Today is the first of February, and though its only a day since January, it still feels like some sort of accomplishment, as though I'm a whole month closer to going home. I'm enjoying my work this semester, I'm enjoying a bit more freedom to roam around and do said work in cafes rather than being stuck in class. I'm not so homesick in any kind of heart-wrenching way. Mostly I'm just impatient.
For my internship, I've been assigned, as the political science nerd, to do general research regarding theories of political participation in:
Athenian democracy, Aristotle, Plato
The French Revolution, estates of society, advent of nationalism and citizenship
Social contract theory, Hobbes, Locke, and then Rousseau
Enlightenment philosophy, the rights of man, Kant, Voltaire
Civic Society, de Toqueville
Socialist/Communist thinkers, Marx, Engels
Effects of technologies on public participation, Robert Putnam and others
So that should satisfy whatever nerdish craving I may have in that area.
Further, I'm assigned to write a fifty page dissertation in two months. So that should be exciting. I'm presently working on finishing up the basic research design. It is for my Conflict Transformation and Peace Building class, and in that vein, I'm going to see if I can argue that the reason for the Dalai Lama's International Campaign's failure to effect change in Chinese policy towards Tibet is because it has not worked to grow trust between the PRC and the Government in Exile, necessary for any substantial negotiations.
For this, I'm mostly planning on focusing on the nature of chinese nationalism, the philosophy and strategy of the Dalai Lama's International Campaign for Tibet, and whether the international support he has gained has helped or hindered him to create any change in Tibet.
Yea and I got a little bit to do with Japan for my history class.
So I'm occupied. And its February.
For my internship, I've been assigned, as the political science nerd, to do general research regarding theories of political participation in:
Athenian democracy, Aristotle, Plato
The French Revolution, estates of society, advent of nationalism and citizenship
Social contract theory, Hobbes, Locke, and then Rousseau
Enlightenment philosophy, the rights of man, Kant, Voltaire
Civic Society, de Toqueville
Socialist/Communist thinkers, Marx, Engels
Effects of technologies on public participation, Robert Putnam and others
So that should satisfy whatever nerdish craving I may have in that area.
Further, I'm assigned to write a fifty page dissertation in two months. So that should be exciting. I'm presently working on finishing up the basic research design. It is for my Conflict Transformation and Peace Building class, and in that vein, I'm going to see if I can argue that the reason for the Dalai Lama's International Campaign's failure to effect change in Chinese policy towards Tibet is because it has not worked to grow trust between the PRC and the Government in Exile, necessary for any substantial negotiations.
For this, I'm mostly planning on focusing on the nature of chinese nationalism, the philosophy and strategy of the Dalai Lama's International Campaign for Tibet, and whether the international support he has gained has helped or hindered him to create any change in Tibet.
Yea and I got a little bit to do with Japan for my history class.
So I'm occupied. And its February.
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