i think philosophy is the worst for having to explain to normal people! while topics in history and other subjects can certainly be esoteric, at least they can be understood without explanation. you get pretty blank looks describing your proposal on hegelian and heideggerian phenomenology. not to mention people thinking philosophy is psychology!

Damn the lack of editing on this board! What I meant to say is that I'm NOT doing this particular Masters so I can go and work in the West End.

I figured that that was what you meant! yes, the lack of editing causes issues on this board and really could do with addressing!

Philosophy.... I feel for you, not because of your subject matter, but I can so understand what you are saying - it must be a nightmare trying to discuss your passion with anybody who doesn't share your interest! My BA was joint honours History and Sociology - this seemed to imply to everyone that I was training to be a social worker... nobody could understand why I would be interested in it. Very frustrating!

I think I win the prize for most incomprehensible/ just plain long sounding degree titles:
So far:
BA Egyptian Archaeology
MSc. Material Anthropology and Museum Ethnography
MA Archaeology of the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East
No post for me today, the wait continues!

Ahhh but yours sound exotic and colourful, bringing forth images of the nile, and sun, and exciting finds - mine sound as though I am a candidate for a dodgy stripy jumper and a fine covering of dust from the archives...

BA History and Sociology
MA Cultural and Social History

Hah - I know exactly what you mean about trying to explain research to people who aren't involved in academia. I'm hopeful that my project is going to be a significant and original piece of 19th century cultural history, but I get the feeling that most people think I'd be more useful emptying bins. It was so nice doing an MA in Victorian Studies where everybody was as madly passionate about Victorian culture as I was. Everybody else just gives me very blank expressions whenever I mention it.

It doesn't help that a lot of my friends are science people rather than arts, and that the rest of them didn't do history beyond the Hitler snore-fest that was GSCE and A Level. Given that most people don't care about, understand, or ever see the benefits of our research, its amazing really that we get any kind of public funding at all!

there do seem to be a lot of history students, no wonder they say that panel is among the most competitive! as for panel 8, i guess most law students go into professional practice, and philosophy and religion are relatively niche subjects i suppose!

Ooh BobNic, we seem to share a passion! What element of 19th century cultural history are you going to study? I somehow seem to have found myself concentrating on that era (having previously been an early modern sort of girl) and I find it fascinating!!
I haven't spoken to anyone before (except for my supervisor of course) who shares my interest!

Ahhhhh - I'm interested in most things Victorian, but I guess I focus mainly on late nineteenth century popular culture. Anything sensational, spectacular, sordid, or scandalous and its likely to be right up my street!

I'm writing a dissertation at the moment exploring the figure of the glamorous criminal in pop culture - train robbers, jewel thieves, swindlers, swell-mobsmen, as well as older figures like highwaymen, smugglers, pirates, etc. My PhD, on the other hand, is going to explore the way in which the Victorians/Edwardians imagined America in the half century before Hollywood. I'm desperate to get on with it!

What sort of area have you drifted into? If you haven't seen it, the VICTORIA mailing list is great to subscribe to if you want to make contact with more passionate Victorianists or spy on what they're all doing in case they steal your ideas.
https://listserv.indiana.edu/cgi-bin/wa-iub.exe?A0=VICTORIA

at home today so I get to wait for the postman! oh dear. here's a link which may be of interest to some of you:

http://www.ahrb.ac.uk/images/convener_report_panel8.pdf

you can replace the "8" in the link with the number of your panel to see the report for that.

Good morning everyone, may today be the day for lots of metaphorically fatty letters!

Just catching up with numerous posts. stressed - I think your topic sounds great and we all seem to have connections, which is cool... presumably we are both very familiar with local authority record offices anyway.

wanwan - heidegger - phenomenology - love it, and sympethise completely. Everytime I try and explain that I am interested in said Lady Vyvyan's affective experiences of water (Heidegger&Bachelard), not who she ate cucumber sandwiches with, most people smile politely and edge away slowly.

Anyway, (and no offence to anyone related to a medical dr) but I thought we (or our future selves at any rate) were the proper drs.
Good luck today everyone

note that I said "we" & "future self". I think I might have convinced myself that it's not over until I have tried again at least one more time. Thanks guys, cos it's so encouraging to hear everyone's passion and determination - its rather galvanises the despondent spirit.

Good morning everyone Well, no news here today... although I leapt from my bed heart racing when I heard my 4 year old heading do the stairs proclaiming that the postman had come and could she colour in any letters...

Dervish, I am so pleased to see your post! And yes, I spend a lot of my life covered in archival dust

BobNic, your topic sounds brilliant, it will be so interesting to read. I'm more in the micro-historical demographic area. I'm testing a theory attempting to explain the fertility crisis of the late 19thC, and had a fit when my analysis showed an opposite result to that expected.... especially as one of the authors is in my dept! So its basically become in investigation into the two villages I'm researching and then an argument as to why the hypothesis tested doesn't work.... Needless to say I've needed a LOT of encouragement and reassurance from my supervisor to assure me that its ok to use my research to argue against it!

Damn this word limit lol- brings back memories of the 500 word limit into your research, your sources, your experience to date, your future plans all in great detail for the proposal, blood group, feelings about global warming, and the names of any pets in your household
Anyway, the phd will (I hope - PLEASE AHRC) enter into the debate regarding the enumeration of working women in the censuses. There haven't been any individual level studies and I've found resources that would enable me to study 3 entire towns of named women, cross referencing with their detailed employment records over 60 years - very exciting. My supervisor actually started the debate and is named in every single book and article relating to it He is the maestro of the census! He claims that they are under-enumerated, I hope to prove him wrong!