Prioritize to avoid procrastination
February 17, 2012
It’s February, and once again, the siren call of procrastination is sounding. We’ve made it through the push of January fairly unscathed; but as February descends with its cold weather (finally) and its lack of a school holiday, the motivation of students nationwide begins to plummet.
Some people ...
Great benefits in academic autonomy
February 10, 2012
As college students, we begin to experience one of the greatest joys of adulthood: independence. Whether it be from high school, our parents, curfews or living at home, college presents the opportunity to break free and live on our own. We have the ability to stay out as late as ...
Coping with bias in historical records
February 03, 2012
Why is it that when we learn a difficult new concept, we often initially react with resistance? Rather than being exhilarated by the imminent expansion of our intellectual horizons, we often respond to these new concepts with fear, doubt and discouragement. In fact, it seems that learning a new and ...
Primary sources key to logic of past
January 27, 2012
There is a famous proverb that says that in order to fully understand someone, you must walk a mile in their shoes. Comedian Jack Handley adapted this proverb slightly, saying “Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way when you criticize them, you are ...
Academia stronger with new media
January 20, 2012
For the first time in six semesters of college, one of my history professors has asked me to complete an assignment that is often required of college students but that I had not yet encountered; we are to keep a blog and post each week responding to the readings assigned ...
Personal reflections key to history
January 13, 2012
The first few months of the new year tend to be a time when people worldwide focus on reflection and renewal. Americans spend millions of dollars on gym memberships and organic foods to assist them in fulfilling their New Year’s resolutions. Chinese New Year’s traditions, which often fall ...
Quality reading informs, engages
November 18, 2011
As much as it saddens me to admit it, I cannot remember the last time I sat down to read a book for pleasure. That is not to say that I have not read any books lately — in fact, as is typical for anyone pursuing a major in the humanities ...
Idiocy found in book banning today
November 11, 2011
It is difficult to believe that in today’s day and age, there are still movements that, sometimes quite effectively, work to ban books from the public sphere. Such an act of censorship is most commonly associated with the Inquisition in medieval Europe or Hitler’s Nazi regime, where the ...
Work to find unbiased news sources
November 04, 2011
It was not until recently that I really started following the news, and I will be the first to admit that I am still not the most informed citizen in the world. I am, however, much more aware of current events than I was in high school, having discovered in ...
Choose career that fits best
October 28, 2011
I, like almost every toddler, had enormous ambitions growing up. My career of choice changed almost every day, from an author and illustrator to an actress on Broadway or a fairy princess. Sometimes I even considered being a fashion model, although my brief stint attempting to walk in my mother ...
I-House events highly valuable
October 21, 2011
Two weeks ago, I attended my first International House-sponsored event in the entirety of my college career. That night was a first for the I-House, too: It was the first Nepali Culture Night to occur on UT campus. I was pleased to see it fairly well attended, even though it ...
Present research effectively
October 14, 2011
I spend the vast majority of my articles lauding the humanities, mostly because they are my passion and will hopefully be my life’s work. I also often wax poetic about undergraduate research. College is the best time to get your feet wet in research for several reasons — it prepares ...
Everyone holds piece of history
October 07, 2011
Historians and biographers almost overwhelmingly focus their research and writings on famous people. Men and women who were active in the public sphere of history, whose names were widely recognized and whose actions were publicized and discussed across the country, inevitably draw the attention of most researchers. It is certainly ...
Fiction shows humanity’s continuity
September 23, 2011
I am taking the time in this article to admit, once and for all, one of my deepest and innermost secrets: I am a closet sci-fi fan.
Yes, it’s true. I am absolutely addicted to “Dr. Who” and “Firefly,” I buy and pore over Orson Scott Card and Douglas ...
Exploration vital in selecting major
September 16, 2011
I was not one of those lucky souls who entered college with an unshakable faith in my chosen major. I had declared a major in music back in the spring of my senior year in order to get into the program, but I had my reservations. I loved to sing ...
Truth comes from original source
September 09, 2011
Everyone on the UT campus knows about Hodges Library. We all have fallen asleep in one of those big green chairs and been glared at for talking too loudly on the quiet study floors. We print papers that are due in 10 minutes at the Commons, we use it as ...
Funnel distraction into productivity
September 02, 2011
Congratulations, reader — you have survived your first few weeks of the semester. You have navigated your way from the Ag Campus to the Hill and only gotten lost a few times. You have already missed one homework assignment but have bought yourself a fancy UT planner to ease your guilt ...
Benefits found in general education
August 26, 2011
For the first time since I started college, glancing at my schedule does not make me wince. No longer am I bound by university rules to muddle my way through four hours of a science lab or to fight in a math class to make numbers add up correctly (in ...
