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Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
University of Maryland’s Anthropology Department Explores Irish Immigration in Baltimore, Looks Forward to Sharing on Maryland Day
Archeologists from the University of Maryland unearthed a
unique history of Irish immigrants in Baltimore from the nineteenth century in
a series of field studies, called the Baltimore Archaeology Project. The
Anthropology Department at the University is planning on sharing their findings
in an exhibit at Maryland Day on April 25, 2015.
Early Irish immigrants to Baltimore were responsible for limestone that can still be found in buildings and monuments today.
The project took place in an abandoned village named Texas,
in modern-day Baltimore C
ounty, about twelve miles north of Baltimore City. The archeology team from the University of Maryland worked on the site for three summers, exploring a quarry in the town.
ounty, about twelve miles north of Baltimore City. The archeology team from the University of Maryland worked on the site for three summers, exploring a quarry in the town.
University of Maryland anthropologist, Dr. Stephen Brighton,
who became involved with the project through a descendent of the Texas village,
runs the Baltimore Archeology Project. Texas was predominately a
limestone-harvesting town; the limestone was used across Maryland and
Washington, D.C.
As Dr. Brighton explains, the bottom of the Washington Monument has limestone from Texas, MD, creating a color disparity. |
The Irish laborers at the time were also predominately
responsible for the construction of the Baltimore-Ohio Railroad in the
nineteenth century.
Although the Irish laborers in Texas played a huge part in
building the infrastructure of much of Maryland as well as supplying the
Washington Monument and U.S. Captiol, Brighton says their voices are lost in
history. The anthropologist even says he became interested in Texas simply
because no one else was.
The excavation site in Texas, Maryland, is the first to explore the culture of Baltimore’s early Irish laborers.
According to periodicals from the time, Irish immigrants were pretty unwelcome when they migrated to
the United States, and were met with much racial prejudice. There were many
negative stereotypes associated with any kind of immigrant at the time, but the
Irish were considered uncivilized, unskilled, and impoverished. They were
forced to work the most undesirable jobs and live in the most undesirable
places.
Although Brighton shares tales of finding Baltimore-sized
rats during his excavation project, many of the artifacts recovered from the
site show a unique side of the lives of the unskilled, poor immigrant laborers
of the time.
Artifacts from Texas, MD, including ceramic pieces, a marble, a doll's head, and a lice comb. |
- Ceramics (including pieces of bowls, teacups, serving pieces)
- Buttons
- Religious items & medals
- Doll parts
- Dominoes
- Marbles
- Writing slates & pencils
- Lice combs
- Smoking pipes
These artifacts, although seemingly useless, told the
archeologists in Baltimore much about the private and community lives of the
Irish immigrants.
Brighton concludes that the items combat some of the
stereotypes and proved that the Irish laborers of Texas did have a material
culture. The ceramics and buttons show that the immigrants were more civilized
than thought prior. The lice comb also proves there was a sense of hygiene in
Texas.
The uncovered artifacts also told the archeologist much
about the life of Irish immigrant children during the nineteenth century. The
time was pre-child labor laws, and children were largely expected to work, but
the artifacts, like marbles and dolls, show that the Irish immigrants preserved
at least some sense of childhood. Uniquely, there was a school in the Irish
quarry, so young children were not expected to work until later, but instead
learn.
“The idea that we take for granted and don’t necessarily
think about is a child in this environment having any kind of leisure time,”
Brighton comments.
The archeologist discusses his most interesting find from Texas.
Irish immigrants had a large impact on Maryland history, and the University of Maryland Archeology Department will share that history at Maryland Day.
Brighton explains that archeology provides the descendants
of Texas with a medium to explore the culture of their ancestry as well as
connect as a community. He says actually doing the archeology creates the attention necessary to join those descendants from across the country.
The Baltimore Archeology Project will be featured at the Anthropology Department's tent at Maryland Day to share the huge impact that the Irish immigrants from Texas had on Maryland history. Brighton says the limestone from the Irish laborers can be found all over the state:
One of the main philosophies of the Department of
Anthropology at the University of Maryland is continuing field work by
collaborating with communities, and as a flagship University, it is incredibly
important to see that field work positively affect the people of the state.
Photo courtesy of Dr. Stephen Brighton |
- Every limestone stair in"quintessential" Baltimore row homes
- Porticos in Maryland State House and Capital Building
- Washington Monument in Baltimore
- Marble and limestone buildings at the University of Maryland
At Maryland Day, visitors can look at the Baltimore Archeology Project's exhibit, which will show artifacts from Texas, Maryland. Archeologists from the department will also be there to answer questions and share a mock excavation site.
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Feelings of loneliness and
depression create lack of self-control when binge-watching Netflix, especially
in young adults
College students have forever been infamous for their binge
drinking and out of control drug habits. But something else is becoming
incredibly common among people this age—binge-watching Netflix; but curling up
with a computer to watch television may not be as harmless as it seems.
University of Texas at Austin researchers discovered a link between binge-watching Netflix and higher levels of depression and loneliness in young adults.
The term “binge-watching,” as defined by Netflix, is the practice of watching two to six episodes of the
same television show in one sitting. According to another survey, half of the American population with television streaming
services admits to binge-watching in some capacity. In 2013, the wildly popular
online streaming service reported that a staggering 73% of users have positive
feelings about this practice of binge-watching.
These positive feelings may be misplaced. In a recent study, researchers from the University of Texas at Austin
actually discovered a link between binge-watching Netflix and feelings of
depression and loneliness, as well as a lack of self-control.
The study, which surveyed over 300 18-29 year-olds, found that the
more lonely and/or depressed someone is, the more likely he or she is to
binge-watch television online. The researchers state that much like other addictive
behaviors, people use Netflix as an escape from their problems.
University of Maryland Associate Professor and Director of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the university, Dr. Jen Goldbeck, questions the validity of the study, not based on its methodology, but its final conclusions.
University of Maryland Associate Professor and Director of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab at the university, Dr. Jen Goldbeck, questions the validity of the study, not based on its methodology, but its final conclusions.
The professor also disagrees with the conclusion by the University of Texas researchers that says Netflix is a way for people to avoid social interaction.
Figure 1 |
So what is the reason for the disconnect when it comes to college
students?
On college campuses, the likelihood to binge-watch correlates to other behaviors that indicate a lack of self-control, like excessive drinking or drug use.
Any Netflix user knows that
deciding moment: you’ve finished watching an episode of a dramatic television
show and that screen pops up. That notorious screen asking if you want to watch
the next episode with that enticing play button staring back at you while that
timer ticks down from meager fifteen seconds pressuring you to make your
decision to keep watching or not. Netflix is famous for its ability to get
users to watch episode after episode, and according to research, this might be
playing on certain users’ lack of self-control.
The University of Texas at Austin researchers also found that those
who possessed lower levels of self-control were more likely to be unable to say
no to the “Next” screen after an episode ended, even when they had other
obligations.
The lack of self-control is correlated with other addictive behaviors
like binge drinking and even heavy social media use in people trying
to cope with feelings of loneliness and depression.
Goldbeck says that although there may be a correlation between college binge behavior and binge-watching television, that does not mean there is a link between the two.
Goldbeck says that although there may be a correlation between college binge behavior and binge-watching television, that does not mean there is a link between the two.
Figure 2 |
Many blame the college environment for its encouragement of binge behaviors.
College can be stressful to almost any student on any campus across the country. Balancing classes, a social life, and extracurricular
activities, all while living on their own for the first time, is challenging for
many. A university senior talks about how the environment of college life affects her schoolwork.
According to a 2006 study
of 675 second-year university students, there is a proven positive correlation
between high stress levels, from things such as examination scores, with low
levels of self-control.
Over half of the University of Maryland students surveyed
said that the environment of college greatly affected their level of
self-control when it came to binge-drinking, consuming drugs, overeating, and
sleeping through obligations.
When it comes to any type of binge behavior, whether it be
binge-watching Netflix or over-drinking alcohol, a lack of self-control is at
the center of the overindulgence. And when it comes to college campuses,
stress, depression, and loneliness all play a role in allowing that lack of
self-control to take over.
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