Cassidy Croci, PhD English
Cassidy graduated from the University of New Hampshire (USA) in 2016. She came to Nottingham to study for a masters in Viking and Early Medieval English Studies, graduating in 2017.
She began her PhD in 2018, and is currently based in Iceland to conduct her Thesis Pending period at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies.
What made you choose your MA with us?
"My undergraduate degree is in the opposite field of the MA programme. I have a BSc in Business Administration, with an option in Entrepreneurial Studies. However, I was losing my passion for filling out financial spreadsheets and working with clients, so I picked up a history minor near the end of my time at the University of New Hampshire. But I did not know what type of history I wanted to study.
I turned to Scandinavian history, because my grandmother lived in Denmark when she was younger and still has fond memories. Also, I was always interested in ancient and medieval history since I was a child. So, the Viking Age seemed like a logical choice.
As I was deciding what to do after I graduated, the University of Nottingham tried to recruit me to play volleyball! I remember them saying 'We have a great business programme', because they knew what I was majored in, but I originally said, 'Thanks, but no thanks.'
While I was researching Viking scholarship in my free time, this one name kept appearing. Out of interest, I looked the person up, and it turned out to be Judith Jesch at Nottingham! I thought that was a weird coincidence, so that is what led me to contact Nottingham again.
If Nottingham could help me get into the School of English (because I had a Bachelor of Science not Art), then I would come and play volleyball. The School of English took a chance on me, and they waived this one requirement because I fulfilled all the others."
I did not even look at pictures of the campus before flying to England! I just came to Nottingham based on my conversations with people in the school, and the course on offer. I thought, 'Viking Studies, it is only a one-year programme. What is the harm in trying it out?'
How was it doing the MA?
"I had the time of my life! It was a great introductory experience, because many of these programmes have advanced medieval and modern language requirements. However, it is not easy to become fluent in these languages unless you have either lived in countries that speak modern Scandinavian languages, or attended a programme where Old Norse was taught at an undergraduate level.
At Nottingham, Old Norse and Old English are at a beginner level for the MA. This was a selling point for me because previously I never had exposure to these languages. It is also part of the reason I came to Iceland to finish my PhD, and why my teachers were supportive of me coming here. The best place to learn modern Icelandic is in Iceland!
The MA also was a good foundation for the PhD work I am doing now. All of the modules were aimed at preparing you to research independently by teaching you how to approach medieval texts using different methodologies."
What do you enjoy about studying the medieval period?
I think my favourite thing is finding people who share the same passion. Going to visit a medieval church or be in a rainy location to look at a stone is not necessarily everyone’s favourite thing to do!
"I think people can assume scholars are always in a classroom, or the library, and yes that is a part of it, but actually going to Viking Age locations provides new perspectives on your research.
For example, we went on a field trip to the Isle of Man for our runology module. We were able touch some of the rune stones and this tactile element brought to life what we were studying."
What has the support been like in the School of English?
"Everyone in the School of English, both in the Centre for the Study of the Viking Age and outside of it, has been incredibly supportive.
My supervisors, Judith Jesch and John Baker, have been two of the most caring and understanding people throughout my PhD journey. I am fortunate to have them on my team and l look forward to every supervision meeting, because I know the discussions will be interesting and improve my research.
I have also worked with Christina Lee on several projects and talking to her when she was international liaison really helped me adjust to the English academic system. Even though I am from an English-speaking country, there are still minor things that you do need to adjust to as an international student. Then there is Jayne Carroll, who made introductions on my behalf to some of her Icelandic friends, so that I would know a few more people as I moved countries.
Having a PhD office space in the School of English also fostered an amazing postgraduate community, where I have met some of the coolest people doing excellent research. Some of my best friends now are poets, Romanticists, and linguists and I think at other institutions I may not have many chances to interact with them.
I feel I can call on every single person in the School of English, staff and student alike, if I ever need something. Everyone has supported and encouraged me during my PhD."
What is the focus of your PhD?
"My preliminary PhD title is 'New methods for the Land-taking: Visualizing the social networks of the Sturlubók redaction of Landnámabók'. It is an interdisciplinary research project, combining traditional literary and historical approaches with Social Network Analysis and Visual Analytics.
I use Social Network Analysis to visualise the approximately 3,100 individuals and their relationships in Landnámabók ‘The Book of Settlements’, which recounts the settlement of Iceland.
