Journey to Ithaca

I make [my remarks] public with doubtful feelings. It is not impossible that it should fall to the lot of this work, in its poverty and in the darkness of this time, to bring light into one brain or another--but, of course, it is not likely.

I should not like my writing to spare other people the trouble of thinking. But, if possible, to stimulate someone to thoughts of his own.

I should have liked to produce a good book. This has not come about, but the time is past in which I could improve it.

- Ludwig Wittgenstein, Preface to Philosophical Investigations

From Good to Outstanding | Teachers TV

This reality tv show for teachers looks really interesting--I wish there were something similar for college instructors.

Edited to add: Check out this clip of a high school geography teacher.

My fellow dissertation writing retreaters and I were discussing organization and note-taking software earlier this week. I've been using OneNote with much success, though I'm tempted to give EverNote a try.

Bringing Order to the Chaos of Notes - NYTimes.com

Note-Taking - Unclutterer

All of this is to say that the transition -- another rite of passage -- from course work to dissertation project is often paralyzing ("How exactly am I going to operationalize my crypto-Foucauldian study of the micro-physics of political power in San Francsico's credit unions?") and typically a source of bewilderment, anxiety and yes, even depression. It is always worth recalling the old adage that in its most demanding forms, writing and doing research, requires a state of mind and a way of being that most people in the world spend their lives trying to avoid: withdrawal, obsession, panic.

-Michael Watts
The Holy Grail: In Pursuit of the Dissertation Proposal

All of this is to say that the transition -- another rite of passage -- from course work to dissertation project is often paralyzing ("How exactly am I going to operationalize my crypto-Foucauldian study of the micro-physics of political power in San Francsico's credit unions?") and typically a source of bewilderment, anxiety and yes, even depression. It is always worth recalling the old adage that in its most demanding forms, writing and doing research, requires a state of mind and a way of being that most people in the world spend their lives trying to avoid: withdrawal, obsession, panic.

-Michael Watts
The Holy Grail: In Pursuit of the Dissertation Proposal

(originally posted Jan 2008)

My committee has offered some great feedback, but the following, from my outside the department member, may end up being the most useful:

Hacks I used:

Set aside time once a week to review what you've done and plan what you'll do: put that time in your planner (say, Sunday night) At that time you will go through the following files:

Make an overall outline and outline each chapter: these outlines will be modified each week as necessary. Throw them in appropriate files and save them

Make a overall schedule and one for the part you are working one.These will be modified a lot as you figure out how you are using your time and get better at estimating how long it will take to do each task

Eventually, your outlines and schedules will by in sync, but at first they may seem more like wishful thinking. That's OK--the idea is not to keep to the schedule so much as it is to try to divide the work into smaller pieces and then get better at figuring out how long it takes to do the pieces. Of course, your outline will also be modified as your ideas change.

My committee has offered some great feedback, but the following, from my outside the department member, may end up being the most useful:

Hacks I used:

Set aside time once a week to review what you've done and plan what you'll do: put that time in your planner (say, Sunday night) At that time you will go through the following files:

Make an overall outline and outline each chapter: these outlines will be modified each week as necessary. Throw them in appropriate files and save them

Make a overall schedule and one for the part you are working one.These will be modified a lot as you figure out how you are using your time and get better at estimating how long it will take to do each task

Eventually, your outlines and schedules will by in sync, but at first they may seem more like wishful thinking. That's OK--the idea is not to keep to the schedule so much as it is to try to divide the work into smaller pieces and then get better at figuring out how long it takes to do the pieces. Of course, your outline will also be modified as your ideas change.

Great advice from 43 Folders:

Creative work is mostly showing up every day and enduring a million tiny failures as you feel your way to something a bit new.

Great advice from 43 Folders:

Creative work is mostly showing up every day and enduring a million tiny failures as you feel your way to something a bit new.

The Onion | Mead Releases New Grad-School-Ruled Notebook

According to Mead's website, the ruling lines in the grad-school-ruled notebooks will be placed 3.55 millimeters apart, making them "infinitely more practical" for postgraduate work than the 7.1 millimeter college-ruled notebooks. In addition, the standard 1.5-inch top margin normally provided for dates and headers will be halved, and the left-hand margin will be eliminated entirely.

"Just think: If you are writing a dissertation on elements of thanatopsis and necromimesis as they relate to cacaesthesian themes of mid-20th-century Irish literature, do you really want your notebook lines to be more than seven millimeters apart?" Luke said. "Of course not."

"When you're in grad school, every millimeter counts," he added.

The Onion | Mead Releases New Grad-School-Ruled Notebook

According to Mead's website, the ruling lines in the grad-school-ruled notebooks will be placed 3.55 millimeters apart, making them "infinitely more practical" for postgraduate work than the 7.1 millimeter college-ruled notebooks. In addition, the standard 1.5-inch top margin normally provided for dates and headers will be halved, and the left-hand margin will be eliminated entirely.

"Just think: If you are writing a dissertation on elements of thanatopsis and necromimesis as they relate to cacaesthesian themes of mid-20th-century Irish literature, do you really want your notebook lines to be more than seven millimeters apart?" Luke said. "Of course not."

"When you're in grad school, every millimeter counts," he added.

Writing resources for undergrads

How to write an introduction

Introductions and conclusions | Paradigm Writing Assistant Introductory paragraphs | University of Washington

How to write a thesis statement

Thesis statements | University of North Carolina
Developing a thesis statement | University of Wisconsin-Madison Thesis statements | University of Washington

How and when to use quote, paraphrase, and cite sources

Citing online sources | Online! A reference guide to using Internet sources
Quotations | University of North Carolina
Quick guide to citing sources | University of Washington
Quoting and paraphrasing sources | University of Wisconsin-Madison Citing references in your paper (citation style guide) | University of Wisconsin-Madison

How to edit and revise your paper

Editing and Revising Quick Tips | UMN Center for Writing
Editing | Paradigm Online Writing Assistant
Twelve common errors: An editing checklist | University of Wisconsin-Madison
How to proofread your paper | University of Wisconsin-Madison

I've heard the joke applied to virtually every state north of the Mason-Dixon line, but there really are only two seasons: Winter and Construction. In honor of all of the building and painting and annoyingly loud noise making work going on around me, I decided to renovate the ol' blog in order to focus on the topics that are of greatest interest to me right now. Most of the fun stuff will go to facebook or my tumblog :).

I'd like this space to focus on the two interdependent aspects of academic life (or such a life as I wish to imagine): writing and teaching. I want to know how to do these well, what to do when they're going poorly, and how many execrable excerpts from students essays one may read allowed to the bartender before being thrown out with one's stacks of grading.

This space is for those in the throes of dissertation writing, the adjunct job jugglers, those in the midst of tenure review, the mighty few who have attained tenure, and any one else who is interested in re-envisioning the classroom, the office, and the profession.

Let's pray that the road is long, full of knowledge, full of adventure.