Hang Tough

It's been a while since I've posted, so I thought I'd try and get it going again with a quick picture of my latest purchase.  It's for a great cause:

 

http://www.hangtough6644.org/

 

AE

Amerindian Domination - Grade

Phew!  I managed to pull off a good grade on this paper.  I got a late start on this essay and ended up having to squeeze proofreading and final revisions into one day.  That week was definitely long and stressful; I had way too much going on.  I wasn't happy with it when I turned it in, but I got a nice surprise when the grades were posted.

 

Grade:  A-

 

AE

Amerindian Domination - Essay

Well, here's paper 3 for Historical Interpretation.  It's about Native Americans, their social demise since European arrival and why it happened.  I think most people would agree that Indians had some say in the matter regarding their marginalization, in other words they could have made some different decisions along the way that may have altered certain outcomes.  Most people would also agree, however, that in many ways Indians were dominated by European expansion.

This essay talks about what should take precedence when teaching or writing about Native American history.  Should we emphasize the choices Indians did, or may have had, in determining their fate, or should we focus on the dominating aspects of their social plight?

This was a tough essay for me since I don't have a whole lot of knowledge about Native American history yet.  However, I think I was able to come up with a reasonable stance based on just a few essays that we were assigned in class.  It will be interesting to see how my perspective changes as I move forward towards my degree...

AE

Read "Amerindian Domination" Here.

Paper 3 Under Way

It's been too long since I've blogged, but it's been a busy few weeks. I have to try and get onto a schedule to write, even if it's just a few lines like this one. The standard work week at my office is four, 10 hour days with Fridays off. I've been working every Friday for a long time, but today I'm at home writing my third paper for Historical Interpretation. It's about how historians should write about Native American history and whether they should emphasize agency or domination. Basically it deals with whether an emphasis should be placed on the fact that Native Americans were dominated by Europeans and their culture, or whether the emphasis should be placed on the choices, or lack thereof, that Indians had in the matter. Should be an interesting one... I'm already struggling a bit. Why can't we have a topic on WWII??? Ha!

AE

Slave Trade: An Economic Cause - Grade

Round 2 with my Historical Interpretation professor was a success, although I actually struggled with this paper.  It had to be 7-9 pages in length, but there was so much information to pick from that I had a hard time making decisions about what was most relevant.  Here's what my prof had to say:

"This is a very polished, well considered essay.  You show a firm grasp of several of the essays we've read for this unit, and you draw on them well to support your viewpoint.  You don't have a really explicit thesis statement, which you should have, yet fairly early on I see what point of view you are taking.  This is a very well written paper that considers alternative points of view fairly. You lean heavily on the preexisting presence of a slave trade in Africa, which at first blush might not seem to advance (or retard) your argument, but you make sense of it (even though, as I've indicated, I don't think all forms of slavery were the same).  Overall this is a very good job and suggests you can write excellent papers for this class."

Grade:  A-

Phew!  This was the day-brightener that I needed!  I wish I could bottle up the feeling you get when you receive good praise from a professor for an essay, it would make staying motivated while writing them a lot easier.  Maybe this blog will be a valuable tool while writing papers after all!

One of his bits of constructive criticism is aimed at a seemingly missing thesis statement.  I have to disagree with him on that point; I believe the last sentence in my opening paragraph sums up my argument pretty clearly.  Everyone looks at a paper differently though, so I'll try to improve on that in my next paper.

AE

Slave Trade: An Economic Cause - Essay

Finally!  Here is my latest essay.  Here are the details:

Was the cause of the Atlantic slave trade based on cultural beliefs or economic gain?  We were given this question and a book, The Atlantic Slave Trade, edited by David Northrup.  We were told to answer that question in the form of a 7-9 page essay. Obviously this essay is only based on a very small sample of an abundance of work on the topic, so consider this my initial interpretation to a very large, and complicated matter.

Click here to read Slave Trade: An Economic Cause

AE

Historical Interpretation - Blind Review

Last week was pretty rough.  I had a 7-9 page paper due and I struggled at harnessing my thoughts; not to mention I didn't have the time I would have liked to work on the paper.  All that stress came to head, leading to another discussion about our goals with Mrs. AE.  I love her to death, and sometimes I feel guilty for taking on so many things in my life.  She never complains and always encourages me, but I know deep down she gets frustrated with my indecisions and over-activity!  School is getting stressful, I have opportunities at Engineering Company that I never thought I'd have, the job market for social studies teachers is poor, I just got a raise and I'm over-loaded with a multitude of commitments.  Despite all that stuff, I was able to turn in a decent paper.

