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    2011AncientHistoryHonoursThesisWritingSeminar 1

    NotesonWritingtheLiteratureReview

    Whatitisnot

    Itisnotsimplytoconvincethereaderthatthewriterisknowledgeableabouttheworkofothers

    Itisnotalistofsummaries

    Whatitis

    Providesacontextfortheproposedwork

    Demonstrateswhyitisimportantandtimely

    Convincesthereaderthatyourthesisisdistinctive,different,andworthwhile

    Demonstratesyourcriticalabilities

    Demonstrateshowyouhavedrawnontheworkofotherstoformulateyourownquestions/developyourownarguments

    Yourargumentintheliteraturereviewisadialoguebetweenyouandthereader.Tobeeffectivethismustanticipatethekindsofquestionsthereader

    mighthavewhenexaminingyourargument.

    Itisaprocessofdevelopingacoherentframeworkofconcepts

    Bytheendofityourreadershouldconclude:Ofcourse,thisistheexactthesis

    thatneededtobedoneatthistimetomoveknowledgeinthisfieldalong.

    Youshouldnotonlyreportclaimsmadeintheexistingliteraturebutalso

    criticallyexaminetheresearchmethodsusedandhistoriographicalapproach

    takentobetterunderstandthebasisoftheseclaims.

    Yourreviewmay

    Seektofillagapintheliterature

    Demonstratehowyourworksitsinwithinthemaintrendsofscholarship

    Seektoextendthosetrends

    Takeadifferentdirectionfromthosetrends

    Aimtoconfirm/challengeotherswork

    Forecastthatyouwilluseatheoreticalframeworkormodelfromtheliterature

    foryourownwork

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    2011AncientHistoryHonoursThesisWritingSeminar 2

    Sometips

    Yourliteraturereviewnottheplacetodefertotheauthorityofothersadoptingacriticalperspectiveisvital.

    TrytoavoidbeginningsentenceswithMommsensaid,Bartheobserved

    andthelikethisshiftsthefocusofyourreviewsfromyourownargumentto

    theworkofothers.

    Trytodevelopathemeandthencitetheworkofrelevantauthorstosupport

    yourargumentsortoprovideexamplesorcounter-examplesofyourpoint.

    Avoidexcessivequotingthislessensyourauthority.

    Youdonothavetobeexhaustiveyouarebuildinganargumentbasedon

    relevantmaterialsnotalibrarycatalogue.

    Beobjectiveenoughtoreportbothsidesofanargument.Clarify

    problems/debatesinthefieldratherthanglossingoverthem.

    Makeuseofsignpostingthroughouttoguidethereaderthroughwhatyouhave

    doneandwhatconclusionsyouhavedrawn.

    Allowtimeforyoutodevelopastructurethatworks.

    Yourliteraturereviewneedstobeuptodateatthetimeofsubmissionso

    doingitforAprildoesnotmeanitisdone.

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    2011AncientHistoryHonoursThesisWritingSeminar 3

    10TipsforBetterInformationManagement

    1)Createabibliographicrecordforeveryarticleorbookyouread,everypictureyouconsiderusing,andeverynoteyoumake.Thisisimportantnotonly

    formodernstudies,butalsoforancienttextaseditionsvarywildly.

    2)Regularlyback-upthisrecord.

    3)Citeasyouwrite.

    4)Chooseabibliographicstyleearly.ThisshouldNOTbetheAncientHistoryDepartmentguidelinespdf.Itwillbefarbetterforyouinthelongruntofollow

    (inconsultationwithyoursupervisor)thestyleusedinoneofthemajorjournals

    ofyourfield(JournalofBiblicalLiterature,JournalofRomanStudies,JournalofEgyptianArchaeologyetc.).Asyouenterbibliographicdetailsyoushouldkeep

    createastylesheetthatyoucanusetoensureconsistencythroughoutyourthesis.

    5)FortitlesinlanguagesotherthanEnglish,thegeneralruleistocapitaliseonlythefirstwordofthetitleorsubtitleandanywordsthatwouldbe

    capitalisedinanormalsentence.Formostlanguages,onlypropernouns(but

    notproperadjectives)arecapitalised.InGerman,nounsarecapitalised,andinDutch,properadjectivesarecapitalised.

