Aidan's Infinite Play E6 Ian Helfant: Navigating the Insecurity and Conflict of Notetaking in Academia
Nov 2, 2022
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Personal Motives Drive Scholarly Obsession
- Researchers often pursue specialized topics because personal fascination or life experiences drive deep engagement.
- Long projects like books demand convincing yourself of their importance to endure the work.
Undergraduate Thesis On Worker-Peasant Correspondents
- Ian described writing an 80-page undergraduate thesis using microfilm and original Russian sources.
- He remembers how hard it was and how it forced him to start writing early in the process.
From Dueling To Gambling As Cultural Lens
- Ian shifted his dissertation from dueling to gambling after a mentor's prompt and seeing cultural links between honor and risk.
- He researched anecdotes like Pushkin losing two years' rent in a single night to illustrate cultural patterns.