For the past few years I have been fascinated with the First World War, particularly American military involvement. As stated elsewhere on this site, my proposed dissertation topic would have me analyzing the history and role of the Coast Artillery Corps on the Western Front in battles such as the Meuse-Argonne. Considering the level of scholarship already present, my research would explore a neglected branch of the Army while better understanding the contributions of the Corps as a land force. Although a brief summary, obviously the topic requires further development, that is the starting point for my research. Discussing my interest in that subject, however, is not the focus of this post. Instead I would like to express my other interest and how it may, or may not, affect my academic future.
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I decided to spend the last night of winter break updating the look of this blog. While I did not alter anything major, the changes I did make should help improve the readability of my posts. Readers should notice the increase in line spacing and some font formatting adjustments. The removal of unnecessary data, too, was an objective. When possible, I deleted redundant information, i.e. my name being attached to each post. Also noteworthy, the replacement of the popular post plugin with a far more statistically accurate variant finally took place. After a couple hours of work, and being fairly pleased with the outcome, I still envision making more alterations. Until I make-up my mind on what those additional changes will be, enjoy the improvements and keep visiting.
The exceedingly long gaps between updates can be attributed to the overwhelming power of my first semester back in grad school. Fortunately as of this past Friday I completed my first semester as a PhD student. Overall, I am happy with how the semester went. Nevertheless, there is always room for improvement. After twenty-fours hours of celebration and recovery, it seems appropriate to divulge some advice on how to make next semester less stressful and more productive. Thus the following three points are the main lessons and changes I intend to implement for classes next spring.
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Throughout the semester I have been re-introduced to some intriguing topics in First World War history. While already familiar with the fundamentals of the war, including the histories of most of the participants, I have been drawn towards the experiences of the Dominion forces from Australia and Canada. Having lived in both Australia and Canada, I wrongly assumed that I had been exposed to all aspects of their Great War history. After attending lectures and reading various tomes, the realization that much remained to be learned has compelled me to take a closer look at those aforementioned participants. Because of Masters experience in Ontario a collection of Canadian works proved rather easy to gather. Australian literature, however, is proving to be illusive. Apparently living in Australia in the 1990′s, and being in middle school at the time, does not help me locate good synthetic works to being my studies on the Australia experience. Thus, if anyone is aware of any important books please leave me a message.
Sorry for the lack of updates, but I am in the middle of adjusting to my new life in academia. With a number of books to read and papers to write, I have not found enough time to gather all my initial thoughts on becoming a PhD student. Nevertheless, I can stress that time management is far more important now than it has ever been. Even though I have barely begun my studies, the fear of comps has already begun to plague my mind. That leads me to another point, stress. Yes, stress is back and more vicious than ever. Fortunately, stress can be countered with good time management and support from friends and family. Hopefully this short post will keep some of you content.
Synopsis
The purpose of Thompson Werk is to present the musings of a US War and Society doctoral student. Discussion topics principally center around the World Wars and Vietnam.
The opinions expressed on this site are not be confused with those of my colleagues, employers, friends, family, and/or anyone else associated with me.
Contact me with any comments, complaints, and/or questions.
Responses
- Additional Dissertation Thoughts - Thompson Werk: [...] I discussed three possible [...]
- Robert: That is an interesting approach [...]
- Ross: But that cold be part [...]
- Robert: Hey Ross, I have to [...]
- Ross: Robert I prefer the first [...]