    6)EditorsineverycountryhaveatendencytocapitaliseLatintitlesinaccord

    withtheirrulesfortheirownlanguage.Itwillprobablybebesttocapitaliseonly

    thefirstwordofthetitle(orsubtitle)andanypropernouns(butnotproperadjectives-abriefguidelineisthatiftheterminquestionhasthesameendingas

    thenounitfollows,itisprobablyanadjectivalform).DittoforGreek.

    7)Youareveryunlikelytowriteadiv.1thesisthatonlyengages

    anglophonescholarship.Thereforeyoumustdevelopstrategiesfordealingwithforeignlanguages.Itmaybebesttoconsultabookreviewofaworkyou

    thinkmightbeinterestingbeforebreakingoutthedictionary!Itmayalsobe

    helpfultocreateanOCRversionofyourpdfandusetheautomatictranslationfeatureongoogledocstoquicklydistinguishimportantpartsofanargument

    fromdigressions.

    8.Overthecourseofwritingyourthesisyouwilllikelyamassalargenumberof

    copiesofworks,bothprintedandelectronic.Theseareuselesstoyouifyoucannotlocateandcross-referencethosedealingwiththeparticulartopicyouare

    writingontoday.ThereforeyouMUSThaveasystemforfilingthem,eitherby

    author,topic,orrelevancetoaparticularthesischapter.Forphotocopiesafilingcabinetwillbeagreathelp-trygumtreeorebay!

    9.Forpdfs,renamingfilestotheauthor'ssurnameandthetitleisagreat

    start,however,asoftwarepackagelikeendnotethatcantiethepdffiletoits

    bibliographicrecord,yournotesandanumberofkeywordsisevenbetter.

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    10.Considergradingthepapersyoucollectbytheirrelevancetoyourtopic

    tohelpyouprioritiseyourreading.Thus,an'A'paperispertinenttoyourtopic,a'B'issomewhatrelevant,a'C'isinterestingbutnotimmediatelyrelevant(but

    mayprovidecontextorinformyourunderstanding).Whenyouhavetimetoreadyoushouldread'A'papersfirst(althoughtheymaynotbeasexcitingas'C'

    papers).Resourcesrecommendedbyyoursupervisorshouldalwaysbelabeled'A'.

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    2011AncientHistoryHonoursThesisWritingSeminar 5

    20TipsforWritingyourThesis

    1.Beginwithsomethingunresolved,somequestionaboutwhichyouaretruly

    curious.Makecleartoyourselfandyourreaderstheunresolvedquestionthatyousetouttoresolve.Thisisyourgoverningquestion,thequestionthatdirects

    thestructureofthepiece.Keepyoureyeonyourgoverningquestion.Youmightwanttoputthatquestionsomewherewhereyouwillseeiteverytimeyousitdowntowork--e.g.,ona

    pieceofpaperyouattachtoyourcomputer,yourbulletinboard,orthewall.This

    willserveasyourlighthouse,yourbeacononthehorizonthathelpsyoustayoncourse.Youneednotbeboundtotheoriginalformofthisquestion;youmay

    needtoreviseitorsupersedeitseveraltimesasyoumovealong.Keeparecordofhowyourgoverningquestionevolves.

    2.Showyourreaderswhatleadsyoutoposeyourquestioninthefirst

    place.Yourgoverningquestionderivesfromcompetingobservations,i.e.,

    observationsthatappeartoyoutobeintensionwithoneanotherandtoindicate

    anapparentpuzzle,problem,discrepancy,oversight,mystery,contradiction,orsurprise.Intheintroductiontoyourpiece,letyourreadersknowhowwhatyou

    observeleadsyoutoaskthequestionyouask.

    3.Identifyyoursubordinatequestions.Justasthethesisasawholeisa

    responsetoagoverningquestion,eachchapter,eachsection,andeachparagraphofthethesisisaresponsetoasubordinatequestion.Subordinate

    questionsarethequestionsyouwillneedtoaddressorresolveonthewaytoaddressingyourgoverningquestion.

