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Study Tips for Humanities Subjects

The majority of studying tips I see are for subjects where there's a lot of rote memorisation, but what about those ones where you just have to research and write? As a history student in university, all of my subjects involve very little learning through memorisation and almost entirely annotated bibliographies and essays. Where I go to university, that's how the majority of courses are run, and I've got the formula down. So, from someone with a HD/GPA of 6.4/7 (American equivalent 3.71 according to this) who has never used AI, here's some study tips for this kind of subject.

1: Reading

The first paragraph of a text and the first sentence of each paragraph should tell you what it's about. You don't have to fully read all of it, just those parts, then if you think you'll use that paragraph you can read it.

While you're reading, write down the key themes next to the citation in your essay document. That way, you'll remember where to find the references for what you're trying to say.

2: Essays

If your university is anything like mine, you usually get to choose from a list of questions to answer or make up your own question. Remember to go for something that will fit the word count (not too broad, not too narrow), and try to make it something that interests you. If you can't make one up, pick the easiest one. Don't be a hero, it just needs to get done.

Make an essay plan. Trust me it makes writing it sooo much easier. Here's an example I made of what the plan would look like for this post:

For your first draft, don't worry about how it sounds. Just get the ideas out of your head and onto the page. You can even do this with your second, third, etc. drafts. If you count the essay plan as the first draft, you can just build on it. As long as you fix it at some point, you can write informally for however much of the process you want. I find it takes way less time because I'm not just staring at the page wondering how to get it right.

Make the point you're trying to make (based off what you learned in the lectures), then find sources for it. That way you'll actually know what you're looking for in a source.

3: Citing

This one's obvious, but put the links to your sources down before you try to make it look presentable. Formatting comes later.

If you've never done an annotated bibliography before, they can be really helpful, even if they're not required. Not only is it an expanded version of the writing down key themes part of the reading section, but it helps pare down your references to only ones that are necessary. It doesn't have to be formal, and shouldn't be part of your submitted page unless required, but it's a good idea to have one for your own use.

Look up the citation guide for your faculty. I can't count how many times I got points deducted because I had errors in my referencing. Use a tool like CitationMachine if you're not sure, but actually check what it puts out because sometimes it's wrong.

4: Professors

Research your classes and find out who's teaching them before signing up to the class. Last semester I had the worst time because an archaeology professor was teaching a digital curation subject and he had no clue what he was doing. Next semester, I'm taking another digital curation subject, but the professor teaches digital curation, so it'll be so much easier. Where I live, RateMyProfessor doesn't exist, but if it does where you are, pay attention to what people have said about them.

Teaching style matters. Is your professor well prepared? Do they seem passionate about what they're teaching? It's easier to find this out early if you're taking online classes. If their teaching style doesn't gel with you, or they just don't like you for whatever reason, it's ok to drop the class. If you have to take it, adjust your expectations accordingly.

If you're making your own essay question, or really doing anything that isn't what they told you to, check with your professor first to make sure it's ok. You don't need to for the tiniest little things, but it lets them know you value their opinion and care about your academics.

If you have the same professor for multiple subjects, or multiple essays in one course, pay attention to the feedback. Some professors really like things done a certain way. Do they want you to be more specific? More analytical? Do they just really hate a particular word or phrase? Learning from your mistakes can help you not lose those points again.

5: Mindset, Organisation, Routine, etc.

Know your why. Honestly, for a good couple of years there I spent every study day wondering if it was even worth it to keep going. But I love history, and I love museums, and I want to be a part of it. Your reason might be a little less self centred, or it might not (because what's wrong with that?). Either way, that drive can get you through a lot.

That being said, if it sucks that bad, you don't have to do it. You can drop the class if you need to, either for your physical health or your wellbeing. Obviously I'm not suggesting you drop out over an essay being difficult, but in my case, dropping that class with the bad professor would've been a good move. I spent too much time and effort trying to do something I hadn't really been taught how to do, and it really wasn't worth my energy. Unless it's required for your degree, don't worry too much about it.

At the beginning of the semester, look at the percentage each assignment is worth. Act accordingly. Don't put in 100% effort for a 20% assignment (unless you're getting really into it), that's a one way ticket to getting burnt out. There's literally no point spending an extra 12 hours perfecting something that's not worth at least 40%. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be done.

Find a study environment that works for you. I like to work with a buddy, whether that's my mum (who's working on her PhD) or an imaginary study group. I need to be somewhere different from where I usually hang out to get focussed (like a cafe or my desk). I need breaks, some people don't. I don't really think there's a single best way to study, as long as you're getting stuff done, it doesn't matter if it's not aesthetic or an approved method. That being said, if making it aesthetic works for you, do that.

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And that's all I have. I'm sure there are more out there, but I've been in academia for a while now and this is what works for me. I know a lot of people are going back to school, so good luck! You got this!

