Grumblings about Grammarly

A few days ago, I was noting on LinkedIn that the Grammarly ads I keep seeing there seem to substitute efficiency for learning. The "influencers"(?) who talk about how they use it suggest that it gives them more confidence as writers, but all I can see from the way that they use it is that it's doing all the work and they're just accepting its inputs. How does that give you confidence as a writer? Then there's this post from Jason Gulya, commenting on an announcement from Grammarly--now known as Superhuman:

As he adds in a comment, "It seems harder and harder these days to find spaces that value productive struggle and sitting with a problem, before something or someone comes in to help."

Teaching Update

I thought I'd write a little about my First-Year Writing classes in which we're exploring and writing about the university's archives and special collections. The students just turned in the final drafts of their exploratory essays, where they were supposed to, as I told them several times, "go from what you already know about the archival site you're looking at to what questions you have that you can try to answer in future research." That is, they spent some time reading in the archival collections of Northeastern University or the special collections of a social movement organization of their choice to identify a topic of interest. Then they read more closely in those archives and also tried to find relevant secondary sources. Then they summarized what they had learned and wrote about what questions they still had. 

We've visited the archives 3 times so far as a class--the first for a more general introduction to the archives and the other two to give them a chance to do research. (Most of the students are engineering majors and don't have a great deal of time to visit the archives outside of class. Fortunately, the library also has an extensive collection of digitized records that they can use.) 

When I asked them about the experience of doing the research, one frequent complaint was that they wish their process could be more efficient. This led me to realize that something I should be emphasizing in this class is the value of going more slowly, of not trying to do everything "efficiently." Sure, there are some ways that we can improve our experience and make it more efficient, like learning how to write good search terms for the digitized records, using research tools like Zotero or Google Keep for recording notes, and (at minimum!) recording what box and folder they found that interesting flyer in. (By the way, am I the only person who write "flyer" instead of "flier" anymore?) But I realized that in this course, I could perhaps try to stress the value of going slowly to develop familiarity with the archives and to develop questions about the collection they're working with. I preached to them a bit about this, though I don't know how they took it. I think some of them, particularly the ones who seem really connected to their topics, liked the idea, but some students might just think it's all boring. Guess I'll find out at the end of the semester. Maybe this is something I should talk about at the beginning of the semester the next time I teach this course. 

As I said before, I'm not trying to turn them into historians, but maybe they can develop a historical perspective on Northeastern or Boston. That would be valuable. And I have to admit that I'm learning a lot about Northeastern and Boston through their work! Lots of topics that I didn't know much (or anything) about in the past, like Northeastern's Faculty Wives organization, the African American Master Artist in Residence Program at Northeastern, La Alianza Hispana and Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción, the Chinese Progressive Association and the Asian American Resource Workshop, Pride at Work, Freedom House, Roxbury Youth Council, etc. 

Now we're working on their final projects, where they're going to try to answer those research questions. I've given them options on how they can present their work. We'll talk more about that in class tomorrow. 

Research Update

Last week I received the proof of my paper about George H. Kerr that will come out in the Journal of American-East Asian Relations by the end of this year (I hope!). It's about his struggles to write about what he saw and experienced in postwar Taiwan--the events leading up to and immediately following the March Massacres of 1947. I was able to locate correspondence between Kerr and William Holland of the Institute of Pacific Relations that cleared up (though not entirely!) what happened to prevent the earlier version of what eventually became his most famous work, Formosa Betrayed. I'll let you know when that comes out.

In the meantime, I'm still working with my colleagues from Taiwan and Japan on the biography of Kerr. There have been some delays in the process (as is inevitably the case, I think), so I'm not sure when the book will be out, but it will probably be done next year. (Fingers crossed!)

I've also been invited to take part in a roundtable next summer about the Oberlin Shansi Memorial Association's work in China and Taiwan. If our proposal is accepted, it'll be a chance for me to reconnect with the research I did (and the people I worked with) on Shansi in Taiwan. The last piece I wrote about that research was published in 2013 in a collection about Taiwan church history. It's interesting that this is coming back again at this point in my life. I wonder where it will lead...

[Update, 12/1/25: The proposal for the roundtable was accepted! Yay!]

No "new book(s) in the former native speaker's library" for a while

Since professional development funds in my college have been cut by 80% and the new purchasing/reimbursement system is unnecessarily baroque (no disrespect to Baroque--I actually like the period's art and music!), I've stopped buying books for the near future. 

It has been tough--I keep seeing books like Anna Beth Keim's Heaven Does Not Block All Roads: A History of Taiwan Through the Life of Huang Chin-tao that I'd like to get. 

On the other hand, maybe it will force me to read the books I already own. (Actually, all I'm reading these days is student work and drafts of my co-authors' chapters for the GHK biography.)