    Makecleartoyourselfandyourreadersthesubordinatequestionstowhicheachchapterisaresponse.Whenyouarehavingdifficultydevelopinganideaorstructuringyourpiece,makeaquestionoutline,i.e.,anoutlineintheformof

    questions.Writeoutthequestionstowhicheachparagraphisaresponse;

    questionstendtobegetmorequestionsandtoformanaturalpeckingorderandnestingorder.

    4.Freewrite.Writebrief,uncensoredpiecestoloosenyourmind(likestretches

    beforerunning)andtoletyourselffollowtheplayful,associative,non-linear

    logicofyourmind.Oftenwedon'tfollowthatassociativelogicveryfarbecausewedismissitearlyonasentirelyillogicalanduseless.Whileitistruethatinour

    finalproductideasneedtobeintheformoflinearlogicsothatotherscanfollowourthinking,weneedtodrawuponourassociativelogicinthecreative

    process.Associativelogicisthelogicofdreams,ofthosetimeswhenourmindis

    freetowander(e.g.,justbeforewefallasleep,intheshower,whilewe'redriving),andofthosegenerative,free-flowingconversationsthatleadus

    seemingly--yetnotentirely--farafieldfromwherewestarted.Ifwefollowour

    mind'swanderingsandassociationsfarenough,theyoftenleadtosomethingcreativeanduseful.Freewriting--withoutthinkingaboutwhetherwhatweare

    sayingiselegantorgrammaticalorconciseorlogical--promotesthegenerationofideasandofcreativeconnectionsbetweenideas.Thinkoffreewritingassoil,

    notseed.Soilisthemuckthatnurturesagerminatingidearatherthantheperfectseedsthatbecometheactualsentencesandparagraphsofthefinal

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    product.

    Sometimesfreewritingworksbetterwithafocusand/orarunningstart.Considerusingthefollowingquestionsandsentencestemsaspromptsforyour

    freewriting.Completethesentenceandcontinuewritingfromthere.

    1.WhenIstartedthisproject,thethingthatreallyinterestedmewas...2.WhatmakesithardtoengagewithwhatI'mdoingisthat...3.OfallthestuffI'mdoingthesedays,whatreallyinterestsmeis..

    4.ThequestionsIfindmyselfthinkingaboutthesedaysarequestionslike...

    5.IfIhadtoputmypaperintotheformofasinglequestion,itwouldbe...6.TheobservationsImakethatleadmetoposethatquestionare...7.Iwantto

    know...8.Iwanttofigureouthow...

    9.Ihaveahunchthat...

    10.IwishIcouldsayinmypaperthat...11.IdoubtIcansayinmypaperthat...

    12.IfthingswereasneatandtidyasI'dlikethemtobe,...

    13.I'mstuck.I'mstuckbecauseIcan'tfigureout...14.[Alettertoafriendortoyourreader]Dear____,I'mtryingtowritethispiece

    about_____.Anddoyouknowwhat?...15.WhatstandsouttomeaboutallthestuffI'vebeenreadingisthisideathat...

    16.Dialoguebetweenmeandtheexperts:

    Thisauthor/professor/theorist/expertsays...And/butIsay...Heorshealsosays...And/butIsay...

    17.WhatI'vebeenreadingmakesmewonder...18.I'mlearningthat...

    19.Whatmakesmyquestionhardtoreckonwithordifficulttoresolveisthat...20.OnewayinwhichIcouldattempttoreckonwiththosedifficultiesis...21.IfIcouldsaywhatIreallywanttosay,...

    22.IfIcouldapproachthisprojectinthewayIreallywantto,...

    23.IfIcouldwriteaboutthequestionthatreallyinterestsme,...

    5.Makeregularwritingpartofyourroutine.Somehavefound200wordseverydayisanachievablegoal.Ifitbecomesaruleinyourlifeyouwillfinish

    yourthesisontime.

    6.Workinsmallbursts.Wetendtoapproachbigjobsbythinkingweneedbig

    amountsoftime.Wesaytoourselves,"Ineedtowritethispaper.It's1:00now.I'mfreeuntildinnerat6:00.That'sfivehours.Ishouldgetalotdone."Butinfact,

    webarelymakeadent.Webrushourteeth,doourlaundry,checkfacebook,pay

    afewbills,straightenourroom,makealistoferrands,hangoutwithourfriends,checkfacebook.Butwespendverylittletimeontask(thetaskofwriting).That's

    becausefewofuscanworkforfivesolidhoursononething,especially

    somethingasdifficultandanxiety-provokingaswriting.Especiallyifyouarehavingdifficultygettingstartedorstayingwithwriting,try

    toworkforverysmallstretchesoftime.Mostofuscandoanythingfortenminutes.Workforten,breakfortwoisnotabadguideline.Bythetimeyouhave

    donethis5timesyouwillhaveworkedforanhour!Youmaybesurprisedathowmuchyoucangetdoneintenfocusedminutes.Itismuchbettertoworkfor

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    tenminutesandgetsomethingdone,howeversmall,thantokeepthinkingfor

    fivehoursthatyoushouldbeworkingandbesodauntedorscaredthatyougetnothingdoneandthenfeeldiscouraged,demoralized,andguilty.

    7.EmploytheSOSstrategy:Specific,ObservableSteps.Thinkintermsof

    specific,fifteen-minutetasksthatyoucanpictureyourselfdoingandcompleting."Iamgoingtotakefifteenminutestowritedownalistofaquestionsthatmythesiswillneedtoaddress";"IamgoingtotakeaninventoryofallthethingsI

    cansay,allthethingsIwishIcouldsaybutdon'tknowifIhavetheevidenceto

    support,andallofthehunchesIhave";and"Iamgoingtowriteamemotomyselfaboutwhatmakesmyquestionahardonetoanswer"areexamplesof

    suchtasks."I'mgoingtoworkonmythesisforfivehoursbetweenlunchanddinner"isanexampleofaplanthatisneitherspecificnorobservable:withsuch

    avagueintention,thereisnothingspecificyoucanpictureyourselfstarting,

    doing,andfinishing.

    8.UsetheSo/AndEvenSoExercise.Wheneveryoufindyourselfsaying"Ihave

    onlyfifteenminutes,soIcan'tdoanythingproductive,"trysaying,"Ihaveonlyfifteenminutes,andevenso...IcouldsubmitaVDX/jotafewnotesaboutwhat

    questionsImightaddressinthissection/skimthebeginningandendofthischaptertoidentifythequestionthewriter'saddressing."

    TheSo/AndEvenSoExercisecanalsoworkwhenyouarefeelingtired,sad,

    lonely,scared,discouraged,overwhelmed.Whenyoufindyourselfsayingthingslike"I'msleepy,soIcan'tworkonthis";"Ihaven'tcalledmybestfriendina

    week,soIcan'tworkonthis";"Ihaverehearsalinhalfanhour,soIcan'tworkonthis";"Ireallywanttoseeamovie,soIcan'tworkonthis";"I'mscaredI'm

    goingtofail,soIcan'tworkonthis,"tryreplacingthe"so"with"andevenso":"...andevenso,Icouldworkforfifteenminutesontracingthelineofthinkingthatleadsmetoposemyquestions";"Icouldtranslatejust10linesoftext";"I

    couldskimthischaptertoseeifIcangetthegoverningquestionthatthewriter

    setsouttoaddress";"Icouldreadforfifteenminutestoseehowthisauthordefinesthistrickyterm."

    9.Saveoften.Justasyouneedtosaveoftenwhenyou'reworkingonacomputer,

    youneedtosaveoften(inyourbrain)whenyou'rereadingandstudying.The

    waytosaveyourthoughtsistojotthemdown.Otherwiseyourideasmaygetdeleted,especiallyifyouhaveapowersurge(getcaughtupinanotheridea)ora

    crash(fallasleep).Believethatsomenotesarebetterthannonotes.Asyoureadorlisten,jot

    downevenbriefnotesaboutwhatisstandingouttoyou,puzzlingyou,or

    botheringyou.Theseneednotbeextensiveorgrammaticallycorrectorstylisticallyelegantnotes.Theirpurposeistwo-fold:tohelpyoudosomething

    activewiththematerialtomakeityourownandtoleaveyouwithenoughofa

    recordofyourreadingandthinkingthatyoucanrecallitlater.Writenotestoyourself. Onewayofsavingoftenistokeepathesisjournalor

    memosfolderonyourcomputer.Useyourthesisjournalormemosfolderforfreewriting(promptedorunprompted).

