I am starting this blog now as I am presently about 75% through my first reading list. I should state up front that this is merely a reflection blog. I am uninterested in typos, clear expression, and skillful writing. I am finding myself with a need to reflect on what I am doing. This process is very bizarre and if I do not sit and force myself to reflect on what is happening then I may fail to truly make this process useful. Run-on sentences will also figure prominently as well as the occasional "Stuffed-Shirt" writing.
I suppose I should mention what exactly Comps is for me, Derrick Angermeier PhD Student of European History at the University of Georgia. Comps involves being examined in four different Historical Fields. These fields can vary considerably depending on the student. For each field students read a varying number of professional historical works related to each field. My fields are as follows:
1. Military History- Supervised by Dr. John Morrow
2. Modern Europe- Supervised by Professor John Short
3. Early-Modern Europe- Supervised by Dr. Jennifer Palmer
4. World History- Supervised by Dr. Ben Ehlers
The above order is the order in which I will be reading the comps. I am presently, as said earlier, 75% of the way through my Military History list. I had not initially thought of myself as a Military Historian, but in a new age of Military History I think I fit in quite nicely. Through this reading list I have been fascinated and perplexed with the complexities of Memory and Geopolitics. These two topics dominate my thinking and inform how I interpret the books I am reading. As a matter of fact the books I find most valuable are books that blend these two aspects very well. Increasingly I am becoming less of a European scholar and drifting towards a more Global classification for myself. Europe is fascinating, but the way Europe interacts with the world since 1500 is utterly fascinating to me. It is my hope that this Comps process will turn me into a more global scholar.
This blog will be very stream of thought as well....
Anyhow, each Comp involved being examined on what you read. Typically this is done via a Comp Exam that features a Professor giving their PhD student a set of questions which the student is supposed to answer that day using the books they have just accomplished. Many throw around the phrase Academic hazing which has some merit, but I am determined to satisfy this important process. I want to be deemed deserving of a position in Academia and so devote as much effort as I can afford towards this process.
I think part of my determination comes from the ways I am attempting to make this process as productive for myself as possible. Knowing myself, if I read these books with just an exam in mind, many of their subtle points may fall to the cutting room floor so to speak. I am reading fascinating and vastly informative works many of which cover topics that I have had cursory experience with. I think it would be a travesty to either 1)Take this process too lightly and read books with the intention of gutting them for an index card version of the book or 2) To blow through these books and not learn what they have to offer. We as historians come across so much minutia that people just glance over. I can't bring myself to gut my comps book which is a problem that will likely feature a few times in this blog. I have been actually reading these books. Certainly not every page and every word, but I have spent considerable time with these books not only because they are fascinating, but because I feel a responsibility to learn everything I can from them.
Along these lines I am trying to alter how I complete the written portions of these exams. I am trying to put together Annotated Syllabi to do en lieu of a Written Comp exam. Three of my fields will result in the development of 6 courses with notes on how the books I have read will help build said courses. I will talk more about these courses in later posts, but I feel that while this method will be a lot of work (particularly for an overachiever like myself) I will end my comps process with at least 6 mostly ready to go courses I can teach which excites me tremendously.
Anyhow, I am tiring so I will bring this initial reflection to a close with one final thought. This is a long process that involves a great deal of thought, attention, and focus. It is my hope that this blog, if it does nothing else, will help give me a place where I can engage in those three activities separate from the actual work I am doing.
Until Next Time,
Derrick Angermeier, A Tired PhD Student
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