This approach visualises the network of settlement by producing network graphs. In these graphs people visualise like circles on the computer which are connected by their relationships, which look like lines. I then analyse these visualisations to find patterns of settlement which allows me to investigate questions like, 'Where are the women and how do they function within this text?', 'Where are people geographically located and does this impact their relationships?', or 'Do these patterns of relationships accurately depict the network of the settlement period, or more likely reflect the 13th century, the period when the text was compiled?'.
This approach is a new way of reading and approaching a text by bringing in new technology and new software. However, I am still using traditional historical and literary techniques and that is why it is important to be based in the School of English.
I have had more fun doing this PhD than anything else in my life. It has brought me to so many cool places and allowed me to meet interesting individuals. Who thinks of going to the Isle of Man?! And I've been there a couple of times now. Or, being able to go to Wales and then obviously Iceland.
I’ve even been to Estonia and Finland this year, for conferences. I’ve been really fortunate in doing things I would never have imagined."
What are your career goals after you complete your PhD?
"Ideally, I would love to continue in academia, but I understand it is a competitive field. Therefore, I have tried to acquire skills which are transferrable to other fields. Notably, I have had many opportunities to work in the cultural heritage sector.
For several years, I have worked with the University of Nottingham Museum of Archaeology, as a learning facilitator. I was the Research Affiliate and Website Editor for the project ‘Vikings in the East Midlands’. During my MA, I served as the Events Coordinator for the AHRC-funded 'Danelaw Saga: Bringing Vikings Back to the East Midlands' and had hands-on experience setting up a museum exhibition. I even got to see some of the information I wrote discussing objects hang on one of the exhibition’s walls!"
I keep my future plans quite open. At the moment, I am just trying to finish my PhD. Afterwards I will apply for jobs and see what happens.
You worked as the postgraduate student coordinator for our Vikings for Schools scheme, how was that?
"I helped organise the programme and expand the scheme. We made a push to get it online, recruit international students and all students in the School of English, not only medievalists, and we also worked with the Digital Transformations Hub to 3D scan some of our objects.
Working with our undergraduate volunteers and helping them apply for medieval postgraduate programmes, or jobs if they wanted to continue working in medieval related fields, was rewarding. There are not many medieval clubs outside of medieval re-enactment, so if someone is interested in Vikings but does not want to pick up a sword this scheme builds that kind of community. Although, we gladly welcome reenactors, as pupils love to see trained individuals put on a show bout!
Growing up, especially being from the United States, I was not exposed to Viking Age research because it is not part of our curriculum. Having schools come here, especially if it is students who might be on a university campus for the first time, and you are dressed like a Viking talking about these objects, it sparks interest. It is an enjoyable experience, because I think every child gets excited when they get to hold a sword or shield!"
Volunteering also makes you better at explaining your own research, because children are going to ask about anything and everything. One of my favourite questions was ‘Do Viking women wear high heels?’. It keeps you on your toes!
Would you recommend Nottingham for Viking studies?
"The Vikings are on right on your doorstep in Nottingham! There are plenty of places to explore for medievalists in the city centre and in surrounding areas.
There are medieval churches, and street names – for example ‘Hound’s Gate’, which is derived from Old Norse – all around the city. At Nottingham you will learn about place-names, because we are the home to The Institute for Name-Studies. And Nottingham is surrounded by towns ending in ‘by’, which is Old Norse for ‘farmstead, village’! There are also the caves tunnelling beneath the city and Sherwood Forest is only a bus ride away.
Many medieval locations are accessible by train, car or bus, like Breedon on the Hill, Derbyshire, which has early medieval stone sculpture stuck into the church’s walls."
You have history all around you. You can just walk down some corners and end up in a cave, or look up and see the old windows from when it was a lace manufacturing city. It does take a little bit of looking, but you grow to love the history of the city. I loved living in Nottingham.
What does success look like to you?
"This is a question I have struggled with. I have actively worked on becoming less competitive and changing my thinking to not believe that my success and self-worth is only tied to my academic output.
I think success for me is continuing to explore who I am as a person – what is my potential, and who am I supposed to become? I do not think I'll ever achieve these goals entirely and that is ok."
Ultimately, I just want to focus on being present in the moment and enjoy whatever I am currently doing. That is success for me.
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