January 2015

Exploring WorldCat

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I decided to peruse WorldCat for my database search this week. I have used WorldCat before in the past but infrequently. Thus, I felt as if I was learning to use it again for the first time. My first search of (world war 1) (dogs) produced paltry results. Indeed, I found myself sifting through young adult or “juvenile” books concerning dogs used in warfare (which to me is somewhat odd, but nevertheless). I then decided to try world war one dogs and produced similar results. My next stab included (dogs) (agency) and here is where my efforts proved most fruitful. Indeed, the first result of this last search was a book entitled, Animals and Agency: An Interdisciplinary Exploration. This book is also fortunately available fully on the web much to my benefit. I am hoping that WorldCat will continue to uncover useful resources for me.

This is not my first researching rodeo. And yet, I am always surprised by what I learn each time I dip into an archive either in person or via the web. It is perhaps too early to tell at this time but so far my research has only reinforced the ideas I have formulated for my project. The research I have undertaken thus far, however, has steered towards one particular individual: Lieutenant Colonel Richardson, the man credited with the effective training of the first British war dogs used in World War I. I aim to make his musings on the subject (he published a manual in 1919) and the work he pursued a part of my final research project.

Researching is not easy. It is complicated, it can be tedious, and it can feel overwhelming. Furthermore, though it may seem that there are a plethora of resources out there just waiting to be mined through, they are not easily found. Indeed, often it is the right keyword combination that will make all the difference in unearthing valuable resources or those utterly irrelevant to your work. I will be the first to admit that I have not mastered the art of careful wording in research (though Presnell was certainly helpful!). I am, however, hopeful that each new search will only teach me more about researching and that I will continue to grow as both a researcher and a historian.

Interactive Reading & Note-Taking: A First Attempt

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I was pleasantly surprised by Demystifying Dissertation Writing. Prior to reading it and after hearing briefly about interactive reading and note-taking, I was admittedly intimidated. After spending countless years in school including four years of undergrad and almost three post-grad, I was also wary of adopting a new study/homework technique. Nevertheless, I attempted to approach the interactive reading and note-taking method with an open-mind and give it my best shot.

I chose to re-read an article I was introduced to last semester by my advisor and then professor, Dr. Nelson. The article is entitled “Dogs, History, and Agency” and it will ultimately serve as one of the cornerstones of my research paper (presumably). Indeed, I will be taking Chris Pearson’s argument a step further and I hope to expand on the work he has already put forth. Thus, I felt this would be a good starting place for my interactive note taking and citeable notes endeavor.

It is worth mentioning: as I already had an advisor prior to the start of this class, it was not necessary for me to request a faculty member to supervise my research project at this time. I did, however, meet with Dr. Nelson to discuss my progress and the next steps I should take in my research. We met this past Wednesday for the first time in this spring semester. She steered me in a new direction, a bit away from agency. I am interested to see if agency will still be a large part of my research project or if it will only serve as one of its many pieces.

At first, I felt that I was reading an article just as I always do: I underlined various quotes and ideas as I made my way through it. I also jotted in notes in the margins and placed question marks where I had questions or was unsure of what Pearson meant. Ultimately, what struck me as most different from my normal reading was the much more careful attention to detail. After being in school for most of my life, I am used to zooming through nearly all of my readings. Interactive note-taking required me to slow down and fully engage with the reading and attempt to have a conversation with Pearson as if he was sitting right next to me as I read it. Furthermore, I also found it difficult at first to not take notes until the end. I have always been a multi-tasker and one of my favorite things to do while reading is to take notes. With interactive reading and note-taking, you are asked to get a feel for the work as a whole before taking notes. Nevertheless, once I gave the challenge a shot, I found that I learned a great deal more from Pearson’s article than from the first time I encountered it last semester.

A “citeable note” worth mentioning from Pearson’s work:

Pearson (2013): focuses on questions of agency concerning World War I dogs; one of the only works currently published that intersects the study of agency and that of militarized dogs 

As I now go forth with my research (and a lot of research will be had this semester), I feel that interactive note-taking and citeable sources will be two tools that I use to make the most of my time and to make myself a much more productive and efficient researcher.

A Unique Experience

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As spring semester begins, it is perhaps appropriate that my first post of the new year include my research interests for the following semester (and my final semester, at that) and also the history department professors that I aim to have as a part of my committee. As part of my final set of studies, I will be working one-on-one in an independent study with Dr. Amy Nelson. As a result, Dr. Nelson has agreed to act as my adviser for my last semester. I will also have Dr. Kathleen Jones and Dr. David Cline as my other two committee members. I was only required to interview Dr. Cline as my other committee members were previously decided. Fortunately, as I have worked with Dr. Cline multiple times in the past three years, our interview was fairly short and to the point (i.e. he quickly agreed to be a part of my committee when asked).

My research interests have been narrowed greatly since the beginning of the fall semester: I am now focusing most readily on the use of dogs during World War I and the debates concerning such animals’ agency. I will be presenting my research at the Living with Animals conference in late March and will be accompanying Dr. Nelson to Kentucky to attend said conference.

How did I become interested in canine war heroes? I stumbled upon this topic quite unexpectedly. Indeed, although I have always been interested in World War I and World War II, I had never really considered the contribution of animals to either war effort. That is until I watched a documentary concerning both wars that explained the use of animals (and a variety of animals, at that). I immediately became fascinated with the idea of war animals and began researching the different types and various uses of animals in both world wars. What resulted was a plethora of information concerning war dogs, in particular, and a niche that appeared to need filling: the intersection of animal agency studies and World War I canine studies. Thus, I uncovered where I best believed I could make a contribution to the field of history.

As I am on a path quite different from my colleagues, I thought I would spend some of this post describing precisely how unique my experience has been. For starters, I will not be writing a thesis but rather a research paper on my chosen topic. I am also preparing for graduation this coming May while my colleagues are just beginning their second semesters at Virginia Tech. Lastly, I am dual enrolled in the history department and the education department. When I graduate in May, I will be graduating with two Master’s degrees and aim to begin a career in education. I have also spent three years at Virginia Tech, a year longer than my colleagues will ultimately spend in Blacksburg. Thus, my experience has been in many ways different from that of my colleagues and will continue to be so for this semester as well.

Lastly, I have been tasked with reviewing a former Virginia Tech history MA student’s thesis. I chose to read Kimberly Staub’s “Recipe for Citizenship: Women, Cookbooks, and Citizenship in the Kitchen, 1941-1945.” From the start of this thesis, it is easy to see why it became an award winner: Ms. Staub does an excellent job catching her readers’ attention from the start of the paper. Indeed, the topic itself is highly interesting and unique and food is a topic that we can all relate to quite effortlessly. The thesis is also well-written and clearly well-researched with a plethora of sources, including some images and advertisements. There are, however, some weaknesses to this thesis as well, a few that Ms. Staub recognizes herself within her work. For starters, I think this thesis could have benefited from a bit more comparison and contrasting between nations (if such sources are available). Also, if it had been possible, insight into the thoughts and feelings of these “kitchen citizens” themselves would have added greatly to Ms. Staub’s research and completed project. Certainly these are nit-picky issues with an overall fantastic piece of historical work. I can only hope that my own research interests will produce a similar product in the next few months.