This year there are four students writing senior theses in the History Department. The senior thesis is a major work of original research, normally 60-100 pages in length. Each thesis writer works with a faculty advisor over the course of their senior year. The thesis writers also meet weekly a workshop setting in the fall semester to discuss their progress and write together.
Devan Vane is researching Queen Victoria and her relationship with the media, with his advisor Professor Jennifer Regan-Lefebvre. Devan has always had an interest in the royal family and wanted to see how the media played a role in shaping the rule of Queen Victoria. Sam Lee is examining the relationship between British country houses and both slavery and colonialism, also working with Professor Regan-Lefebvre. This project has been personal for him, as his parents are both from England. John Li is examining fisherfolk in Shenzhen China, his hometown, with Professor Clark Alejandrino. After taking a class on the environmental history in China with Professor Alejandrino, John was interested in learning more about the relationship between the fisherfolk and China during rapid urbanization in the second half of the twentieth century. Finally, Sam Burg is researching the Appalachian Trail and its relationship with the Schaghticoke tribal nation in Connecticut. Sam is a member of the Quest club at Trinity and after hiking a part of the Appalachian Trail he was curious to learn more about the history of it with regards to Native Americans.
All four writers named their biggest challenge to date to be finding primary sources. For Devan, a major source he relies on is the diaries of Queen Victoria, and he is grateful that the History Department and Raether Library were able to fund access to the digitized diaries. Sam Lee also cited the lack of readily available primary sources and acknowledged the process of engaging with secondary sources in an appropriate manner. His thesis topic is still heavily debated among historians, and he wants to enter the conversation in a manner that is respectful to the work that has already been done.
The writers have made new discoveries and found their research evolving in unexpected directions. As Sam Burg was starting, he was expecting to find straightforward documentation of how and why the Appalachian Trail crossed Schaghticoke land. His research into the archives of the Appalachian Trail is revealing the complexity of untangling those decisions. John Li’s work, rather than being a straightforward environmental history of fishing in Shenzhen, is increasingly attentive to the Chinese economy and its relationship with the fisherfolk, and how a cooperative payment system was established to ensure fisherfolk would be paid the same for their work during a recession in China. However, the system failed, and the fisherfolk took a huge financial hit during recessions.
All four writers encouraged fellow History majors to consider writing a thesis. Devan expressed that someone considering writing a thesis paper must have a deep passion for their topic. The royal family has always fascinated him and through writing a thesis paper he was able to combine a personal interest with the History major at Trinity. Sam Lee added that you must always remain open-minded when conducting research and avoid going into research with a narrow view of what you expect to find. Sam Burg emphasized the excellent availability of resources at Trinity and the importance of working with professors to develop a topic and plan of research. .
All four thesis writers have received support for their research from the Professor John H. Chatfield ’64 Fund. John Li and Sam Burg have also received grants from the Colin Leroy ‘10 Fund for their travel to archives in China and Virginia, respectively. Final thesis presentations are open to the Trinity community and will be held on May 5, 2024.
