Anything History

Yesterday I decided to go to attend the first session on Military Strategies, Tactical Maneuvers, and Officer Training. There were 3 students presenting their 485 topics and the research they have done. The first student to present was Andrew Bohn and his topic was The Fall of Constantinople: 1453. I did think that his presentation was interesting and he made a couple of interesting points about his use of the primary sources he found. However, I did find that his presentation was unorganized and there were times where I lost track of what he was talking about.

The second presentation was Christine Cooper and her topic was How the Selfish Attitude of Red Army Officers Combined with the Lack of training in the 1930′s Led to the Failure of the Red Army Officer Corps in World War II. It was a long title and I had to read it a couple of times so that I could understand it. Although I noticed for her presentation, it was condensed. Of all the presentations, I felt that hers was the strongest and most organized. I followed what she was saying and she did go into proper depth about explaining her topic. In some areas she mentioned things that were somewhat unrelated to her topic, but it was still interesting to learn about.

The final presentation was The Military and Diplomatic Engagements of Frederick the Great during the Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) by Michael Toeller. He did a great job outlining what was happening leading up to the Seven Years’ War. However, I felt that this presentation was disorganized and that he wasn’t prepared. I think that he was also really nervous and because of this he forgot his place.

Overall, I was impressed with the work that these students have done. I did learn a lot about these topics, and I now have more of an understanding of what I am expected to do for my 485 topic. I did feel that these presentations could have been stronger but now I know what I can do to make sure that I can improve.