As for my professional development money? When "donation day" comes around, I'll tell them to donate it to the school...

[Update, 12/9/25: I received Keim's book as a Christmas gift from my brother and sister-in-law! Yay!]

"Representing Taiwan in DC: How Taiwanese Americans Can Bridge Culture and Policy"

This looks interesting...

Making and eating sweet potato strips (蕃薯籤) during WW II

My wife recommended this video to me. On my YouTube, there are English subtitles in addition to the Chinese subtitles. So even if you don't understand Taiwanese, this should be understandable, I hope. 

It's about what the grandmother and her family ate when she was a kid during World War II: sweet potato strips (蕃薯籤). It gets into the history of wartime Taiwan--what ordinary people experienced. 

She mentions the May 17, 1945, bombing of the Keishu Sugar Plant (溪州糖廠 [Chinese]) in Changhua. This was part of the series of bombing raids the US conducted on Taiwan in the last years of the war. Here's an interesting article on that history and how it was buried during the time that the KMT wanted to deemphasize the fact that the US was bombing the "enemy"--Taiwan wasn't part of China at that time. In the video, the grandmother talks about how terrifying it was back then. People would sit around in the courtyard of their traditional Taiwanese homes and say, "We're all here tonight, but we don't know what will happen tomorrow."

"Taiwan’s Latest Food Trend: The Return of Movable Feasts"

This looks like a good short video for a future class I might work on (once I get everything else done)...

This is a good video, too, although I don't like the way the interviewer jumps between the two interviewees, Clarissa Wei and Bobby Chinn. 

Another new book in the former native speaker's library

T. C. Brown, Made in Taiwan. Proving Press, 2025

I heard about this book via a LinkedIn link to this review by David Frazier. Because my dissertation was about the experiences of a different group of young people who were in Taichung--some around the same time as Brown--I'm curious to see how his impressions of Taiwan compare to theirs. 

The young people I wrote about were Oberlin College graduates who were teaching English at Tunghai University for two years as part of a fellowship program run by the Oberlin Shansi Memorial Association. While I know that some of the "reps" (as they called the Oberlin Shansi representatives at the time) visited the Ch'ing Ch'uan Kang (清泉崗, also known as CCK) military base mainly to buy American products at the PX. There was some association between some reps and the servicemen there too, as I recall.

Interestingly, I just received an invitation to participate on a roundtable discussion about Oberlin-in-Taiwan next summer. Stay tuned for more on that...

My on-ground teaching starts tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Copying this for the image of "Data + Generative AI"

This is three months old, but I just came across it on LinkedIn...

George H. Kerr on a "Formosa Studies Program"

Came across this "Proposal for a Formosa Studies Program, with Comment" that George H. Kerr sent to Cheng-mei Shaw (蕭成美) on March 22, 1971. 

I record here, for your consideration, some alternative possibilities and ideas concerning a Formosa studies program.

These suggestions are made on the assumption that you will have between $25,000 and $30,000 to spend annually, for a period of five years, and that you are seeking a means to stimulate serious academic support for research and publication.

I. A "Formosa Studies Center", per se.

Under present inflationary conditions it would not be possible to establish a separate "Formosa Studies Center" in an important university for $30,000 annually. Salaries, operating costs, library acquisitions, and overhead must all be considered. (The Berkeley (U.C.) China Studies Center operates on an annual $250,000 budget, subsidized principally by the Ford Foundation.)

II. A "Formosa Studies Program" Within an Established China Studies Center or Department

The question of "Formosa" as distinct from "Chinese" studies rises at once. The introduction of a privately subsidized program within an established academic program would be difficult. University administrations must insist on the academic qualifications and standards applied throughout the institution, and preserve at least the appearance of "objectivity." The "Formosa"-"China" distinction at once takes on a political character at the present time.

III. Grants in Support of Formosa Studies Specialists

It may be feasible to offer scholarship or fellowship funds to an established academic research center or department with the proviso that they be used to support individual scholars seriously involved in Formosan studies. On the one hand, there could be no strings attached nor overt attempts to influence the recipients, and on the other, the continuity of the subsidy must be guaranteed for a specific period.

A variant on this would be the offer of scholarship support across the country, wherever first-rate graduate students are found whose faculty sponsors recommend them for grants. This, however, would inevitably expose them to charges of "bias" or of being "bought," no matter what the subject or the tenor of their conclusions might be.

IV. Support for a Formosan Specialist at Faculty Level

There may be faculties interested in having Dr. Peng Ming-min or other fully qualified specialists join them as Visiting Professors (in History, or Political Science, Law, etc.). If it were known that half the salaries or the full salaries would be met for a guaranteed period, there is some possibility here. With increasing public debate of the China issue, there is certain to be a rising interest in Formosa's role in it.

