The doctoral dissertation represents an original contribution
to the field of American Studies scholarship. It should raise an important
issue in the study of American culture and society and should contribute
to the longstanding concern in the discipline to improve methods of cultural
analysis.
In consultation with a faculty supervisor, the student
draws up a written prospectus for the research. When the prospectus is
acceptable to the director, he or she discusses it with the other members
of the American Studies faculty who are members of the student’s
dissertation committee. With their approval, the director convenes a meeting
of the full dissertation committee at which the student presents the prospectus
and discusses it with the committee. At the end of this meeting, the student
is told whether to proceed with the research or to modify the prospectus
in light of committee objections. Every effort is made, however, to make
sure that the prospectus brought to the meeting of the full committee
is sound and defensible.
You should begin your prospectus with an introductory
statement about the nature of the project which answers these questions:
What is your dissertation topic? What central question(s) are you addressing?
What hypotheses (if any) are you testing?
The body of the prospectus goes into detail about the
proposed research and answers three broad questions.
- Can the
project be done?
- Is it
worth doing?
- What is
the relationship of the research to scholarship in American Studies?
Can the project be done? This is a
question about sources, their nature, their accessibility, and how they
will be used. The prospectus should address the following in sufficient
detail for your committee to understand how you propose to proceed, using
what sources:
- What are
your sources? What kinds of evidence will you use? Are your sources
accessible? Explain how your sources are adequate for completing the
proposed research. Discuss any anticipated gaps in the sources or difficulties
in using the sources.
- What is
your framework of inquiry and analysis? What theories or assumptions
or both will organize your research processs and your interpretation
of your sources?
- How will
you proceed? What methods will you use to examine, analyze, and “interrogate”
your sources? What will your research process actually consist of? Where
will it take place? What special tools or resources, if any, will you
need to conduct your research?
- How will
you organize your findings? Include a tentative chapter outline and
a rationale for that outline.
Is it worth doing? What specific scholarly
audience(s) are you addressing? What is the significance of the project:
does it break new ground? Fill in a gap in the existing scholarly literature?
Revise a previous interpretation? Or build and elaborate on previous interpretations?
Include a brief review of the appropriate scholarly literature. Specify
the particular scholarly contribution you hope to make to that literature.
What is the relationship of the proposed research
to scholarship in American Studies? Your dissertation will be
directed by a member of the American Studies faculty and categorized as
a dissertation in American Studies in Dissertation Abstracts. It is important
that you be able to place your work within a context of previous American
Studies scholarship and to be able to say how your research meets the
aims of the field.
Append a selected bibliography of primary sources and
essential secondary references.
Append a proposed timetable for completing the research
and writing the dissertation.