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Yet Another Post on How to Write a Thesis Statement

I feel like no one tells you how to write a university-level thesis statement once you’re out of high school. They lowkey just throw you into your first university/college class without actually explaining what it is—or if they do, they beat around the bush and say something like, “Make a good argument people can disagree with.” It’s a foundational piece of advice, but it should be explained further.

So, here’s how I wrote my thesis statements in university. What I found helpful was the order in which to formulate one.

1. Establish a basic argument. But how do you know it can be argued against? Pretend you’re the reader and brainstorm some counterpoints (more on this later).

Example: “X character’s lack of empathy results in their abandonment.”

2. Think of your evidence. You know how, in elementary or high school, they’d make you pick three pieces of evidence? Same thing, perhaps worded more eloquently. Here, I’m asking myself how or when does X character exhibit a lack of empathy? What is my proof they do this?

Example: “By not aiding those in need when they have the means to, X character demonstrates how their lack of empathy results in their abandonment.”

3. Answer the very important “So what?” question. Why should anyone care about the argument you’re making? Why is it worth reading?

Example: “By refusing to aid those in need when they have the means to, X character demonstrates how their lack of empathy results in their abandonment, suggesting that their social isolation is ultimately self-inflicted.”

Can another scholar argue against this thesis statement? Sure. They might say X character’s flaws are not what brought upon their supposed ostracization: rather, maybe X character’s upbringing is to blame (say, they grew up with certain values emphasizing selfishness), or they were undermined by others, which led them to their situation.

Your thesis should be specific but also leave room for deeper discussion in the middle of your essay (note how I didn’t go too in-depth with my evidence; I would give more detailed examples of how X character didn’t help others of their own free will in my body paragraphs).

One last thing I’ll mention is this thesis I created is intended for a literary analysis paper (I chose to analyze a character, albeit one I made up). The wording for other types of approaches/essays will differ depending on the goal you have in mind, but it comes with a lot of practice and exposure to other fields of research. The more classes you take, the more material you can pull from them and incorporate into your essays. For instance, interpreting a conflict from a disability lens (that is, considering how an issue would affect people with disabilities), is one way to look at it.

Long story short, experiment! Brainstorm and rearrange sentence fragments until something sticks. I hope this made sense and can help at least one of you with your writing. All the best :)

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Tips From a Recent English Graduate (That May Apply to Other Arts Degrees)

• If you can't understand a certain book/essay, find a summary first, and *then* read what you needed to originally. It'll (hopefully) make more sense!

• If you're on a time crunch and you have a dense reading to do, read the abstract/introduction paragraph(s) + the concluding paragraphs. Authors will most likely have their key points outlined in these sections. Afterwards, you can go through the middle sections to pick out more concrete details.

• You probably won't be able to read every required text, and that's okay! I would skim a lot of my readings and make note of any sections that seemed particularly important (you learn to pick out the major details with practice). Also, if your professor seems to place more importance on a certain text than others, try to read that one more thoroughly.

• When it comes to essay writing, and you're required to choose between texts, brainstorm in bullet points key info from each text. Do this to identify the ones that a) have enough material for your argument and b) relate to your argument the most (they don't necessarily have to *back up* your argument; rather, they can serve as a counterpoint you can argue *against*). Making bullet points are a good way to ensure you're not stuck grasping for material later on in the writing process!

Hope these help! :)

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Dear moon and arch

dear moon and arch

i am writing this because within my consciousness, deep within, there lays memories of you. a naive memory of our friendship. a memory that has been tainted by your inconsideration of our friendship. the malice weaved in your tongue. the cowardliness of your thoughts within our friendship.

what day was it now…oh, i don’t remember. i know it was close to spring season as the snow had melted by then. i must say it must have been april. early april. we decided to meet. all the three of us. we thought it was easier since each of us were busy. at the time i was excited to see the two of you. i had decided to make you food as an appreciation. unfortunately, my cooking skills had failed me. the food was not perfect as i would have liked it to be, so i thought maybe i would remake it next time for them. it was almost time to meet them and i could not make another batch in time. a perfect batch, at least.

we meet at a cafe. it was on bloor, just a small distance into k-town. arch is the first to arrive. i greet her and sit down across of her. i tell her that i would have to leave early because my mom was travelling the next day. we converse. we mainly talked about school, exam, and life. just a small chat to break the silence while we wait for moon to arrive. moon arrives and we greet her. we started just updating each other about our lives. nothing out the ordinary. the conversation had turned into me telling them that i had met fish and congratulated her for her marriage. fish was moon boss, and arch and i’s previous boss. I wanted to tell them because know they did not like her and i did not want to feel like i was going behind their backs. even though they did not have a pleasant interaction with fish, i mean not say i did not either. to me, fish never did anything. i believed her to be naive as like me. after that, i began to talk about something fish had told me about bull. bull was someone i fell for at work. i had brought the topic because there was information that moon had told that was not aligning to the information that fish told me. the true reason why i brought bull up and what i was told is because i wanted to find out who was telling the truth. moon had previously told me that song (a new employee) had known about bull and i’s situation was because fish was talking about me to song. when i met with fish, congratulating her, she had mentioned bull. she had told me that reason why song knew about me was because bull was talking to song about me. so when i was bring up bull and what fish had told me, moon rolled her eyes, looking up at the ceiling, and with exasperation tone, she said: why do you always talk about him? across of me, i see arch pressing her lips, nodding while slowly turning down at the table. at that moment, i shut down. i stopped speaking. i couldn’t properly focus on the world around me. i am not confrontational person unless i get all the details i need to confront them, so i stayed quiet. trying to not be the party pooper, if you may, i stayed and did not speak. i tried to show that it did not affect me. arch noticed that i was staring into space but that is all.