Since the bottom salary for a full professor at a major university is now say $20,000, this would mean a surplus available for an "outside" (non-university) secretary or aide.

V. An Independent Information Center and Publications Program

Failing a formal establishment within a university program, it might be useful to create a base adjacent to a major university (Ann Arbor, Palo Alto, Berkeley) at which a well-qualified staff would undertake to gather together accurate data, reproduce it in usable form and make it available to academic centers, political leaders, editors, etc.--the molders of public opinion.

This is definitely and obviously weaker and more vulnerable than a formal academic setup, but could perform a useful function. It will be identified as a "Formosa Lobby", and will be equated with the KMT "China Information Service". Nevertheless, by maintaining the highest possible standards of accuracy and candor, it would have a chance to win recognition and respect. It would certainly fill a need. 

Among its services would be a clearing-house agency for public speakers on the subject of Formosa and the Formosan Question. It could undertake to print up the full texts, synopses, digests or summaries of academic theses and dissertations concerning Formosa, giving them a circulation they do not ordinarily have and cannot expect.

To some extent this would overlap the function of the present Independent Formosa, and some understanding would have to be reached on this. It must establish an immediate reputation for accuracy and avoid obviously slanted material. It might produce occasional analyses of the present Taipei government, with accurate statistics and notes on Formosan leaders who must be considered in negotiations on the Formosan Question. It must present the case for Formosan leadership rather than attempt to denigrate or attack Nationalist leaders (that task will be done by others, I am sure, once the big debate begins).

A staff of two principals plus secretarial help could make a useful contribution. It is possible that some research projects could be farmed out to Formosan and other graduate students scattered over the country. Since all non-citizens are vulnerable these days, it would be an advantage to have the staff consist of American citizens, with one perhaps a naturalized Formosan and the other a native-born American. Both should have wide experience in the handling of research materials.

I'd be interested to know what became of this proposal. The University of Washington has an oral history interview of Cheng-mei Shaw (also known as Seng-bi Shaw) from 2017 that might mention this; I'll have to check that. I believe Shaw did support some Taiwan-related programs at various universities, but I can't find information on that right now. Any help would be appreciated!

Source of proposal: Okinawa Prefectural Archives, Folder GHK2G01001.

P.S. I'm struck by Kerr's comment that "all non-citizens are vulnerable these days"--we seem to be in the same situation nowadays. 

Third chapter draft finished!

I just emailed a draft of the third chapter I am working on to my partners. I am not confident in it, but at least it's done. Now I can focus on other things that I need to do, like preparing for the fall semester and pulling weeds in the front lawn. (My son's school bus will stop in front of our house this year, and I don't want his classmates to think that we're the Addams Family.) 

But first, to bed...

"What’s Next for Taiwan: Navigating New Diplomatic, Economic, and Security Dynamics"

I want to watch this when I get a chance. 

;

Still struggling...

I am close (I think) to finishing this chapter that I'm working on, and I really need to get it done asap so that I can prepare for my courses that start September 3. But instead of diving into some correspondence that I need to go over to write the last section, I keep adding to and tweaking other parts of the chapter. I think I'm scared of how much work it might turn out to be. But I've got to do it. What can this be called? It's not "writer's block" because it's not about the writing. Is there something called "reader's block"?  

New year's resolutions for the 2025-2026 academic year?

I see I did one of these last year about this time. I did do some reading, but I don't think I used the commuter rail time to read--think I was still doing Duolingo. 

Did some writing--got the revisions done to my GHK paper, which should be out by the end of the year (watch this space). As you know, I'm still working on the biography chapters, and that's going to be something that I'll be working on until at least December, I imagine. 

But I don't really know what to resolve to do this year. I don't know what to hope for, to be honest. Maybe I can resolve to get more sleep. I think I could use some more sleep. (Maybe it's not a good idea to make new year's resolutions when you're tired!)

AI vs. learning

I seem to be embedding LinkedIn posts a lot recently. Here's another one about AI that I like. I might bring it up in class.

One chapter to go, but feeling drained

I managed to finish a draft of the second chapter that I'm responsible for and sent it off on the 9th, but I haven't made much progress on finishing the third chapter. I have over half of it done, I suppose, but there are a few points for which I need to spend some time looking through and organizing some archival documents.

