Research trips are a critical part of grad school, at least if you hope to graduate anytime soon, and an extended research trip can be the best way to get the most bang for that buck you may or may not be getting reimbursed for, but lengthy research trips can be fun too. In fact, having fun is one of the simplest ways to put difficult tasks in perspective, reduce stress, and prevent burnout. Contrary to popular (academic) belief the long research trip need not be a grueling ordeal that you soldier through macho style. Over the years I’ve developed some basic strategies that help me not only survive the long research trip, but live the days in a way that enables me to make the best possible use of precious research time.

Plan ahead. This seems like a no-brainer. Of course you must plan ahead to book your airfare, rental car, hotel, and so on but did you cover all your bases?  Most grad students know better than to show up to an archive without having at least searched the online catalog and communicated their research needs to an archivist or two well in advance. (For more on this see my post A good archivist goes a long way.) But you should also develop the habit of nosing around for potential sources whenever you travel in a professional capacity. I’m not advocating you disrupt a vacation by taking a research detour, rather that you should never go to a conference, attend a seminar, or give a guest lecture without checking for relevant holdings in libraries and archives nearby. Failing to do your homework in advance means missing out on easy opportunities to maximize your research time, stretch those travel dollars, justify your expenses, and reduce your overall stress about the research process.

Give yourself over to the idea and get organized. Yes, you’ll have to work really hard for long hours with on-the-go food, grossly abbreviated lunch breaks, limited sleep, and many demands on your attention but it will only be for a certain amount of time. Mentally frame the experience as an exception to your usual schedule, one that you will make the best of, benefit a great deal from, and thank yourself for later. Then work out a detailed daily schedule that incorporates the ways your travel itinerary and library/archive hours of operation will dictate your routine as well as the ways this schedule may need to flex to adjust to unanticipated events. Try to leave some maneuvering room for unexpected archival discoveries, delays from getting lost in an unfamiliar city, opportunities to network, morning/evening organization of photocopies/digital notes, and so forth. A well-planned schedule is key to effective time management, and recognizing in advance that you’ll need to make room for adjustments will help you set reasonable boundaries when you encounter new demands on your time.

Know thyself. Know your personal habits and preferences and don’t be afraid to assert them when you know it’s in your best interest. (This goes for grad school in general too.) You know what you need to perform at your best. Long research trips will stretch you to your max, mentally and sometimes physically as well. Acknowledge this and think about what tactics you’ll need to use to keep yourself in peak research mode. If it’s a quiet, calm evening at the end of an exhausting, busy day so be it. Occasional exceptions must be made, of course, when you recognize a unique opportunity to extend your professional network or examine an uncatalogued collection, for example, but be sure any exception is exceptional and not just a cave to someone else’s idea of a great post-research evening. Know when to put your needs first, and carefully communicate your decisions to any invitation-extenders, travel companions, or roommates.

Consider the wonders of a microwave and mini-fridge. Again, you have to know yourself here to decide if this is for you. I am personally in the habit of eating a good bit of fruit, vegetables, and whole grains every day. I feel “off” when I can’t. Same for exercise. Although my research trips usually end in me not being able to maintain anything close to my normal workout routine a microwave and mini-fridge go a long way toward helping me eat more of what I’m used to, which makes me feel good and in turn reduces some of the stress of travel. It also cuts down on expenses associated with eating out. Yes, you’ll spend on average an extra ten bucks per night to get a hotel room equipped with these wonder appliances, but you’ll save at least that much each day in restaurant tabs.

Do something new. Going somewhere new or doing something new is one of the primary ways I like to treat myself and take a breather while on a long research trip. Sundays are a good day for this since most research libraries and archives are closed on Sundays. If you’re on an extended research trip, chances are you’ll be out of town at least one Sunday and a brief excursion is generally a far better use of your time than just sleeping in or watching t.v. in your hotel room all day. Sometimes I plan something extra to do in advance; other times I wait until I’m in the area to find out what the locals recommend. I rarely miss an opportunity to integrate some personal travel and fun into my research trips, and I always emerge refreshed, refocused, and better for it. You can do more than merely survive your research trips. You can and should find ways to enjoy them too.