Last Monday we brought copies of our paper to class without our names on them for doing blind reviews.  I was lucky enough to have my paper reviewed by four different groups... It received ratings from B+ to A-... It was the encouragement I needed for sure.  I feel pretty good about my work after reading some of the other papers as well.  I'm not trying to degrade my classmates, but a lot of the papers were definitely subpar.  I'm only saying that because it's nice to know that there are people in the same boat as myself.  The blind review exercise was great, but now it's in the hands of our professor...

I'm at work right now, so I'll either get my paper posted over lunch or before the Twins demolish the Yankees this evening!

AE

P.S. Moss is boss.

From Left Field

Yesterday was my 1 year anniversary at Engineering Company since my return. I was hoping for a pay raise and a pat on the back, so that I could get back to my desk, finish the day and then concentrate on my next paper. I came out of my review an utterly confused person - well more confused than usual I suppose. An 8% pay raise was more than what I expected, but a compliment and suggestion that come from left field is what really surprised me.

Our discussion turned to continuing my education. Engineering Company's owners know that I'm in school; they know that I attended Associate Community College to finish my general education requirements. They simply asked what my plans are now that I'm done. Of course I couldn't tell them that I'm now taking history classes at Bachelor State. Instead, I just told them that I was torn between getting an accelerated bachelor's degree in Industrial Technology and going the more lengthy route of obtaining my bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering.

What came next is what has placed me into an even deeper state of confusion. They flat out told me that they want me to pursue my mechanical engineering degree at whatever pace I deem necessary. They've even offered to increase their educational reimbursement and would allow me to drop to 30 hours per week, when necessary, while maintaining full time employment status and benefits.

My instincts tell me to take them up on their offer, switch course and get into an engineering program with the intent of achieving partnership in the company. If I did that, I'd be going against everything that has steered me towards a career change in the first place, and that is avoiding the attraction of money and opportunity to do something on a daily basis that I truly enjoy. A poor job market for history teachers also doesn't make going to school for it any easier. For now I think I'm going to stay the course... but I can't promise that I won't bring up the word "partnership" to my company's owners in the very near future.

AE

Proby No More

This weekend we're having a garage sale at our fire hall to raise money for the department, so last night I headed down to drop some items off and to help get everything organized.  To my surprise, I was greeted with handshakes and congratulations.

 

I missed our monthly business meeting because of school last Monday; it turns out that it was announced that myself and my four fellow probies were voted on as official members of the fire department.  This is a photo of my new helmet!  All five of us received new lids instead of previously worn ones.  Money does not grow on trees on volunteer firefighting property, so this was a very nice surprise.  I'm lucky to be part of a great department with great firefighters; I was also extremely lucky to have such a great group of probies to go through training with.

 

AE

Interpretations Galore

It's been too long since I've posted; school, job, finances and firefighting will do that to a guy.  Historical Interpretation has been going pretty good so far.  Our first topic to better understand why interpretation is so important in historiology is the Atlantic slave trade.  We've ripped through several essays from various authors and time periods.  The main points of these essays are the causes, effects and statistics surrounding African slavery and its expansion westward.

 

Scholars vary in opinion on the ultimate cause of slavery's growth.  Some cite cultural beliefs that reach back as far as the Roman Empire.  Others take a religious point of view citing, as just one example, the historical struggles between Christians and Muslims.  And what would any argument be without the many Marxist philosophies.  Yes, there are those too.  Some geared more towards class warfare and/or the distribution of power; others are pointed to the economic advantages for, not only the European beneficiaries of slave labor, but of the African slave traders themselves.

 

Remember, the point of this class is not to necessarily learn about our topics (although it's an obvious perk), but it's to understand that there are many interpretations of history.  Historical Interpretation is meant to expose us to multiple biases, interpretations and opinions leaving us with the task of formulating our own.  Our next paper is on the slave trade and whether we think it was "caused" by cultural or economic factors.  As of right now, I believe that slavery was definitely engrained into African cultures before the arrival of the first Europeans, but that economic factors coupled with ethnocentrism were the main causes of its westward expansion.  I'll have to wait and see where this paper takes me though...

