Hello everyone!
I've been a long time reader of these boards and I have decided to register and start posting as I will be applying for my PhD this fall. I have just finished my MA and decided to take a year off to ready my applications.
Just a little bit about myself, and then a few questions. I focused on American history for the MA and I really want to continue research in that field. However being Canadian, and also worried about getting into American schools, I have decided to also apply for a similar project in Canadian history should I end up only getting into Canadian schools.
My interests lay in late nineteenth and twentieth century American cultural history. I guess I have two major interests within this broad framework. First, I am interested in the relationship between older traditions of magic, spiritualism and the occult, and the emerging scientific worldview of the twentieth century (My MA focused on this). My second interest lay in the development of a culture of consumption from reconstruction to WWII. I would like to do a cultural history of salesmanship, from the traveling salesman to the department store demonstration.
Now on to my questions. First does anyone have any suggestions for schools for these projects? Schools I'm applying for sure are: University of North Carolina, Rutgers, University of Michigan and Wisconsin. I've been thinking about Chicago, Johns Hopkins, Minnesota, Harvard, Yale and Princeton, but I don't think these are perfect fits.
That leads me to my next question. What should I be looking for in terms of a fit? Should I look for professors that border on my specialization or should I be looking for a department with strengths in American cultural history, and a strong focus on the late nineteenth and twentieth century.
Finally, What is everyone's opinion on applying to different programs with two projects? Should I do this or should I decide on a single path? (I can always pursue other projects later in my career).
Thanks in advance! I look forward to going through this process with you all!