Category: Learning in Focus

Learning in Focus

Goblin scullery maids, ghostly miners and cannibal sailors: my experience of studying for a PhD at the University of Portsmouth

Dr Eilís Phillips followed three years of undergraduate study at the University of Portsmouth with a three-year PhD on Victorian monsters, supervised by Dr Karl Bell, Reader in History at the University. Her work is an inspiration to many, not least to my own students studying ideas of the monstrous in the 17^th century Civil War context. Impressively, while studying with and teaching at the University, Eilís has combined her academic studies with regular performances as a musician at many locations in Portsmouth and the surrounding areas – ed.

My PhD was a three-year, CEISR-funded interdisciplinary project which used an approach based in History – grounded in historiography – but explored theories from other fields such as Cultural Studies and Monster Theory. I studied the increased popularity of monstrous stereotypes for working-class people in nineteenth-century writing, as created and propagated by journalists and middle-class authors. I split my chapters into different monstrous archetypes and these covered a range of monsters. For example, I looked at the ways in which perceptions of spatial environments as monstrous could affect the human beings who lived and worked within them. Victorian London is a key example of this phenomenon, as many reports described the city as a sentient and malicious force for evil, hell-bent on corrupting its inhabitants. I also examined stories of Satanic arsonists, goblin scullery maids, ghostly miners and cannibal sailors. Sometimes, authors would use these comparisons in satirical drawings or as derogatory analogies. In other cases, the reports would draw upon popular folklore and fairy tales and even Gothic literature in order insinuate that working-class people were spiritually, and even genetically monstrous. In these accounts I found interesting contradictions and anachronisms. Just as elites were mocking those poorer than themselves for purportedly backwards ‘superstitious’ beliefs, at the same time they were creating their own brand of contemporary folklore partly pieced together from these stories, using them to produce monstrous identities.

The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters, Francisco Goya, c. 1799

Overall, I discovered that this proliferation of negative stereotypes operated as a ‘monstrous economy’. It was a network of ideas, memes and characteristics which authors for newspapers, books and reports traded back and forth. The central motivation underpinning this booming trade was a desire to mitigate a sense of middle-class guilt and of culpability in the suffering of workers and the poor in Victorian society. As greater awareness grew amongst affluent readers of the sufferings of working-class life – such as the plight of miners toiling in life-threatening conditions underground – so concerns about wealthy society’s role in such hardships became a source of angst which needed a catharsis. By depicting the working class as monsters, authors could position the wealthy as kindly benefactors of a monstrous working class whose hardships in life were portrayed as pre-determined and deserved. This act stripped workers of their humanity and worked to absolve middle-class readers of any social guilt over their suffering.

Eilís in character

In terms of my personal PhD journey, I should say that every PhD experience, like every individual, is unique. That is part of what makes undertaking one so challenging, and exciting. Whether you are able to choose your own topic, or are working on a project whose parameters have been outlined by someone else, ultimately the direction the research takes is shaped by you, and your decisions and discoveries. That can be a daunting prospect; it offers the researcher a lot of freedom but it can also cause you to constantly question your own judgement. As an historian, you might wonder if you have chosen the right sources, or even if you’re making the ‘right’ argument. It’s important to remember that having doubts, and continually re-evaluating your progress are a necessary part of undertaking any kind of critical research. The PhD is an experiment, and one which teaches you as much about your own approach to solving problems and encountering enigmas as it does about the research question you are focused upon answering.

I was extremely lucky to have an incredible supervisory team who supported me at every step of the process. A huge part of what makes a PhD engaging can be the discussions you have with your supervisors. There were so many times throughout my PhD when I would find myself encountering a knotty problem in my research, but by talking things over with Karl Bell (my First Supervisor) I’d be able to see things more clearly and would come away feeling enthusiastic about my research again. In general, I found it extremely helpful to talk to my supervisors and Faculty colleagues about academic life. It’s important to surround yourself with morale support and find other researchers with whom you can share ideas and experiences with. Attending seminars, spending time with other postgrads, and chatting about our shared challenges made things easier. Overall, it was a huge undertaking and took a lot of personal willpower and determination, but it has given me an immense sense of achievement. I still find my research topic fascinating and I am looking forward to continuing my research in whatever form it takes.

