"Let's Roll"

“Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy.”-- Wayne Gretzky


Well it's true--we have it on good authority--and I'm as guilty of it as anyone. Luckily, being in school provides me and many others a good incentive to avoid procrastination on long-term projects: if you procrastinate, you get tased.
What does it mean to be tased, you ask? 

Take it away, YouTube:






Well, there we have it.


So why would I talk about this? Here's the point of this post: I will be plugging away on three major pieces of work over Thanksgiving: while of course I won't be able to finish them, it's about time to start. 

I hope this gives readers some idea of what the research and writing cycle actually looks like as an undergraduate; if I can answer any questions about this, don't hesitate to comment here or to send me an email.


1. Profile of a spy from a counterintelligence perspective: This is for my History of FBI Counterintelligence course, taught by Prof. Raymond Batvinis in GW's history department. What makes this class awesome is that it's kind of a break from the more routine research assignments, usually based around arguments. For the paper, I have to profile the life, motivations, activities and significance of someone who tried to, or actually did, commit acts of espionage against this country.
While it's certainly an emotional topic, it's also a fascinating one that's led me to learn a lot about how intelligence structures interacted with military operations during the Second World War. This is because the person I'm studying, a decorated British RAF officer, spied for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the U.S. and the U.K. for nearly twenty years.
Page maximum: ten pages, double-spaced.


2. Fiscal policy in Japan: This is one I'm writing for a graduate-level course I was lucky enough to get into this semester. I've come with a research question and--with advice from my professor, Dr. Llewellyn Hughes of GW's Political Science and International Affairs departments-- have partially developed a method for pursuing this. Weighing in at a hefty twenty-five pages, this will be the Moby Dick of my semester (except that I have no intention of sinking, and marine life doesn't help me understand why politicians and bureaucrats in the world's third-largest economy...enough, next). It might sound dry but I'm actually looking forward to writing it; this is the ind of topic that, once engaged with, becomes both interesting and can really teach something.
Page maximum: twenty-five pages, double-spaced.


3. TBD Counter-terrorism policy proposal: This one's for a course called "National Security, Foreign and Intelligence Policy Related to 9/11", taught by GW's Prof. David Barton. Having previously worked on the Joint Inquiry into the performance of U.S. Intelligence Community agencies before the 9/11 attacks, Prof. Barton has offered us some insights that you really can't get from someone with a purely academic background--at least, not when it comes to this kind of stuff.
I haven't yet decided on the topic, but I'm thinking about either writing on domestic intelligence-gathering and analysis or the proper form and use of military options directed against extremists. I'll definitely write about this in the future, so stay tuned.


--Adam


Questions? Comments? Want any Thanksgiving "Pro Tips"? Email me at ash1290@gwmail.gwu.edu.