- 1998-1999
Britain's Gold Coast Policy Shift
Examines Britain's role in the Gold Coast during the 1860s and 1870s,questioning the standard historiography regarding the Select CommitteeeReport of 1865 regarding the soon-to-be Crown Colony.Coupons and Counterfeits: World War II andthe U.S. Black Market
Many see World War II as an era of immense cooperative effort andunity in the United States. This may be so to an extent, but a look at theblack market which arose in response to wartime rationing shows thatthe memory of the wartime U.S. may not always correspond with the reality.From Sputnik to NDEA: The Changing Role ofScience During the Cold War
During the early Cold War, Science developed into a full fledgedpartner of what might be called the "Defense-Industrial-Academic Complex".This paper deals with the evolution of the institution of Science as aninstrument of national security in the period between Sputnik (1957) andthe passage of the National Defense Education Act (1958), partly due tothe satellite's launch.- 1997-1998
From the Jameson Raid to Bloemfontein: Debating the Origins of the Boer War
The Boer War of 1899-1902 was and has remained controversial. This paper examines some of the historical controversies surrounding the war, describing the history of historians' debates. An interpretation which applies the Schumpeterian idea of atavism to the war is advanced.Prisoners of Regime: Virtue and the Proper Political Individual in Antiquity
The more things change, the more they stay the same. An example is the changing view of the ideal citizen over time. Evidence that this changing ideal is dictated by the nature of the contemporary regime is shown through the works of Thucydides, Epicurus and Epictetus.Notions of Gender in the Middle Ages: Myth vs. Reality
If there ever was a period where chauvinism ran rampant, it was the Middle Ages. But wait: things are not always as they appear. This paper explodes some myths about medieval society and proves that even if the Middle Ages were somehow transported to the present, Jerry Springer would not be out of a job.Explaining 1898: Conquest of Empire in the Gilded Age
My first struggle with the paradox that is American Imperialism. If you disagree with this paper, be heartened by the fact that I have changed my mind. (And if you agree with it, realize that I have since changed my mind back.) In fact, my opinion "swings around" nearly every time I think about the issue.I Know Two Pairs of His Trousers That Have Made a Great Novel
A close reading of a fun passage from Balzac's Pere Goriot. Let me also add, "I know two pairs of his trousers that have written a lit paper." That's some tailor!Raskolnikov's Room: The Greatest Dwelling in Literature?
With trademark economy, Dostoevsky stretched a two-week period into the classic novel Crime and Punishment. Now watch as I stretch Raskolnikov's tiny room into a ten-page paper. One of my more original and "fun" papers.SETI and Distributed Computing
An examination of how new techniques of collective computing are being organized to make the computational burden of searching for ETI-generated radio signals less expensive. I wrote this paper for Science B-17.History Response Papers
A series of international relations short papers on realism vs. complex interdependence, ideology as a force in IR, American imperialism (again), and Hitler.History Book Reviews
These reviews, written during a seminar I took, generated some of my wittiest lines of the academic year. Books reviewed include: Henry Kissinger: Doctor of Diplomacy, With Friends Like These: Reagan, Bush and Saddam, 1982-1990 and Changing Differences: Women and the Shaping of American Foreign Policy, 1917-1994
- 1996-1997
Arc Lights and Super Gaggles: Examining the Air Battle for Khe Sanh
The battle of Khe Sanh in 1968 highlighted many important developments concerning the use of air power in Vietnam. This paper examines the battle in the context of two conflicting theories of air power and draws conclusions about its effectiveness and applications.Finding a Flashlight With a Flashlight: The Fall of the Sunday-People
My first paper in my expository writing class, which was focused on D.H. Lawrence. This one is about his short story "Mercury" with some tie-ins to Emersonian thought, etc.Growth of a Crysanthemum
This paper examines D.H. Lawrence's short story "Odour of Crysanthemum's". It deals with the story and its developments between 1910 and 1914, and evaluates many of the changes made between drafts. Also included: a comparison of Crysanthemum's Elizabeth and Darl Bundren from Faulkner's As I Lay Dying.A Wild Ride: Sexual Politics in D. H. Lawrence’s Short Stories
Warning: this paper is not exactly PG. (It's all Kate Millet's fault!) For some reason, I have a feeling this paper will get the most hits. :-)"The Laughter of Genius": D. H. Lawrence’s Essays
Lawrence is most famous as a writer of prose fiction, but he left a great legacy of essays and poems as well.This paper focuses on the unique aspects of the "Lawrencian" essay. "Indians and Entertainment", "Pornography and Obscenity" and "Nottingham and the Mining Countryside" are cited as specific examples.© 1999, Garrett Moritz (Who is this guy, anyway?) gtexts blog