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English Department Dissertations Collection
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Dissertations from 2023 2023
In Search of Middle Paths: Buddhism, Fiction, and the Secular in Twentieth-Century South Asia , Crystal Baines, English
Save Our Children: Discourses of Queer Futurity in the United States and South Africa, 1977-2010 , Jude Hayward-Jansen, English
Epistemologies of the Unknowable in Nineteenth-Century U.S. Literature , Maria Ishikawa, English
Revenge of the Nerds: Tech Masculinity and Digital Hegemony , Benjamin M. Latini, English
The Diasporic Mindset and Narrative Intersections of British Identity in Transnational Fiction , Joseph A. Mason, English
A 19TH CENTURY ETHNOGRAPHIC EXHIBIT UN/CAGED: NARRATIVES OF INFORMAL EMPIRE, AFROLATINIDAD, AND CONTEMPORARY ARTISTIC (RE)FRAMINGS , Celine G. Nader, English
Dissertations from 2022 2022
Writing the Aftermath: Uncanny Spaces of the Postcolonial , Sohini Banerjee, English
Science Fiction’s Enactment of the Encouragement, Process, and End Result of Revolutionary Transformation , Katharine Blanchard, English
LITERARY NEGATION AND MATERIALISM IN CHAUCER , Michelle Brooks, English
TRANSNATIONAL POLITICAL AND LITERARY ENCOUNTERS: THE IDEA OF AMERÍKA IN ICELANDIC FICTION, 1920–1990 , Jodie Childers, English
When Choices Aren't Choices: Academic Literacy Normativities in the Age of Neoliberalism , Robin K. Garabedian, English
Redefining Gender Violence: Radical Feminist Visions in Contemporary Ethnic American Women’s Fiction and Women of Color Activism 1990-2010 , Hazel Gedikli, English
Stories Women Carry: Labor and Reproductive Imaginaries of South Asia and the Caribbean , Subhalakshmi Gooptu, English
The Critical Workshop: Writing Revision and Critical Pedagogy in the Middle School Classroom , Andrea R. Griswold, English
Racial Poetics: Early Modern Race and the Form of Comedy , Yunah Kae, English
At the Limits of Empathy: Political Conflict and its Aftermath in Postcolonial Fiction , Saumya Lal, English
The Burdens and Blessings of Responsibility: Duty and Community in Nineteenth- Century America , Leslie Leonard, English
No There There: New Jersey in Multiethnic Writing and Popular Culture Since 1990 , Shannon Mooney, English
Ownership and Writer Agency in Web 2.0 , Thomas Pickering, English
Combating Narratives: Soldiering in Twentieth-Century African American and Latinx Literature , Stacy Reardon, English
“IT DON’T ‘MEAN’ A THING”: TIME AND THE READER IN JAZZ FICTIONAL NARRATIVE , Damien C. Weaver, English
SATURNINE ECOLOGIES: ENVIRONMENTAL CATASTROPHE IN THE EARLY MODERN WORLD, 1542-1688 , John Yargo, English
Dissertations from 2021 2021
"On Neptunes Watry Realmes": Maritime Law and English Renaissance Literature , Hayley Cotter, English
Theater of Exchange: The Cosmopolitan Stage of Jacobean London , Liz Fox, English
“The Badge of All Our Tribe”: Contradictions of Jewish Representation on the English Renaissance Stage , Becky S. Friedman, English
On Being Dispersed: The Poetics of Dehiscence from "We the People" to Abolition , Sean A. Gordon, English
Echoing + Resistant Imagining: Filipino Student Writing Under American Colonial Rule , Florianne Jimenez, English
When Your Words Are Someone Else's Money: Rhetorical Circulation, Affect, and Late Capitalism , Kelin E. Loe, English
Indigenous Impositions in Contemporary Culture: Knotting Ontologies, Beading Aesthetics, and Braiding Temporalities , Darren Lone Fight, English
NEGRITUDE FEMINISMS: FRANCOPHONE BLACK WOMEN WRITERS AND ACTIVISTS IN FRANCE, MARTINIQUE, AND SENEGAL FROM THE 1920S TO THE 1980S , Korka Sall, English
Negotiating Space: Spatial Violation on the Early Modern Stage, 1587-1638 , Gregory W. Sargent, English
Stranger Compass of the Stage: Difference and Desire in Early Modern City Comedy , Catherine Tisdale, English
Dissertations from 2020 2020
AFFECTIVE HISTORIES OF SOUTHERN TRAUMA: SHAME, HEALING, AND VULNERABILITY IN US SOUTHERN WOMEN’S WRITING, 1975–2006 , Faune Albert, English
Materially Queer: Identity and Agency in Academic Writing , Joshua Barsczewski, English
ANGELS WHO STEPPED OUTSIDE THEIR HOUSES: “AMERICAN TRUE WOMANHOOD” AND NINETEENTH-CENTURY (TRANS)NATIONALISMS , Gayathri M. Hewagama, English
WRITING AGAINST HISTORY: FEMINIST BAROQUE NARRATIVES IN INTERWAR ATLANTIC MODERNISM , Annaliese Hoehling, English
Passing Literacies: Soviet Immigrant Elders and Intergenerational Language Practice , Jenny Krichevsky, English
Lisa Ben and Queer Rhetorical Reeducation in Post-war Los Angeles , Katelyn S. Litterer, English
Daring Depictions: An Analysis of Risks and Their Mediation in Representations of Black Suffering , Russell Nurick, English
From Page to Program: A Study of Stakeholders in Multimodal First-Year Composition Curriculum and Program Design , Rebecca Petitti, English
Forms of the Future: Indigeneity, Blackness, and the Visioning Work of Aesthetics in U.S. Poetry, 1822-1863 , Magdalena Zapędowska, English
Dissertations from 2019 2019
Black Men Who Betray Their Race: 20TH Century Literary Representations of the Black Male Race Traitor , Gregory Coleman, English
“The Worlding Game”: Queer Ecological Perspectives in Modern Fiction , Sarah D'Stair, English
Afrasian Imaginaries: Global Capitalism and Labor Migration in Indian Ocean Fictions, 1990 – 2015 , Neelofer Qadir, English
Divided Tongues: The Politics and Poetics of Food in Modern Anglophone Indian Fiction , Shakuntala Ray, English
Globalizing Nature on the Shakespearean Stage , William Steffen, English
Gilded Chains: Global Economies and Gendered Arts in US Fiction, 1865-1930 , Heather Wayne, English
“ÆTHELTHRYTH”: SHAPING A RELIGIOUS WOMAN IN TENTH-CENTURY WINCHESTER , Victoria Kent Worth, English
Dissertations from 2018 2018
Sex and Difference in the Jewish American Family: Incest Narratives in 1990s Literary and Pop Culture , Eli W. Bromberg, English
Rhetorical Investments: Writing, Technology, and the Emerging Logics of the Public Sphere , Dan Ehrenfeld, English
Kiskeyanas Valientes en Este Espacio: Dominican Women Writers and the Spaces of Contemporary American Literature , Isabel R. Espinal, English
“TO WEIGH THE WORLD ANEW”: POETICS, RHETORIC, AND SOCIAL STRUGGLE, FROM SIDNEY’S ARCADIA TO SHAKESPEARE’S THEATER , David Katz, English
CIVIC DOMESTICITY: RHETORIC, WOMEN, AND SPACE AT HULL HOUSE, 1889-1910 , Liane Malinowski, English
Charting the Terrain of Latina/o/x Theater in Chicago , Priscilla M. Page, English
The Politics of Feeling and the Work of Belonging in US Immigrant Fiction 1990 - 2015 , Lauren Silber, English
Turning Inside Out: Reading and Writing Godly Identity in Seventeenth-Century Narratives of Spiritual Experience , Meghan Conine Swavely, English
Dissertations from 2017 2017
Tragicomic Transpositions: The Influence of Spanish Prose Romance on the Development of Early Modern English Tragicomedy , Josefina Hardman, English
“The Blackness of Blackness”: Meta-Black Identity in 20th/21st Century African American Culture , Casey Hayman, English
Waiting for Now: Postcolonial Fiction and Colonial Time , Amanda Ruth Waugh Lagji, English
Latina Identities, Critical Literacies, and Academic Achievement in Community College , Morgan Lynn, English
Demanding Spaces: 1970s U.S. Women's Novels as Sites of Struggle , Kate Marantz, English
Novel Buildings: Architectural and Narrative Form in Victorian Fiction , Ashley R. Nadeau, English
CATCH FEELINGS: CLASS AFFECT AND PERFORMATIVITY IN TEACHING ASSOCIATES' NARRATIVES , Anna Rita Napoleone, English
Dialogue and "Dialect": Character Speech in American Fiction , Carly Overfelt, English
Materializing Transfer: Writing Dispositions in a Culture of Standardized Testing , Lisha Daniels Storey, English
Theatres of War: Performing Queer Nationalism in Modernist Narratives , Elise Swinford, English
Dissertations from 2016 2016
Multimodal Assessment in Action: What We Really Value in New Media Texts , Kathleen M. Baldwin, English
