Category Archives: Senior Thesis

Wondering if you should write a senior thesis? Not sure how to get started? Nervous about finding a faculty mentor? These are some of the questions that posts about senior theses will explore.

Researching in Small Archives: Tips and Advice

Today I’m here to talk about my experiences with small archives, which have been not only invaluable to my research but also some of my fondest research memories. I will first introduce these archives, explain some aspects of how they … Continue reading

Posted in Archives, Historic Sites, Libraries, major research, New York City, Senior Thesis, The Humanities, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Researching in Small Archives: Tips and Advice

FLI @ Columbia: Losing Your Mind In Seminar? Some Tips & Tricks

As the sixth week of the fall semester wraps up, I return to a feeling of frustration with my History seminars I know all too well. Despite enrolling in at least one History seminar every semester since my sophomore spring, … Continue reading

Posted in Archives, courses, Faculty Mentors, major research, postgraduation plans, Senior Thesis, Uncategorized | Comments Off on FLI @ Columbia: Losing Your Mind In Seminar? Some Tips & Tricks

Thank you to Chile, and Thank you to Columbia: Logistics for Successful Research Abroad

My summer research abroad as a rising junior (2023) provided me with the confidence to pursue international research within the social sciences. As a Laidlaw Scholar, I worked with the Tourism Federation of Chile to develop their sustainability guidelines. Here’s … Continue reading

Posted in Senior Thesis, STEM research, Study Abroad, Summer Research, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Thank you to Chile, and Thank you to Columbia: Logistics for Successful Research Abroad

Some Parting Advice

Since this is my last post on this blog, I thought it would make sense to talk about some of the principles that guided me to this point in my college career. I am graduating with a double major in … Continue reading

Posted in major research, New York City, postgraduation plans, Senior Thesis, Summer Research, The Humanities, Writing | Comments Off on Some Parting Advice

Literature as an Archive

In recent years, I have wrestled with certain dilemmas historical scholarship poses. A central one is how do we contemplate, write about, and represent people who do not appear within the archive? In the past, historical scholarship have been very … Continue reading

Posted in Archives, Libraries, major research, postgraduation plans, Senior Thesis, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Literature as an Archive

Meditations on the Archival Turn

Ann Laura Stoler described the shift in historical studies from “archive-as-source to archive as subject” as the “archival turn,” a shift in the intellectual paradigm necessitated, in part, by desires to write subaltern histories. Rather than reading archives along the … Continue reading

Posted in Archives, Historic Sites, Libraries, major research, Senior Thesis, The Humanities, Writing | Comments Off on Meditations on the Archival Turn

Reflections from the Archive: Stanford’s M0618 Arturo Islas Papers Collection

This winter break, as I pieced together the beginnings of my senior thesis on Arturo Islas’s novel The Rain God (1984), I stumbled upon an archival treasure trove—M0618, the “Arturo Islas Papers.” Comprising a hefty 56-box collection, M0618 chronicles four … Continue reading

Posted in Adversity, Archives, Coursework, Libraries, Life, major research, Senior Thesis, The Humanities, Uncategorized, Writing | Comments Off on Reflections from the Archive: Stanford’s M0618 Arturo Islas Papers Collection

Senior Thesis Research: A Case Study Involving Two Case Studies

The first challenge I faced when I began formulating ideas for my senior thesis at the start of this semester was deciding on a project that could involve both my major fields of study. Classics and East Asian studies do … Continue reading

Posted in Coursework, Libraries, major research, Senior Thesis, The Humanities, Uncategorized, Writing | Comments Off on Senior Thesis Research: A Case Study Involving Two Case Studies

Me and Research – A Mostly Affectionate Relationship

Whether it has been for a long-term project like my senior thesis or for a final paper, conducting research always has its highs and lows. I remember distinctly the first time I had to write a final paper for a … Continue reading

Posted in Archives, courses, Coursework, Faculty Mentors, Libraries, major research, Senior Thesis, The Humanities | Comments Off on Me and Research – A Mostly Affectionate Relationship

What’s the Research Symposium Anyway? A Guide From a 2x Winner

  Every October, Columbia invites students’ families to campus for a weekend full of “intellectual, informational, and social events designed to let you experience, if only for a few days, what it means to be a Columbia student.” The highlight … Continue reading

Posted in conference presentations, Coursework, Faculty Mentors, major research, Media, New York City, Senior Thesis, Summer Research, The Humanities | Comments Off on What’s the Research Symposium Anyway? A Guide From a 2x Winner