guitar, drums, string guitar, and a tambourine. The sound of the song can be described as natural and traditional. At 1:07 there is an instrumental solo of the electric guitar which attempts to give the song a more modern style. The song has 99 BPM and Merle Haggard has a very informative, storytelling type vocal style (MerleHaggardVEVO). The sound of the song is very old- school and supports the lyrics by sounding extremely patriotic. The lyrics tell the story of a character who is very patriotic and loves America. The song supports the troops singing, “our fightin’ men have fought and died to keep.” The lyrics also allude to the fact only “wimps” would oppose the “wars we fight,” making a reference to the Vietnam War (Wikipedia contributors, “This Fightin’ Side of Me). Unlike majority of the songs during this time period, “This Fightin’ Side of Me,” supported the war and became an anthem for Conservatives.

Shortly before the end of the war, George Harrison released the song, “Give Me Love,” in 1973. Born in February 1943, George Harrison was an English musician who later became the lead guitarist of the international band, The Beatles. The song was released on his album, Living in the Material World, and became his second U.S. #1 hit (Wikipedia contributors, “George Harrison”). The simple guitar strumming dominates the beat in the song and George Harrison’s smooth and peaceful voice demonstrates his typical vocal style. The song is played at 81 BPM and asks for peace (Shane Woodbury). The sound of the song can be described as very simplistic and smooth. The lyrics in this song are very positive and spiritual which overlaps with Harrison’s love for Hindu culture (Wikipedia contributors, “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)”). The soft and simple tempo support the lyrics main theme of a desire for harmony. Many Americans referenced this song to the Vietnam War and used the song as a means to ask for peace from war.

Ranging from 1963-1973, the music industry was greatly influenced by the release of so many current and topical songs. These songs related to the events occurring around the world and were an outlet for people to express their opinions. Although I think all the songs discussed throughout this paper were extremely influential, I believe “Respect” by Aretha Franklin had the greatest impact during the time period and is still influential in modern times. “Respect” sparked and became an anthem for the Civil Rights and Feminist Movements demonstrating its ability to be an agent of change (Wikipedia contributors, “Respect”).

This time period was extremely controversial and turbulent for citizens of the United States. The war had a lasting impact on society which was reflective through the music industry, the movie industry, and social movements. Although the times were turbulent, people were unafraid to speak out and used the arts to showcase their opinions. Because of this, many influential and topical songs were released; many of which we discussed throughout this paper. These songs made a lasting impression on the world and are still influencing society in modern times.

Works Cited

alltimebestofmusic. “Barry McGuire – Eve Of Destruction.” YouTube, YouTube, 10 Mar. 2013,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=qfZVu0alU0I.

“Aretha Franklin.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 Mar. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aretha_Franklin.

“Barry McGuire.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 25 Mar. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_McGuire.

“Eve of Destruction (Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 20 Feb. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eve_of_Destruction_(song).

 “Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth).” Wikipedia, 18 Mar. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_Me_Love_(Give_Me_Peace_on_Earth).

“Merle Haggard.” Wikipedia, 15 Mar. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merle_Haggard.

MerleHaggardVEVO. “Merle Haggard – The Fightin Side Of Me (Live).” YouTube, 20 Oct.

2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIxBmyRQlwQ.

“Respect (Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Mar. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Respect_(song).

RhinoEntertainment. “The Four Seasons – Walk Like A Man (Official Audio).” YouTube,

YouTube, 15 Feb. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzoIvwNqKpw.

Rhodan, Maya. “President Obama Misspells Respect During Women of Soul Event.” Time,

Time, 7 Mar. 2014, time.com/15556/barack-obama-aretha-franklin-respect/.

Shane Woodbury. “George Harrison-Give Me Love (Give Me Peace On Earth).” YouTube, 29

Dec. 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-KAvPbO8JY.

TatanBrown. “Aretha Franklin – Respect [1967] (Aretha’s Original Version).” YouTube,

YouTube, 17 Oct. 2008, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6FOUqQt3Kg0.

