Day 0

Starting tomorrow, I will officially begin my Undergraduate Summer Scholars project here at Miami. My project is based on researching the European Union - I want to find out why it was conceived, why European nations want to belong to it, and what its existence means for the future of the global economic arena. One of the reasons I chose to study Economics as an undergraduate was to learn more about the way that people in different areas of the world exchange goods and services. I expect the vast majority of my project to focus on the economies that the European Union promises to affect.

This seems like a daunting task, and it is, but this journal will give me a place to put my thoughts as I read through the enormous amount of literature available on the subject. I plan to use this site as a sounding board for my ideas - and I hope that my ideas become clearer to me (and to others?) as I try to explain them. Thankfully, I have Professor Nick Noble to guide me through concepts that I do not understand.

I encourage all visitors to respond in the comments section. One of the best ways for me to learn is to explain a theory, then have other people poke holes in it. Anyone who has ever had a political discussion with me knows this. Pose tough questions. Try to prove me wrong. Be critical.

And thanks for visiting!