Tag Archives: Graduate

COURSES: HIST 673 – Graduate Research and Writing Seminar

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Many second year students in our program have called this course the most beneficial in the program.  On the surface this course, taught by Dr. Lanier, seems terrifying.  The course has no books and requires no outside reading, but within the 15 weeks of the semester each student will write two twenty-page papers which must be written on a related topic.  Many students, such as myself, are using this as an opportunity to write two chapters of our thesis, which is the smart thing to do since we all have to write one anyway.

The course outline is pretty simple.  Each week, three students in the class turn their paper in on the Friday before the class period.  The rest of the class has the weekend to read the other student’s papers and we have to write a short review for the student and for Dr. Lanier (she just wants to be sure we are actually reading!).  In class, we just discuss the papers as a class with the students.  We offer suggestions, criticisms, and compliments.

This class is helpful in many ways.  First, we all get some experience reviewing the work of others who are writing in different fields.  Second, we are expanding our knowledge on topics that we may have no experience with.  History is very diverse and it is great to read what everyone is working on.  And that is the most important part of the course.  We get to read each other’s work.  We have been together now for a semester and we have an idea of what the others are researching, but we actually get to read and respond to the work they have done so far.  Some students have more developed ideas than others and at this point that is fine.  Others know exactly what they are writing about and have done much of the documentary research.  I, however, am somewhere in between.  I have a very solid notion of where my thesis will go and I am using this class to begin my thesis work.

Incidentally, my first paper was due yesterday and we will discuss it next week along with two other papers.  I completed and turned my paper in on Thursday, and I really do look forward to the feedback.  I have a rough idea for my second paper and for my thesis and the feedback I receive next week could change that route.  But that is not a bad thing.  It is great having 16 historically oriented and intelligent fellow historians to bounce ideas off of and receive feedback from.  I think the second year students are absolutely correct in their assessment that this course is the most beneficial since writing is at the center of graduate research.

Next week I will take a look at HIST 593 – Historic Preservation.  A great class!  Until then…

-Eric

Graduate School and the iPad

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I have owned an iPad since last April, but never really used it to its fullest potential on campus.  Last semester, I took a picture of all the books and articles I read through out the semester.  The fact of the matter was I downloaded all the articles from BlackBoard and recycled them at the end of the semester since I had saved a digital copy on my computer.  This made me realize that I really needed to use the iPad for more than just email, web, and entertainment.  There had to be an app that would allow me to create a folder system for my classes, and there was.  I found the app GoodReader for $2.99.  I figured it would be worth it for an app that worked on the iPad and iPhone (since I have both).  I purchased the app last fall and began to work with it.  I decided it was the best candidate for this semester.

Steve Jobs Unveils the iPad, January 27, 2010

A week before classes began, I created a folder system within GoodReader which broke down the course by week.  This would allow me to download the PDF files from BlackBoard directly to GoodReader on the iPad and place it in the proper folder.  It may sound complicated, but it makes things much easier than keeping track of a paper version of the article.  After all, printing the articles seemed like a waste of paper when I could just as easily read them on the iPad.

When the semester began, I downloaded the readings for week two for my courses and placed them within the proper folders.  I always have my iPad with me on campus, and so now when I have a free moment, I can read articles for class while on campus.  With the paper versions, I would have to bring them with me if I wanted to do that, and there is no guarantee free time will present itself.

After working with the iPad for almost a year, and experimenting with reading PDF files on it for three weeks, I can honestly say it makes my life easier.  I could have just as easily purchased a laptop (or kept my MacBook), but the iPad is much thinner and a pound lighter than the lightest MacBook Air.  The touch interface also make the reading of articles easier as I can easily adjust the zoom using a pinching motion.  As a student, the iPad does everything I want it to do and more.

Screen shot of GoodReader’s Folder System

Apple’s Steve Jobs described the iPad last year as “magical.”  But he was not far off.  There is something more intimate about the iPad over a laptop or even a desktop.  I find that I am using the iPad more than my iPhone!  I may be a little biased, but the iPad is truly a multi-talented product that has changed the way we think about computing.  That was evident at this years Consumer Electronics Show.  Over 40 new tablets were demoed and will be released by the end of this year.  The iPad is making my grad school experience a little easier, and I look forward to using it for years to come!

Next weekend, I will begin reviewing my classes by looking at HIST 696.  Until then…

-Eric

(P.S.  I wanted to take a little space to express my sincere wishes that Steve Jobs get well soon so that he may return to Apple from his Medical Leave of Absence.)

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