But right now I am not quite in the mood to work on this. Two days before I sent off the second chapter, I heard from my mother that her older sister passed away. Aunt Lucy (married to Uncle Erich, who died in 2014) was 102. When someone reaches that age, you simultaneously feel that she could go at any time and also feel that she will be around forever. Even though we saw her decline in the last year or so--and especially toward the end--it's hard to believe that she's gone. My mother, who talked to her on the phone almost every night for an hour for probably 15 years, has lost the last person with whom she could share--really share, not just talk about--all their childhood memories. And Aunt Lucy was like a second mother to me, especially when I spent the summer of 1985 (40 years ago!) with them in Allentown, working at the family jewelry and clock store. I didn't realize at the time that she was 62 years old (which would have seemed extremely old to me back then); she always seemed young and energetic, even years later when she was complaining about various aches and pains. To imagine (to witness, really) that she led an active life for another 40 years after that reinforces that feeling of almost surprise that she is gone.

I'm not sure how to finish this. I will try to get back to work on my writing now. More updates as needed!

One chapter down, two to go...

I sent to the other authors the first of the three chapters that I'm responsible for in the GHK biography. It's actually the second of the three, that covers Kerr's advocacy for Taiwan during the late 1940s-mid 1950s and the effects of McCarthyism on his academic career. It's interesting writing about this with a Taiwanese audience in mind because I have to make sure that I discuss the American historical context in more detail than I might have to with a US audience. (Then again, as I was reminded by a colleague, I should probably not expect the US audience to be that much more informed about the McCarthy era, unless they have studied it. I think folks today would consider it ancient history. Which they shouldn't, for some very pressing reasons... But I digress.)

The other concern I have is about my style/tone. It's going to be translated into Chinese, so I tried to write with that in mind, but I had some trouble figuring out how academic vs. how popular I should sound. I'm afraid I might have erred on the side of sounding academic. That might need some work depending on what the editors and publishers expect. To me, it's interesting stuff, but it might sound a bit dry and boring to readers. Perhaps I should spice it up a bit. I tried to include quotes from Kerr and others to bring their voices into it, but of course the results will depend on how it gets translated. 

One extended quote that I liked was from a political science professor at Stanford who was interviewed by the Civil Service Commission about Kerr's loyalty when Kerr was applying for a contract position at the Hoover Institute that was funded by the International Cooperation Administration. He appears to have responded rather testily to the interviewer's questions:

In the last few years I have been interviewed by Government Investigators at least three or four times concerning George Kerr. I have always given George the highest recommendation and my opinion of him has not changed since the last time I was interviewed about a year or a year and a half ago. If I had any reason to question him either securitywise or from the standpoint of loyalty, I would surely inform the proper government agency. 

I first met George while we were both assigned to the Formosa Research Unit at Columbia University while serving with the United States Navy around 1944. I have known him ever since. Last semester at Stanford University he taught a course in my department. He has been out at the University for a good number of years now. I think that any man who has served as a Naval Attache and a Vice-Consul for this government does not have to be investigated every time he turns around. 

George’s character, habits and morals are beyond reproach. He is completely honest and trustworthy and a gentleman of the highest integrity. I can only reiterate all the statements I have made in the past. I cannot question his loyalty to this country. I feel the government is lucky to get his services and I would recommend him highly for work involving our national security program.

I'd love to know who this was, but unfortunately, his name has been redacted. I suppose I could figure it out pretty easily, though, if I did a little searching to find out who was at Columbia and then went to Stanford. 

But I have those two other chapters to work on now... due 8/15! Wish me luck!

Source: James M. Murtha, investigator, Report of Investigation, George Henry Kerr, CSC [Civil Service Commission] Case Serial No. 5.22.55.5235, 2nd Regional Investigations Division (New York, NY: U.S. Civil Service Commission, Intermittently 24 June-12 July, 1955). (FOIA request).

Some possible language to use with students

I liked the language of "developmental editing" vs. "copyediting" from this. It might be a good way to explain to students why they have to do multiple drafts, rather than just saying that they have to do two drafts before the final draft. 

I'm still alive...

Just a note here to let all of my reader know that I'm still around. I've been working on my book chapter drafts, trying to crank out words words words and cite sources sources sources. There are some interesting things that I've noticed about my process (and then unfortunately forgotten) that I'd like to tell students about in the fall. 

I'm going to be teaching First-Year Writing, and I've decided to bring the students to NU's archives and special collections to try their hand at working with archival documents. I don't expect to turn them into historians (I'm not technically a historian myself, if I'm honest with myself), but as I said almost a year ago, I want to give them experience with a different kind of academic research (most of the students so far appear to be computer science or engineering majors). For that matter, perhaps they'll find some interesting points of similarity between the archival research process and research they're learning about in their own disciplines. Who knows?

Anyway, back to my own work. I have about 2 weeks to go before I have to submit my chapter drafts. Wish me luck!

"Rethinking Taiwan Workshop featuring Chia-Chiun Shih Chen, Hardy Stewart, Sarah Plovnick"

Need to watch this when I get a chance...

Chia-Chiun Shih-Chen (zh) is Shih Ming-teh's second wife (his widow).