On 28 June 2002, I successfully defended my dissertation at Mississippi State University. I never imagined pursuing a graduate degree, much less a Ph.D. Having my committee members shake my hand and call me Dr. Cheathem was quite a surreal experience. I've said it before, but I can't thank John Marszalek, Connie Lester, Libby Nybakken, … Continue reading Ten Years Ago Today
Thoughts on Grad School Reform
Brian Sarnacki has pulled together some of the recent discussion of grad school reform that has been taking place. I don't have much to contribute, but I wanted to address one of Mills Kelly's suggested reforms: decreasing the number of years students commit to finishing a Ph.D. As Kelly notes, according to the AHA, the … Continue reading Thoughts on Grad School Reform
Online Communities for Graduate Students
Last fall, I dispensed some sage advice to new graduate students. Okay, so maybe it was more personal experience than "sage advice," and I offered more than "dispensed." Regardless, one of the things I mentioned was the necessity of finding a community of graduate students with which to congregate, commiserate, and complain. While nothing can replace a … Continue reading Online Communities for Graduate Students
Advice for New History Graduate Students
In 2007, I gave an undergraduate student who was applying to grad schools some advice that I had gleaned from my own experiences. I'm hardly THE expert on how to survive graduate school, and my advice may not be applicable to everyone. But, in the hopes that it might prove useful to someone, here, with … Continue reading Advice for New History Graduate Students
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 