    Alsouseyourjournalorfoldertowriteyournotesintheformofbriefmemostoyourselfaboutyourlatestresponseto,orfurtherquestionsabout,ormusings

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    onaparticularquestion.Ifyourword-processingprogramallowsyoutokeep

    twowindowsopen,keepamemowindowopenwheneveryouarewritingatyourcomputer(nomatterwhatyou'reworkingon).Thisdouble-window

    approachallowsyoutocatchthosefleetingthoughtsthatflythroughyourmindinthemiddleofwhateverelseyourdoing.

    Createtwothesisjournalsorfolders:oneonyourcomputer(i.e.,afolderformemos--seeabove)aswellasoneforhand-writtenentries(i.e.,anotebook,bigenvelope,manilafolder,orbigpieceofpaperonthewall)torecordthesis

    thoughtsthatcometoyouinmomentswhenyou'renotatthecomputer.Great

    ideasdon'talwayscomeatappropriateorconvenienttimes,soyouhavetologtheminastheyarrive.Youmaydosomeofyourmostcreativethinkinginthe

    spacesinbetweenyourofficialworksessionsandendupjottingsomeofyourbestideasoncocktailnapkins,thebacksofoldenvelopes,scrapsofpaper,and

    receipts.Justmakesureyouhaveonceplaceor"bin"whereyoukeepthemall

    together.Somepeoplekeeponesuchbinfortheintroduction,anotherfortheconclusion,oneforeachchapter,andonemiscellaneousfileforwhatwriting

    teacherLarryWeinsteincalls"gemswithoutasetting."

    10.Letyourreaderinonyourreasoning,yourthinking,yourunderstanding.

    Letyourreaderknowwhatyouwanthimorhertotakeawayfromorlearnfromachapterandfromyourthesisasawhole.Don'tjustpresentdata.Showyour

    readerhowyouwanthimorhertomakesenseofthedata,whatyouwanthim

    orhertoseeasmeaningfulaboutallthatdata.Showyourreadertheinferencesyoumake,thethingsyouseeasyoureadbetweenthelines.

    11.Makeapoint.Manythesiswriterstendtorelyonsummarizing,describing,

    narrating,andcategorizingandnevergetaroundtomakingapoint.Whileanelegantandclarifyingsummary,oracarefulandsensitivedescription,orawell-chosenandillustrativenarrative,oranewandintriguingcategorizationmaybe

    acontributiontoyourfield,chancesareyouwillbeexpectedtodevelopsome

    sortofargumentorpoint,thatis,touseyoursummary,description,narrative,orcategorizationintheserviceofananalyticresponsetosomeunresolved

    questionorproblem.Ifyoufindyourselfrelyingonsummaries,descriptions,narratives,andcategorization,askyourself,"Whatlargerquestionisthisinthe

    serviceof?"

    12.Reckonwiththecomplexityofyourquestion.Youdon'tnecessarilyneed

    toresolveyourquestioncompletely.Sometimesitisenoughtotalkclearlyabouthowandwhythingsarecomplexratherthantoclearupthecomplexity.

    13.Showthesubtletiesofyourthinking.Manypeoplerelyonvariationsof"and"toconnecttheirideas:"and";"inaddition";"also";"next";"another

    example";"later";"plus";"besides";"yetanotherthing."Itisasthoughtheyknit

    oneverylongpiecewithabasicknit-one-purl-onestitchandthendecideafteritislongenoughthattheywillcastoff,addafewtassels,andcallitascarf.Thatis

    finewhenwearejustlearningtoknitortowrite,buttoconstructcomplexgarmentsandarguments,weneedtomakemorecomplexconnectionsbetween

    things.Don'tsay"and"whenyoumeantoformamorepreciseconnection:"even

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    though";"seemslike,but";"isinsignificantunlessweconsider";"isbasedonthe

    problematicassumptionthat";"doesnotadequatelyaddressthequestionof";"goesevenfartheranddemonstratesthat"'"despiteitsproblemsisnonetheless

    usefulfor";"butthisdefinitiondiffersinonecriticalrespect";"addressesthatquestionbutdoesnotaddressthematterof."Ananalogyormetaphorcanalso

    helpyouclarifyaconnectionbetweenideas.14.Usechaptertitlesandsubheadsasimportantsignpostsforyourreader

    andaswaysofchallengingyourselftosummarizeyourthoughts.Tonameisto

    know.