Addictive Reading: Nineteenth-Century Drug Literature's Possible Worlds , Adam Colman, English
"The Book Can't Teach You That": A Case Study of Place, Writing, and Tutors' Constructions of Writing Center Work , Christopher Joseph DiBiase, English
Protest Lyrics at Work: Labor Resistance Poetry of Depression-Era Autoworkers , Rebecca S. Griffin, English
From What Remains: The Politics of Aesthetic Mourning and the Poetics of Loss in Contemporary African American Culture , Kajsa K. Henry, English
Minor Subjects in America: Everyday Childhoods of the Long Nineteenth Century , Gina M. Ocasion, English
Enduring Affective Rhetorics: Transnational Feminist Action in Digital Spaces , Jessica Ouellette, English
The School Desk and the Writing Body , Marni M. Presnall, English
Sustainable Public Intellectualism: The Rhetorics of Student Scientist-Activists , Jesse Priest, English
Prosthetizing the Soul: Reading, Seeing, and Feeling in Seventeenth-Century Devotion , Katey E. Roden, English
Dissertations from 2015 2015
“As Child in Time”: Childhood, Temporality, and 19th Century U.S. Literary Imaginings of Democracy , Marissa Carrere, English
A National Style: A Critical Historiography of the Irish Short Story , Andrew Fox, English
Homosexuality is a Poem: How Gay Poets Remodeled the Lyric, Community and the Ideology of Sex to Theorize a Gay Poetic , Christopher M. Hennessy, English
Affecting Manhood: Masculinity, Effeminacy, and the Fop Figure in Early Modern English Drama , Jessica Landis, English
Who Do You Think You Are?: Recovering the Self in the Working Class Escape Narrative , Christine M. Maksimowicz, English
Metabolizing Capital: Writing, Information, and the Biophysical World , Christian J. Pulver, English
Audible Voice in Context , Airlie S. Rose, English
The Role of Online Reading and Writing in the Literacy Practices of First-Year Writing Students , Casey Burton Soto, English
Dissertations from 2014 2014
RESURRECTION: REPRESENTATIONS OF THE BLACK CHURCH IN CONTEMPORARY POPULAR CULTURE , Rachel J. Daniel, English
Seeing Blindness: The Visual and the Great War in Literary Modernism , Rachael Dworsky, English
HERE, THERE, AND IN BETWEEN: TRAVEL AS METAPHOR IN MIXED RACE NARRATIVES OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE , Colin Enriquez, English
Interactive Audience and the Internet , John R. Gallagher, English
Down from the Mountain and into the Mill: Literacy Sponsorship and Southern Appalachian Women in the New South , Emma M. Howes, English
Transnational Gestures: Rethinking Trauma in U.S. War Fiction , Ruth A.H. Lahti, English
"A More Natural Mother": Concepts of Maternity and Queenship in Early Modern England , Anne-Marie Kathleen Strohman, English
Dissertations from 2013 2013
Letters to a Dictionary: Competing Views of Language in the Reception of Webster's Third New International Dictionary , Anne Pence Bello, English
Staging the Depression: The Federal Theatre Project's Dramas of Poverty, 1935-1939 , Amy Brady, English
Our Story Has Not Been Told in any Moment: Radical Black Feminist Theatre From The Old Left to Black Power , Julie M Burrell, English
Writing for Social Action: Affect, Activism, and the Composition Classroom , Sarah Finn, English
Surviving Domestic Tensions: Existential Uncertainty in New World African Diasporic Women's Literature , Denia M Fraser, English
From Feathers to Fur: Theatrical Representations of Skin in the Medieval English Cycle Plays , Valerie Anne Gramling, English
The Reflexive Scaffold: Metatheatricality, Genre, and Cultural Performance in English Renaissance Drama , Nathaniel C. Leonard, English
The World Inscribed: Literary Form, Travel, and the Book in England, 1580-1660 , Philip S Palmer, English
Shakespearean Signifiers , Marie H Roche, English
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Home > ARTSSCI > English > dissertations
English Dissertations and Theses
The English Department Dissertations and Theses Series is comprised of dissertations and thesis authored by Marquette University's English Department doctoral and master's students.
Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023
Lifting the Postmodern Veil: Cosmopolitanism, Humanism, and Decolonization in Global Fictions of the 21st Century , Matthew Burchanoski
Gothic Transformations and Remediations in Cheap Nineteenth-Century Fiction , Wendy Fall
Milton’s Learning: Complementarity and Difference in Paradise Lost , Peter Spaulding
“The Development of the Conceptive Plot Through Early 19th-Century English Novels” , Jannea R. Thomason
Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022
Gonzo Eternal , John Francis Brick
Intertextuality and Sociopolitical Engagement in Contemporary Anglophone Women’s Writing , Jackielee Derks
Innovation, Genre, and Authenticity in the Nineteenth-Century Irish Novel , David Aiden Kenney II
Reluctant Sons: The Irish Matrilineal Tradition of Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, and Flann O’Brien , Jessie Wirkus Haynes
Britain's Extraterrestrial Empire: Colonial Ambition, Anxiety, and Ambivalence in Early Modern Literature , Mark Edward Wisniewski
Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021
Re-Reading the “Culture Clash”: Alternative Ways of Reading in Indian Horse , Hailey Whetten
Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020
When the Foreign Became Familiar: Modernism, Expatriation, and Spatial Identities in the Twentieth Century , Danielle Kristene Clapham
Reforming Victorian Sense/Abilities: Disabilities in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Social Problem Novels , Hunter Nicole Duncan
Genre and Loss: The Impossibility of Restoration in 20th Century Detective Fiction , Kathryn Hendrickson
A Productive Failure: Existentialism in Fin de Siècle England , Maxwell Patchet
Inquiry and Provocation: The Use of Ambiguity in Sixteenth-Century English Political Satire , Jason James Zirbel
Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019
No Home but the World: Forced Migration and Transnational Identity , Justice Hagan
The City As a Trap: 20th and 21st Century American Literature and the American Myth of Mobility , Andrew Joseph Hoffmann
The Fantastic and the First World War , Brian Kenna
Insane in the Brain, Blood, and Lungs: Gender-Specific Manifestations of Hysteria, Chlorosis, & Consumption in 19th-Century Literature , Anna P. Scanlon
Reading Multicultural Novels Melancholically: Racial Grief and Grievance in the Joy Luck Club, Beloved, and Anil's Ghost , Jennifer Arias Sweeney
Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018
The Ethos of Dissent: Epideictic Rhetoric and the Democratic Function of American Protest and Countercultural Literature , Jeffrey Lorino Jr
Literary Cosmopolitanisms of Salman Rushdie, Amitav Ghosh, and Arundhati Roy , Sunil Samuel Macwan
The View from Here: Toward a Sissy Critique , Tyler Monson
The Forbidden Zone Writers: Femininity and Anglophone Women War Writers of the Great War , Sareene Proodian
Theatrical Weddings and Pious Frauds: Performance and Law in Victorian Marriage Plots , Adrianne A. Wojcik
Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016
Changing the Victorian Habit Loop: The Body in the Poetry and Painting of Dante Gabriel Rossetti and William Morris , Bryan Gast
Gendering Scientific Discourse from 1790-1830: Erasmus Darwin, Thomas Beddoes, Maria Edgeworth, and Jane Marcet , Bridget E. Kapler
Discarding Dreams and Legends: The Short Fiction of Elizabeth Madox Roberts, Flannery O’Connor, Katherine Anne Porter, and Eudora Welty , Katy L. Leedy
Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015
Saving the Grotesque: The Grotesque System of Liberation in British Modernism (1922-1932) , Matthew Henningsen
The Pulpit's Muse: Conversive Poetics in the American Renaissance , Michael William Keller
A Single Man of Good Fortune: Postmodern Identities and Consumerism in the New Novel of Manners , Bonnie McLean
Julian of Norwich: Voicing the Vernacular , Therese Elaine Novotny
Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014
Homecomings: Victorian British Women Travel Writers And Revisions Of Domesticity , Emily Paige Blaser
From Pastorals to Paterson: Ecology in the Poetry and Poetics of William Carlos WIlliams , Daniel Edmund Burke
Argument in Poetry: (Re)Defining the Middle English Debate in Academic, Popular, and Physical Contexts , Kathleen R. Burt
Apocalyptic Mentalities in Late-Medieval England , Steven A. Hackbarth
The Creation of Heaven in the Middle Ages , William Storm
(re)making The Gentleman: Genteel Masculinities And The Country Estate In The Novels Of Charlotte Smith, Jane Austen, And Elizabeth Gaskell , Shaunna Kay Wilkinson
Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013
Brides, Department Stores, Westerns, and Scrapbooks--The Everyday Lives of Teenage Girls in the 1940s , Carly Anger
Placed People: Rootedness in G. K. Chesterton, C. S. Lewis, and Wendell Berry , David Harden
Rhetorics Of Girlhood Trauma In Writing By Holly Goddard Jones, Joyce Carol Oates, Sandra Cisneros, And Jamaica Kincaid , Stephanie Marie Stella
Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012
A Victorian Christmas in Hell: Yuletide Ghosts and Necessary Pleasures in the Age of Capital , Brandon Chitwood
"Be-Holde the First Acte of this Tragedy" : Generic Symbiosis and Cross-Pollination in Jacobean Drama and the Early Modern Prose Novella , Karen Ann Zyck Galbraith
Pamela: Or, Virtue Reworded: The Texts, Paratexts, and Revisions that Redefine Samuel Richardson's Pamela , Jarrod Hurlbert
Violence and Masculinity in American Fiction, 1950-1975 , Magdalen McKinley
Gender Politics in the Novels of Eliza Haywood , Susan Muse
Destabilizing Tradition: Gender, Sexuality, and Postnational Identity in Four Novels by Irish Women, 1960-2000 , Sarah Nestor
Truth Telling: Testimony and Evidence in the Novels of Elizabeth Gaskell , Rebecca Parker Fedewa
Spirit of the Psyche: Carl Jung's and Victor White's Influence on Flannery O'Connor's Fiction , Paul Wakeman
Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011
Performing the Audience: Constructing Playgoing in Early Modern Drama , Eric Dunnum
Paule Marshall's Critique of Contemporary Neo-Imperialisms Through the Trope of Travel , Michelle Miesen Felix
Hermeneutics, Poetry, and Spenser: Augustinian Exegesis and the Renaissance Epic , Denna Iammarino-Falhamer
Encompassing the Intolerable: Laughter, Memory, and Inscription in the Fiction of John McGahern , John Keegan Malloy
Regional Consciousness in American Literature, 1860-1930 , Kelsey Louise Squire
The Ethics of Ekphrasis: The Turn to Responsible Rhetoric in Mid-Twentieth Century American Poetry , Joshua Scott Steffey
Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010
Cognitive Architectures: Structures of Passion in Joanna Baillie's Dramas , Daniel James Bergen
On Trial: Restorative Justice in the Godwin-Wollstonecraft-Shelley Family Fictions , Colleen M. Fenno
Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009
What's the point to eschatology : multiple religions and terminality in James Joyce's Finnegans wake , Martin R. Brick
Economizing Characters: Harriet Martineau and the Problems of Poverty in Victorian Literature, Culture and Law , Mary Colleen Willenbring
Submissions from 2008 2008
"An improbable fiction": The marriage of history and romance in Shakespeare's Henriad , Marcia Eppich-Harris
Bearing the Mark of the Social: Notes Towards a Cosmopolitan Bildungsroman , Megan M. Muthupandiyan
The Gothic Novel and the Invention of the Middle-Class Reader: Northanger Abbey As Case Study , Tenille Nowak
Not Just a Novel of Epic Proportions: Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man As Modern American Epic , Dana Edwards Prodoehl
Recovering the Radicals: Women Writers, Reform, and Nationalist Modes of Revolutionary Discourse , Mark J. Zunac
Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007
"The Sweet and the Bitter": Death and Dying in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings , Amy M. Amendt-Raduege
The Games Men Play: Madness and Masculinity in Post-World War II American Fiction, 1946-1964 , Thomas P. Durkin
Denise Levertov: Through An Ecofeminist Lens , Katherine A. Hanson
The Wit of Wrestling: Devotional-Aesthetic Tradition in Christina Rossetti's Poetry , Maria M.E. Keaton
Genderless Bodies: Stigma and the Myth of Womanhood , Ellen M. Letizia
Envy and Jealousy in the Novels of the Brontës: A Synoptic Discernment , Margaret Ann McCann
Technologies of the Late Medieval Self: Ineffability, Distance, and Subjectivity in the Book of Margery Kempe , Crystal L. Mueller
"Finding-- a Map-- to That Place Called Home": The Journey from Silence to Recovery in Patrick McCabe's Carn and Breakfast on Pluto , Valerie A. Murrenus Pilmaier
Emily Dickinson's Ecocentric Pastoralism , Moon-ju Shin
The American Jeremiad in Civil War Literature , Jacob Hadley Stratman
Theses/Dissertations from 2006 2006
Literary Art in Times of Crisis: The Proto-Totalitarian Anxiety of Melville, James, and Twain , Matthew J. Darling
(Re) Writing Genre: Narrative Conventions and Race in the Novels of Toni Morrison , Jennifer Lee Jordan Heinert
"Amsolookly Kersse": Clothing in Finnegan's Wake , Catherine Simpson Kalish
"Do Your Will": Shakespeare's Use of the Rhetoric of Seduction in Four Plays , Jason James Nado
Woman in Emblem: Locating Authority in the Work and Identity of Katherine Philips (1632-1664) , Susan L. Stafinbil
When the Bough Breaks: Poetry on Abortion , Wendy A. Weaver
Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005
Heroic Destruction: Shame and Guilt Cultures in Medieval Heroic Poetry , Karl E. Boehler
Poe and Early (Un)American Drama , Amy C. Branam
Grammars of Assent: Constructing Poetic Authority in An Age of Science , William Myles Carroll III
This Place is Not a Place: The Constructed Scene in the Works of Sir Walter Scott , Colin J. Marlaire
Cognitive Narratology: A Practical Approach to the Reader-Writer Relationship , Debra Ann Ripley
Theses/Dissertations from 2004 2004
Defoe and the Pirates: Function of Genre Conventions in Raiding Narratives , William J. Dezoma
Creative Discourse in the Eighteenth-Century Courtship Novel , Michelle Ruggaber Dougherty
Exclusionary Politics: Mourning and Modernism in the Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Amy Levy, and Charlotte Mew , Donna Decker Schuster
Theses/Dissertations from 2003 2003
Toward a Re-Formed Confession: Johann Gerhard's Sacred Meditations and "Repining Restlessnesse" in the Poetry of George Herbert , Erik P. Ankerberg
Idiographic Spaces: Representation, Ideology and Realism in the Postmodern British Novel , Gordon B. McConnell
Theses/Dissertations from 2002 2002
Reading into It: Wallace Stegner's Novelistic Sense of Time and Place , Colin C. Irvine
Brisbane and Beyond: Revising Social Capitalism in Mid-Nineteenth-Century America , Michael C. Mattek
Theses/Dissertations from 2001 2001
Christians and Mimics in W. B. Yeats' Collected Poems , Patrick Mulrooney
Renaissance Roles and the Process of Social Change , John Wieland
'Straunge Disguize': Allegory and Its Discontents in Spenser's Faerie Queene , Galina Ivanovna Yermolenko
Theses/Dissertations from 2000 2000
Reading American Women's Autobiography: Spheres of Identity, Spheres of Influence , Amy C. Getty
"Making Strange": The Art and Science of Selfhood in the Works of John Banville , Heather Maureen Moran
Writing Guadalupe: Mediacion and (mis)translation in borderland text(o)s , Jenny T Olin-Shanahan
Writing Guadalupe: Mediacion and (Mis)Translation in Borderland Text(o)s , Jenny T. Olin-Shanahan
Theses/Dissertations from 1999 1999
Setting the Word Against the Word: The Search for Self-Understanding in Richard II , Richard J. Erable
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Digital Commons @ USF > College of Arts and Sciences > English > Theses and Dissertations
English Theses and Dissertations
Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.
Of Mētis and Cuttlefish: Employing Collective Mētis as a Theoretical Framework for Marginalized Communities , Justiss Wilder Burry
What on earth are we doing (?): A Field-Wide Exploration of Design Courses in TPC , Jessica L. Griffith
Organizations Ensuring Resilience: A Case Study of Cortez, Florida , Karla Ariel Maddox
Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022
Using Movie Clips to Understand Vivid-Phrasal Idioms’ Meanings , Rasha Salem S. Alghamdi
An Exercise in Exceptions: Personhood, Divergency, and Ableism in the STAR TREK Franchise , Jessica A. Blackman
Vulnerable Resistance in Victorian Women’s Writing , Stephanie A. Harper
Curricular Assemblages: Understanding Student Writing Knowledge (Re)circulation Across Genres , Adam Phillips
PAD Beyond the Classroom: Integrating PAD in the Scrum Workplace , Jade S. Weiss
Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021
Social Cues in Animated Pedagogical Agents for Second Language Learners: the Application of The Embodiment Principle in Video Design , Sahar M. Alyahya
A Field-Wide Examination of Cross-Listed Courses in Technical Professional Communication , Carolyn M. Gubala
Labor-Based Grading Contracts in the Multilingual FYC Classroom: Unpacking the Variables , Kara Kristina Larson
Land Goddesses, Divine Pigs, and Royal Tricksters: Subversive Mythologies and Imperialist Land Ownership Dispossession in Twentieth Century Irish and American Literature , Elizabeth Ricketts
Oppression, Resistance, and Empowerment: The Power Dynamics of Naming and Un-naming in African American Literature, 1794 to 2019 , Melissa "Maggie" Romigh
Generic Expectations in First Year Writing: Teaching Metadiscoursal Reflection and Revision Strategies for Increased Generic Uptake of Academic Writing , Kaelah Rose Scheff
Reframing the Gothic: Race, Gender, & Disability in Multiethnic Literature , Ashely B. Tisdale
Intersections of Race and Place in Short Fiction by New Orleans Gens de Couleur Libres , Adrienne D. Vivian
Mental Illness Diagnosis and the Construction of Stigma , Katie Lynn Walkup
Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020
Rhetorical Roundhouse Kicks: Tae Kwon Do Pumsae Practice and Non-Western Embodied Topoi , Spencer Todd Bennington
9/11 Then and Now: How the Performance of Memorial Rhetoric by Presidents Changes to Construct Heroes , Kristen M. Grafton
Kinesthetically Speaking: Human and Animal Communication in British Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century , Dana Jolene Laitinen
Exploring Refugee Students’ Second Language (L2) Motivational Selves through Digital Visual Representations , Nhu Le
Glamour in Contemporary American Cinema , Shauna A. Maragh
Instrumentalization Theory: An Analytical Heuristic for a Heightened Social Awareness of Machine Learning Algorithms in Social Media , Andrew R. Miller
Intercessory Power: A Literary Analysis of Ethics and Care in Toni Morrison’s Song of Solomon , Alice Walker’s Meridian , and Toni Cade Bambara’s Those Bones Are Not My Child , Kelly Mills
The Power of Non-Compliant Logos: A New Materialist Approach to Comic Studies , Stephanie N. Phillips
Female Identity and Sexuality in Contemporary Indonesian Novels , Zita Rarastesa
"The Fiery Furnaces of Hell": Rhetorical Dynamism in Youngstown, OH , Joshua M. Rea
“We developed solidarity”: Family, Race, Identity, and Space-Time in Recent Multiethnic U.S. American Fiction , Kimber L. Wiggs
Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019
Remembrance of a Wound: Ethical Mourning in the Works of Ana Menéndez, Elías Miguel Muñoz, and Junot Díaz , José Aparicio
Taking an “Ecological Turn” in the Evaluation of Rhetorical Interventions , Peter Cannon
New GTA’s and the Pre-Semester Orientation: The Need for Informed Refinement , Jessica L. Griffith
Reading Rape and Answering with Empathy: A New Approach to Sexual Assault Education for College Students , Brianna Jerman
The Karoo , The Veld , and the Co-Op: The Farm as Microcosm and Place for Change in Schreiner, Lessing, and Head , Elana D. Karshmer
"The weak are meat, and the strong do eat"; Representations of the Slaughterhouse in Twentieth and Twenty-First Century Literature , Stephanie Lance
Language of Carnival: How Language and the Carnivalesque Challenge Hegemony , Yulia O. Nekrashevich
Queer Authority in Old and Middle English Literature , Elan J. Pavlinich
Because My Garmin Told Me To: A New Materialist Study of Agency and Wearable Technology , Michael Repici
No One Wants to Read What You Write: A Contextualized Analysis of Service Course Assignments , Tanya P. Zarlengo
Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018
Beauty and the Beasts: Making Places with Literary Animals of Florida , Haili A. Alcorn
The Medievalizing Process: Religious Medievalism in Romantic and Victorian Literature , Timothy M. Curran
Seeing Trauma: The Known and the Hidden in Nineteenth-Century Literature , Alisa M. DeBorde
Analysis of User Interfaces in the Sharing Economy , Taylor B. Johnson
Border-Crossing Travels Across Literary Worlds: My Shamanic Conscientization , Scott Neumeister
The Spectacle of The Bomb: Rhetorical Analysis of Risk of The Nevada Test Site in Technical Communication, Popular Press, and Pop Culture , Tiffany Wilgar
Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017
Traveling Women and Consuming Place in Eighteenth-Century Travel Letters and Journals , Cassie Patricia Childs
“The Nations of the Field and Wood”: The Uncertain Ontology of Animals in Eighteenth-Century British Literature , J. Kevin Jordan
Modern Mythologies: The Epic Imagination in Contemporary Indian Literature , Sucheta Kanjilal
Science in the Sun: How Science is Performed as a Spatial Practice , Natalie Kass
Body as Text: Physiognomy on the Early English Stage , Curtis Le Van
Tensions Between Democracy and Expertise in the Florida Keys , Elizabeth A. Loyer
Institutional Review Boards and Writing Studies Research: A Justice-Oriented Study , Johanna Phelps-Hillen
The Spirit of Friendship: Girlfriends in Contemporary African American Literature , Tangela La'Chelle Serls
Aphra Behn on the Contemporary Stage: Behn's Feminist Legacy and Woman-Directed Revivals of The Rover , Nicole Elizabeth Stodard
(Age)ncy in Composition Studies , Alaina Tackitt
Constructing Health Narratives: Patient Feedback in Online Communities , Katie Lynn Walkup
Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016
Rupturing the World of Elite Athletics: A Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis of the Suspension of the 2011 IAAF Regulations on Hyperandrogenism , Ella Browning
Shaping Climate Citizenship: The Ethics of Inclusion in Climate Change Communication and Policy , Lauren E. Cagle
Drop, Cover, and Hold On: Analyzing FEMA's Risk Communication through Visual Rhetoric , Samantha Jo Cosgrove
Material Expertise: Applying Object-oriented Rhetoric in Marine Policy , Zachary Parke Dixon
The Non-Identical Anglophone Bildungsroman : From the Categorical to the De-Centering Literary Subject in the Black Atlantic , Jarad Heath Fennell
Instattack: Instagram and Visual Ad Hominem Political Arguments , Sophia Evangeline Gourgiotis
Hospitable Climates: Representations of the West Indies in Eighteenth-Century British Literature , Marisa Carmen Iglesias
Chosen Champions: Medieval and Early Modern Heroes as Postcolonial Reactions to Tensions between England and Europe , Jessica Trant Labossiere
Science, Policy, and Decision Making: A Case Study of Deliberative Rhetoric and Policymaking for Coastal Adaptation in Southeast Florida , Karen Patricia Langbehn
A New Materialist Approach to Visual Rhetoric in PhotoShopBattles , Jonathan Paul Ray
Tracing the Material: Spaces and Objects in British and Irish Modernist Novels , Mary Allison Wise
Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015
Representations of Gatsby: Ninety Years of Retrospective , Christine Anne Auger
Robust, Low Power, Discrete Gate Sizing , Anthony Joseph Casagrande
Wrestling with Angels: Postsecular Contemporary American Poetry , Paul T. Corrigan
#networkedglobe: Making the Connection between Social Media and Intercultural Technical Communication , Laura Anne Ewing
Evidence of Things Not Seen: A Semi-Automated Descriptive Phrase and Frame Analysis of Texts about the Herbicide Agent Orange , Sarah Beth Hopton
'She Shall Not Be Moved': Black Women's Spiritual Practice in Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, Beloved, Paradise, and Home , Rondrea Danielle Mathis
Relational Agency, Networked Technology, and the Social Media Aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombing , Megan M. Mcintyre
Now, We Hear Through a Voice Darkly: New Media and Narratology in Cinematic Art , James Anthony Ricci
Navigating Collective Activity Systems: An Approach Towards Rhetorical Inquiry , Katherine Jesse Royce
Women's Narratives of Confinement: Domestic Chores as Threads of Resistance and Healing , Jacqueline Marie Smith
Domestic Spaces in Transition: Modern Representations of Dwelling in the Texts of Elizabeth Bowen , Shannon Tivnan
Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014
Paradise Always Already Lost: Myth, Memory, and Matter in English Literature , Elizabeth Stuart Angello
Overcoming the 5th-Century BCE Epistemological Tragedy: A Productive Reading of Protagoras of Abdera , Ryan Alan Blank
Acts of Rebellion: The Rhetoric of Rogue Cinema , Adam Breckenridge
Material and Textual Spaces in the Poetry of Montagu, Leapor, Barbauld, and Robinson , Jessica Lauren Cook
Decolonizing Shakespeare: Race, Gender, and Colonialism in Three Adaptations of Three Plays by William Shakespeare , Angela Eward-Mangione
Risk of Compliance: Tracing Safety and Efficacy in Mef-Lariam's Licensure , Julie Marie Gerdes
Beyond Performance: Rhetoric, Collective Memory, and the Motive of Imprinting Identity , Brenda M. Grau
Subversive Beauty - Victorian Bodies of Expression , Lisa Michelle Hoffman-Reyes
Integrating Reading and Writing For Florida's ESOL Program , George Douglas Mcarthur
Responsibility and Responsiveness in the Novels of Ann Radcliffe and Mary Shelley , Katherine Marie McGee
Ghosts, Orphans, and Outlaws: History, Family, and the Law in Toni Morrison's Fiction , Jessica Mckee
The "Defective" Generation: Disability in Modernist Literature , Deborah Susan Mcleod
Science Fiction/Fantasy and the Representation of Ethnic Futurity , Joy Ann Sanchez-Taylor
Hermes, Technical Communicator of the Gods: The Theory, Design, and Creation of a Persuasive Game for Technical Communication , Eric Walsh
Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013
Rhetorical Spirits: Spirituality as Rhetorical Device in New Age Womanist of Color Texts , Ronisha Witlee Browdy
Disciplinarity, Crisis, and Opportunity in Technical Communication , Jason Robert Carabelli
The Terror of Possibility: A Re-evaluation and Reconception of the Sublime Aesthetic , Kurt Fawver
Unbearable Weight, Unbearable Witness: The (Im)possibility of Witnessing Eating Disorders in Cyberspace , Kristen Nicole Gay
the post- 9/11 aesthetic: repositioning the zombie film in the horror genre , Alan Edward Green, Jr.
