Two Weeks Gone By

I've made it through the first two weeks of the semester and my head is still somehow above water. Still finding my way around Pullman, but its getting easier as I've pretty much just settled into a pattern of actions every week.

I dropped a class (geography), and replaced it with a readings class on German Colonialism. The readings class is going well, and would be going better if I would really sit down and read... Oh wait... I can't really sit down and read because I still don't have a couch to sit on. That should be remedied by Wednesday or Thursday.

Otherwise, not much happening here. I am going to need to prepare a lecture for sometime in the future, and must decide what topic I would like to cover. I'm thinking about agriculture or maybe exploration.

T-Minus Two Days

I've moved into my apartment in Pullman and have been busy getting acquainted with the other grad students in my department. It seems like its a great group of people, and I look forward to working and living with them for the next few years.

I'm still unpacking all my books and things, but I suspect that will be finished today or tomorrow, just in time for me to begin classes on Monday. I'm really looking forward to this semester as a TA and as a student. My TA duties seem likely to allow me to ease into work here, and my classes sound as though they will prove challenging. My only fear is that my professors here at WSU will hold me to a higher standard that I can't reach.

I'm already beginning to think out ideas for my dissertation topic, and German East Africa is sounding like a pretty good candidate for a locale. Its a small span of history, but one filled with conflict. This will allow me to fulfill all three aspects of my doctoral focus with ease. It will look at the world history ramifications of Germans in Africa, the effects of imperialism, and also the colonial aspect. My only problem thus far is finding a good point to home in on.

I'll be back in a week or so to give a better update of what my semester entails.

-Wes

The Beginning

Hello all,

My name is Wes Underhill. This blog is intended to serve as a conduit for my experiences in working in the field of history. I will be starting work on my PhD in the next couple of weeks, and I mean to keep a chronicle of what I'm working on in classes, class designs (I'll be a TA), and the state of affairs within the greater historical community.

I have just finished work on my masters degree in global history at Arkansas State University, and I starting to get busy with my packing for a move to Pullman, Washington where I will study at Washington State University. Its funny, I move nearly 2500 miles, and yet I stay in Wilson Hall. At least I won't be confined to the basement/dungeon this time around.

Check back next week and I will post some pictures from my drive cross country.

-Wes