Advancing to your comps means no more classes – ever. Unless you finally get the courage to sign up for that ballroom dancing class you’ve always wanted to take. (Good luck finding a partner for that by the way.) Passing your comps means you’ll probably never have to take an exam again, you’ll be that much closer to being done (hooray!), and you’ll be on more equal footing with your academic mentors. Life after comps means you’re much closer to being done (wait – yipes!), you can concentrate on your work, and you can look forward to getting on with the rest of your life. Maybe you can even hope to return to a balanced, more well-rounded lifestyle where you don’t have to self-violate federal labor laws on a regular basis. Or maybe not. In any case, before you can get to life after comps you have to pass comps, so below I’ve incorporated some of the major lessons I learned from my comps experience into recommendations for approaching comp-dom. Hopefully you find them useful.

Get started on those reading lists. Pronto. The sooner you can get your reading lists together and start knocking out some useful notes, the better. Some departments and members of your examination committee will have pre-existing lists they’ll just hand you, while others much prefer to have you come up with a draft and add to it over time. Everyone is different. Find out your examiners’ preferences and move forward. Don’t wait until the final few months before your exams.

Give up the idea of reading every word of every item on your lists. That’s a fool’s game. Much as you had to adjust your expectations after finding out what grad school is really like, you’ll need to be prepared to let go of some of your idealism about mastering every single argument in every single work you read. You are human and perfectionism in your comp prep will only bog you down. Concentrate your notes on the major arguments, sources used, methodology, contribution(s) to the field, historiography, and criticism. When in doubt about how in-depth you need to go, talk to your advisor.

Go digital. I have plenty of comrades who went the way of hand-written notes organized in binders and made it work for them. But I took all my notes in OpenOffice, saved them to a usb (or two), pasted them as individual documents in Google Drive, and uploaded and tagged them in Zotero. (See my previous post where I discussed all of this in more detail here.) While it turned out I didn’t use my tagging as much as I anticipated, and instead usually searched by the subject categories on my reading lists, being able to search the text of my notes via Google Drive and grab quick footnotes from Zotero was AWESOME. Searchability and importable footnotes proved to be enormous time-saving strategies that provided a much-welcome bit of ease, especially whenever exhaustion set in. So do yourself a favor and begin experimenting with such techniques now.

Budget your prep time so that you have at least three days off before you begin your exams. You really won’t add much to your knowledge bank in these final days anyway and will already have worked so hard that your mind and body will appreciate the downtime. This is particularly true if you have an exam schedule similar to UNL’s: 3 days on, 1 day off, 3 days on, 1 day off, 3 days on, then you’re done with writing but still have a 2-hour oral exam. In addition, be sure you take care of yourself during your exams. When you have a day off commit to really taking time away from all things academic. Sleep in, take a hot shower, eat tons of junk food (mine was cookie dough paired with red wine), and watch junk television (here I recommend the 1990 cult classic Tremors. Make your way through Tremors 2 and 3 at your own peril).

Be confident. If they’re worth their salt as mentors your comp committee would never let you begin exams unless they believed you could pass. So be confident in the prep work you’ve done, focus on what’s in front of you, and forget the rest. You’ll do great. Then you can move on to life after comps: forward in all directions.

*Shout out to Dr. Douglas Seefeldt for the “forward in all directions” phrase. I’m not quite sure where it comes from but I’ll credit him for putting it in my brain.

It’s hard to believe nearly three full years have passed since the first History Harvest. Held in May 2010, the first History Harvest was a partnership between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln History Department and NET Television that focused on railroad history. I recall working closely with Professor Will Thomas, Leslie Working, and Rob Voss to try to prepare as best we could for the unexpected. Although we spent months planning, coordinating, advertising, acquiring equipment, and organizing we were uncertain exactly how many people would show up, what they would bring, what their stories would be like, and what they would be willing to let us do with what they brought. We encouraged people to sign up or “register” for the Harvest ahead of time via either a web form or a toll-free number, which we thought would reach out to those both with and without internet access and allow us to manage time more efficiently the day of the event. Ultimately, though, the History Harvest was much more spontaneous than we initially imagined it.

People who had not registered dropped by and appointments were moved around. Some reported planning to attend for weeks while others said they only learned about the History Harvest while driving by the NET studio or listening to the radio. People came alone, as couples, and with their families. A group of older men with deep knowledge of and pride in the local railroad systems came. Most people brought items with them but others just wanted to look around. We welcomed everyone warmly and did our best to answer questions about how the History Harvest compared to the Antiques Roadshow (the most frequent question that day), explain what we hoped to achieve with the event, alleviate any concerns about how we would treat their precious artifacts, and guide them through each step of the sharing and digitizing process. In the end everyone had a story to tell.

