English 600: Doctoral Research
Fall 2010, NMSU
Course Meeting Time and Place
This course will meet in Clara Belle Williams Hall 138 on Wednesdays 2:30-3:45. Other activities will take place online asynchronously.
Contact Information
Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Sheppard
Office: English 226
Phone: 646-2341
Email: jasheppa@nmsu.edu (best way to reach me)
Office Hours
Mondays 1:00-4:00 Milton Hall Design Center
Thursdays 1:00-3:00 in English 226 and by appointment
Required Materials
Foss, Sonja, & Waters, William. (2007). Destination Dissertation: A Traveler's Guide to a Done Dissertation. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield.
Course Description
This course is designed for PhD students in the Rhetoric and Professional Communication program who have completed coursework and are preparing for comprehensive examinations. Students will develop exam reading lists in three of the four core areas (Composition, Rhetoric, Critical/Cultural Studies, and Technical/Professional Communication), as well as in an area of specialization. In addition to working on exam reading, students will also work with the instructor and their committee members to finalize exam questions and to prepare for writing the exam responses. We will also discuss dissertation planning and prospectus writing.
Course Objectives
- To prepare for and take comprehensive exams within one year after completing coursework
- To write/revise exam questions that help you to use this process to establish your grounding in the core areas
- To develop reading lists that capture both central texts/authors and work of interest to you within each core area
- To develop a working knowledge of foundational/key ideas within your chosen core areas of study, as well as how those ideas intersect across areas
- To develop sufficient background and knowledge in core areas so you can:
- understand what questions in the discipline need to be answered
- propose and undertake a dissertation
- understand how you can shape your dissertation to contribute productively to disciplinary conversation
Assignments
- Weekly contribution to class annotated online bibliography tool (create new or add if citation is already posted)
- Weekly report to class/group on progress (may include any of the following):
- Share the key argument or an interesting idea from what you read
- Share thoughts on how reading or set of ideas is relating to your research interests
- Share new reading list additions
- Offer feedback and ask questions on comprehensive questions
- Outline responses to questions
- Discuss next steps (dissertation prospectus, research, IRB, etc.)
- Discuss reading of Destination Dissertation
- Timeline for studying, finalizing questions, taking exam, and scheduling oral
- Minimum of one meeting per month with committee chair to review progress
Evaluation
To earn a grade of " PR" (progress) in this class, you must complete all assignments and contribute to class and make progress in your exam preparation on a weekly basis.