“The Fightin’ Side of Me.” Wikipedia, 28 Feb. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fightin%27_Side_of_Me.

“The Four Seasons (Band).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 1 Apr. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Seasons_(band).

“Walk Like a Man (The Four Seasons Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Jan. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walk_Like_a_Man_(The_Four_Seasons_song).

Wikipedia contributors. “George Harrison.” Wikipedia, 28 Mar. 2021,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison.

After experiencing online classes in Spring 2020, I knew I was able to keep up with the workload and follow the schedule easily so I decided to take SOCL 320 over Summer 2020. Each week we were given a PowerPoint to take notes on, a reading to complete, a media type assignment to listen or watch, and then a discussion where we would apply what we learned. I found this class structure to be extremely beneficial because it could be applied to any learning preference and actually required students to apply their knowledge. This class focused on the different types of education and the effects different surroundings or areas can have on students. For example, we listened to a podcast that was centered around a school located in downtown Chicago with a very high crime rate. In turn, many of the students at this school were struggling, not attending class, or participating in illegal activities. This affected their ability to learn and also affected their classmates as well. Some other topics we discussed in the class were charter schools, the achievement gap, and inequalities in the education system such as socioeconomic status and race/ ethnicity. As a future educator, I found this class to be extremely eye-opening and relevant to my future.

Towards the end of the class, we were required to complete an annotated bibliography where we were assigned to research an inequality in the education system. For my assignment, I decided to research gender equality in the classroom. This annotated bibliography was one of our biggest assignments within the course so I thought it would be a great artifact to include in this blog as a way to demonstrate my knowledge and understanding of this course.

(The paper exceeded the limit so I had to copy and past the text)

Winslow, S., & Davis, S. N. (2016). Gender inequality across the academic life course. Sociology Compass, 10(5), 404–416. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12372

In Gender Inequality Across the Academic Life Course, authors Sarah Winslow and Shannon N. David introduce and analyze the many inequalities women face in academics and propose several solutions. Much of their research is based on the Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1991 report on women’s status in sciences. The MIT report was eye-opening based on the fact it reported inequalities ranging from office space, salaries, teaching assignments, and even decision making. Winslow and David decided to advance this idea and apply it to modern academics. Upon further investigation, they discovered modern women are surpassing men in college graduation rates yet there is still segregation in the labor market. The authors contend that much of this is due to caretaking responsibilities for women.  Although women have higher graduation rates, often times it takes women longer than men to complete these degrees. Women are forced to face real- life issues such as pregnancy that may hinder their opportunities in education and the workforce. Because of the way gender is institutionalized in the United States, women are expected to prioritize their family and leave behind their career or education. Winslow and David contend this to be unfair and a large reason for the growing gender gap in academics for women. The authors propose women be provided with academic and work benefits to alleviate stress. Some of the benefits could be on-site lactation rooms for nursing mothers, access to low-cost child care, and longer maternity leave. The authors argue these benefits have been proven to be successful and should be put into practice throughout the country. Along with caretaking tasks, the authors argue women need successful mentors. Mentors will provide the women with model strategies for balancing the two life responsibilities. By providing women with mentors, they will learn how to navigate and balance both education and the workforce thus allowing them to do both.

Sarah Winslow and Shannon N. David, authors of Gender Inequality Across the Academic Life Course, both originate from educationally rich backgrounds and successful careers. Winslow received her Bachelor’s degree from Skidmore College in Psychology-sociology and Women’s Studies and went on to receive her Master’s and Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania in Sociology. Winslow devotes her research to specifically gender and family and has been published several times. Currently, she is working at Clemson University serving as Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of National Scholars Program. Shannon N. Davis received her BA in Sociology from the University of North Carolina and went on to receive her MA and Ph.D. from North Carolina State University in Sociology. Furthermore, she went on to follow that with a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Davis devotes her research to understanding the reproduction of gender inequality in institutions in higher education and with families. Similar to Winslow, David has published many pieces including co-writing a textbook. Currently, she is working at George Mason University serving as Associate Professor of Sociology. Together, they were able to research many topics and inform many people of the gender oppressions occurring. Although they didn’t provide readers with much of their own research, they were able to prove their arguments using data from other projects with similar interest. The use of their data along with other respected professionals’ data created a very concrete article that was eye-opening.