February 24, 2020
Self-identity under slavery: Frederick Douglass narrates his story

Joshua Bown, a first year History student at the University of Portsmouth, has written the following blog entry on the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave, for the Fragments module, which looks at the possibilities and challenges of using primary sources for historical study. The module is co-ordinated by Dr Katy Gibbons, Senior Lecturer in History at Portsmouth.

The use of egodocuments as a primary source for historians has provided both significant and controversial contributions to the field. As Laura Sangha puts it, the potential advantages of studying these personal documents seem obvious, in that they may ‘reveal what an individual actually thought and felt about the times they lived through’. However egodocuments do not ‘give us unmediated access to the private thoughts of contemporaries, despite their look and feel’.[1] Even though they are a form of personal writing, egodocuments are still written in a certain way, whereby the individual constructs an image of themselves shaped by the historical context of when it was written, alongside their own intentions which may be hidden to the reader. This blog will focus on a particular type of egodocument, the autobiography, specifically the Narrative of the life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave and how through examining it we can determine its significance to the historical context it was produced in, alongside broader historiographical discussions which continue into the present day.

Douglass’s autobiography which was written and first published in 1845. Douglass was born into slavery in 1818 and later went on to escape in 1838 to the North, where he became an orator and key figure of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York. Whilst Douglass went on to write other autobiographies following him becoming a free man, his first piece of published work was arguably his most significant, and undoubtedly his most successful, as it immediately went on to become a bestseller both in the US and Europe. The motivations as to why Douglass wrote and published his autobiography are various, but it is quite clear that through highlighting the oppression slaves faced as well as humanising them in a way which would have been unheard of at the time, Douglass could have used his autobiography not just as a personal account, but as a way to build support for the Abolitionist movement he would go on to become such an integral part of.

Before going on to discuss the significance of his autobiography in terms of a historiographical context, it is perhaps more useful to firstly look at its significance in terms of the historical context it was produced in. As Robert Levine puts it, the autobiography ‘draws considerably on the conventions of the slave narrative’ which traditionally involved ‘describing in documentary fashion the journey from slavery to freedom’. However, as Levine goes on to say, Douglass’s work is essentially unique as it strays from what would traditionally be seen as a slave narrative, and through his style of writing instead provides historians with useful knowledge on ‘slavery, abolitionism and the politics of race in nineteenth-century American culture’.[2]

Perhaps also worth considering is the position Douglass found himself within society at that time, and therefore how significant it was that he managed to produce such a successful and, in a sense, inspiring piece of work, which not only created an identity for himself, but for the unrepresented minority group of slaves as a whole. In the chapter where Douglass is introduced to the alphabet by Mrs. Auld he first begins to understand the concept of reading and writing.[3] Shortly after this, Douglass writes how Mr. Auld forbids him for learning any further, stating that ‘Learning would spoil the best nigger in the world’. This is significant as it essentially acts as a turning point for Douglass, who through the harsh words of Auld begins to understand ‘the pathway from slavery to freedom’and set the foundations for his newfound motivation to learn to read and ultimately escape to tell his experience and again create a new identity for slaves, which would break the traditional way in which they were portrayed at the time.[4]

Identity, and the construction of one’s selfhood through personal writing, is arguably the most significant debate amongst historians in a historiographical context, when looking at Douglass’s autobiography. As Mary Fullbrook and Ulinka Rublack put it, on first glance ego-documents seem like they can ‘provide privileged access to the inner workings of an authentic self’.[5] On further investigation however, it seems the idea of selfhood itself is much more complex than it seems. Douglass, throughout his autobiography and again in his further works, seems to struggle with the idea of selfhood, and who he actually wants to portray himself as.[6] Celeste-Marie Bernier, whose work looks at the idea of selfhood in Douglass’s later works, makes a point which can also be related to his first autobiography, in that through his use of literature to express his experience, he seems conflicted on the representation of self he wants to emit, leading ultimately to ‘multifaceted constructions of self’.[7] Alongside this viewpoint, Levine also studies the idea of identity in the autobiographies and comes to a similar conclusion in that Douglass ‘reveals his confusions about personal identity’.[8] Regardless of the historiographical debate surrounding Douglass’s idea of identity and selfhood, it is clear in his autobiography that he successfully created a form of identity for himself which went against the notions of what a slave was deemed to be represented as within the historical context – he was an intellectual human being, capable of being a full-fledged American citizen and far from the animal he was conceived as being when compared alongside livestock whilst still in chains.[9]

