In my ARIA project, I researched the “Pedagogical Evolution of Asian American Literature in Secondary School Curricula” under the mentorship of Professor Alexander Manshel from the English department. I employed a variety of methods from traditional literature review and close reading, to a more quantitative analysis of data from standardized tests. Professor Manshel helped me develop a multifaceted understanding of the severely understudied field of Asian American literature, and the intricacies of how these authors and texts are intertwined with the historical and political communities of immigrant students in North America. I read scholarship by academics in the Asian American studies field, delved into articles specifically about the teaching methods of Asian American texts in high school classrooms, and analyzed data from all the Asian American literature featured in the AP English Literature Exam.
ARIA has been an invaluable experience and opportunity for me to take my first step into the world of academia. I discovered the program after I had just been accepted into McGill. While at first, I was still unsure about the prospect of conducting an independent project, after reading about the previous years’ recipients' projects I felt inclined to pursue this transformative opportunity. I was passionate about studying the avenues through which literature influences society and culture. So when I read about Professor Manshel’s research on the institutionalization and canonization of the historical novel, I was excited to participate and learn from him and ARIA became the perfect opportunity to facilitate that goal. I also feel very fortunate to be able to use my project to develop my knowledge of Asian American literature under Professor Manshel’s guidance, as this topic is both close to my experiences and a perfect combination of the socio-political and literary aspects of English study I value. Especially since there is currently no course on this topic within our departmental curriculum, using my project to learn about the subject has been truly fulfilling.
My learning objectives during my project can be divided into the professional and the academic. For the former, I felt excited to use this opportunity to participate in the work that I knew I needed to become familiar with in my future education and career. In particular, the research methods, both qualitative and quantitative, as well as maintaining good communication with my supervisor while engaging with the material at hand were skills I hoped to develop. From an academic standpoint, my objective was to learn how to make meaningful connections between different spheres of the same topic, which in this case spanned from data to exams, scholarship, and primary texts. Being able to analyze all these perspectives comparatively while also having the knowledge and ability to decipher the nuances between them was my ultimate goal and also the skill I found hardest to refine. In my opinion, this kind of thinking and analysis is key to the academic mind I want to develop.
The highlights of my research project overlap with my challenges. As my goal was to improve myself and to gain from this opportunity new skills that weren’t normally achievable through traditional classes, I felt very fulfilled every time I struggled or felt lost because I knew this rigour was the most valuable part of the project. For instance, my main highlight was when I had trouble applying the knowledge I had learned from the literature review to the close reading and data analysis. The gap between the different strands of research was something I discussed extensively with Professor Manshel, and through his help, I was able to reinvent my thinking and remould many of the rigidity that I had subconsciously carried in my initial understanding of the topic. When I felt stuck in my thinking and attempted to try and justify the two sides of the research with each other without success, Professor Manshel aided me in pivoting my vision to investigating the nuances of these discrepancies and discovering new, innovative findings.
My ARIA experience has been incredibly influential in solidifying my goal of pursuing further education in English and perhaps pursuing a career as a researcher or professor. I think ARIA does a wonderful job at creating a model of the academic profession through its program, so students can use this experience to envision their future. And for me, being able to conduct this authentic research was both gratifying and exciting. I feel more confident to pursue similar opportunities in the future having been trained in the rigour of the ARIA program and received an abundance of mentorship and advice from both my professor and the McGill Internship Office. I also want to thank Mr. Jim O'Farrell for his generous support in this process. His funding has truly elevated my experience in the program this summer and through his aid, I feel motivated to continue to pursue projects that I am passionate about.
