Stuff

This is one of those catch-all, update, not doin' much o' nuthen posts. It's been an exciting week.

First of all, I can finally put a shoe on the broken foot. It's not 100% yet - probably more like 85%. Still, it's getting there. I was on the treadmill at the gym this morning for the first time in over a month! I know I won't be able to run for at least another 6 weeks.

I have been in contact with several people regarding my German POW camps in Tennessee project. I received an email from a lady whose father served in the army at Camp Forrest (Tullahoma, TN) as a supply officer. She had many wonderful experiences to share with me. She will be a good source of information for any future presentations on the subject. I also emailed a history teacher in Tullahoma who had contacted me last winter about my research. She wants me to come speak to her class about the POWs at Camp Forrest.

I am excited my research is coming together and I will have an outlet for it other than writing a paper. The University of Tennessee has a Center for the Study of War and Society. The Center awards fellowships to graduate students who are studying some aspect of war. One of the fellowships is given to a graduate student who is studying an aspect of WWII. That's me! The presentation, the opportunity to share with others what I know and the fellowships all serve to increase my motivation to dig into my research and do a good job with it.

School is right around the corner and I will able to present to my thesis prof and class what I have discovered through my research. I am excited about that! My new advisor is also the prof who is mentoring my thesis. He is a WWII historian. Very cool! The pieces seem to be falling into place for my thesis - not sure exactly what the topic will be yet, but I know it will be about the POW camps.

I realize it is a bit nerdy to be excited about research. Fine. Just call me the "Histonerd". Stay tuned . . .

A Thesis by Any Other Name

Will Shakespeare who said, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." In my case, it's "A thesis by any other name would generate just as much stress."

I am spending this summer researching for my senior thesis. I will spend fall semester of 2009 refining my research and spring semester of 2010 writing my thesis. I anticipate this will be the highlight of my college career because the senior thesis can be a springboard for grad school, a Master's thesis, scholarships, a book, etc.

However, formulating a thesis and actually getting down to the nitty-grtty of writing a thesis are two totally different things! I had lunch this past Tuesday with the professor who is supervising the History Honors program here at UT. She ripped my research idea apart. At first, I was a tad dismayed, but then realized there was truth to her words. I was going about this whole thing totally backwards. Dr. Sacco said that with a senior thesis, one explores the records first, then asks the question as opposed to asking the question first and finding the records to back up that question.

That has given me a whole different perspective on my research. As I read through different records and articles, I make notes of little things that "pop out". For example, I discovered that the four German POW camps in Tennessee each started out with their own unique purpose. I discovered that there was not a precedent in the US for taking care of foreign prisoners of war. The War Department took the Geneva Convention Accord's stipulations for caring for prisoners of war and played the rest of it by ear. I discovered that the question was raised regarding the US's encouragement of Nazism by allowing the camps to be run by the prisoners themselves. The list goes on and on.

It's a good thing I am taking this summer to do a little exploration. I'd hate to reach mid-term next semester and discover I have to start all over with a completely different topic and subsequent research. It's better to wade through possible thesis topics now as opposed to the week before Thanksgiving. However, I'm sure Dr. Sacco would be on my case about my topic long before then.

I am discovering the subtle and not so subtle nuances of thesis topicing. Even though I am a strong advocate of "Don't sweat the small stuff", I am still a tad apprehensive about my thesis topic. I am excited about the German POW camps, just not sure yet what aspect of that topic I will be writing about.

Mr. Shakespeare was right when he said that it doesn't matter what we name, or call, something. It is still that thing. And a thesis is still lots of work. (sigh) Stay tuned . . .