by Throughout my two years at George Mason University, I have taken a multitude of history and digital history classes that have affected my development as a digital historian. Each professor has given me the skills and knowledge towards my research and writing abilities as it pertains to history-related essays and papers. These contributions have also bled into my internship with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. However, it makes me curious about two things. However, one of my professors presented me the question about the difference between theory and practice in writing. With this in mind, I aim to answer that question through some of the skills and knowledge I acquired throughout my master’s program.
Some of the skills I acquired mainly focus on exploring digital databases for media files. While I am telling the story of these professional futsal clubs, my ability to explore these databases give much needed color and flair to my articles. They put faces and images on the stories that I am trying to tell. Some of the knowledge from my coursework that I am using mainly revolves around structuring research and stories. Throughout a series of different classes I’ve taken, such as “Studying & Writing in History,” I have learned how other authors and researchers navigated and applied their research in ways that get their point across through narratives.
With my skills and knowledge, it brings me back to my question about the difference between theory and practice. I do believe there is a difference, considering the fact that it has affected my approach versus my work. All the planning and preparation has contributed into how I aimed to structure my articles, hence the theory. Everything that I have actually put together contributes to the practice of my work. In my opinion, the conclusion of theory and practice hinges on their differences, where theory is “why” something works and practice is “how” something works.
