#history student tips

[teapot-studies]

Random writing tips that my history professor just told during class that are actually helpful

Download all your sources or print them so you can turn off your wifi

Give your phone to someone

Just. WRITE. Writing is analysing, you’ll get more ideas as you write. It doesn’t need to be perfect, for now you can just blurt out words and ideas randomly. You can fix it later.

Create a skeleton/structure before writing.

Stop before you get exhausted. It’s best to stop writing when you still have some energy and inspiration left, this will also motivate you to get started again next time.

Make a to do list

Work in bite sizes. Even if it’s not much, as long as you put some ideas on paper or do some editing.

Simple language =/= boring language, simple language = clear language.

Own your words. If they are not your words, state this clearly in the text, not just in the footnotes.

STOP BEFORE YOU GET EXHAUSTED. Listing it again because it’s easily one of the best tips a teacher has ever given me.

[literatureaesthetic]

this city is the definition of dark academia | oxford

[wellexecuted]

One of the merits of teaching: two week long breaks. It’s been very chilled- nights in pub gardens, tutoring, spending days with my friend in Cambridge, getting back into the gym and, most importantly, not getting out of bed till at least 11am most mornings 😁

[speromelior]

Recently I have been reading into Biopower and Biopolitics which finds its origins in Foucault. Agamben's "Homo Sacer" has been extremely interesting, especially because I wish to do some more research in Disability Studies. I am looking forward to reading Lennard J Davis.

[u-mspcoll]

Obesity: The Science, Culture, and Politics of Fatness in America 

In Fall 2023, students enrolled in Dr. Margot Finn's course on the science, culture, and politics of obesity worked in groups to research and write captions for food history materials.

Most of these items were from the Special Collections Research Center's Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive.

These were featured on the Shapiro Library Screens in Bert's Study Lounge.

M. L. Holbrook, Eating for Strength (New York, M. L. Holbrook & co. [c1888]). Library of Congress. 

The 1888 edition of Eating for Strength, a popular 19th century work on diet written by Martin Luther Holbrook approaches food in a scientific manner, outlining the dietary needs of various classes of people and looking at the healthfulness of various foods. This book includes information about food and diet in relation to health and work, together with several hundred recipes for different foods and drinks. All of these tables illustrate the protein, carbohydrate, and fat content of some of the most common foods that characterized the diets of that era. This underscores how even over 100 years ago, these three macronutrients were seen as important to monitor in order to curb obesity.

Keeping Your Weight Down (Westfield, N.Y. : Welch Grape Juice Co., [1921?]). Janie Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive.

Published by Welch Juice Company in 1921, this recipe book called Keeping Your Weight Down suggests that Welch's Grape Juice can aid in weight maintenance, and emphasizes its importance in influencing desired health benefits with their beverage. The monochrome-purple book cover showcases an idealized “thin” model covered in loose night clothing, examining a weight scale. Inside, “Pudding and Desserts” recipes are listed in sections with the usage of Welch brand ingredients. Framing grapes as dessert, often eliminated in dieting practices, allows for the luxury of sweets within the strictures of losing weight.

Ruth West, Stop Dieting! Start Losing! (New York : E.P. Dutton & Company, Inc., 1956.). Janice Bluestein Longone Culinary Archive. 

Although Ruth West’s Stop Dieting! Start Losing! was a dieting recipe book published in 1956, the artifact has a startling resemblance to modern attitudes about weight, despite the huge body of research conducted on obesity since this time. Today, It’s easy to laugh at slogans like “how to lose 2 to 3 pounds a week” and “16 foods for sex appeal and vitality,” but how different are these claims from those we hear today from diet magazines, social media and even our own medical professionals? Is the rigor of evidence from then to now all that different? 

Read more!

[ellescastleglow]

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.

---

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!

[miawashere]

legal terminology pt 9!

subpoena: when a court orders for someone to give a testimony for a case.

subpoena duces tecum: basically the same thing as subpoena but for the person who was asked to testify to also bring documents that are useful for the case.

injunction: to prevent someone from doing continuing to do something. according to cornell law, there are three types of injunctions- permanent, temporary, and preliminary injunctions.

equity: how much someone owes on property after calculating liabilities (to be honest this one is a bit tricky to understand, please correct me if i am wrong!!)