 

AE

 

 

Pint-Size Inspiration

There's no question that Ambrose's book and the HBO miniseries, Band of Brothers, had a major impact on my interest in World War 2.  Saving Private Ryan also had an impact, but the men of Easy Company and their variety of experiences in WWII were what really sucked me in to the, obviously much broader, subject of history.

 

Dick Winters became commander of Easy on the morning of D-Day because of the unfortunate passing of Thomas Meehan.  Winters thrived in his role as team leader; both the book and the miniseries exemplify his skills.  Of course Hollywood adds flair to most true stories and has to leave out a considerable amount of information; Band of Brothers was no exception.  But hearing and reading interviews from Winters' men leave no doubt about the level of respect he earned from them.

 

Please read this letter below.  It's from an 11 year old boy who has taken it upon himself to help raise money for a monument and documentary in the Major's honor:

 

http://www.hangtough6644.org/images/stories/winters/Jordan%27s_%20Letter.pdf

 

Below is a link to the website where you can make contributions in a variety of ways - if you so desire:

 

http://www.hangtough6644.org/

 

But I'm not making this post to try and drum up donations, although that is how it seems.  It's more out of respect for this 11 year old boy, who has taken on such a selfless and daunting task.  The men of Easy, and all vets for that matter, provide inspiration for me to no end.  But Jordan's efforts most certainly serve us a refreshing boost of morale, and remind us of the level of respect we should have for this country, where it has been and where we all hope it can continue to go.  Thank you, Jordan.

 

AE

The Art of History - Grade

Well, I got my first grade today at University X.  I managed a "B" on a paper that I didn't feel that comfortable with.  I guess I can stomach it.  Here is the feedback from Historical Interpretation Professor:

 

"Dear Eric,

 

Your position is very clear here - admirably so - and you are vigorous in defending your view that history is dramatically different in method from the natural sciences.  Your emphasis on the historian's biases and subjectivity, and on the ultimate unknowability of the past, are well taken and support your view.  On the other hand, the scientific method isn't totally alien to historical scholarship.  "Testing" an historical "law" would involve observing unfolding events and seeing whether they conform to general hypotheses about how societies operate, hypotheses based on study of the past.  You might think there's little point to doing this kind of thing, but it could be done.

 

Overall this is a good brief effort to come to terms with a large question.  If you continue your good use of the assigned readings and stick pretty closely to them in future assignments, you'll be writing very good papers.

 

Grade: B"

 

A couple things jumped out to me in his response:

 

1) He talks about how the "scientific method isn't totally alien to historical scholarship," and provides an example.  The problem I have is that I agreed with that in my paper, which is why I stated early on that there are indeed many similarities between science and history, but it's the major differences that remove it from a scientific "scholarship."

 

2) In his example he talks about the study of societies by basing certain hypotheses on the study of the past.  He's right, this could be done (see my argument 1 above), but I would also consider that to be the work of a sociologist, not an historian.  The sociologist would just draw on an historian's work to generate their hypothesis.  Now does that make sociology a science?  I'm not about to open that can of worms...

 

I haven't received my actual paper back yet, but I'm hoping that he will provide insight as to what he was exactly looking for that I missed in order to have received an "A."  Trust me, I'm not complaining about a "B," but as John Arnold said, "historians pride themselves on their ability to question everything."  And that's what I do.

 

AE

Interpreting the Atlantic Slave Trade

Looks like this is the topic for module two of my Historical Interpretation class.  The book for this section is The Atlantic Slave Trade, edited by David Northrup.  Looks like I don't have a paper due for a few weeks either.  I'm kind of looking forward to the break.  I say break, but of course there's still work.  However, reading and then having good class discussions is hardly work.  Adios for now... Still recovering from my fantasy football draft last night...

AE

The Art of History - Essay

This is the first essay I've written at Bachelor University (see key at bottom of page).  I'm not to happy with this essay; it was tough for me to grasp this concept and condense it down into 3-4 pages.  Admittedly, my patience ran thin and so did time.  I hope Historical Interpretation Professor is a lenient grader!!

Click here to read The Art of History.

AE

Not a bad place to write a paper.

