Introducing the Geocurrents Community Blog

A new heading appears on this website today: the Geocurrents Community Blog. This separate “blog in a blog” showcases student work, with all of its entries produced by the students currently enrolled in my seminar on the history and geography of current global events at Stanford University. In years past, I simply asked students to write research papers on topics of their own choosing. Many would put considerable effort into such projects, and it always seemed a waste that no one else had access to their work. So this year, as an experiment, I asked them to write two blog posts rather than one conventional paper, again on topics of their own selection. Their initial efforts are now available for public view – and public comment. I hope Geocurrents readers will take a few minutes to read the student postings, and to provide commentary if it is warranted. Through informed criticism and clarification we can all learn a bit more about the world.