it was time for me to leave. luckily, my mom needing me to leave the cafe early to have dinner was heaven sent. i left. as i was walking to the subway train. i felt terrible. after having dinner with my family, and they had left, i called clarice about the situation. i do not remember if i cried or not, all i remember was being hurt.

i was contemplating wether i should end the friendship and not talk to them, but i felt guilty. i am not sure why i felt guilty. i messaged arch that had hurt me at the cafe. we set up a time to meet. i told her that my trust in her was weak because she hurt my feelings. she asked me if we were friends or not. i couldn’t give her a yes or no answer. i had told her that i din’t think i could be your friend right now, but maybe in the future, if we reconnected and the hurt subsided, maybe we can friends again. however, she kept insisting if we are friends or not. i could not give her definite answer. she said that if i did not trust her, then she can not be my friend. she made me feel guilty for even feeling hurt. as was figuring out my emotions while speaking to her, it was raining and we were walking. my mind was all over the place. i was scared. i hated making others feel bad. i was attempting to convey my hurt, but making sure she is not hurt by accusing her harshly. as we were looking for a place to sit, she told me that i needed to hurry because she had somewhere to be. we met at 3 and she had another meeting at 6. she made me feel horrible..like my hurt that she caused was a waste of time to even talk about.

we finally find a place to sit. i start telling her how her words, her tone, and her body language affected me. she told me that she was just being sarcastic and that i shouldn’t analyze body languages. she then proceeds to tell me that she meant she did not want to talk about fish. she also said that she does not mind talking to me about bull. at the time, i did not comprehend her lies. thinking about it right now, i was too naive to ever consider a friend would ever lie to me. surely, they are my friend, why lie? why conceal her truth if she ever cared to make the friendship genuine? by the end of the conversation, i had forgiven her. we hugged and went off our ways. when she left, i had gut feeling that something was not right. it became even physical. my stomach was churning and had someone my head telling that something about the conversation was not right.

i go home and start analyzing everything that happened from when we met until we left our separate ways. i found out that she lied to me. i am a person who can not continue a friendship that is based on a lie, so i text her ending the friendship and that it turns out i just needed space. she replied that if i had told her i needed space, she would understand. however, i told her that i could’t be her friend, and if the hurt subsided, we might become friends again. she said that what i did is immature, and i told her that i understand her perspective in think that i was immature because i was indecisive in her mind. she said that she could have decided for me. i am not sure what i said after that but she was trying to end it by saying that she did not want to be my friend anymore.

i got furious. a friend had never ever got me to a point of feeling angry at them in my entire 25 years of living. what was going through my head was: how can she call me immature with the way i handled the situation when she had lied me? the only fault i had was believing that she was a good person and that she would never lie to me. I sent her a long text of exactly what she had done, how her behaviour made me feel, and how that made her look like.

now getting to arch, i also sent a similiar message to arch, ending our friendship. now, i haven’t attempted to speak to arch because of the hurt moon had given me. i was risking getting lied to and arch has given me evidence of her untrustworthiness with the way she behaved when moon disrespected me. she responds and says that communication is important. i had told her that i was afraid what she will say to me (i had previously told her that she had hurt my feeling at the cafe). as i was getting to courage to maybe speak to her, she decided that she did not want to speak to me. that is valid since i ended the friendship and there was no reason to speak now. i felt in hindsight, that a higher was protecting me. i did not want to speak to her , but because i feel bad for the people i care about and don’t want to see them in bad light, i mustered up the courage to attempt to speak to her. i will say what i did to arch, was unfair because i was projecting my hurt that moon gave me.

what i now write is what i wish i had said to them. moon, if you are going to lie, make sure your story adds up. honestly, i am not sure why you needed to lie to me. speak your truth. say how you feel. at lease, learn to take accountability. arch, make sure to hold your head up high, if you have problem with your friend, you will look them straight in the eyes and say your truth about how you feel. you are not going to get the friendship you need without voicing out how you feel. do not look like a coward who hides behind people’s words. i know you can have empathy, but at the cafe you showed none. those who are afraid of the truth, are immature.

you guys showed me that your friendship with me meant nothing for you guys. i humiliated myself by considering you guys as friends.

i wish i could have predicted that you two would hurt me without any reason.

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thoughts

i have been reading donna tartt's "the secret society" and i am falling for henry