An(other) Rhetoric: Rhetoric, Ethics, and the Rhetorical Tradition , Kathleen Sandell Hardesty
Mapping Dissertation Genre Ecology , Kate Lisbeth Pantelides
Dead Man's Switch: Disaster Rhetorics in a Posthuman Age , Daniel Patrick Richards
"Of That Transfigured World" : Realism and Fantasy in Victorian Literature , Benjamin Jude Wright
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"All May Na Man Have in Talle": The Parabiblical Imaginary in Medieval English Literature
Cognitive boundaries: perception and ethics in nineteenth-century britain , colony writing: creative community in the age of revolt , cosmopolitan romance: the adventure of archaeology, the politics of genre, and the origins of the future in walter scott's crusader novels , the entangled cities: earthly communities and the heavenly jerusalem in late medieval england , the fate of epic in twentieth-century american poetry , getting lost: forms of animation in the eighteenth- and nineteenth-century british novel , hap: uncertainty and the english novel , the imaginary encyclopedia: the novel and the reference work in the age of reason , lyric as comedy , milton and music , the miniature and victorian literature , “my life is only one life”: turning to other people in american lyric poetry after new criticism , narrative and its non-events: counterfactual plotting in the victorian novel , poetry, desire, and devotional performance from shakespeare to milton, 1609-1667 , practical georgics: managing the land in medieval britain , the practice of form: arts of life in victorian literature , the premodern literary: matter and form in english poetry 1400-1547 , protestant institutionalism: religion, literature, and society after the state church , representations of counsel in selected works of sir philip sidney .
Literary Criticism
- Introduction
- Literary Theories
- Steps to Literary Criticism
- Find Resources
- Cite Sources
- thesis examples
SAMPLE THESIS STATEMENTS
These sample thesis statements are provided as guides, not as required forms or prescriptions.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The thesis may focus on an analysis of one of the elements of fiction, drama, poetry or nonfiction as expressed in the work: character, plot, structure, idea, theme, symbol, style, imagery, tone, etc.
In “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty creates a fictional character in Phoenix Jackson whose determination, faith, and cunning illustrate the indomitable human spirit.
Note that the work, author, and character to be analyzed are identified in this thesis statement. The thesis relies on a strong verb (creates). It also identifies the element of fiction that the writer will explore (character) and the characteristics the writer will analyze and discuss (determination, faith, cunning).
Further Examples:
The character of the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet serves as a foil to young Juliet, delights us with her warmth and earthy wit, and helps realize the tragic catastrophe.
The works of ecstatic love poets Rumi, Hafiz, and Kabir use symbols such as a lover’s longing and the Tavern of Ruin to illustrate the human soul’s desire to connect with God.
The thesis may focus on illustrating how a work reflects the particular genre’s forms, the characteristics of a philosophy of literature, or the ideas of a particular school of thought.
“The Third and Final Continent” exhibits characteristics recurrent in writings by immigrants: tradition, adaptation, and identity.
Note how the thesis statement classifies the form of the work (writings by immigrants) and identifies the characteristics of that form of writing (tradition, adaptation, and identity) that the essay will discuss.
Further examples:
Samuel Beckett’s Endgame reflects characteristics of Theatre of the Absurd in its minimalist stage setting, its seemingly meaningless dialogue, and its apocalyptic or nihilist vision.
A close look at many details in “The Story of an Hour” reveals how language, institutions, and expected demeanor suppress the natural desires and aspirations of women.
The thesis may draw parallels between some element in the work and real-life situations or subject matter: historical events, the author’s life, medical diagnoses, etc.
In Willa Cather’s short story, “Paul’s Case,” Paul exhibits suicidal behavior that a caring adult might have recognized and remedied had that adult had the scientific knowledge we have today.
This thesis suggests that the essay will identify characteristics of suicide that Paul exhibits in the story. The writer will have to research medical and psychology texts to determine the typical characteristics of suicidal behavior and to illustrate how Paul’s behavior mirrors those characteristics.
Through the experience of one man, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, accurately depicts the historical record of slave life in its descriptions of the often brutal and quixotic relationship between master and slave and of the fragmentation of slave families.
In “I Stand Here Ironing,” one can draw parallels between the narrator’s situation and the author’s life experiences as a mother, writer, and feminist.
SAMPLE PATTERNS FOR THESES ON LITERARY WORKS
1. In (title of work), (author) (illustrates, shows) (aspect) (adjective).
Example: In “Barn Burning,” William Faulkner shows the characters Sardie and Abner Snopes struggling for their identity.
2. In (title of work), (author) uses (one aspect) to (define, strengthen, illustrate) the (element of work).
Example: In “Youth,” Joseph Conrad uses foreshadowing to strengthen the plot.
3. In (title of work), (author) uses (an important part of work) as a unifying device for (one element), (another element), and (another element). The number of elements can vary from one to four.
Example: In “Youth,” Joseph Conrad uses the sea as a unifying device for setting, structure and theme.
4. (Author) develops the character of (character’s name) in (literary work) through what he/she does, what he/she says, what other people say to or about him/her.
Example: Langston Hughes develops the character of Semple in “Ways and Means”…
5. In (title of work), (author) uses (literary device) to (accomplish, develop, illustrate, strengthen) (element of work).
Example: In “The Masque of the Red Death,” Poe uses the symbolism of the stranger, the clock, and the seventh room to develop the theme of death.
6. (Author) (shows, develops, illustrates) the theme of __________ in the (play, poem, story).
Example: Flannery O’Connor illustrates the theme of the effect of the selfishness of the grandmother upon the family in “A Good Man is Hard to Find.”
7. (Author) develops his character(s) in (title of work) through his/her use of language.
Example: John Updike develops his characters in “A & P” through his use of figurative language.
Perimeter College, Georgia State University, http://depts.gpc.edu/~gpcltc/handouts/communications/literarythesis.pdf
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Home > ACADEMIC-UNITS > College of Arts and Sciences > Department of English Language and Literature > ENGLISH_ETD
MA in English Theses
Theses/dissertations from 2018 2018.
Implementing Critical Analysis in the Classroom to Negate Southern Stereotypes in Multi-Media , Julie Broyhill
Fan Fiction in the English Language Arts Classroom , Kristen Finucan
Transferring the Mantle: The Voice of the Poet Prophet in the Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Emily Dickinson , Heidi Brown Hyde
The Effects of Social Media as Low-Stakes Writing Tasks , Roxanne Loving
Student and Teacher Perceptions of Multiliterate Assignments Utilizing 21st Century Skills , Jessica Kennedy Miller
The Storytellers’ Trauma: A Place to Call Home in Caribbean Literature , Ilari Pass
Post Title IX Representations of Professional Female Athletes , Emily Shaw
Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017
“Not as She is” but as She is Expected to Be: Representations, Limitations, and Implications of the “Woman” and Womanhood in Selected Victorian Literature and Contemporary Chick Lit. , Amanda Ellen Bridgers
The Intrinsic Factors that Influence Successful College Writing , Kenneth Dean Carlstrom
"Where nature was most plain and pure": The Sacred Locus Amoenus and its Profane Threat in Andrew Marvell's Pastoral Poetry , James Brent King
Colorblind: How Cable News and the “Cult of Objectivity” Normalized Racism in Donald Trump’s Presidential Campaign , Amanda Leeann Shoaf
Gaming The Comic Book: Turning The Page on How Comics and Videogames Intersect as Interactive, Digital Experiences , Joseph Austin Thurmond
Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016
The Nature, Function, and Value of Emojis as Contemporary Tools of Digital Interpersonal Communication , Nicole L. Bliss-Carroll
Exile and Identity: Chaim Potok's Contribution to Jewish-American Literature , Sarah Anne Hamner
A Woman's Voice and Identity: Narrative Métissage as a Solution to Voicelessness in American Literature , Kali Lauren Oldacre
Pop, Hip Hop, and Empire, Study of a New Pedagogical Approach in a Developmental Reading and English Class , Karen Denise Taylor
Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015
Abandoning the Shadows and Seizing the Stage: A Perspective on a Feminine Discourse of Resistance Theatre as Informed by the Work of Susanna Centlivre, Eliza Haywood, Frances Sheridan, Hannah Cowley, and the Sistren Theatre Collective , Brianna A. Bleymaier
Mexican Immigrants as "Other": An Interdisciplinary Analysis of U.S. Immigration Legislation and Political Cartoons , Olivia Teague Morgan
Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014
"I Am a Living Enigma - And You Want To Know the Right Reading of Me": Gender Anxiety in Wilkie Collins's The Haunted Hotel and The Guilty River , Hannah Allford
Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013
Gender Performance and the Reclamation of Masculinity in Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns , John William Salyers Jr.
Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012
"That's a Lotta Faith We're Putting in a Word": Language, Religion, and Heteroglossia as Oppression and Resistance in Comtemporary British Dystopian Fiction , Haley Cassandra Gambrell
Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011
Mirroring the Madness: Caribbean Female Development in the Works of Elizabeth Nunez , Lauren Delli Santi
"Atlas Shrugged" and third-wave feminism: An unlikely alliance , Paul McMahan
"Sit back down where you belong, in the corner of my bar with your high heels on": The use of cross-dressing in order to achieve female agency in Shakespeare's transvestite comedies , Heather Lynn Wright
Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010
Between the Way to the Cross and Emmaus: Deconstructing Identity in the 325 CE Council of Nicaea and "The Shack" , Trevar Simmons
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Dissertation examples
Listed below are some of the best examples of research projects and dissertations from undergraduate and taught postgraduate students at the University of Leeds We have not been able to gather examples from all schools. The module requirements for research projects may have changed since these examples were written. Refer to your module guidelines to make sure that you address all of the current assessment criteria. Some of the examples below are only available to access on campus.
- Undergraduate examples
- Taught Masters examples
English Literature: researching your dissertation: Home
- Getting an overview of your topic
- Finding primary sources
- Finding relevant books
- Finding journals/journal articles
- Key subject-specific e-resources
- Searching effectively
- Citing references
Starting your dissertation research
This guide aims to provide an overview of the range of Library resources available to you when researching your dissertation topic. Topics covered include developing effective search strategies and finding scholarly primary and secondary source material.
The video tutorial below, ' Starting your research ', provides useful advice on how to begin your research.
Getting further help
- Your Academic Liaison Librarian If you need further help then get in touch with your academic liaison librarian (contact details on the right) to book a meeting to discuss how to find and make the best use of Library resources related to your dissertation topic.
- Study advice The Study Advice Team are based in the Library. They offer study guides, workshops, individual advice sessions, and much more to make your studying more effective and successful. See the Study Advice website for more information.
If you are unable to view this video on YouTube it is also available on YuJa - view the Starting researching your assignment video on YuJa (University username and password required)
Writing successful reports and dissertations
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- Last Updated: May 13, 2024 11:44 AM
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- What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples
What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples
Published on 22 February 2022 by Shona McCombes . Revised on 7 June 2022.
What is a literature review? A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research.
There are five key steps to writing a literature review:
- Search for relevant literature
- Evaluate sources
- Identify themes, debates and gaps
- Outline the structure
- Write your literature review
A good literature review doesn’t just summarise sources – it analyses, synthesises, and critically evaluates to give a clear picture of the state of knowledge on the subject.
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Table of contents
Why write a literature review, examples of literature reviews, step 1: search for relevant literature, step 2: evaluate and select sources, step 3: identify themes, debates and gaps, step 4: outline your literature review’s structure, step 5: write your literature review, frequently asked questions about literature reviews, introduction.
- Quick Run-through
- Step 1 & 2
When you write a dissertation or thesis, you will have to conduct a literature review to situate your research within existing knowledge. The literature review gives you a chance to:
- Demonstrate your familiarity with the topic and scholarly context
- Develop a theoretical framework and methodology for your research
- Position yourself in relation to other researchers and theorists
- Show how your dissertation addresses a gap or contributes to a debate
You might also have to write a literature review as a stand-alone assignment. In this case, the purpose is to evaluate the current state of research and demonstrate your knowledge of scholarly debates around a topic.
The content will look slightly different in each case, but the process of conducting a literature review follows the same steps. We’ve written a step-by-step guide that you can follow below.
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Writing literature reviews can be quite challenging! A good starting point could be to look at some examples, depending on what kind of literature review you’d like to write.
- Example literature review #1: “Why Do People Migrate? A Review of the Theoretical Literature” ( Theoretical literature review about the development of economic migration theory from the 1950s to today.)
- Example literature review #2: “Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines” ( Methodological literature review about interdisciplinary knowledge acquisition and production.)
- Example literature review #3: “The Use of Technology in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Thematic literature review about the effects of technology on language acquisition.)
- Example literature review #4: “Learners’ Listening Comprehension Difficulties in English Language Learning: A Literature Review” ( Chronological literature review about how the concept of listening skills has changed over time.)
You can also check out our templates with literature review examples and sample outlines at the links below.
Download Word doc Download Google doc
Before you begin searching for literature, you need a clearly defined topic .
If you are writing the literature review section of a dissertation or research paper, you will search for literature related to your research objectives and questions .
If you are writing a literature review as a stand-alone assignment, you will have to choose a focus and develop a central question to direct your search. Unlike a dissertation research question, this question has to be answerable without collecting original data. You should be able to answer it based only on a review of existing publications.
Make a list of keywords
Start by creating a list of keywords related to your research topic. Include each of the key concepts or variables you’re interested in, and list any synonyms and related terms. You can add to this list if you discover new keywords in the process of your literature search.
- Social media, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, TikTok
- Body image, self-perception, self-esteem, mental health
- Generation Z, teenagers, adolescents, youth
Search for relevant sources
Use your keywords to begin searching for sources. Some databases to search for journals and articles include:
- Your university’s library catalogue
- Google Scholar
- Project Muse (humanities and social sciences)
- Medline (life sciences and biomedicine)
- EconLit (economics)
- Inspec (physics, engineering and computer science)
You can use boolean operators to help narrow down your search:
Read the abstract to find out whether an article is relevant to your question. When you find a useful book or article, you can check the bibliography to find other relevant sources.
To identify the most important publications on your topic, take note of recurring citations. If the same authors, books or articles keep appearing in your reading, make sure to seek them out.
You probably won’t be able to read absolutely everything that has been written on the topic – you’ll have to evaluate which sources are most relevant to your questions.
For each publication, ask yourself:
- What question or problem is the author addressing?
- What are the key concepts and how are they defined?
- What are the key theories, models and methods? Does the research use established frameworks or take an innovative approach?
- What are the results and conclusions of the study?
- How does the publication relate to other literature in the field? Does it confirm, add to, or challenge established knowledge?
- How does the publication contribute to your understanding of the topic? What are its key insights and arguments?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the research?
Make sure the sources you use are credible, and make sure you read any landmark studies and major theories in your field of research.
You can find out how many times an article has been cited on Google Scholar – a high citation count means the article has been influential in the field, and should certainly be included in your literature review.
The scope of your review will depend on your topic and discipline: in the sciences you usually only review recent literature, but in the humanities you might take a long historical perspective (for example, to trace how a concept has changed in meaning over time).
Remember that you can use our template to summarise and evaluate sources you’re thinking about using!
Take notes and cite your sources
As you read, you should also begin the writing process. Take notes that you can later incorporate into the text of your literature review.
It’s important to keep track of your sources with references to avoid plagiarism . It can be helpful to make an annotated bibliography, where you compile full reference information and write a paragraph of summary and analysis for each source. This helps you remember what you read and saves time later in the process.
You can use our free APA Reference Generator for quick, correct, consistent citations.
To begin organising your literature review’s argument and structure, you need to understand the connections and relationships between the sources you’ve read. Based on your reading and notes, you can look for:
- Trends and patterns (in theory, method or results): do certain approaches become more or less popular over time?
- Themes: what questions or concepts recur across the literature?
- Debates, conflicts and contradictions: where do sources disagree?
- Pivotal publications: are there any influential theories or studies that changed the direction of the field?
- Gaps: what is missing from the literature? Are there weaknesses that need to be addressed?
This step will help you work out the structure of your literature review and (if applicable) show how your own research will contribute to existing knowledge.
- Most research has focused on young women.
- There is an increasing interest in the visual aspects of social media.
- But there is still a lack of robust research on highly-visual platforms like Instagram and Snapchat – this is a gap that you could address in your own research.
There are various approaches to organising the body of a literature review. You should have a rough idea of your strategy before you start writing.
Depending on the length of your literature review, you can combine several of these strategies (for example, your overall structure might be thematic, but each theme is discussed chronologically).
Chronological
The simplest approach is to trace the development of the topic over time. However, if you choose this strategy, be careful to avoid simply listing and summarising sources in order.
Try to analyse patterns, turning points and key debates that have shaped the direction of the field. Give your interpretation of how and why certain developments occurred.
If you have found some recurring central themes, you can organise your literature review into subsections that address different aspects of the topic.
For example, if you are reviewing literature about inequalities in migrant health outcomes, key themes might include healthcare policy, language barriers, cultural attitudes, legal status, and economic access.
Methodological
If you draw your sources from different disciplines or fields that use a variety of research methods , you might want to compare the results and conclusions that emerge from different approaches. For example:
- Look at what results have emerged in qualitative versus quantitative research
- Discuss how the topic has been approached by empirical versus theoretical scholarship
- Divide the literature into sociological, historical, and cultural sources
Theoretical
A literature review is often the foundation for a theoretical framework . You can use it to discuss various theories, models, and definitions of key concepts.
You might argue for the relevance of a specific theoretical approach, or combine various theoretical concepts to create a framework for your research.
Like any other academic text, your literature review should have an introduction , a main body, and a conclusion . What you include in each depends on the objective of your literature review.
The introduction should clearly establish the focus and purpose of the literature review.
If you are writing the literature review as part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate your central problem or research question and give a brief summary of the scholarly context. You can emphasise the timeliness of the topic (“many recent studies have focused on the problem of x”) or highlight a gap in the literature (“while there has been much research on x, few researchers have taken y into consideration”).
