handout honours 2011
TRANSCRIPT
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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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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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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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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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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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VisualisingaLiteratureReview
Howhaveotherstriedtoanswerthequestion?
LiteratueA
LiteratueBLiteratueC
MyTopic
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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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7/30/2019 Handout Honours 2011
19/22
2011AncientHistoryHonoursThesisWritingSeminar 19
QuestionsandPromptstowardaConclusion
TheheadwayI'vemadetowardresolutionofmygoverningquestionis...
Whatremainsunresolvedis...
Itremainsunresolvedbecause...
Myresearchhasimplicationsfor...
Forinstance,myresearchhasmethodologicalimplicationsforfutureresearch,thatis,implicationsforhowweframethequestionsinthisfieldandimplications
forthemethodsweusetoaddressthosequestions.Thoseimplicationsinclude...
Otherimplicationsinclude(e.g.,implicationsforspecificpracticesorpolicies,
implicationsforhowweinterpretresultsofpreviousresearch)...
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7/30/2019 Handout Honours 2011
20/22
2011AncientHistoryHonoursThesisWritingSeminar 20
ReckoningwithComplexity
Whatmakesmyquestionaparticularlycomplexonewithwhichtoreckonis
that...
Iwillattempttoreckonwiththosecomplexitiesby...
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7/30/2019 Handout Honours 2011
21/22
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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7/30/2019 Handout Honours 2011
22/22
GemswithoutaSetting
HerearesomeoftheideasthatImightnotbeabletoincludeinthisthesisbut
thatdeservesafekeepingbecausetheyarebrilliantandpreciousthoughts--orat
leastinterestingthoughts--thatmightcomeinhandyforsomeotherproject: