"Demystifying The Dissertation" Workshops
Welcome to the "Demystifying the Dissertation" homepage. In Spring of 1998 we were able to offer two renditions of this seminar, taught by John Stenzel, and funded jointly by the Graduate Division and what was then the Campus Writing Center (now the Writing in the Disciplines program). The two classes ran along subject matter lines, with one on Thursdays offered for graduates in Humanities / Education / Social Sciences, the other on Fridays for Engineering / Physical / Health Sciences. Enrollment was limited to 12, and grading was Pass / No Pass.
Overall enrollment totalled 23 between the two classes, and the student response was very positive. Students appreciated the insights into the writing process, the discipline of short-term bite-sized pieces of writing, and the cameraderie and support from writers in other disciplines. Most students emerged from the class with a formal proposal, parts of their literature search, and significant progress on the body of their theses. Even more importantly, I was heartened to see improved overall attitude and better work habits, as we worked together to push the giant boulder up the hill!
However, due to funding and staffing issues, this course has not been offered since; part of the problem is that the Writing program at Davis, which consists mostly of lecturers (non-"Academic Senate" faculty) does not have full control of its curriculum, and without professors willing and able to shepherd such classes through committees and secure funding, the need remains unfilled. In Spring of 2003 I taught a series called "Grammar for Graduate Students" as an overload, and added more links to useful resources. Response to that announcement ran to several hundred students, indicating pent-up demand; this year we were able to secure some additional funding and will offer a version of both these classes again, as a workshop series running from mid Winter quarter through Spring.
If you think courses like these would be valuable to you and others in your department or situation, please drop me an e-mail, with "English 298" in the subject line, so that I can pass along these indications of interest to the appropriate authorities.
John Stenzel,
Lecturer, Writing in the Disciplines Program.
Here are some resources that thesis/dissertation writers and advisors might find useful:
- The Writing Process Most people mis-allocate their time when they write, especially when they embark on a large-scale writing project. This link offers several ways to look at the stages of writing, useful even for those who may already have developed effective writing strategies.
- Tips for Getting Organized and Coping with Writer's Block Anxiety about the writing process can take many forms, with consequences ranging from the comical to the pathological. Here are some useful strategies for dealing with the monster.
- Writer's Block: A Selected Annotated Bibliography If you want to read some of the scholarly literature about the problem, here's a useful starting place.
- "Critical Thinking Questions You Can Ask About Anything" One key to composing well? Good, thought-provoking questions. The Writing Program's "Critical Thinking" expert Jared Haynes helped prepare this list of questions that improve writing and thinking. Check them out!
- Suggestions for Effective Writing Partnerships One of the prime benefits of a class like English 298 is that it takes the lonely, self-castigating environment of most graduate students and creates a sense of an intellectual community. Whether you formally partner with other writers or not, you should consider adapting some of the techniques discussed here and in Advantages of Writing Partnerships.
- "Demystifying the Dissertation" Reader--Contents Pending approvals, copies of these readings may become available through the Bookstore and through a local copy shop; meanwhile, e-mail me if you want to see a copy.
- The syllabus of Mardena Creek's Spring 1997 Dissertation / Thesis Writing seminar. This is a Web version of the syllabus Mardena used in her pioneering renditions of this class; it is a helpful resource not just for teachers, but for writers as well.
- Mardena Creek's Brief Annotated Bibliography of Resources for Thesis / Dissertation Writers Interested in more theory and practice? The field has spawned a great deal of scholarly work. Also, take a look at Resource Bibliography for Graduate Writers.
revised 5 October 1998, path changes Oct '02; more rev Jan '04