Having relocated to Hattiesburg, MS from Virginia Beach, VA, I’m inching closer to starting my PhD. Let us hope that I can finish unpacking before I dive into reading and research. Since “Going to Southern Miss.” is the most popular post on this site, I figured it might be nice to start accepting questions perspective grad students may have on the grad school experience. Knowing full well that my advice was rather limited, I imagine there are many readers still wanting more information. Getting input from fellow students and friends was, based on my experience, priceless. That said, questions regarding finding the right department, or what to expect at a typical program, are welcome. As noted on Ross Mahoney’s blog, we will be comparing our grad experiences. Hopefully our postings will help future students prepare for either an American or British graduate history program. From asking questions and readings the comparisions, I hope a solid illustration of grad life emerges.
Back in March I was accepted into the history PhD program at the University of Southern Mississippi. Why I did not announce the acceptance back then is a hard question to answer. It is not because I was too busy, or that I thought it was not worth writing about. Sure, I was waiting to hear back from other universities, but that was not the sole factor. Rather, I was not sure what to say besides the fact that I got in to the program. For such an important moment in my life I wanted to be certain I could write a post that best expressed my thoughts on the entire application process, while offering some advice to those following in my academic foot steps.
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Ninety-four years ago, Austria-Hungary and Italy slugged it out in the first of twelve battles along the Isonzo River. Having just entered the Great War on behalf of the Entente, the Italians endeavored to make a quick and substantial impact on the territory under the control of the Austrian-Hungarian forces along their border. With the aim of driving the forces of Austria-Hungary off the Isonzo River and out of the eastern sector (modern day Slovenia), the Italians launched poorly planned infantry based assaults on 23 June 1915.
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So today marks the 65th anniversary of the Allied landings at Normandy and the beginning of the push towards Berlin. It is interesting how the American media, particularly the History Channel, briefly mention the importance to June 6th while not doing any justice to those who fought and died. Years ago, the History Channel would have run an all day marathon of D Day related shows and commentary. Now, you are left with a few shows that have stretched connections to the momentous D Day landings. Ultimately, I could careless about what the History Channel does, or does not do, but I do think it is a strong reflection of the entire American mindset of “out of place, out of mind.” Maybe if you are fortunate enough to have a mega cable television package, you will take the time to tune into channels that are airing D Day related shows and commemorations. Better yet, take the time to read up on the historical impact of the landings and mark the sacrifices made so many decades ago with a moment of silence. Forget television, for it has already forgotten your history.
Today I read of VMI cadets re-living the wartime experiences of their Civil War brethren. While I have no issues with people re-enacting the lives of soldiers, I do think some take it to the extreme. The following excerpt if from WAVY, a local Hampton Roads broadcaster.
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Synopsis
The purpose of Thompson-Werk is to exhibit my love of history and the web. This site is a repository of my musings concerning history and relevant web topics. My opinions should not be confused with those of my colleagues, employers, friends, family, or anyone else associated with me.
Contact me with any comments, complaints, and/or questions.
External
Good sites to visit...
- Abu Muqawama
- Airminded
- Blog Them Out of the Stone Age
- Corrina Thompson
- Dan Cohen’s Digital Humanities Blog
- History-ing
- In the Service of Clio
- Keating Report
- Kings of War
- Nunal
- Omar Multimedia
- On Violence
- PhDinHistory
- Progressive Historians
- Publick Occurences 2.0
- Stahlgewitter 1914-1918
- Strange Maps
- The Academy’s Bench Warmer
- The Edge of the American West
- Thoughts on Military History
- Trench Fever
