and they’re off

My capstone students are now off on their own for most of the semester, writing papers that reflect their training as History majors.

I pulled some books from my own shelves that I will use as I meet some of them for consults. It was so much fun having a walk down memory lane.

It seems like my grad school days are so far away but they were just over ten years ago. Since then, so many newer books have been published but a lot of these seemingly old ones are still relevant.

The 1980s through the opening decades of this century witnessed the arrival of an amazing number of publications inviting people to think about the complexities of power. As I told my American Civilization to 1865 students, who are preparing for their first exam, power is always influx. The little guy, however he emerges, is always going to find a way to enhance the quality of his life even there seems to be little payoff. A ripple effect is certainly happening in the Age of Revolution, or after the Americans take on the Brits. The French want more. Haitians want more. Enslaved people want more. Women want more.

The next few weeks will be an interesting moment as that lower level class prepares for and takes their exam and the upper level class dives into various books and documents.

My doctoral adviser always made us touch the book. Make it real, he said. If I were not Zooming with my capstone students, I’d do just that. I went ahead and touched them on their behalf!