My strongest memories of the first History Harvest involve watching the people grow more comfortable and slowly transition from people simply waiting their turn to members of a community. After observing the process for a few minutes participants usually began to move around, ask others about their items, and open up and make connections with strangers over their mutual interest in railroad history. Some initially hesitated to share their stories with interviewers, insisting that their artifacts – their histories – could not possibly be important. Friendliness, enthusiasm, respect, and a little time was usually all it took to draw folks out. Few people resisted the idea of digitization once we explained our intentions and showed them through conversation how much we valued their stories and their work to preserve the past.

In October 2011 I also participated in the North Omaha History Harvest. By then undergraduate leadership was incorporated into the project and some aspects of the interview and digitization process had changed, but many of the patterns of interaction from the first History Harvest remained. A few participants were reticent to open up and share but most were pleased to learn how much they had in common with others in the community, see how their histories connected to broader stories, and seemed to genuinely enjoy talking history with one another. I hope future History Harvests, here in Nebraska and across the nation, are attentive to the lessons these early experiments in public engagement offer and continue to emphasize an approach that puts the needs and desires of the community at the fore of the project.

The History Harvest is an innovative new authentic learning initiative in the Department of History at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. This collaborative, team-oriented, student-centered and community-based project seeks to create a popular movement to democratize and open American history by utilizing digital technologies to share the experiences and artifacts of everyday people and local historical institutions. At each ‘harvest,’ community-members are invited to bring and share their letters, photographs, objects and stories, and participate in a conversation about the significance and meaning of their materials. Each artifact is digitally captured and then shared in this free web-based archive for general and educational use and study. Overall, the History Harvest project aims to raise visibility and public conversation about history and its meaning, as well as provide a new foundation of publicly available material for historical study, K-12 instruction, and life-long learning.

On Wednesday, April 10th yours truly will post about past experiences participating in the History Harvest and thoughts about building community partnerships for the History Harvest.

Please help spread the word about the History Harvest and participate in some of the week’s upcoming activities. Here are some ways you can do so:

• Visit the History Harvest online. You can learn more there about the History Harvest’s goals and purpose, see where the History Harvest was held in the past, browse digitized items and stories shared in past History Harvests, and more.
• Follow the conversation this week on Twitter. #history_harvest
• Join the History Harvest Google hangout on Thursday, April 11th at 4 p.m. EDT to learn about and discuss best practices of the History Harvest.
• Watch some videos about past History Harvests.
• Join the NITLE Seminar on Friday, April 12th at 3 p.m. EDT where UNL Professors Will Thomas and Patrick Jones will reflect upon past History Harvests and discuss planning the National History Harvest. Register for the seminar here.

Address preceded by showing of a brief clip from video: ”Culture Clash – A Bowl of Beings“

• asks his audience to consider his talk a “report from the field“
• Smithsonian = one of the largest cultural institutions in the nation, is a multi-faceted institution with many functions

• “Willful Neglect” = 1994 Smithsonian report
  • documented the Smithsonian’s negligence of the role of Latin Americans in the development of the U.S.

• re: clip from “Culture Clash”
  • decided to start with clip from skit “Bowl of Beings” because it lays out some foundational issues re: identity
  • clip also addresses misogyny & notion of extinction – notion that there is no more indigenous presence in the Caribbean
  • first contact between Spaniards and indigenous peoples = part of who we are as a community
  • difficult to manage the complexities of who we are at our core – so much diversity

Another video clip from Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program of Joe Bataan speaking about his life and calling.

• what was happening in New York City and the country in the 1960s shaped Bataan’s music
  • uses multiple music genres, multiple influences on his music
  • “Latin soul comes straight from the streets of Harlem.”
  • this was Diaz’s music when he was beginning law school in 1973
  • follow your instincts and your personal sensibilities in your career: it’s important to collaborate
  • Joe Bataan = an American music maker, quintessential American music; needs to be seen that way and appreciated as such
  • there are many stories that we can all tell that are quintessentially American

• fluidity of people moving to and from the U.S. = fluidity of stories, music, folkways – both here and there
• tradition & vernacular come together in a culturally-negotiated reality

• slideshow of altars and tributes in Day of the Dead celebrations
  • many show wide variety of influences in materials used in altars & offerings
  • creative works evidence cultural negotiations between country of origin + communities we live in

