It seems like only yesterday - no, no, it doesn’t. It seems like I have been in graduate school FOREVER. I actually knocked out several units as a senior, and then started officially in the Fall of 2005. Then, that was interrupted by the founding of Pronetos (very cool), and divorce (also very cool only at the time I didn’t think so). So we arrive here in the Spring of 2008, defending my thesis on the last possible day to graduate in the Spring. HOORAY!

Kim Pierce, indefatigable History Dept. admin, put together the last minute flyer for my defense:

As most of you know too, the thesis itself is stored on Pronetos, and updated regularly using our document version control feature. Very cool for anyone who wants to put a pre-print or working paper up for others to see and comment upon while it is in the drafting stages.

So what’s next for me after the defense, and my masters degree (Master of Arts in Applied Historical Research)? Well, I have to choose between fully funded fellowships in doctoral programs at Harvard, Oxford, and Université Paris-Sorbonne.

April fools!

(but if anyone IS looking to fund a graduate student at any of those fine universities, please let me know . . .)