Depending on the length of your literature review, you might want to divide the body into subsections. You can use a subheading for each theme, time period, or methodological approach.
As you write, make sure to follow these tips:
- Summarise and synthesise: give an overview of the main points of each source and combine them into a coherent whole.
- Analyse and interpret: don’t just paraphrase other researchers – add your own interpretations, discussing the significance of findings in relation to the literature as a whole.
- Critically evaluate: mention the strengths and weaknesses of your sources.
- Write in well-structured paragraphs: use transitions and topic sentences to draw connections, comparisons and contrasts.
In the conclusion, you should summarise the key findings you have taken from the literature and emphasise their significance.
If the literature review is part of your dissertation or thesis, reiterate how your research addresses gaps and contributes new knowledge, or discuss how you have drawn on existing theories and methods to build a framework for your research. This can lead directly into your methodology section.
A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources (such as books, journal articles, and theses) related to a specific topic or research question .
It is often written as part of a dissertation , thesis, research paper , or proposal .
There are several reasons to conduct a literature review at the beginning of a research project:
- To familiarise yourself with the current state of knowledge on your topic
- To ensure that you’re not just repeating what others have already done
- To identify gaps in knowledge and unresolved problems that your research can address
- To develop your theoretical framework and methodology
- To provide an overview of the key findings and debates on the topic
Writing the literature review shows your reader how your work relates to existing research and what new insights it will contribute.
The literature review usually comes near the beginning of your dissertation . After the introduction , it grounds your research in a scholarly field and leads directly to your theoretical framework or methodology .
Cite this Scribbr article
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.
McCombes, S. (2022, June 07). What is a Literature Review? | Guide, Template, & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 14 May 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/thesis-dissertation/literature-review/
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12.6: Literary Thesis Statements
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The Literary Thesis Statement
Literary essays are argumentative or persuasive essays. Their purpose is primarily analysis, but analysis for the purposes of showing readers your interpretation of a literary text. So the thesis statement is a one to two sentence summary of your essay's main argument, or interpretation.
Just like in other argumentative essays, the thesis statement should be a kind of opinion based on observable fact about the literary work.
Thesis Statements Should Be
- This thesis takes a position. There are clearly those who could argue against this idea.
- Look at the text in bold. See the strong emphasis on how form (literary devices like symbolism and character) acts as a foundation for the interpretation (perceived danger of female sexuality).
- Through this specific yet concise sentence, readers can anticipate the text to be examined ( Huckleberry Finn) , the author (Mark Twain), the literary device that will be focused upon (river and shore scenes) and what these scenes will show (true expression of American ideals can be found in nature).
Thesis Statements Should NOT Be
- While we know what text and author will be the focus of the essay, we know nothing about what aspect of the essay the author will be focusing upon, nor is there an argument here.
- This may be well and true, but this thesis does not appear to be about a work of literature. This could be turned into a thesis statement if the writer is able to show how this is the theme of a literary work (like "Girl" by Jamaica Kincaid) and root that interpretation in observable data from the story in the form of literary devices.
- Yes, this is true. But it is not debatable. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who could argue with this statement. Yawn, boring.
- This may very well be true. But the purpose of a literary critic is not to judge the quality of a literary work, but to make analyses and interpretations of the work based on observable structural aspects of that work.
- Again, this might be true, and might make an interesting essay topic, but unless it is rooted in textual analysis, it is not within the scope of a literary analysis essay. Be careful not to conflate author and speaker! Author, speaker, and narrator are all different entities! See: intentional fallacy.
Thesis Statement Formula
One way I find helpful to explain literary thesis statements is through a "formula":
Thesis statement = Observation + Analysis + Significance
- Observation: usually regarding the form or structure of the literature. This can be a pattern, like recurring literary devices. For example, "I noticed the poems of Rumi, Hafiz, and Kabir all use symbols such as the lover's longing and Tavern of Ruin "
- Analysis: You could also call this an opinion. This explains what you think your observations show or mean. "I think these recurring symbols all represent the human soul's desire." This is where your debatable argument appears.
- Significance: this explains what the significance or relevance of the interpretation might be. Human soul's desire to do what? Why should readers care that they represent the human soul's desire? "I think these recurring symbols all show the human soul's desire to connect with God. " This is where your argument gets more specific.
Thesis statement: The works of ecstatic love poets Rumi, Hafiz, and Kabir use symbols such as a lover’s longing and the Tavern of Ruin to illustrate the human soul’s desire to connect with God .
Thesis Examples
SAMPLE THESIS STATEMENTS
These sample thesis statements are provided as guides, not as required forms or prescriptions.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The Literary Device Thesis Statement
The thesis may focus on an analysis of one of the elements of fiction, drama, poetry or nonfiction as expressed in the work: character, plot, structure, idea, theme, symbol, style, imagery, tone, etc.
In “A Worn Path,” Eudora Welty creates a fictional character in Phoenix Jackson whose determination, faith, and cunning illustrate the indomitable human spirit.
Note that the work, author, and character to be analyzed are identified in this thesis statement. The thesis relies on a strong verb (creates). It also identifies the element of fiction that the writer will explore (character) and the characteristics the writer will analyze and discuss (determination, faith, cunning).
The character of the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet serves as a foil to young Juliet, delights us with her warmth and earthy wit, and helps realize the tragic catastrophe.
The Genre / Theory Thesis Statement
The thesis may focus on illustrating how a work reflects the particular genre’s forms, the characteristics of a philosophy of literature, or the ideas of a particular school of thought.
“The Third and Final Continent” exhibits characteristics recurrent in writings by immigrants: tradition, adaptation, and identity.
Note how the thesis statement classifies the form of the work (writings by immigrants) and identifies the characteristics of that form of writing (tradition, adaptation, and identity) that the essay will discuss.
Samuel Beckett’s Endgame reflects characteristics of Theatre of the Absurd in its minimalist stage setting, its seemingly meaningless dialogue, and its apocalyptic or nihilist vision.
A close look at many details in “The Story of an Hour” reveals how language, institutions, and expected demeanor suppress the natural desires and aspirations of women.
Generative Questions
One way to come up with a riveting thesis statement is to start with a generative question. The question should be open-ended and, hopefully, prompt some kind of debate.
- What is the effect of [choose a literary device that features prominently in the chosen text] in this work of literature?
- How does this work of literature conform or resist its genre, and to what effect?
- How does this work of literature portray the environment, and to what effect?
- How does this work of literature portray race, and to what effect?
- How does this work of literature portray gender, and to what effect?
- What historical context is this work of literature engaging with, and how might it function as a commentary on this context?
These are just a few common of the common kinds of questions literary scholars engage with. As you write, you will want to refine your question to be even more specific. Eventually, you can turn your generative question into a statement. This then becomes your thesis statement. For example,
- How do environment and race intersect in the character of Frankenstein's monster, and what can we deduce from this intersection?
Expert Examples
While nobody expects you to write professional-quality thesis statements in an undergraduate literature class, it can be helpful to examine some examples. As you view these examples, consider the structure of the thesis statement. You might also think about what questions the scholar wondered that led to this statement!
- "Heart of Darkness projects the image of Africa as 'the other world,' the antithesis of Europe and therefore civilization, a place where man's vaunted intelligence and refinement are finally mocked by triumphant bestiality" (Achebe 3).
- "...I argue that the approach to time and causality in Boethius' sixth-century Consolation of Philosophy can support abolitionist objectives to dismantle modern American policing and carceral systems" (Chaganti 144).
- "I seek to expand our sense of the musico-poetic compositional practices available to Shakespeare and his contemporaries, focusing on the metapoetric dimensions of Much Ado About Nothing. In so doing, I work against the tendency to isolate writing as an independent or autonomous feature the work of early modern poets and dramatists who integrated bibliographic texts with other, complementary media" (Trudell 371).
Works Cited
Achebe, Chinua. "An Image of Africa" Research in African Literatures 9.1 , Indiana UP, 1978. 1-15.
Chaganti, Seeta. "Boethian Abolition" PMLA 137.1 Modern Language Association, January 2022. 144-154.
"Thesis Statements in Literary Analysis Papers" Author unknown. https://resources.finalsite.net/imag...handout__1.pdf
Trudell, Scott A. "Shakespeare's Notation: Writing Sound in Much Ado about Nothing " PMLA 135.2, Modern Language Association, March 2020. 370-377.
Contributors and Attributions
Thesis Examples. Authored by: University of Arlington Texas. License: CC BY-NC
English and Comparative Literary Studies
Ma in english literature dissertation.
The MA dissertation requires students to undertake and complete a sustained research project of 16,000 words on a topic of special interest.
TERM 1: Writing your proposal
Dissertation proposals – of 500-words in length – must be submitted to the department by noon on Friday 30th December 2018 (week 9 of term 1). Please send your proposal directly to the MA convener Dr. Stephen Purcell ( [email protected] ).
As part of your Introduction to Research Methods course you will take part in a dissertation proposal writing workshop. This will help you to think about how to frame your proposal. You are also encouraged to look at the areas of expertise covered by our staff and to use staff office hours to discuss ideas with relevant specialists and potential supervisors before finalizing your proposal.
