Week 1

3 Accomplishments from the week:

My main accomplishment this week was that I was able to set up a website that I feel happy with. I feel that it showcases my personality along with setting me up for a smooth work flow going forward. I would also like to take note of the fact that I was able to formulate a few ideas that I may want to focus my research on. I was also able to get to know the other members of my cohort which is the accomplishment that I think will be the most beneficial going forward. 

3 things preventing my best work this week:

I learned a lot within this short week, but one thing that I learned during this week was how to navigate the library systems and get access to resources that are not contained within the USM databases. I also learned how to analyze historical letters and be aware of the biases and misinformation that may be contained within them. Another thing that I learned was how to navigate the letters within The Civil War and Reconstruction Governors of Mississippi website to find topics that pertain to my research interests. 

3 things I learned this week:

The three things that prevented my best work this week came from my own personal struggles with my new environment. The first thing that prevented my best work was that I felt disoriented from having to get used to being in a new place. I also had trouble focusing during the lectures because the lectures were longer and more fast paced than a standard classroom lecture, but this is something I got used to throughout the days. I also had trouble focusing my ideas within my website and my topic because of the range of possibilities. 

The next action/step/thing I need to do for my research:

The next step needed for my research is to pick a more refined topic to do my research on and formulate the questions I want to answer through my research.