To conclude, it is important to round up on the significance of Douglass’s autobiography, both in terms of the historical context it was written in, as well as in a broader historiographical context. Without a doubt, what Douglass accomplished during his lifetime was extraordinary – he escaped slavery, learned to read and write and published an autobiography which went on to change the way slaves were represented and viewed, as well as building considerable support for the Abolitionist movement. On the other hand, the historiographical debates about his work continue into the present day – Douglass struggled with the idea of selfhood and seemed conflicted on the type of identity he wanted to present within his works.[10] Nevertheless, Douglass and his works provide historians with many new ways of exploring ego-documents and allow many new conclusions to be drawn on their usefulness as a primary source.

Portrait of Frederick Douglass. By Mike Alewitz – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80805570,

Detail from “The City at the Crossroads of History,” a mural series commissioned in 2014 to be displayed in the Museum of the City of New York, but never installed. The four panels chart the history of worker’s struggles in America. This panel, “We Follow the Path Less Traveled” depicts twenty-five historically important leaders of civil rights causes.

Bibliography

Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave (Minneapolis, Lerner Publishing Group, 1976)

Sangha, Laura. Understanding Early Modern Primary Sources, Routledge, 2016.

Fullbrook, Mary & Rublack, Ulinka. In “Relation: The ‘Social Self’ and Ego-Documents”, Ger Hist, Volume 28, no.3 (2010): 263–272.

Levine, Robert S. “Identity in the Autobiographies”, in The Cambridge Companion to Frederick Douglas, ed. Maurice S. Lee (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2009), 31-45

Bernier, C-M. (2011). “’His Complete History’? Revisioning, Recreating and Reimagining Multiple Lives in Frederick Douglass’s Life and Times” Slavery & Abolition, Vol. 33, no. 4 (2011): 595-610.

[1] Laura Sangha,. Understanding Early Modern Primary Sources, (Routledge, 2016), 107.

[2] Robert S. Levine, “Identity in the Autobiographies” in The Cambridge Companion to Frederick Douglas, ed. Maurice S. Lee (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009), 31.

[3] Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave. (Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group, 1976), 31.

[4] Douglass, Narrative, 31.

[5] Mary Fullbrook, & Ulinka Rublack, “Relation: The ‘Social Self’ and Ego-Documents”, Ger Hist, 28, no. 3 (2010): 264.

[6] C.-M. Bernier, “’His Complete History’? Revisioning, Recreating and Reimagining Multiple Lives in Frederick Douglass’s Life and Times” (1881, 1892), Slavery & Abolition, 33, no. 4 (2011): 595-610.

[7] Bernier, “’Complete History’?”, 596.

[8] Levine, “Identity”, 32.

[9] Douglass, Narrative, 37.

[10] Bernier, “’His Complete History’?”: 595-596.

February 14, 2020
Life after Graduation

One of our recent graduates tells us how the skills he gained studying at Portsmouth, and the volunteer experience he gained while studying, helped him secure an exciting job in the heritage sector. For security reasons, he has not been named.

Having graduated in the summer of 2019 and with a firm understanding that it was now time to get back into the world of work, the task was on to find a job, one that both stimulated me and used the great many skills learned through the three years at Portsmouth. Upon entering university I knew that my one objective was to better myself in both educational values and the world of work. Having worked in the retail sector for 10 years prior to going to Uni I was fully aware that I did not want a career in this industry. However, with a passion for working with people, the desire to work in Public History was one I knew I would like to take.

During year two at Portsmouth I had undertaken a one-term course in Public History, this lead by Dr Mel Basset and with the assistance from the National Museum of the Royal Navy Library gave me a stronger understanding of both heritage and public history as a whole. Public History as defined by the US based National Council of Public History “is to promote the utility to the masses by use of historical professionalism”.[1] This being said, history should be available to all and the display of it in museums, public buildings and historical houses was a key framework to the course undertaken in Year 2. This, coupled with a continued volunteerism at the NMRN, along with my retail experience, has lead me to want to work further in this field. Discussion with various tutors, both retired and active members of staff, allowed me to explore the idea of a Master’s in Heritage Management, with a goal of allowing the knowledge gained through both my undergraduate course and proposed MA to develop a career within this sector. It however became clear that despite adequate funding for the course, maintenance would not be financially viable.