• How do our institutions address these^ issues?
  • must pay attention to origins & consequences of these cultural negotiations in the communities we are bound to serve
  • Smithsonian Young Ambassadors Program
  • Latino Museum Studies Program
  • inclusion more important to Diaz than diversity –> Latinos serving American
  • place = also very important
    • visit the Smithsonian Latino Virtual Museum
  • National Museum of the American Latino
    • recommended by the 1994 “Willful Neglect” report
    • long time in the making
    • Diaz hoping this will finally move forward via legislation & come to the Smithsonian
    • temple versus forum issues = very important here; need less rigidity, more collaboration, flexibility, and interactivity

• problem of some communities not having level of cultural engagement & participation  - feel disengaged & disenfranchised
  • need to find way to go the extra mile & bring these people into the fold
  • institutions must abide by 4 key values:
    • work must meet high scholarly rigor
    • work must be relevant to the U.S. Latino experience because  they are part of the American experience, not an “other” – part of the American story
    • diversity & inclusion – need to respond to diversity; it’s all part of the American story
    • accessibility – “speak English” – your audience needs to be able to understand the work that scholars do

• Smithsonian aims to create a model of diversity & inclusion for other institutions to follow and need help of academics and graduates to do it

• Why do you do what you do? Why study what you study? Who and what are you working for?

Question & Answer segment:

• with the Smithsonian, there is an assumption that people will come – because it is the Smithsonian
  • outreach efforts of Smithsonian are great, but also take a lot of effort & inventiveness in marketing
  • patterns of cultural participation = different; may need to convey a more welcoming environment than others see it as currently
• How will the museum take into account regional differences among Latinos?
  • members of the board are diverse – some issues “play out” and others don’t (e.g. Cuba, use of term Latino versus Hispanic)
  • wide range of political, racial, religious views in our community – difficult to manage but matter of being open
  • mission of Smithsonian = to tell stories, not spin stories, wherever those stories lead
• Do Smithsonian festivals reflect culture or shape culture?
  • “if you just do the music and don’t do anything else to contextualize” would have done a really bad job of presenting what subject of festivals mean
  • festivals are vehicles for understanding the subject matter: (e.g. music) where it comes from, what it says, what it means –> the good festivals tell stories, are living museums, explosions of culture
  • come to the Smithsonian Folklife Festival
  • festivals = roundtables, mini-workshops
• 12,000 objects in the Smithsonian from Central America & impact of exodus of Central Americans from the civil wars
  • “we get really good papusas in D.C. Have one before you die.”
  • need to create an environment where these people’s traditions are respected, a negotiated reality
  • merengue tipico was dying out in the Dominican Republic – rebounded in Washington Heights
  • pay attention to how these cultures move back and forth with fluidity
  • cultural institutions need to create space for these groups to explore issues related to their own identities
• thoughts on museums of specific racial/ethnic groups being separate spaces
  • Diaz: this is a VERY difficult issue – difficult to think of having a separate Latino Museum since we are all part of the American story BUT the whole story wasn’t being told SO people had to take the initiative
  • even as a separate museum, it can promote relationships
  • but the negotiation is a serious one
  • way we work with museums now requires us to work on this issue – need to welcome people IN

I certainly don’t pretend to know everything there is to know about the best pedagogical methods for discussion sections, and I welcome any and all comments on the subjects (especially recommended readings and helpful teaching resources). But I have learned a few things from the three semesters I’ve been fortunate enough to receive a t.a. assignment that includes the teaching of discussion sections as one of my central responsibilities. And last semester at least one of my students anonymously nominated me to receive an award from UNL’s Teaching Council and Parents’ Association for making a “significant contribution to their lives at UNL.” This was a great honor, one that solidified for me the notion that discussion sections offer unique opportunities for reaching students – on both an educational and a personal level. Discussion sections are a space in which we, as instructors, have the opportunity to make an enormous impact on students’ college experiences. Below I’ve outlined some of the major lessons I’ve gleaned from my experience teaching discussion sections, including some things I changed just from last semester to this one.

• Come to discussion each and every week organized, prepared, and with several specific goals in mind. Set the tone for your discussion sections from day one. If you arrive disorganized and unprepared and your questions seem unfocused or disjointed your students will (understandably) take this as a sign that you aren’t serious about the work they are being asked to undertake in discussion. This negative impact on the students’ perceptions of discussion sections will sour the classroom climate and, although this can be corrected with time, you’ll lose precious teaching ground in the process. So consider using the very first day of discussion – when students are still “course shopping” – to explain what purpose the discussion sections serve for the course as a whole, what they will be expected to do each week in order to be successful (including what it means to actively participate), how participation will factor into their overall grade, and what role YOU serve in your capacity as their t.a. Dress professionally, provide an overview of your teaching philosophy, gradually let them get to know you a bit as a person, and be consistent and clear in your plans for each week.

