(no subject)

[sofiaviolet]

Daily Song (right-click): The Long Blondes - You Could Have Both

My history program requires three major writing courses - one to produce a ~20 page paper, one to produce a ~25 page paper, and one to produce a ~30 page paper.

(I took the first course freshman year, and it was the major contributing factor to hell semester, which resulted in antidepressants whee. Despite all my freaking out that I was going to fail because I had no paper to turn in, I got a lot of good out of the course; it introduced me to the university archives, where I now work. And I didn't fail.)

When I took the second course, our topic was "imperialism and/or colonialism." The professor urged us to define those topics as broadly as we had to; she wanted us to write about stuff we cared about even if it was tangential to the basic topic.

I looked into Voudou in New Orleans in the 19th century. I spent many more pages and paragraphs explaining the construction of race in 19th century New Orleans than I had anticipated, because I had to explain where my analysis of press coverage of Voudou was coming from. But that wasn't what the paper was supposed to be about, and it wasn't really how my materials were oriented.

For the third course, I want to return to race: the changing attitudes of white culture(s - Creole and American) towards free women of color, changes in the social positions open to these women, changes in racial categories. I only have 30 pages, but I haven't decided yet how I might continue narrowing my focus until it fits.

Comments

[sofiaviolet]

Definitely an option, although I don't want to discard my focus on women. But shifts in racial categories applied to women... :)

I'll probably try to grab as much raw material as possible, since I won't get another chance to research in New Orleans until after I graduate.

[trouble]

I hate that conundrum. "But, want more stuffffff!"

[sofiaviolet]

There's an element of guilt in it, for me. When I wrote the Voudou paper, I couldn't go home for research. I had to pass on a detailed list of sources (I was using newspapers, so publication date and article title, and page number if possible) to my parents, who made the photocopies and mailed them to me. My prof signed off on that, which means I don't have to feel too shitty about doing it then, but I really don't want to run the risk of needing to do that kind of thing again. /o\