This leads to graduation and beyond, with the prospect of returning to the retail sector it was time to start looking for a job. Having worked in the industry now for 13 years, returning during the holidays, I had built up vast experience. This experience was supported and made the better by the fact that up until the year prior to deciding to go to Uni I had been a supervisor. With a CV full of various volunteer options, work as a Uni Ambassador and my retail career, a job in the public facing sector of Public History awaited. Applying as soon as I had gained my grades in early July opportunities were both varied and sometimes out of reach.

Many jobs in this industry require further study to the BA or vast amounts of volunteer experience. Or, as in my case, to have a relative understanding of the world of work. About late August I was invited to interview at Windsor Castle, after which I was given and accepted a role in the Visitor Services dept as a Warden. This role is one that both encompasses my BA and my many years of working with the public. Ultimately as a custodian to the varied and vast collection on display at Windsor, a Warden’s role is to advise, impart knowledge and maintain the security of a site that is both a working Royal palace and a 900 year old castle. The skills that I learnt through my time at Uni and my working career have allowed me to excel in this role. The way in which the role allows me to learn from Wardens and historians on a daily basis is of great benefit. The role is not one that I would like to be in until the end of my working life, it is however one that will be a stepping stone into the career in the Public History sector. If I do not get to go down the route of Heritage Management this will be ok, the skills I am able to learn through my role will impart on me just as the skills learnt before and during Uni.

As a stepping stone my degree from Portsmouth, with its wide ranging courses, lecturers and Tutorship gave me a wider understanding of the roles that would be available to me once a graduate. There must always be discussion throughout your time at Uni of what you are going to do next, even if it is just a loose plan to have an understanding is better than nothing at all. The role that I now hold could have been obtained without a degree, however with the knowledge gained at Portsmouth allows for wider understanding of the historical perspective of both Windsor and Public History as a whole.

[1]Barbara J. Howe, “Reflections on an Idea: NCPH’s First Decade”, The Public Historian, Vol. 11, no. 3 (Summer 1989): 69–85

February 12, 2020
How I learned to stop worrying and chose my dissertation topic

Third year student Sophie McKee gives some frank and timely advice about the process of choosing a dissertation topic. I’m not bitter that she rejected my topic, really – ed.

When Rob James asked me to write a blog post about writing about dissertations we both enjoyed a wee chuckle. For I, after going back and forth between centuries and subjects, had only just, very recently at the time, settled on a topic.

Now wait a minute. Dissertations? You’ve just come into second year. You haven’t had a chance to process Star Wars, or Christmas, or the general election yet! How dare someone ask you to think about a dissertation! But here we are. It’s arrived. It’s time. I want to promise you though, it’s all going to be okay.

Rob has asked me to write about the way in which someone might go about deciding on a dissertation topic. I’m going to be honest with you. I can’t. When I say I can’t it doesn’t mean that I won’t try. Of course I will try. What I will say though is that no one can. No one can tell you what the “right” dissertation topic is and I’ll tell you for free, as someone who spent a long time thinking about what the right thing to do was, it’s not about that. It’s absolutely though about what you WANT to do. For this is your project for a year. You have to want to do it. And that’s worth thinking about now.

Was there a topic that surprised you in first year? Or inspired you to pick something in second. Did military history interest you more than you thought, or found yourself doing more reading on 20th Century cinema? Those are the places where you find your topics. I’m a mature student, I came to University with lots of ideas. I knew I wanted to do something with gender, and as that progressed I had this grand idea I was going to do homosexuality in the early modern period. Sounds fascinating doesn’t it? But when I looked into it, I found there was little written about it and finding primary sources to work on would be challenging. Yet I knew gender was my thing, so I kept soldiering on.

