The last 36 hours have been a whirlwind of activity as I participated in the 2013 Marszalek Lecture Series, which involved the contributors to the collection of essays, entitled Of Times and Race, that honored John Marszalek. What follows is a brief outline of the two days, with some concluding thoughts. On Tuesday night, Mike Ballard, Tom Cockrell, Steve …
Category: Mississippi State University
Marszalek Lecture on March 20
Many of you remember that several of John Marszalek's former doctoral students had the pleasure of surprising him with a festschrift last March. On Wednesday, March 20, we will be serving as the 2013 Marszalek Lecturer(s). John and his wife Jeanne established the lecture series in 2003, inviting a distinguished scholar to speak each year. …
Ten Years Ago Today
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, …
The Dissertation Process, Part 1
Last year, I wrote a Facebook note outlining the process that I went through to write my dissertation in 2001-02. I thought it might be useful to post it here for readers who might be graduate students who are pre-comps or who are just beginning the process. I've edited my original note to remove some personal …
Jacksonian America: Society, Personality, and Politics 