[mossy-studies]

i have emerged!!

long time no see. i was in a duel with major depressove episode, but i came out victorious and "ready" for another academic year - i have 8 classes this semester and im learning italian at home.

my classes:

italian renaissance

czech renaissance

czech baroque art 1

art history proseminair

proseminair of medieval art

iconography

intro to urbanism

history of everyday life

[evolutioned]

study tips!!

just some study tips for myself mainly but if you think they can help you, you can try them out!! these won't work for everyone though.

first & foremost, make a todo list. i swear it helps. dont put it off thinking that oh, the task is too big for a to-do list & it will only discourage me from actually doing it. to-do lists can help remind you how much work you have to do, and if anything, it will trigger deadline anxiety which in turn can motivate you to finish you shit faster.

regarding the to-do list, make it in the morning & continue adding + doing tasks throughout the day. it not only gives you a sense of accomplishment, but you also have a constantly updated list of things you need to do, to ensure that you dont forget anything. also, to make it more manageable, break every task that seems "too big" into smaller tasks and space them out.

music: if it distracts you, do not listen to it. and dont put a playlist of you favourite songs, or songs you know well. put a playlist of maybe music from an artist you want to get into, play it at like 3/4 volume with noise cancelling earphones/headphones and get in the zone baby!

for math notes, if those big templates seem too complicated, don't worry!! you dont have to use them. instead copy a few questions from your textbook, and write them down, whichever way you want. and then copy the method your teacher taught you to answer the questions (cause they sometimes cut marks if you use you own method) and apply it to every question. at the end of the topic, there is usually a review practice. get a piece of paper and do the practice, and check your answers. whatever you got wrong, go back and relearn it. try again. do it until youre confident in it. do it for all topics you need to learn. it's difficult, but it will work.

take frequent breaks!! don't take this lightly, this will actually help you with your work. if you feel like a question is too difficult, take a break! it can be as small as getting up and walking around the house, or getting your water bottle. but the main thing is, have a change of scenery. if you feel like your brain is slowing down. clean your area, and relax for a while. if need be, take a nap!! put a timer so you don't oversleep but remember to give yourself atleast 10-15 minutes. when you wake up wash your face, drink some water, eat a hersheys kiss. take out your study materials and look at it wit fresh eyes! hope this helps <3

[barco1]

Te podría mentir que no me.gusya la oscuridad, pero al contrario si le tengo miedo , pero también aprendí a respetarlo y amarlo cada momento del proceso de mi vida es lo más hermoso que pude tenerlo y al contrario aprendí a conocerme emocionalmente y físicamente y mucho aspectos de este proceso de mis 21 años

[iregretssomeshit]

Some notes on the Roman expansion into Britain during the Iron Age from a lecture last term. This is just lecture notes and not including notes from wider readings, which I will make eventually 🙈🙈

[starlight-student]

☆ had this amazing hazelnut latte last week while prepping for this semester! ☆

[anchorandrope]

the fact that i was reading something in pinknews about elton john's closeting and the advertising was louis' video denying larry...... the irony (you can see in the pic the "pinknews" watermark plss)

[wellexecuted]

Flip through of my favourite uni notebook, from my medieval civs module

[speromelior]

The last few days I have shifted over to a study of language and deconstruction, I have finally finished my readings of Derrida as well. From there I moved to postcolonial theory, which is one of my huge special interests.

If anyone would be interested in talking about literary theory, feel free to contact me!

[miawashere]

environmental law

after researching and trying to decide on what kind of law i’d like to go into, I found out about environmental law! it’s what it sounds like: a type of law that protects the environment. according to the university of law, lawyers that work in this type of las help keep our plant safe by advising businesses with how they can help with climate change, new sources of energy, pollution, etc. i’m glad this subsection of law exists to help keep our plant be destroyed by large corporations, and i know these lawyers are slowly but surely helping our planet!!