Tag Archives: classes

Beginning Semester 2

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The break is about over!  Classes begin at JMU on Monday and I am looking forward to getting back to work.  I have all my books and am ready to go!  This semester will be different from the first in that there will not be any uncertainty for the first few weeks.  We all know exactly what to expect.  The three courses I am taking could not sound better!  The majority of those who voted in my poll chose HIST 593 as their choice and I can certainly understand why.  Historic preservation (architectural) is a very important skill for a public historian and having the opportunity to place a historic building on the National Register of Historic Places will be a worth-while experience.

As you may have noticed, some of my more resent posts have not been about grad school, but about subjects that interest me, and, I hope, interest the readers.  I plan to do this more often this semester and share some of my historic interests.  I will also try to explain each course in more detail after I have had a few weeks to feel them out.  I think this semester will be better than the last because I am now well adept to the expectations of grad school.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, I have a new position this semester.  My Teaching Assistantship assignment will be History Day.  I do not have alot of details, but should find out everything next week, so you can expect an update on History Day then.  I helped with History Day at MSSU and I look forward to doing it again!

Until next time…

-Eric

Wrapping up the First Semester of Grad School

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It has been awhile since I have posted, but I wanted to wrap up my first semester of grad school in a single post.  So many things have happened to me this past year, but the highlight has been moving to Virginia.

First off, I finished my first semester of grad school on December 13.  I returned my graded portion of the finals for my GHIST 102 course to Dr. Davis and, at that point, my semester was over.  This semester has been incredible.  Grad school has brought many opportunities.  Having a Teaching Assistantship has been the most beneficial to me.  Despite a few bumps in the road, I was able to create and deliver a lecture to a class of 40 students and my TA class of 110.  Of all the things I did this past semester, this is the most important.  The first real teaching experience and I look forward to more as grad school pushes on.

My assistantship was only a fraction of my semester, however.  The bulk of my time was devoted to reading, writing, and researching (the real “3 R’s”!) for my three courses.  The courses I took this semester have prepared me for the next three semesters.  The first semester is always the most difficult when moving to a new institution.  The process of getting to know the professors and the expectations of the department really takes most of the first semester.  That is not to say the courses I have enrolled in for next semester are going to be easy, but this semester was really a test.  I had to feel out grad school.  I had to learn to manage my time between reading, writing, researching, grading, and office hours.  I also learned, very early, it is VERY important to include relaxation and fun to that list!  I can honestly say that I did have fun this past semester.

My readings from the semester – articles and books!

Perhaps the most important part of grad school has been the people I have come in contact with.  First, the professors at JMU have been willing to assist me when I ask for help or advise.  That includes professors within the department I have never had any form of contact with.  The three I had this semester, Dr. Lanier, Dr. Owusu-Ansah, and Dr. Seth, have all been helpful and contributed greatly to my understanding of grad school and history as a discipline.  There is so much to be learned from each of them and I look forward to having more courses with them if the opportunity presents itself.

The most important people I have met at JMU are my fellow graduate students.  There are….well….I guess around 30 of us, and we are all serious about what we are doing.  The great thing about students at this level is that we all come from different backgrounds and it is possible to bounce ideas off each other.  Whether we are discussing thesis topics, grading methods, or debating the merits of various NFL teams, we have a good time doing it!  There is never a dull moment in the graduate office.  It is hard to believe that only seventeen shorts weeks ago, we had never met.  You would not think that now!

Overall, the Fall 2010 semester was successful, and I am looking forward to Spring 2011 and beyond.  I am back in Missouri (first time since August 10) for Christmas break, but look forward to returning to Harrisonburg after the new year.  In the coming weeks, I will wrap up 2010 with a year in review post and introduce my courses for Spring 2011.

Until then….

Eric

One week down…

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When I decided to attend grad school, I was told it would be completely different from undergraduate coursework.  While this is true, I have discovered that I am more prepared for grad school than I thought.

This week I experienced what it is like to be a TA.  Truth be told, it can be pretty boring.  I am an extra set of eyes in the classroom for Dr. Davis, but do not get to lecture.  I will have the opportunity in the future, but, having done the readings for the course, I have the urge to answer his questions.  I realize the students must answer these questions, but I still have that urge as a student.  I look forward to lecturing to a class of 110 (although only about 98 show up on a given day!) because it will be a new challenge and that is the purpose of graduate school, to further challenge the student.  Several times this week, we have been told the beginning of grad school is the entry into the profession as a historian.  While it is true, JMU views me as faculty, I do not feel like a professional historian yet.  Perhaps writing a thesis will change that.  Nevertheless, I still feel like a student, albeit and student with more responsibility!

My first week as a grad student went smoothly and without a hitch.  I am going to have a good time in the seminar discussions with my fellow historians as well as my one course with undergrads.  HIST 592 (American Material Culture) is a mix of grad and undergrad students.  There are three grad students enrolled in the course and we have to attend class with the undergrads, but we have completely separate assignments, reading list, and meet with the professor for an extra hour a week.

My other two courses are in the evening.  That is a new experience, but the seminar discussions are not.  I feel I have had an advantage by attending a smaller university for my undergrad degree.  The smaller class sizes at MSSU enable seminar discussions at the undergrad level.  This goes against the German model of eduction in which undergraduates are lectured and graduate students attend seminars.  I consider myself fortunate to have experienced seminar discussion in many of my upper division undergraduate courses.

The one major difference between undergrad and grad courses is the amount of reading and writing.  For example, for my class on Monday, I have a week to read a 496 page book.  I have finished the book, but only because I used a reading technique designed to help students find the main points quickly and move on.  In order to find the author’s thesis, it is not necessary to read the book word for word and there is just not the time.  That 496 page book would not be bad if it were the only assigned reading, but I do have other courses.  Remember HIST 592?  I do have to read a few journal articles for the undergraduate portion of that course in addition to the six assigned journal articles for the graduate portion.  I consider HIST 592 to be two courses, the undergrad and the grad portions.  I also have to keep up with the reading for my TA course.  They had to read a book for Monday as well, which I have completed.  And I have HIST 653 and HIST 671.  I am enrolled in three courses, but theoretically have five.  This is typical for a graduate student, however.  The TA is necessary to pay the bills and the course work is necessary to complete the degree in the desired two years.

That being said, graduate school is not a bad place, in fact, is a great place to expand the mind, meet others with similar interests, and work with professionals in their fields.  I am going to make the best of the short two years I will have at JMU and use this experience to prepare me for achieving my Ph.D. much like MSSU has prepared me for my Master’s.  I had a great first week and am looking forward to the next thirteen (yes, JMU only has a fourteen week semester!!).

I will try to update my blog weekly and I think I will start to describe my courses individually next week.  Until then…

Eric