The burning of sodomites, Zürich, 1482

I’m telling you this boring story because honestly if you’ve no idea? Or maybe too many ideas? That is okay. This is how you whittle them down. No one is going to ask you to decide tomorrow. However, it’s something you should definitely start thinking about as you work through second year. Play on your strengths. Find lecturers you like. Meet with those lecturers and get feedback on your work, which will allow you to engage with the actual people you’ll have to work with. Although it’s an individual study, the dissertation should never seem like a lonely mountain to ascend alone. There are lecturers, tutors, your peers and the eve the library staff, who are fun and hilarious and helpful too. I have found more than anything else that I couldn’t have managed my degree, let alone the dissertation without the Portsmouth Uni History team. They are a genuinely brilliant bunch of people, who want you to succeed just as much as you do. I know this because I have bothered them all for the last 3 years and they’ve all been very polite about it.

When it all boils down to it, I can’t tell you how to feel about Star Wars or Christmas or the General Election; because honestly, a month later I’m still trying to process all of them too. But I can tell you that it’s worth it to start thinking about your dissertation now, because this is about you and for you and all the lecturers are ready to help you through it.

I know I speak for everyone though, when I say we can’t wait to see where this adventure takes you.

Best of luck,

Sophie.

p.s. Remember that Early Modern British History dissertation I was so sure I was doing.

Yeah, it’s on New York City in the 1980s. (Sorry, Fiona)

Gay Pride Parade, New York City, 1989, photograph by Joseph T. Barna, Smithsonian Museum, Collection AC1146, Box 97; Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/nationalmuseumofamericanhistory/18271108150/

January 30, 2020
‘There are ways to make your last year your best year’: How to succeed in your final year as a History student

Ever wondered how to succeed in your final year and still stay sane? In this blog Nia Picton-Phillips reflects back on her final year of studying History and offers tips on how to get the most out of it. Nia graduated in July 2019 with a first class degree and is just about to start a MRes in Humanities & Social Sciences with us.

Photo by courtesy of Nia Picton-Phillips

It is often assumed that your third and final year of university will be the toughest. Don’t get me wrong, it was by no means easy but there are ways to make your last year your best year – academically and personally.

Although I graduated with a first class degree, the start of my university life did not suggest this result. In my very first personal tutorial at the beginning of the First Year I was asked to establish a goal: “to graduate with a 2:1”, I said. Well, finishing my First Year with a 2:2 completely dented my belief in being able to achieve that goal. Initially I was disappointed but as they say: ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ – so I began searching for ways to improve how I studied.

Let’s start by addressing the elephant in the room … the dissertation. The first grade you’ll achieve this year is from the 10% Task (Dissertation Artefact 1) and it is the perfect opportunity for you to gather the majority of your research. It is a small but important assessment and while it may seem daunting, it allows your supervisor to give you guidance very early on. Speaking of which, do not be afraid to ask your supervisor for help! There were many occasions when I felt I was probably bugging mine (sorry Mathias) but your supervisor has been assigned to you for a reason. They are only an email away so make use of their knowledge and advice and be sure to schedule regular meetings to get feedback. Also set personal deadlines to motivate yourself and stay on top of the dissertation – you will come to appreciate this when the deadline for the final draft approaches much faster than expected. And do not forget about the ‘Dissertation (History)’ page on Moodle. It is there to help you navigate and successfully complete your dissertation. Finally, relish in the pleasure of completing the dissertation and be proud of yourself for such a huge accomplishment!

The greatest advice I can give is to always start early. Whether it is an essay or the dissertation, give yourself the time to succeed. Not only does this allow you to keep on top of the workload, it also allows you to have a clearer idea of the task ahead. As a rule, I would start researching for an assignment a few weeks before it was due and this gave me the foundation to efficiently convey my arguments. It also made writing quicker and that bit easier. The same can be said for the dissertation. Several of my friends thought I was insane for starting my research for the dissertation in the summer before the Third Year commenced (such an exciting summer right?) but I had already felt prepped to do so by the proposal which I had completed at the end of Second Year. For me, preparation is key.

It is very easy to become stressed and overwhelmed so remember to give yourself a break. Manageable workloads and study breaks helped to clear any clouds of anxiety, ensuring I completed work to the best of my ability whilst maintaining my sanity. One thing I did to aid this was to make a personal timetable – scheduling time off is just as important as scheduling your work. I often treated my university work like a job in which I always tried to give myself the evenings and weekends off (and sometimes more) to relax and do things for myself.

