There are some moments history PhD candidate Jacob Berg just has to pinch himself. “The other day I got my coffee from my favourite coffee shop in St Andrews and was walking to my German language class. The bells of the university tower rang and it hit me: I am in St Andrews, in Scotland!”
Jacob is undertaking an innovative cotutelle program, completing his PhD on Nazi propaganda between UNE and St Andrews University, Scotland, with a supervisory team of world-leading academics from each.
It’s an unusual arrangement that Jacob says came about at the suggestion of a number of academics in his field, particularly enabled by his long-time supervisor Associate Professor Richard Scully and, Jacob says, was a massive team effort across both universities from there.
Now, he has a whole Europe-sized library at his fingertips.
“Being in St Andrews is such a brilliant opportunity. I am really close to European archives with some of the main archives I need only a two-hour flight away.
“I love discovering documents that explain the motivation behind propaganda or the intention behind using the ‘Sturmabteilung’ in propaganda. It says a lot about the way the National Socialists functioned as a party and also the interplay between the party and the paramilitary organisation.
“This PhD has already expanded my view of the world, pushed me out of my comfort zone, enabled me to grow in my understanding of my topic, interact and learn from four amazing supervisors, meet new people and build connections. The networking opportunities have been incredible!”
While he says he feels “incredibly blessed” for all the opportunities he’s had, it is also the result of a lot of hard work, determination and an endless passion for his subject. A history teacher, Jacob says he has “always had an interest in Nazi Germany,” and has pursued aspects of that subject with A/Prof Richard Scully for six years.
“There have been some challenging times when things get hard, I mean let’s face it: a PhD is hard work. There are times where you want to crawl under your desk and avoid the work on top of it. But my supervisory team: Associate Professor Richard Scully and Dr Thomas Kehoe from UNE, and Professor Riccardo Bavaj and Professor Conan Fischer from St. Andrews University, Scotland, are truly making this experience not only memorable but for me, doable.
“My wife Lauren and three-year-old daughter Seraya – who I’ve dragged across the world with me – have been so supportive and encouraging it has been great.
“And, if I could say anything else, it would be to find what you are interested in, keep working away at things and, as Professor Matthew Fitzpatrick from Flinders University once told me, in academia, just ‘keep showing up until someone actively tells you to stop.’ That advice has stayed with me and is basically what I am doing.”