Throughout the article, the authors heavily focused on the idea of providing women with work and academic benefits. Creating longer maternity leaves seems simple, but in reality, that could unwind a whole realm of problems. Some companies may use this as another way to discriminate against women, and could potentially even refrain from hiring women or allowing them to attend school under these pretenses. Unless mandated by the United States for every institution, longer maternity leave would be another way to isolate women and push them out of education/ the workforce. Although longer maternity leave can be seen as a weakness, the implementation of lactating rooms can be seen as a strength from the solution. The implementation of these rooms would help women feel more comfortable during these stressful times and allow them to work during it. Furthermore, on-site daycares or low-cost childcare centers would be a great asset and help motivate/ allow women to stay active in their education or career. Beyond caretaking solutions, the authors proposed the idea of mentors for struggling women. Although this seems beneficial, after further research the authors reported that mentoring systems were rare especially in higher education. Along with that, it was reported most successful mentors chosen were white male men because they are institutionalized as ideal workers. Pairing struggling women with male mentors could potentially lead to more gendered challenges and defeat the whole purpose of the idea. Creating a more structured mentoring system that used mainly women could lead to greater success and be more beneficial in the long run. Throughout the article, Sarah Winslow and Shannon N. David introduced many interesting ideas and proposed many solutions that I hope to see implemented in our country soon.

I hope your student had a great spring semester. It’s hard to believe Commencement is this weekend. Congratulations to those of you whose seniors are graduating!

This summer promises to be exciting as we anticipate work beginning on Longwood’s new Joan Perry Brock Center.

If your student will be a freshman or a sophomore next year, they will have the opportunity to experience this amazing new facility in person when it opens in summer 2023.

Located in the heart of campus next to Willett Hall, the 3,000-seat center will be the home to Longwood’s men’s and women’s basketball teams as well as the venue for Convocation, concerts and a host of other community events. This much-needed building will fit in seamlessly into campus and become an integral part of the downtown Farmville community.

Check out the introductory website to get a taste of what the center will look like inside and out, and share in the excitement of what the Brock Center will mean for your Lancer and Longwood’s entire student body.

—Sabrina Brown

Congratulations to Chris Crider, an alumnus of our English/Professional Writing Program at Longwood, for being promoted to a Junior Copywriter at Mission Lane Visa®!

“I have been really enjoying [the position of Junior Copywriter] at this company. I have the privilege of copywriting and revising inbound copy requests across departments, so the copies are very diverse — from mobile app updates to internal documents,” said Chris, who has been with his company for over a year (previously in a different role).

Congratulations, again, Chris! The Professional Writing Program is so proud of your accomplishments!

Congratulations to Haley Vasquez, a star alumna of our English/Professional Writing Program at Longwood, for accepting the position of Creative Director at Letterpress Communications!

Haley is returning to her home state, Virginia, after two years of working as a technical writer at PlayStation in San Diego, California.

Haley notes: “I’m so thankful to all my amazing colleagues who made my time at Sony truly incredible, and I’ll miss working with them. This was definitely one of the toughest decisions to make, but I’m excited to take this next step, and return to my home communities.”

Congratulations, Haley! We are so proud of your accomplishments!

Longwood’s Professional Writing Program has finished Spring 2021 on a great note! Congratulations to our brilliant Professional Writing students on receiving multiple awards of excellence from the Department of English and Modern Languages this year!

Payten Bovat: The Marion Camper Fuller Award

Ireland Seagle: The Rosemary Sprague Award

Amber Thomas: The Maria Bristow Starke Award

We’re so proud of you!