• Be your best self. I’m interested in becoming a professor because I’m invested in both research AND teaching. I believe I have a responsibility to pass on what I learn not just about history but about professionalism, navigating the structures of academia, understanding diverse perspectives, media and digital literacy, and an array of other skills that will be beneficial to my students beyond the discussion section or course I am teaching. Because the best teachers I know are also mentors, I strive to be both for my students. If you aren’t interested in teaching your students will notice and it will impact their expectations not only of you, but of themselves and of the course as a whole. So begin each teaching day by asking yourself what’s important to you about teaching, share your teaching philosophy with your students, and work hard to be the best version of yourself that you can – especially when you are in front of your students. Even if you only had three hours of sleep, are having a really bad day, have oodles of other work on your mind, make a concerted effort to be in the teaching moment. Of course there will be some students who, for a variety of reasons, will be beyond your reach but if you give your students your best and let them know you genuinely care how they perform (and notice when they don’t), you might be surprised at the effort they’ll put forth.

• Seek to engage, not entertain. Many students, though certainly not all, will arrive with a desire or an expectation to sit and be passively entertained. This can be particularly true for freshmen, who are still learning what a college education means and what the college experience is all about. Naturally one of your primary tasks on day one (see above) is to divest them of this expectation for entertainment. Discussion is not lecture and education is about engagement, not entertainment. This doesn’t mean you can’t be entertaining as a means of promoting engagement, but you must walk a careful line. For example, I like to think I have a good sense of humor, and I think that sharing this sense of humor with students can be beneficial in certain situations. At its best, humor is a tool that can help establish connections between people. Revealing your sense of humor, if you have one and it’s good, can show your students that you are more than just an instructor: you are an actual human being, you have a personality, and you can relate to many of the experiences of your fellow human beings. Inserting a bit of humor every now and then, especially if the discussion for the week is a bit grueling or students are stressed about an upcoming paper or exam for example, can be a way to promote a healthy classroom atmosphere. Too much humor, however, and your students will become rambunctious and distracted. And bad humor, like any form of unprofessional behavior, will spell far worse for both you and your students (hence my use of italics above for emphasis and warning). Using humor to promote engagement means entering a balancing act that demands constant monitoring, plenty of skill in classroom and self-management, and a good deal of instinct and common sense to move effectively from one teaching situation to the next. Don’t enter into the task lightly.

• Require the students to take a turn leading discussion in small teams of 2-3. This is one of my strongest recommendations for discussion sections, particularly those offered at the freshmen level. Requiring the students to take a turn leading discussion helps alleviate a degree of the passivity some students enter the course expecting to get away with. Thinking on your feet is hard work and a vital skill. Active discussion provides one opportunity for students to learn to voice their ideas and arguments orally, in response to changing circumstances and contradictory viewpoints, but leading discussion is when I see most students really get a grasp on what’s involved in and important about this skill. Allowing them to lead with teammates hopefully diminishes any nervousness or intimidation they feel at the prospect of leading their classmates, plus it forces them to be responsible to one another and collaborate to come up with discussion questions. This does not, however, mean the instructor is “off duty” and can simply kick back come class time. The students need to be provided with very specific instructions on how to effectively lead discussion, what their responsibilities are, whether the discussion questions they’ve come up with are true discussion questions and connect to the larger themes of the course, and they need to know that their instructor will be there to help guide them and interject when necessary. I outline my plans for discussion leadership during the first week of classes, allow my students to choose their own date for leading discussion, provide them with tips for leading discussion (which I post on Blackboard as a permanent course document available throughout the entire semester), explain and warn against plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty, and I require them to submit their proposed discussion questions and a “plan of action” to me in advance so that I can provide them with feedback. Most students do an excellent job leading discussion and supporting their fellow students by participating in active discussion regularly. I believe they also emerge from the course with a greater understanding of ways to effectively collaborate and communicate their ideas to others.

I hope you found some of this post useful and repeat my invitation for comments and recommendations for readings on pedagogy and teaching resources.