    15.Letreadersofyourdraftknowthequestionsyouhaveaboutthedraft.

    Whileyoumayalsowanttogiveyouradviserandfriendscarteblancheto

    respondtowhateverstrikestheminyourdrafts,sometimesspecifyingsomeof

    thequestionsyouhavehelpsyoufeellessvulnerabletogettingfeedback.Youcanaskpeopletotellyouwhattheyseeasyourgoverningquestion,ortoname

    threethingstheylearnedinreadingyourchapter,ortotellyouwhattheyliked

    mostandwhattheyhadthemosttroublewith,ortotellyouwhereyourargumentisweakestandwhereitisstrongest,howthetoneworksina

    particularplace,etc.

    16.Acceptthatanxietyandanxiety-managementarepartofthewriting

    process.Uponthecompletionofhisdoctorate,agraduatestudentcommentedthat80%ofthetimeandenergyinvolvedinwritingadissertationgoesto

    anxietymanagement.Youcan'twaituntilyouarenotafraidornotanxioustobeginwriting.Youneedtofindwaystowriteevenwhenyou'reanxious.Writing

    inyourthesisjournalaboutyourfearoranxietycanbeawayofkeepingyourselfcompanyinyourfear,discoveringwhatyourfearisabout,lettingthefearbetherewithoutlettingitstopyoufromdoingwhatyouneedtodo.Inadditionto

    writingaboutyourfearorstuckness,workingin15-minutestretches,taking

    frequentbreaks,gettingregularexercise,meditating,usingtheSOSstrategy,usingtheSo/AndEvenSoExercise,andtalkingwithpeopleareallwaysof

    managingyouranxiety.

    17.Takefrequentbreaks.Tosustainyourfocusandconcentration,youneedto

    paceyourself.Pacingrequireswell-timedbreaks.Takeabreakbeforeyougettothe"breakingpoint,"thatis,thepointatwhichyouaresoexhaustedthat

    youcollapseorsofrustratedthatyouavoidgettingbacktothetask.Manypeoplesay,"Butmy'little'breaksinevitablylastforhours."Youcanavoid

    thepotentialfordangerouslylongbreaksifyoua)developarepertoireof

    refreshingactivities;b)experimentwithbreaksofdifferentsizes;andc)developasensitivitytowhenyouneedabreakandtowhatkindandwhat

    lengthofbreakyouneedatanygivenpoint.Yourrepertoireofbreaksmight

    includetalkingwithafriend,meditating,dancinginyourroomtoafavoritesong,readingthemail,makingaphonecall,gettingsomethingtoeatordrink,takinga

    briefnap(noticehowlongis"justright"foryou),readinganoveloranewspaper,doingthedishes,takingawalk,doingsomeartwork,startingalettertoafriend,

    gettingexercise,orrunninganerrand.Whenyoutakeabreak,askyourselfwhatexactlyyouneedrightnow.Doyouneedachangeofactivity(e.g.,todo

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    somethingphysicalratherthansomethingsedentaryortoworkonanartproject

    ratherthanaproblemset)?Doyouneedachangeofenvironment(e.g.,togetsomefreshairortoworkinafriend'sroom)?Achangeofperspective(e.g.,to

    talkwithafriendortoseeamovie)?Sleep?Company?Nourishment?Distraction?Entertainment?Noticewhichsortsandsizesofbreaksaremost

    responsivetoparticularneeds.Sometimesonlyalongbreakwilldo.Butfrequent,briefbreakscanbesurprisinglyrestorative.

