Hello friends.
My page will receive a huge update of material over the next month!
In a little over a week, I will receive my doctorate degree in history from the University of Houston. My PhD in history represents the the end of a long process that started long ago. I always knew that I would work in the field of history. I have always been fascinated with how humans have evolved over the ages and I am convinced that the large tree of history shows our current generation how and why humans are who they are and why humans do what they do.
I entered graduate school at UH in 2011. Over the course of my time as a graduate student, I read hundreds of books and wrote countless book precis’ (more like analytical summaries to those not familiar with the historical lingo), film reviews, papers, article submissions, conference papers, book chapters, etc. Since my time as an official student is coming to an end, I have decided that I will share my writings with my reading audience. I think it proper of me to share most of my writings so that future students and interested readers can benefit in some way. Over the years, I benefited greatly from websites that featured writings from past graduate students and historians especially in preparation from my comprehensive exams. I feel that it is my time to share my thoughts with my readers.
So, over the next few weeks, I will add a large amount of my writing to the “US History Comps Book Summaries and Notes Page.” I will also be adding several new pages that feature some of my undergraduate writings, including non-historical writings. There was a time when I seriously considered getting a graduate degree in creative writing. I will feature some of those writings. I will add more media and pictures that include my travels over the years. Plus, some other things that I cannot think of right now. I also plan on adding the date of the original writings so those of you who are interested can see my writing progression over the years.
I am not doing this for any monetary purpose. I will ask for a donation via PayPal to anyone who likes my work and wants to donate so that I can keep my page going but that is not my main purpose for doing this. I mostly feel it is my obligation to share my work with a larger audience at this point in my career. I have written a ton of good stuff over the years (at least I have been told it was good) and I have also written a lot of bad stuff. In my opinion, the bad stuff clearly outnumbered the good stuff, but the gap is closing. If you decide to read some of my stuff and like or dislike what you see, comment on the page. I look forward to engaging with a larger reading audience.
As my historical career shifts over the next few months from student to teacher/writer/etc., I will spend more time writing and looking to publish my work. Over the course of my academic career, I have benefited immensely from my professors, fellow graduate students, and others and my writing has changed a lot over the years. I hope that by reading my writings some of you can see the evolution of my work from my time as an undergraduate to now. I hope that my page will not only provide me with a training ground for continued evolution of my writing but also serve as a learning tool. I am also interested in letting readers in on what I have been up to all these years.
Take it easy everyone.
Dr. Joe
Joe Thompson, PhD. 