*Please note that, due to my upcoming comprehensive exams, this will likely be my last blog post until at least Friday, March 29th (after the written portion of my exams is completed). I have a few more blog posts on the brain, especially on the subject of pedagogy and mentoring, but precious little time to compose them. I completed this post in transit – on a couple of bus trips to and from campus. I may be able to do the same for another post sometime before the end of March, but unfortunately cannot make any promises… 

“Organizing Your Research”

HGSA Academic Workshop, 18 January 2013

Leslie Working:

• Zotero = quickest way to collect and organize books, archival materials, articles
  • originally a Firefox plug-in, now for all major browsers
  • Zotero plug-in and stand-alone (downloadable – lets you access your library of collected materials even when you do not have access to the internet)
    • sync with the Zotero server (which is also one more place to save your work)
  • Zotero has excellent documentation and Help forums – someone will always get back to you when you ask a question
    • has an established community of people invested in improving the tool and helping you with tech issues

•  quick intro to Zotero for first-time users:
  • icon on search bar to instantly save an item to Zotero: can save webpages, Google Scholar docs, JSTOR pdfs & citations, more
    • sometimes, for JSTOR, the icon does not appear (tech issue folks are working on this) – workaround = go into Zotero plug-in and manually save the pdf as a new item (then have to right-click manually to save the metadata for the item, to use later to generate citations for the item)
      • ALL the instructions for this are on JSTOR
    • same problem sometimes occurs in WorldCat & ProQuest

• Zotero great for archives with no/spotty internet access –> still able to access your secondary source material for reference to help in your research work

• allows you to search tags AND text (from notes you put in Zotero)

Regarding Organization & Zotero:

• allows you to think about the organization of your work while you are interacting with it
  • recommends building a folder in Zotero for items of interest to read later (things that pique your interest but that you aren’t quite sure yet how they are relevant to your research)

• can also create groups in Zotero to collaborate on work (e.g. bibliographies, class materials)
  • these can be as open or as closed as you like
  • Leslie is working in a Western Womens History group to produce bibliographies
  • thinks it would also be great for collaborating on comps – sharing notes, having conversations, support
• can search for groups on Zotero.org
  • very easy for classes to use and contribute to as well

• there is a plug-in for OpenOffice, MS Word that allows you to easily and quickly import citations from Zotero in a specified citation style of your choice
  • footnotes AND can ask Zotero to create a bibliography for you
  • formatting for this comes from the text editor you are using, NOT from Zotero (so if you find yourself having difficulty with formatting, check your default settings in your text editor)

Dr. Katrina Jagodinsky

• didn’t know about Zotero when started her dissertation so used Google Docs (which is now Google Drive)
  • benefit of being able to use Zotero offline is a big plus
  • Google Drive also accepts pdfs

• Jagodinsky puts footnote citations for both primary & secondary sources at the top of each and every document –> pulls the citation this way
  • makes footnote citation as opposed to bibliographic citation because that’s what she wants to be able to grab quickly when writing
  • makes her own notes
    • uses for transcription of archival material too
  • tags materials as well

• carefully document every source you look at in archival visits EVEN if you are not going to cite it directly or use it –> put in notes reason you are NOT planning to use the document/source, specifically why it is not relevant
  
  • this way you can state clearly everything you’ve looked through
    • especially handy for writing research reports (summaries of research finds) after an archival visit –> shows you did the work (even if had fewer relevant sources than you thought going into it) and justifying your trip and the funding you received for it

• write down whenever you read someone who agrees with your line of thinking –> way of later justifying your line of thinking and/or analytical leaps when writing
  • your notes should not just be about things you plan to quote

• Jagodinsky researched for a full semester (in conjunction with conferencing)
  • writing pace = 5-6 hours per day, 6 weeks for each chapter
    • split her work days as 1/2 writing + 1/2 secondary reading (helps inspire you, keeps you in the terminology of your focus, break from tedium of writing) BUT be careful not to allow yourself to become distracted by your reading –> keep the focus on writing
    • 4 weeks: would have a chapter draft of about 20-25 pages
      • wrote with a hard copy of primary sources laid out chronologically for easy reference while drafting narrative
    • on footnotes: would search her Google documents for a given subject, pulls up a list, can run through these as writing to pull the footnotes and relevant quotes
      • having to dig through books slows down the writing process
      • Jagodinsky was casual with her footnotes in her first draft (to be able to move through the writing) –> used bad writing days to go back through and formalize these
      • everyone will experience writer’s block – you MUST have some things set aside to do on these days that will still keep your productivity up and you moving forward
        • read secondary sources
        • transcribe primary sources you haven’t gotten to yet
        • fix your footnotes
        • do some outlining
      • recommends against ever using “ibid” in footnotes until your final draft
    • keep the same writing schedule so you don’t need to even think about “what am I going to do today?” –> have an ingrained habit instead
      • do NOT work 7 days a week – get out of that chair!