    18.Thinkofyourworkintermsofrelationship,aprocessofcontinually

    connectingandre-connecting.Thingsgetoutofperspectivewhentheyfalloutofrelationship:wecannottellhowbigorsmallthingsareunlessweseethemin

    relationtosomethingelse.Tokeepyourworkinperspective,ortobringyourthesisbacktoscaleonceyou'velostperspective,trytostayinrelationshipwith,

    i.e.,connectedwith:

    yourcuriosityandyourcaring(alsoknownasyourinterest,yourpassion,

    yourdesiretounderstandortoknow)--byrememberingwhatdrewyoutoyour

    questioninthefirstplace.yourquestion--byfreewriting,beingplayfulwithideas

    yourcoaches(i.e.,teachers),colleagues(i.e.,fellowstudents),andloyal

    fans(i.e.,friends,parents,pets)bytalkingwiththemaboutyourideasand

    aboutyourexperienceoftryingtowrite.

    19.Rememberthattherearesometirednessesthatcannotbefixedwith

    food(evenchocolate)orcaffeine.Therearealsosomeanxietiesthatcannotbefixedwithalcohol.

    20.Negotiatewithyourself.Whenyouseemtobesabotagingyourowneffortstodowhatyouintend,listenforinternalvoicesthatexpressyourcompeting

    needs,desiresandfears.Partofyoumightbesaying,"Me,Ireallydowantto

    dowellonthisproject.Iwanttogetdowntowork."Butanotherpartmightbesaying,"Me,I'mgoingtomakesureIgetsometimetohangoutwithfriendsno

    matterwhat."Andyetanotherpartmightbesaying,"Me,I'mafraidI'mreallynotcompetenttodothisproject.I'mafraidthatifIworkonitnow,I'lljustdiscover

    thatIreallydon'tknowwhatI'mdoingorthatIcan'tdoasgoodajobasIwant

    to."Attimeslikethis,itisasifourbehaviorisbeingguidedbyaninternalcommittee

    whosememberseachhaveavestedinterestintheirownparticularpreferredactivity.Thecommitteeasawholehastroubleeitheraccomplishingataskor

    enjoyingitselfwholeheartedlybecauseitsmemberskeepquibblingoverwhich

    activityshouldhavepriority.Worktimetendstobecompromisedbythedesiretorestorplay,andplaytimetendstobecontaminatedbyguiltandanxietyover

    notworking.

    Toworkandplaywithlessinternalconflict,youneedtoformalliancesamongvariouspartsofyourself--forexample,amongthepartofyouthataspirestodo

    yourbest,thepartthatvaluesotherthingsinlifebesidesachievement,andthepartthatisafraidoffailure,compulsiveworking,loneliness,orotherpotential

    risksofengagingwithyourwork.Toformsuchanalliancerequiresthatalloftheseparate,uncooperative,"me/I"voicesjointocreateagenerative"we/let's"

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    voice(e.g.,"Okay,wehavealotofdifferentthingsthatmattertous.Let'sfigure

    outhowcanwegetgoingonthisprojectandalsohelpmanageourfearaboutnotbeinggoodenoughandalsoguaranteethatwecanhavetimetoplay").In

    creatinga"we/let's"voice,youbringtogetherallofyourenergiesintheefforttolivealifethatfeelswholeandtruetothecomplexityofwhoyouare.

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    ConnectingwithYourCuriosity

    Whatreallyinterestsmeis...(OR,alternatively,WhenIstartedthisproject,the

    thingthatreallyinterestedmewas...OR,alternatively,Whatreallydrewmeto

    thistopicinthefirstplacewas...)

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    2011AncientHistoryHonoursThesisWritingSeminar 13

    PuttingVagueThoughtsintotheFormofQuestions

    Hereisalistofquestions--largeandsmall,nearandfar,grandandmodest,and

    innoparticularorder--thatImightwanttoconsiderinmythesis:

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    IdentifyingYourGoverningQuestion

    IfIhadtoputmytopicintotheformofasinglequestion,thatquestionwould

    be...(OR,alternatively,WhatIreallywanttoknowis...)

