I think that's one of the most exciting things you can do when you're studying--to immerse yourself fully in your subject. Being there and seeing your subject come alive is so much more interesting than reading about it in a book. Being there certainly augments the experience of reading an original manuscript.wilson wrote:This update come to you from the steps of my archive, almost all the way at the foot of Meeting Street. The walk smack through Charleston's cortex this morning was a delight, if a bit sweaty. But hey, it's not a proper South Carolina summer if you're not sweating.
Turns out the Historical Society is right across the street from the building where we had my senior year fraternity formal...that'll take me back pretty much every morning.
I talk a lot about the "power of place" as a historian, and this neck of the woods has it in spades. I love it.
Humanities majors don't have lab classes, but for those of us who are hands-on learners, being in that place enhances the learning experience in much the same way that a lab enhances a chemistry major's education.
As a religion major, my summer in Israel turbo-charged my education. I wasn't just reading about these ancient places, I was experiencing them.
I hope that being in Charleston turbo-charges the researching, writing and defense of your dissertation.
Were you a KA?