• after Jagodinsky had the 4 week draft, would take about a week off, do “prepping” (cleaning up grammar and other compositional loose ends)
  • week 6: working on the next chapter while advisor looks over the draft you sent in
  • week 7: revise returned chapter, working from your notes
  • week 8: return to working on your next chapter

If you’re a grad student who hasn’t comped, you likely view the compers with a mixture of pity, curiosity, and nervous anticipation. If you’re a grad student who has comped, a.k.a. a comp mentor, you probably experience a little shiver of schadenfreude when you encounter a comper — just before you quell your internal naughtiness and offer some helpful advice of course. I’ve received plenty of helpful tips from comp mentors and comp buddies alike. Below is a summary of the primary methodologies I’ve developed for preparing for comps, as well as pdfs of my three comp lists. I hope this pays forward some of the help others have provided me (and explains what’s going on if I miss a post or two in the coming weeks).

Summary of methodology for my comp prep:

• Take notes on every reading using the following categories as an outline: main arguments, aim/goal/purpose of the work, methodology and sources, historiography, major criticisms/praise of the work.

• Keep these notes as specific and succinct as possible. Strive for a one-page maximum.
• Save these notes as searchable text documents in OpenOffice, in Google Drive, and (perhaps most importantly) as tagged entries in Zotero.
  • Apply tags in Zotero carefully and deliberately from a pre-established list. Tags on my list range from the generic, such as “pedagogy” or “transnational,” to very specific tags for subject categories and time periods. Be brutally consistent and do NOT over-tag. If you’ve never used Zotero before, I highly recommend giving it a try. Whether you use it for comp preparation or for organizing and storing your research, it’s one of the best research tools out there and will save you oodles of time in the long run. If you are hesitant, watch one or two of the demonstration videos, download Zotero, and play around with it for a couple of days before letting yourself bail. Remember: don’t be afraid to explore and poke around. You won’t break it – I promise!

• Clearly label every reading at the top of each page of notes, in bibliographical formatting.

• Place all notes in carefully and deliberately arranged folders on a usb for OpenOffice text documents, on Google Drive, and Zotero. The point here is to promote not just organization, but searchability as well. Use your comp lists as guides to help delineate categories for folders and subfolders. Again, be brutally consistent.

• Set a goal for a set number of readings per day and hold yourself to it. Do what you need to do to arrange your schedule and balance your life so that preparing for comps comes first.

My comp lists:

(You can see the way the UNL History Department breaks down the comprehensive fields here, under “Degree Requirements.”)

North American Comps List

Urban and Social Comps List

• Compiled and brought to you courtesy of my friend and colleague, Brian Sarnacki.

Transnational 19th Century Comps List

• Please note that this list is still undergoing some reorganization.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve shifted into full-time comprehensive exam preparation mode and it’s been a relief to do so. It was difficult to establish a regular routine of comp preparation in the Fall semester since I was (1) gone nearly the entire month of September on a whirlwind of back-to-back travel that included the Bosch Archival Seminar for Young Historians, (2) was working as a teaching assistant in an area outside my discipline, and (3) was responsible for teaching three recitation sections each week on top of the standard t.a. grading responsibilities. Winter Break, while not a genuine “break,” has nonetheless allowed me to realign my history mojo and return my focus to my personal goals. Spending time out of one’s regular routine (and particularly away from campus life every now and again) can be very beneficial to re-recognizing the importance of long-term goals over day-to-day responsibilities.

Daily life will always bring interruptions and distractions. Meetings will demand your time, grading will demand your attention, students will need your help, the kitchen floor must still be mopped every now and then, your spouse might wreck the car, family members could pass away, friends may encounter crisis. But, as you enter the New Year, take some time once in a while to “do you.” Remember why you do what you do and center yourself around what you need to do to accomplish your goals. Be a little more selfish with your time when you can, visit your family, don’t overcommit, take care of yourself, be kind, don’t worry so much about what others think, don’t let the unkindness of others ruin your day, and recognize that imbalance will always come back to bite you eventually.

Next week, I’ll post on some of my strategies for preparing for comps. Have a happy and healthy New Year.