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    QuestionsandPromptstowardanIntroduction

    Mygoverningquestionderivesfromcompetingobservations,i.e.,observations

    thatappeartometobeintensionwithoneanotherandtoindicateanapparent

    puzzle,problem,discrepancy,oversight,mystery,contradiction,orsurprise.

    Thecompetingobservationsthatgiverisetomygoverningquestionare...

    ...ontheonehand...

    ...butontheotherhand/andyet...

    Thisproblem/puzzle,discrepancyetc.andmygoverningquestionareofinteresttootherscholars/researchersbecause...

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    QuestionsandPromptstowardaLiteratureReview

    Whoelse(orwhatotherbodyorbodiesofliterature)hasattemptedtoaddress

    mygoverningquestion(orrelatedquestions)?

    Thequestiontheyaskedwas...

    Thewaytheyapproachedtheirquestionwasto...

    Whattheyendedupsayinginresponsetothequestiontheyposedis...

    Whatremains

    unasked/unresolved/overlooked/unexplored/unaddressed/misunderstoodis...

    Myprojectaddressesthatgapby...

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    2011AncientHistoryHonoursThesisWritingSeminar 17

    VisualisingaLiteratureReview

    Howhaveotherstriedtoanswerthequestion?

    LiteratueA

    LiteratueBLiteratueC

    MyTopic

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    2011AncientHistoryHonoursThesisWritingSeminar 18

    QuestionsandPromptstowardaMethodSection

    Icanthinkofmymethodsasbeing,inpart,theactualtasks(e.g.,libraryresearch,

    interviews,viewingofvideosorfilm,fieldobservations)Iwillneedtoundertake

    toapproachthequestionIamposing.

    Thosetasksare(andIwilltrytobeasspecificasIcan)...

    OthermethodsIcouldpotentiallyuse(i.e.,othertasksIcouldpotentially

    undertake)toapproachthequestionI'mposingare...

    MyreasonsforchoosingtousesomeofthemethodsIlistaboveandnotothersare...

    TermsIwillneedtodefinetodothisresearchinclude...

    Someofthemethodologicalissues/problems/challengeswithwhichIwillneedtocontendare(theseincludebothquestionsothersmightaskabouthowIam

    approachingmyquestionaswellasquestionsImyselfhaveabouthowIamapproachingmyquestion)...

    Imightrespondtoordealwiththosemethodologicalissues/problems/challengesby...

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    2011AncientHistoryHonoursThesisWritingSeminar 19

    QuestionsandPromptstowardaConclusion

    TheheadwayI'vemadetowardresolutionofmygoverningquestionis...

    Whatremainsunresolvedis...

    Itremainsunresolvedbecause...

    Myresearchhasimplicationsfor...

    Forinstance,myresearchhasmethodologicalimplicationsforfutureresearch,thatis,implicationsforhowweframethequestionsinthisfieldandimplications

    forthemethodsweusetoaddressthosequestions.Thoseimplicationsinclude...

    Otherimplicationsinclude(e.g.,implicationsforspecificpracticesorpolicies,

    implicationsforhowweinterpretresultsofpreviousresearch)...

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    2011AncientHistoryHonoursThesisWritingSeminar 20

    ReckoningwithComplexity

    Whatmakesmyquestionaparticularlycomplexonewithwhichtoreckonis

    that...

    Iwillattempttoreckonwiththosecomplexitiesby...

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    2011AncientHistoryHonoursThesisWritingSeminar 21

    NarrowingtheScope

    Itisbeyondthescopeofmypaperto...

    Therefore,Iwon'tconsider/explore/analysethatissueindepthinthispiece.For

    thepurposesofthispaper,Iwill...(e.g.,assume.../workonthepremisethat...

    /summarizeothers'thinkingonthismatter.../referthereaderto...)

    Imakethatparticularassumption/workonthatparticularpremise/summarizethatparticularperson'sthinking/referthereadertothatparticularliterature

    because...

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    GemswithoutaSetting

    HerearesomeoftheideasthatImightnotbeabletoincludeinthisthesisbut

    thatdeservesafekeepingbecausetheyarebrilliantandpreciousthoughts--orat

    leastinterestingthoughts--thatmightcomeinhandyforsomeotherproject: