Jen Atkins

What motivated you to apply for a Fulbright award?

For several years now, I've been steadily working towards fusing together my research on pedagogy, dance studies, and American culture in efforts to highlight how emerging teaching approaches can be used to deepen student-teacher relationships in collaborative learning environments while addressing persistent questions in history, culture, and contemporary society. My Fulbright--the Roving Scholar in American Studies (Norway)--enabled me to explore this experiment even more deeply by implementing it as my sole focus for the 2022-23 academic year. I was also motivated to apply for the Fulbright because of an upcoming book project related to pedagogy and the fact that the Roving Scholar in American Studies is a unique opportunity. There are several teaching programs within the Fulbright offerings, but the Roving Scholar in Norway is the only one of its kind. Such an opportunity to immerse myself in teaching and pedagogy for an entire year was an exciting opportunity and enabled me to utilize collaborations with students at FSU via the UROP program, as well as put into practice what I have learned during my time spent engaged in the valuable events offered by FSU's The Center for the Advancement of Teaching.

Describe the importance and reach of the research and/or teaching you did while on Fulbright?

During the 2022-23 academic year, I traveled throughout Norway, visiting high schools and offering workshops on American Studies for students and pedagogy on teachers. I designed the workshops based on my situation within American Studies--a fusion of history, dance, and popular culture. The six student workshops included topics such as "US Nationalism and Captain America," "Leisure and the American Dream," and "Get in Formation: Beyonce's Choreography as Exploration into African American Histories, Experiences, and Identities." Teacher pedagogy workshop topics ranged from how to incorporate popular culture as a critical thinking tool in the classroom, to the importance of learning through a philosophy of play, to embodied learning and the multiplicity of meanings in "the physical classroom." Importantly, students learned to deconstruct (and hopefully discard) their stereotypes about US-American culture and to practice their English speaking and writing skills, while teacher colleagues and I brainstormed persistent curricula, socio-behavioral, and creative learning questions. Ideally, I contributed ways of valuing and deepening interdisciplinary approaches to humanities studies while also emphasizing the importance of agency, compassion, and connection in learning environments. These elements are critical for addressing some of our most pressing global oppressions while also galvanizing space for thinking with complexity about each other...and ourselves. For students, this is my most pressing aim: to continually reiterate how connected we are and the importance of not being ensnared by stereotypical logic. The reach of this research remains to be seen. As I return to the US, I bring questions with me about race, gender, immigration, and generations--as well as what Norwegian students would like for me to share about their individual experiences and lives--and I look forward to learning how students at Florida State University contribute to ongoing conversations around these important ideas.

Tell us about significant personal Fulbright experiences you had

Over 5100 Norwegian students shared their ideas, creativity, push back, world views, and curiosity with me this year. While here in Norway, I've learned about the concept of Nordic Gold. This is the idea that one of the most valuable commodities in Norway isn't actually its oil wealth, but rather, it is the high level of national, communal, and personal trust that exists among people, enabling society to function more efficiently. I saw several positive examples of this in action. Simultaneously, I struck Fulbright gold in the honest, open, sometimes challenging, but immensely rewarding classroom engagements I experienced as I traversed the country. This was the most significant outcome I could have hoped for during my time as a Roving Scholar.

Advice for anyone considering the Fulbright award

If you are considering Fulbright, one of the best uses of your time is to attend online seminars. Perhaps most importantly, find a previous Fulbright mentor and work closely with them, but be sure to do your program/application research first and thoroughly; come prepared! And finally: pursue your inspiration, write simply, and be flexible.

Accomplishments

I am currently completing my Fulbright tenure, but during this year I have attended three scholarly conferences, two of which I became familiar with through the Fulbright program. These new conferences enlarged my understanding of American Studies as well as provided me with opportunities to meet new collaborators. Reflections from my classroom experiments also shaped how I mentored and provided feedback for student committees I served on this year and impacted the development of my forthcoming edited book with Routledge (July 2023), Dance in US Popular Culture.