From Student to Scholar: A Guide to Writing Through the Dissertation Stage

Description

From Student to Scholar guides graduate students through the “hidden” developmental transition required in writing a dissertation and moving beyond, to become a successful scholar. Identifying common rhetorical challenges across disciplines, author Hjortshoj explains how to accommodate evolving audiences, motivations, standards, writing processes, and timelines. One full chapter is devoted to “writing blocks,” and another offers advice to international students who are non-native speakers of English. The text also offers advice for managing relations with advisors and preparing for the diverse careers that PhDs, trained primarily as research specialists, actually enter. On the basis of more than 30 years of consultations with graduate students, this volume is an important addition to graduate thesis seminars and composition courses, as well as an invaluable reference for writing centers, workshops, and learning support centers. From Student to Scholar- Front Cover From Student to Scholar Title Page Copyright Page Table of Contents List of Figures Preface References Chapter 1: The Hidden Transition Convenient Myths The End of Schooling Chapter 2: The Rhetoric of Student Writing Common Ground Evolving Forms and Expectations Simulation and Frames of Reference Performance and Process Motivations and Standards Chapter 3: The Rhetoric of Graduate and Professional Writing Turning Points Forms, Frames, and Movement: Where Do We Begin and, From There, Where Do We Go? The Scope and Scale of a Dissertation Conceptual Balance Interdisciplinary Reference Frames Chapter 4: Relations with Advisors Choose your Advisors Carefully Use Criticism Constructively and Judiciously, as Feedback on Work in Progress Chapter 5: Getting the Work Done Disillusionment Productive Use of Time: The Behavioral Consensus What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Draft Management The Social Dimension of Scholarship Chapter 6: Writing Blocks What Is a Writing Block? Why Do Blocks Occur? Analysis, Resistance, and Release Chapter 7: A Note to International Students Chapter 8: Looking Ahead Why Should You Continue? Index