M&M

I really appreciate all of the advice and knowledge! New Question RE: Languages: I consider myself more than a beginner in French, but less than an intermediate. I have basic working knowledge of the grammar and syntax of a French sentence, and with a dictionary in hand, I can make my way through a 400-word article in about 45 min - 1 hour. If the article is on Yahoo! or some other such site, I can usually get the gist within 5 - 10 minutes. Will I have the option of working on more than one language during my Master's years? If I do go with Medieval, I'll need French, German, and Latin at a minimum. I know that many institutions don't look too kindly on self-study, though that is all that I have at my disposal at this moment. Even if I do a summer or two at a language program, I need three languages. What does this look like, exactly? I know each PhD program is different when it comes to handling languages, but how many language exams will I need to pass in my first two years? Will I need to pass all three by the time I graduate? Will I have a chance within the program to work on my languages? I do plan to use French primary sources in my senior project and/or independent study to show a certain level of knowledge, but I'm more worried about German and Latin.

I'm transferring from CC to a State Uni. Luckily for me, I only have 39 required credits to finish for my major -- 6 of which can be Independent Study. After that, I still have 18 more credits in order to meet the institutional minimum for graduation. So on top of the two independent studies I plan to do to meet my major requirements, I'm going to look into take Grad courses and a senior honors' project.

Multiquote doesn't seem to be working for me ATM. @TMP - I think this may be my biggest challenge -- finding an area that has gaps in scholarships which will hold my interests for such a long period of time. I've begun thinking of such areas, for both my Medieval European and Colonial American interests, and am still torn between the two. @random_grad - While NA languages aren't a "requirement," you're right that I'd have to devote some time to them, considering my research interests. Summer intensive programs aren't all that plausible for me, due to work and financial constraints, which causes me to worry further about the language learning task at hand. @knp - French is the other group I'm interested in, though I'm sure German wouldn't hurt. I can't help but feel that Spanish might be more advantageous if I do go the Colonial America route (in conjunction with French, not as an alternative). I'm still trying to figure out NA language needs for my particular interests. @brown_eyed_girl - Lots to think on. In terms of field saturation, I know that 20th Century American History tends to be filled to the brim with scholars, though I'm not able to find much on pre-Revolution America. Similarly, Medieval/early Modern Europe tends to be quite popular. Conceptually, I feel I have more interest in Medieval Euro, but it could just be I haven't found my niche within Colonial America.

I'm curious as to how others approached their specialization decision. While I'm still undergrad and realize I have time for my interests and such to evolve, I feel as if time is running out in regards to picking a specialization and standing out in it (so as to have decent, if not excellent, PhD program prospects). I'm a Junior this coming Fall. I mentioned in a previous thread my interests in Colonial America, and the relations between Europeans (primarily English) and Natives. I'm also interested, however, in Medieval Europe (particularly England and France). I'm beginning to wonder how deeply my interests lie in Colonial America, as I'm always wondering if I'll regret not going with Medieval Europe. A few factors that I feel have influenced my decision: Languages - Medieval European programs really require French, German, and Latin. As a Junior, with no experience whatsoever with German or Latin, I wonder how realistic my language learning goals would be. I can read French at a painstakingly slow rate and with a dictionary in hand, though I obviously hope to have much improved by Master's and then PhD work. Location - I live in New England (Massachusetts) and therefore have much more access to colonial American documents, sources, and locations than English and French ones. I'm married (no kids), so study abroad and moving for a program aren't all that feasible. Romanticism - I've grown up with romantic notions of Medieval life. I'm a bit of an armchair scientist, so the plague and other medical and scientific happenings in Europe have always been an interest of mine. I wonder though, whether my romantic notions would be enough to carry me through grad school. Will I regret taking up Medieval Europe because of my naive and childish notions, or will I love it as much as I thought? There are other factors at play, I'm sure, though those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. How did you approach specialization? Did you just always know? Did it evolve over time? What advice would you offer to a student in my position? While I don't intend to commit to a PhD program without an unwavering interest in my specialization topic, I'm curious how others came to that unwavering decision.

Chiqui, I'd love to hear more about your interests if you'd like to share. The whole of this time period fascinates me. I've recently been going through faculty lists and he has come up numerous times in my research. I'll be sure to look more into his reseach - thanks!

Hello catsandscarves! Do you have any favorite journals or schoars who are working on this topic? I've searched JSTOR numerous times and don't come up with much in the way of Euro-Native relations. While my primary interests lie with the first settlers and their interactions with the Natives, I'm also interested in relationship development, and ultimately, how this effected both the Euro-Americans as they continued to settle and grow in number, and the Natives who were continually uprooted and dwindled in number.

Hello! I'll be starting my Junior Year at a State U this coming Fall. I've begun to look ahead to grad school and their requirements. I'm interested in colonial America and more specifically, relations between colonists and Native Americans. I have a particular interest in the social-cultural impact of European settlements and the Native American way of life. I'm most interested in New England in the early 17th century and up until the Revolution. I've been reading through these forums for weeks, so I know there are a few early Americanists. I'm curious if there are any with similar interests to mine. I'm still in the early stages of researching schools, but I've got my sights set on receiving my Master's first to beef up my research skills and such before applying to top-PhD programs.