cgmoore1983

Yes, I actually use his work in one of the courses I teach. He does not give much detail on pornographic use, but I agree that he is a stepping stone. Thanks!

Thanks for all of the advice. I agree there is a good deal of research on erotic photos, videos, literature etc. in the 20th century. I of course am an early Americanist, so I would be most interested in focusing on that period, and thankfully it looks like there is a giant gap in the historiography of early American pornography within the history of sexuality. Of course I won't just come out and say I'd like to research the porn that Washington fapped to! Glad to hear that it is more acceptable today.

Sigaba, I have to say that I find your tone to be incredibly rude and presumptuous. I simply wanted to know the best way to discuss these issues so that I could account for gaps in my academic record. I have no intention of leaving the information out of an application, but I thought that people might know the best way to bring it up. There is no harm in asking. The responses that you have given on this thread and others in the forum, remind me of one of the reasons I have been so hesitant to become a part of academia. It seems that the more degrees a person has the more likely they are to develop a narcissistic and judgmental attitude towards others. I have said once that I feel no need to hide my personal life from the committee, so I'm not entirely sure why this matters enough to you to actually ridicule someone you don't know online. In fact, I have found that it is through connecting my past to my present that I have had the most success with my students. There is a reason I don't hide my past, and it has clearly worked in my favor up to this point. In addition to teaching courses on the history of sexuality, I use my personal experiences to reach students who have grown up in poverty, who are dealing with family issues or medical issues, and who are most generally struggling with the world. My duty as a Christian is actually more important to me than getting into a Ph.D. program, and I would not be true to myself if I started hiding it now. Understandably, we all have different priorities in our studies, but I am telling you that given my priorities, disclosing personal information about myself is not something about which I am concerned. I am sure you will have more to say about this, as you clearly are an argumentative person, so have at it, but I have finished with this thread. I appreciate all of the genuinely helpful and honest replies that I received.

I'm sorry, but why would I want to hide my identity? If a perspective graduate school is willing to go online and seek out a question from me in the grad cafe, then so be it. I am a Christian woman who has absolutely nothing to hide, and I would be just as willing to tell them this information if directly asked, as I am for them to stumble upon it. Besides, if they look up my name in a google search, they are far more likely to come across about 1 zillion articles related to the fact that my family was murdered when I was a child. Good luck to them in wading through that to get to this forum.

Thank you both for the advice. I agree that there are a lot of books out there about sexuality in early America. However, I wanted to find my own niche within the field. I hadn't really thought about it from the perspective that if they are too uncomfortable to allow me into a program researching my passion, then it's probably not somewhere I'm going to fit in. My students know that I have absolutely no shame, and I will teach about anything within sexual history that seems relevant or interesting. I'm sure there is a spot for me somewhere. The question is where!!

I had so many genuine replies to my first question asked on these message boards, that I thought I would turn to you all for advice once more. I am applying to Ph.D. programs, and am thinking about my statement of purpose. In particular, I'm thinking about the section where I discuss my research interests. As a masters student I wrote a thesis on the history of unhappy marriages in colonial and early Republic Virginia. I spent my time in the masters program studying the Chesapeake region, the colonial south, and gender roles. However, I have been teaching courses on the history of sexuality for the last few years that have really peaked my curiosity in sexual history. I now run a blog on the topic, so I am getting to do small bits of research each week, but I'm craving something more substantial. In particular, I am interested in researching the history of pornography in America up through the end of the 19th century. This of course would be pictoral or narrative pornography, and although there is a strong tradition of this in America, I have yet to see much scholarly research on the subject. Of course I wouldn't simply look at pornography but the way in which it intersects with historical definitions of gender roles, politics, social movements etc. It would also be interesting to see if the sexual revolution that occurred in the late 18th century coincided with changes in pornographic content or public acceptance of pornography. I want to stay away from the 20th century as I am certainly not a modern historian, and also pornography changed quite decisevely around the turn of the century with the advent of film. Do you think a topic like this is too racy for a Ph.D. application? I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps there is a reason why I haven't found a book about the topic! So, basically what I'm asking is, can one mention porn in their PhD.. application? P.S. If you too are a historian of sexuality, I'd love to know if you've heard of any research on the topic!

I just wanted to thank everyone for weighing in on my question. I'm not entirely sure how we got to mental illness, but I suppose I should have given a bit more background on my medical issues. I had a tumor pressing into my auditory nerve and parts of my brain that was causing a ton of physical medical issues. It took several years to figure out what was going on, so I ended up in the hospital a good bit. I think all of you offered sound advice, and I will mention the problem in passing. However, I probably won't go into much detail about the specifics, and will instead focus on the fact that I have recovered and am ready to tackle a doctorate degree. Thanks again!

Before asking my question, let me first tell you a bit about me. I apologize in advance that I sound like a boastful braggart, as nothing makes be feel quite so much like an ass, but I want to give a full picture so that you can give informed replies. I'm a 28 year old female with a B.A. in history and anthropology from UNC Chapel Hill (3.2 overall, 3.7 in history major), and an M.A. in history from UNC Charlotte (4.0 GPA). My masters thesis is entitled "To Chain a Man to Misery 'til Death: Marital Strife in Early Virginia," and is about unhappy marriages in colonial and Early Republic America. I have also worked as a teaching assistant at the college level for two years, and have been working as an adjunct professor at two universities (UNCC and Wingate University). Being selected for a teaching position at UNCC was highly competitive, and I think it says something about the faith that the professors have in me. These schools have given me the freedom to design and institute my own courses, and thus my research interests have evolved to include both gender and sexuality in early America. My teaching reviews by other faculty are very high and my ratings from students are likewise. In my free time I also run a blog devoted to an exploration of the history of sexuality. My GRE verbal score is a 720 and I have won several awards for best graduate research at several history forums. Anyhow, to get to the point...I am now applying for PhD programs. I can't simply stay at UNCC, because they do not have a program (unless I feel like moving to their sister institution in Scotland). I'm in the process of writing my statement letters, and am a bit befuddled as to how to handle one particular issue. I had substanital health issues over the course of college and my masters program. It took me an extra two years to finish up my masters program because of this. However, I have taken a year off now, and my health problems have since been largely resolved. Should I address the fact that my undergraduate GPA is a tad bit low and that my time in the graduate program was extended due to health issues? In addition, there are a few W's on my transcript that came as a result of needing to leave school for surgeries. Should my overall work as a grad student, success in teaching, and writing sample stand for itself, or do you think I should address this point? The chair of the history department has indicated he would like to call the heads of PhD programs at the schools where I am applying in order to give me a leg up. I am wondering if this could be something he should address while speaking with them. My current list of schools include: George Mason University (my masters thesis advisor is now the head of the PhD program here), the University of Pennsylvania (reach for the stars right?), Rutgers University (I have a good friend who is a history professor here), the University of Maryland, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Indiana. Of course each of these schools also have exception gender history programs, and I have slected them for both personal connections and the historians I would most enjoy working with. I'm hoping these aren't out of my league! Any advice is MUCH appreciated. I'm a bit high strung and this entire process is giving me a bit of anxiety.