South Parade Pier
Photo by courtesy of Nia Picton-Phillips

In addition to taking time out for you, be sure to socialise as well. It is a year of lasts for many of you, so take the time to enjoy it while you can. I know it’s early, but around Christmas my friends and I often went to the temporary ice-rink at Guildhall Square which made for the perfect break amidst all the pressures the Third Year can bring. Enjoy going to local pubs too – it is a great way to socialise outside of the stereotypical student night out. The visits to local pubs with friends have become some of my favourite memories of my time at university. Summertime in Portsmouth is even better, in particular with the sunny Southsea Common and the seafront. Nothing was more relaxing to me than sitting down at the beach, letting my stress roll away with the sound of waves. Finally, attend the staff-student social at the end of the year. It is a great way to celebrate with those who have shared this journey with you and believe me they root for you just as much as your friends.

Your peers will become a huge part of your final year, if they aren’t already. ‘Coach Phillips’ – this was a running joke amongst my friends because I was always on hand to offer advice, help, or just a friendly ear to bounce off an idea (I was even presented with a jacket with the name on it). You are all going through the same thing so use this to your advantage. Having people around who agreed or disagreed with my arguments helped how I felt about those points myself. If you can verbalise your argument or idea, you can write it too! University is a journey you take together and it is a wonderful time to experience with your friends. The fun you will have with them will alleviate any pressures you may feel and challenges you may face. I met some of the greatest people during my time at the University of Portsmouth. Cherish them.

Finally, don’t let the pressure of the future get to you. It is acceptable to not know where you want life to take you. But if you are one of the many who are unsure, the university has a Careers and Employability Service which will help you. From CV guidance, to volunteering and job roles, to recruitment fairs and careers advisors, this service will help you with narrowing down your ideas for life after university. They are also available to you for five years after you graduated, helping you to navigate life.

Remember, the satisfaction and reward of completing your degree will far outweigh any of its challenges. So enjoy it, have fun and good luck!

September 19, 2019
‘Take the time to explore new opportunities’: How to get the most out of your Second Year at Uni

If you are about to start your second year studying History, then Amelia Boddice can give you some great advice on how to get the most out of the year. Amelia is in her final year; for her BA Dissertation she will be working on a fascinating project on Elizabethan England.

I found the Second Year tough but ultimately rewarding. In particular I enjoyed the chance to select optional modules on topics which I like to study. There is plenty of choice so I could explore new topics and see whether I liked them or not. This also allowed me to work with people I had not previously worked with.

The seminar structure of the Second Year allowed me to build on skills which I had gained in the previous year but I could also focus on my interests as I could read articles which reflected my choices and interest. This meant I was passionate about the topics we discussed in class and this was ultimately reflected in the grades I achieved.

There is certainly an increase in pressure as the marks you get in this year count towards your final grade at the end of your studies. This is, however, made manageable because I found that the deadlines are spread out more evenly. This gives you the time to seek advice and provides you with the opportunity to organise any group work.

All this choice aids in the process of choosing a topic for your dissertation or major project – I found this very helpful. I took the time to discuss viable dissertation options with lecturers before ultimately deciding on a topic. The lecturers were more than happy to help! The resources provided on Moodle are very helpful too and make this process, which once seemed so scary, much more manageable.

There is a noticeable increase in workload but your contact hours will actually decreased. I used this time to make sure that I was looking after my wellbeing and was exploring the local area. It is important to find places where you enjoy going and which allow you to relax after completing your assignments. For example, I really enjoyed going to the Tenth Hole with my friends!

The additional time also meant that I could begin exploring career options as the university has valuable links with employers which you can use. I volunteered for The National Museum of the Royal Navy during my first year and in my second I took part in the Women’s Community Activism Project which was an oral history project. These connections meant that I discovered new interest and jobs that I would not have previously considered. Now, with the work experienced I have gained, I have a strong CV for when I go on to applying for jobs or post-graduate schemes.

The Second Year is very much like a bridge between the first and final year, a year during which you can take the time to explore new opportunities. Take this year to discover your interests and enjoy the course.

Good luck!

September 18, 2019