Department Workshop: “The Job Interview,” 11/30/2012

Dr. Carole Levin introduces panelists: Joy Schultz of Metro Community College, Omaha; Meghan Winchell of Nebraska Wesleyan University; Timothy Elston of Newberry College, South Carolina; Katrina Jagodinsky of University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Joy Schultz, Metro Community College, Omaha:

• job opening at Metro starting Monday, Dec. 3rd – requires 18 credit hours in the field to be an adjunct –> Schulz: great way to get teaching experience for your resume
  • Metro has 30,000 students across all campuses, 4 full-time history faculty – jobs more competitive now (more than 200 applications for 1 or 2 positions)
• Pros of working at a community college: very student-oriented, full control over classroom (can go into context you are interested in/working on currently), small class sizes (10-35 students max), very flexible work schedule (evenings, weekends, online; standard schedule = 2x/week), can go very in-depth in your subject matter
  • emphasis on teaching and relationships with students (mentoring)
• Cons: students of diverse backgrounds (16-60 years old), no academic requirements for entry into the course, heavy workload (18 credit hours/quarter – although sometimes same course twice + 2 online), time for research = very, very limited
• personal relationships will help you make connections over time (adjuncting now helps with full-time interviewing later)
  • expect the interview to include a 20-minute teaching demonstration –> demonstrate range of teaching methods (for audience of diverse backgrounds) and use of technology in the classroom

Meghan Winchell, Nebraska Wesleyan University:

• phone interviews = “tricky,” almost a separate topic from AHA interviews
• research not just about the school you are interviewing for – prove to yourself and to them that you can live happily in the town the school is in (Winchell also thinks this helps build a personal connection right away)
• Tips: small schools are looking for teachers (“jack of all trades” – SO also advises to get a lot of teaching experience now and come to interview with syllabi, teaching statement, teaching evaluations); be sure your courses are different from the faculty where you are applying
  • be prepared to meet with everyone at a small school (because everyone will talk about you); have fun and be personable
  • Winchell says sometimes it’s okay/appropriate to ask about the schools for kids if you have them or things related to your hobbies

Timothy Elston, Newberry College:

• small liberal arts colleges (e.g. Newberry College = 1,100 students); faith-based colleges looking at starting good programs in teaching
• these colleges often include students in the interview process (this matters); understand the accrediting agency that the college is responsible to (need to prove accreditation in areas you are teaching)
• try to give the impression you are happy with everything about the college and will get along with everyone
• get access to a faculty manual (many small liberal arts colleges don’t offer tenure – only 3 or 6 year contracts); teaching is #1 (service to college and town important too); beware the administrative assistants (they can make or break you)
  • perk = tuition exchange (for kids)
• you will interview with everyone, take them all seriously – are you a good fit? (input from variety of perspectives)
• Newberry College putting an ad out for U.S. History soon

Katrina Jagodinsky, University of Nebraska-Lincoln:

•  echoes advice to “bulk up” on teaching experience while obtaining the PhD
• Jagodinsky was on the job market for 2 years and applied to everything (especially community colleges in regions she wanted to live in) – says 1st year apply for everything; 2nd year apply in a more targeted way
• interviews at research one universities: dissertation should be finished (or nearly finished) AND should be able to discuss your next project (to show you can achieve tenure)
  • demonstrate an ability to teach for both undergraduates and graduate students, balance service with teaching (service for networking – illustrates dedication and enthusiasm; CAN discuss your experience in a grad student organization or other committee work)
  • be sure to come off as positive and energetic
  • the job talk is emphasized but will have teaching demonstrations too, meetings with both administration and students
    • do NOT read your job talk (it’s about 45 minutes and should be strategic, not comprehensive coverage, high image, low text powerpoint)
    • be prepared for some people in your audience to be uninterested in what you have to say (based on faculty interest and your contribution to the department)
    • explain what phase your dissertation is in, what course you will teach with it, specify where you hope to publish it and how (specific presses, books or article series), demonstrate ability to recruit undergrads to your courses and into the department)
  • ask meaningful questions of the faculty – what is their experience with committees, chairs, diverse students, any other problems you’ve faced; illustrate desire and ability to organize workshops, symposiums (show off your networking)
  • re-emphasizing need to be positive: don’t appear tired, think of how others are feeling even when you are stressed out, nervous, and tired –> think of the interview as much easier than the job you are about to take on
  • graduate student meetings – demonstrate ability to fill a mentorship role, let them talk about themselves
  • ask tough questions of deans and administrators – tenure rate, department strategic plan, areas for improvement, opportunities for faculty research funding, diversity on campus re: faculty and students, benefit questions (here Jagodinsky says it is “safe” to tip your hand about kids, marriage)
  • wear suit to job talk, 2 other dressy outfits for rest of visit
  • be positive and humble (others are there to help you be better); know how you’ll fit within the department – know who the faculty are, what they study, and ask them good questions to show you care and are serious