My First Post Via Email

Figured I'd test this out as I'm taking a break from work.  This could be a dangerous tool!  I'm currently in the process of filling out my performance review at work.  It'll be 1 year on September 14 that I've been back with my original company (roughly 11 years total).  I left my current job about 2 years ago for more opportunity and more money, unfortunately it was for a defense contractor that lost a major contract last summer.  That meant a 3 month vacation for me.  I was lucky enough to have maintained good relationships with my former employer and they graciously took me back.

I'm struggling on the all-too-familiar sections titled, "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" and "What are your goals for the coming year?"

Here's how I would like to answer the former question:

"I see myself as a partner in the company.  If I gain a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, industrial technology or business, is that a possibility?  If not, I see myself as just another qualified social studies teaching candidate, painstakingly looking for work."

And the latter:

"I would like to be set up with a computer at home, because I can do my job without any issues from my home office.  I would also like to switch to a 20-30 hour work week, with health benefits intact of course, so that I can attend school on more of a full-time basis."

Time will tell if I have the courage to copy and paste this post into my performance review.... For now though, it's back to work.

AE

Off we go... again.

Last Monday was the first day of school for me - again.  I just finished up at a local community college with an Associate in Arts degree; now I'm at a local university setting off on a path that will hopefully take me to my desired destination, which is essentially unknown.  The subject of History will be my focal point.  My first class is about historical interpretation, and although it's required for History majors, I'm sure that I would've taken the class anyway.  I'm considering this the last educational hurdle before beginning the classes that actually involve historical research.  I figure a class titled Historical Interpretation will be a great precursor to the more research-based classes required for a History degree.

Our first module in class deals with a short introduction to what history is (and isn't) and whether the subject is an art or a science.  In our first paper we have to take a position and defend it using John H. Arnold's, History: A Very Short Introduction.  In our first class, the overwhelming majority of students, including myself, argued that history was an art.  The defense of our position was that historians have to sift through never-ending amounts of documents, photos, interviews etc. and attempt to piece them together.  There is a certain degree of interpretation involved; whereas science is more definitive.

After starting Arnold's book, however, I eventually changed my position. I started to see many similarities between science and history.  History can be definitive.  We know that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, Martin Luther King was shot and there was a hurricane in New Orleans.  Science can also be definitive.  Diamonds are harder than talcum and water boils at 100 degrees C.  However, both can have areas in which people may have differing opinions.  Global warming is happening, but scientists argue as to what is causing it.  Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, but there are many reasons why it occurred.  History and science can also be used to learn about the past; what happened before our time on Earth, and also to guide us in our future endeavors.

Despite those very few examples, I have changed my mind yet again.  My new position that History is an art is based primarily on the few (but major) differences and not the many similarities between science and history.  The differences between science and history have to do with causation, effects and repetition.  The similarities between art and history also cannot be overlooked.  Both involve a certain degree of interpretation to understand and their content is always influenced by the author/artist's biases.  I will touch on all of this supporting evidence, and more, in my essay which you can look for on Labor Day.  That's all for now, thanks for reading.

AE

Deviant Protesters Deserve the Blame - Essay

This is an essay that I wrote way back during the Republican National Convention protests during the Obama V. McCain elections.  I got into a little debate about the topic at work the other day so I decided to post my essay here.

AE

Response to "Exquisite Corpse" - Essay

Ashraf Rushdy wrote a powerful essay called Exquisite Corpse in which he compares two murders driven by hatred.  Emmett Till's horrific lynching in 1955 was brought to the public's attention because Till's mother chose to have an open-casket funeral so the world could see the effects of hatred.  In 1998 James Byrd was brutally dragged to death, but not one photo of his body appeared in the news.  Some believe that it should have been.  Although I mostly agree with Rushdy, I believe there are times when the media has to take a step back before releasing incriminating photos.  The following essay explains my reasons why:

Read AE's response to Exquisite Corpse here.

Dear 12th Sonderkommando - Essay

I’m currently in a class about the Holocaust.  Part of the class requirements involve watching 3 - 4 movies about the Holocaust.  One of the movies I watched is called The Grey Zone.  This essay is a quick response that reflects my sympathy towards members of the Sonderkommando’s plight.

Read Dear 12th Sonderkommando here.

Heroic Departure - Essay

Read Heroic Departure here.