Dissertation Prospectus Guidelines Dr.

Helen Foster
To rhetorically situate the dissertation prospectus, consider the following: Writer You. Your role is scholar. Audience Me, Second Reader, and Outside Reader; scholars Context Having completed coursework and passed the comprehensive exam, you are embarking on a large research project that will culminate in a defensible dissertation. Purpose You need to persuade the audience that (1) you have identified a relevant issue to study, (2) that you have narrowed and can articulate the identified problem and question of inquiry, (3) that you have some idea of the methodology youll use to answer the question of inquiry, and (4) that you can complete the project in a timely manner. Reality The discourse community in which you must situate your inquiry and research is Rhetoric and Writing Studies. The topic is of interest to you; will it be of interest to this community? You must be able to effectively respond to the So what? question. Further, you must adopt and effectively use the discourse this community values. Process You and I will work together during the time you work on the prospectus. In our meetings, Ill want to know what youve read, what youve learned from it, and what might be potential questions of inquiry. Meetings will be a dialogue, with you taking the lead. Feel free to express frustrations and problems with understanding. You will dictate a meeting schedule (no more than once/week; no fewer than once/month). Following each meeting, you will write a brief summary of the meeting and submit it to me. The prospectus will not be forwarded to the second and third readers until I have approved it. Format of the Prospectus: Introduction Briefly discuss how you became interested in your research topic and why you believe it is worthy to pursue. Review of the Literature or Lit Review It is here that you make your strongest argument for the relevance of your proposed research. Youll want to identify a method of organization for the review, based on the need to convince the dissertation committee that your proposed research will add to the scholarly conversation. Perhaps, you will identify a methodology not yet used or you will identify a theory that needs to be tested with empirical data or you will identify an area that needs a more descriptive or explanatory theory, etc. Statement of the Problem Based on the lit review, briefly state the problem your research will address.

Foster, Dissertation Prospectus

Questions of Inquiry Articulate your primary question of inquiry. The response or answer to this question will be the entire dissertation. Articulate secondary questions of inquiry. Think of a secondary question as the guiding question of a chapter. Together, the secondary questions will address the primary question. Do not fear; these questions may very well change throughout your work on the dissertation. Methodology Discuss the primary methodology youll use, e.g., postmodern, critical, cultural studies, empirical, historical, theoretical (rhetorical as described by Lauer and Asher), along with your reasoning of why this methodology is best suited for your question of inquiry. Chapter Identification This is not required, but if you have an idea of what you think each chapter will contain, provide a list of the tentative title of each. (The first chapter will be your revised prospectus. Generally, you should plan to have 5-6 chapters.) Work Outline Identify benchmarks regarding research and writing, along with tentative dates for your application for graduation, your defense, and your submission of the dissertation to the graduate school. Working Bibliography This is not required, but if you want, you may submit a list of sources you intend to read. The advantage in submitting this is that your committee may have recommendations you havent considered.