Lecture Notes

• Dissertation - 'Abstract'
• Look at it from the readers perspective
• Academic discourse
• The role of the supervisor
• Marked by Karen, second marked by someone in the related field
• Third examiner - external will do three, plus all firsts and fails and borders (49/59/69)
• 1 - Looks at the title (must not be an either or, not binary oppositions)
• Run title changes by Karen
• Lure the reader in
• 2 - Scrutinises the Bibliography
• Need to be good and needs to be accurate
• True and substantial
• Build it as you go
• Look also at bibliographies in books you are reading
• Everything that has informed your writing
• Not just what you quote from
• 5-14 pages!
• 3 - Abstract
• Mandatory
• You write it last
• It is an account of what you have done
• It gives the game away first
• What you say needs to be evidenced in the 'paper'
• 200 words - not verbose -tightly written
• revelation
• compared (comparative analysis)
• names - substantiated
• 4 - Discourse (level of language)
• Vocabulary
• Syntax
• 'clarity of exposition'
• do not start 'i shall...'
• see how others do it - make it interesting
• whack it out in any speak (never submit)
• Then you craft it
• Harden up soft language
• Setup - establish
• Can add things to footnote if you don't want to break flow of text
• eg Sontag suggests
• Quotes need to have (who, year)
• use of the word 'i' in conclusion
• it could be proposed
• it could be argued
• such and such says... however it could be argued
• Remember this may not be the only valid arguement
• 28th Nov - Looking at proposals
• Make them substantial so feedback can be given