RESEARCH

King Cotton: A Study of the Egyptian Cotton Economy
The British Empire had their influence felt all over the world.  Great Britain had its hand in many cookie jars, so to speak.  This paper deals with the Egyption cotton industry.  When there were problems in India, Great Britain seeked an alternative source for cotton.  Egypt was one of the chosen sources.  This paper looks at some of the effects and outcomes of the Egytian cotton economy.

Forged in Battle
Many of the main players of the Civil War fought for common goals nearly 20 years prior to taking opposite sides of the battlefields.  During the Mexican American War, 1846-1848, many of the generals who would eventually lead during the American Civil War had their baptism of fire.  They would gain knowledge that would later be used against one another.  It is important to understand where these Civil War leaders came from and how those experience affected their judgements during the Civil War.  I think that the Mexican American War is very interesting because it does not recieve much attention in the textbooks.

Sobibor
Sobibor was the only Nazi extermination camp where a large scale escape was attempted and somewhat successful.  Many times when studying the Holocaust, the only extermination camp that recieves large amounts of attention is Aushwitz.  However, the story of Sobibor is very interesting.  I wrote this paper for a Holocaust class that I took at Virginia Tech.  The Holocaust is something that interests me and I feel that it needs not to be forgotten.

Texaco's Failed Attempt at Environmental Stewardship in the Ecuadorian Amazon Basin
Writing this paper was one of the best experiences that I have had in college.  It was an indepedent study that I took part of in order to study the effects of the petroleum industry on the indigenous population of Ecuador.  Going into this research paper, I knew little about the subject.  I learned more from writing this paper than any other class I have taken at Virginia Tech.  Texaco first discovered oil in Ecuador in 1968.  From 1968-1992, the Texaco corporation was responsible for polluting millions of acres due to Texaco's lack of environmental stewardship.  This paper examines the Texaco Corporation's role in the creation of the Ecuadorian petroleum industry and its affect on the environment and its people.

Stop me if you've Heard This One Before: A Constructivist and a Traditionalist Walk into a Classroom. .
This paper examines two different teaching perspectives.  It is a study/comparison between constructivists and traditionalists.  The paper offers some suggestions on how to incorporate both methods of teaching into a classroom.  Many try to categorize themselves as one or the other, this paper offers that teachers can be both.