TERM 2: Starting research
You will be assigned a supervisor by the end of week 1 of term 2, and in this term you are strongly advised to begin work on your dissertation research.
In term 2 you will hold two meetings with your supervisor: the first will be an introductory meeting and the second should take placed before your dissertation progress report is due.
The Dissertation Progress Report includes the following:
- Dissertation Progress Report form
- title and chapter breakdown
- an abstract of 1000 words
- a bibliography
This Dissertation Progress Report must be submitted to the Postgraduate Programmes Officer by the end of week 9 of term 2.*
The progress reports will be reviewed by the MA Convenor. If there are concerns about progress, the MA Convenor will contact you.
TERM 3: Research and writing
During term 3 you should be hard at work on your dissertation. During this should meet with your supervisor on three occasions (spread evenly across the term). Your supervisor is permitted to read one rough draft of your dissertation, which must be sent to them by the end of term 3.
Number of supervisions
Students receive five supervisions for their MA dissertations, two in term 2 and three in term 3. Supervisions are generally around 45-60 minutes in length, but the initial two meetings may be shorter.
Email contact with your supervisor
You are welcome to contact your supervisor by email. As with all the department's staff, you can usually expect a supervisor to respond within about 24 hours (excluding weekends) if your query is straightforward. For more complex requests, supervisors will need more time to respond and you need to keep in mind that an email exchange is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting. Face-to-face supervision of dissertations concludes at the end of term 3. Over the summer months of July and August, when staff undertake their own research activities, email contact is at the supervisor's discretion and it will very likely take longer for them to respond to any message you send.
Dissertations are due on 1 st September .
The following reminders may be useful:
- You must be consistent in the style convention used (preferably either MLA, MHRA, Chicago or Harvard)
- Footnotes/Endnotes are included in the final word count; the 'Bibliography' is not included in the final word count
- An abstract is not required in the final submission
- A margin of up to 10% over or under length is allowed, but dissertations that are between 10-24% over-length will incur a penalty of 3 marks
- Work that is more than 25% over-length will be refused
Dissertation calendar
- Week 6: dissertation proposal writing workshop
- End of week 9 (30 Dec. 2018): proposal due
- 2 meetings with your supervisor
- End of week 9 (8 March 2019): Dissertation progress report due
- 3 meetings with your supervisor
- End of term 3: deadline for sending a draft to your supervisor.
Dissertation
Ai generator.
Dissertations are structured documents that present findings, arguments, and conclusions in a formal manner. They demonstrate a student’s ability to conduct independent research, critically evaluate literature, and communicate complex ideas effectively.
What is a Dissertation?
A dissertation is a comprehensive research project often pursued at the postgraduate level. It involves extensive study, analysis, and original contributions to a specific field. Dissertations showcase a student’s ability to conduct independent research, critically evaluate literature, and communicate complex ideas effectively.
Pronunciation of Dissertation
- American English Pronunciation : In American English, “dissertation” is pronounced as /ˌdɪs.ərˈteɪ.ʃən/.
- British English Pronunciation : In British English, the pronunciation is /ˌdɪs.əˈteɪ.ʃən/.
- Dis- : This syllable is pronounced with a short “i” sound, like in the word “this”.
- -ser- : The middle syllable is pronounced with a short “e” sound, similar to “set”.
- -tay- : This part is pronounced with a long “a” sound, as in “day”.
- -shun : The final syllable has the “shun” sound, like in “mission”.
- The stress is typically on the second syllable in both American and British English.
- It’s important to enunciate each syllable clearly for correct pronunciation.
Types of Dissertations
- Conducts original research using empirical methods.
- Involves data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
- Common in scientific and social science disciplines.
- Focuses on analyzing and synthesizing existing literature.
- Examines theories, concepts, or debates within a field.
- May involve a systematic review or meta-analysis.
- Integrates theoretical knowledge with practical application.
- Often found in professional fields like education , business , or healthcare.
- Includes a reflective component on real-world experiences.
- Explores and develops new theories or conceptual frameworks.
- Emphasizes conceptual analysis and argumentation.
- Common in philosophy , theoretical physics , and humanities.
- Combines qualitative and quantitative research approaches.
- Offers a comprehensive understanding of complex phenomena.
- Utilizes both data collection methods for triangulation.
- Focuses on in-depth examination of a specific case or phenomenon.
- Provides detailed insights into real-life contexts .
- Often used in psychology , sociology, and business research.
Dissertation Format
Here’s an overview of the typical format for a dissertation:
- Includes the title of the dissertation, author’s name, institution, department, degree program, date, and possibly the supervisor’s name.
- Provides a concise summary of the dissertation’s purpose, methodology, key findings, and conclusions.
- Usually limited to a certain word count or character limit.
- Lists the main sections and subsections of the dissertation with corresponding page numbers.
- Enumerates all figures and tables included in the dissertation, along with their respective page numbers.
- Sets the stage for the research by introducing the topic, context, significance, objectives, and research questions.
- Provides an overview of the structure of the dissertation.
- Surveys relevant literature and theoretical frameworks related to the research topic.
- Analyzes and synthesizes existing research to establish a theoretical foundation for the study.
- Describes the research design, methods, data collection procedures, and analysis techniques used in the study.
- Justifies the chosen methodology and explains how it aligns with the research objectives.
- Presents the findings of the research in a clear and organized manner.
- Includes tables, figures, and descriptive statistics to illustrate the data.
- Interprets the results in relation to the research questions, hypotheses, and theoretical framework.
- Analyzes the implications of the findings and discusses their significance in the broader context of the field.
- Summarizes the main findings and their implications for theory, practice, or policy.
- Reflects on the limitations of the study and suggests directions for future research.
- Lists all the sources cited in the dissertation in a consistent citation style (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago).
- Includes supplementary materials such as questionnaires, interview transcripts, or raw data.
- Provides additional details that support the main text but are not essential for understanding the dissertation.
Dissertation Topics
Here are some broad categories of dissertation topics, along with examples within each category:
- The impact of technology on student learning outcomes.
- Strategies for improving student engagement in online education.
- The effectiveness of inclusive education programs for students with disabilities.
- Assessing the role of parental involvement in children’s academic achievement.
- Investigating the relationship between teacher motivation and student performance.
- The influence of corporate social responsibility on consumer behavior.
- Strategies for managing workplace diversity and inclusion.
- Analyzing the factors affecting employee job satisfaction and retention.
- The role of leadership styles in organizational change management.
- Exploring the impact of digital marketing on consumer purchase decisions.
- Assessing the effectiveness of telemedicine in improving patient access to healthcare services.
- Investigating the psychological effects of long-term illness on patients and their families.
- Analyzing the factors influencing healthcare professionals’ adoption of electronic health records.
- Exploring the role of preventive healthcare interventions in reducing the prevalence of chronic diseases.
- Assessing the impact of healthcare policies on healthcare equity and access.
- Understanding the relationship between social media use and mental health outcomes among adolescents.
- Investigating the factors influencing public perceptions of climate change and environmental policies.
- Exploring the impact of immigration policies on immigrant integration and social cohesion.
- Analyzing the effects of income inequality on social mobility and economic development.
- Assessing the effectiveness of community-based interventions in reducing crime rates.
- Investigating the adoption and diffusion of renewable energy technologies in developing countries.
- Analyzing the ethical implications of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms.
- Exploring the role of blockchain technology in revolutionizing supply chain management.
- Assessing the impact of smart city initiatives on urban sustainability and quality of life.
- Investigating the factors influencing consumers’ acceptance of autonomous vehicles.
Synonym & Antonyms For Dissertation
How to write a dissertation.
Writing a dissertation is a comprehensive process that requires careful planning and execution. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to write a dissertation:
- Select a topic that aligns with your interests, expertise, and the requirements of your academic program.
- Ensure the topic is researchable, relevant, and contributes to the existing body of knowledge in your field.
- Conduct a thorough literature review to familiarize yourself with existing research on your topic.
- Identify gaps, controversies, or unanswered questions that your dissertation can address.
- Develop research questions or hypotheses to guide your study.
- Outline the purpose, scope, objectives, and methodology of your dissertation in a research proposal.
- Seek feedback from your advisor or committee members and revise the proposal accordingly.
- Develop a detailed timeline or schedule for completing each stage of the dissertation writing process.
- Break down tasks into manageable chunks and set deadlines for completing each chapter or section.
- Start with the introduction, which provides background information, states the research objectives, and outlines the structure of the dissertation.
- Proceed to the literature review, methodology, results, discussion, and conclusion chapters, following the structure outlined in your proposal.
- Write each chapter systematically, using clear and concise language, and supporting your arguments with evidence from research.
- Review each draft of your dissertation carefully, focusing on clarity, coherence, and logical flow of ideas.
- Edit for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and formatting errors.
- Seek feedback from your advisor, peers, or academic writing support services, and incorporate suggested revisions.
- Compile all chapters, appendices, tables, figures, and references into a cohesive document.
- Ensure consistency in formatting and citation style throughout the dissertation.
- Proofread the final version to ensure accuracy and completeness.
- Submit the finalized dissertation to your advisor or committee for review and approval.
- Prepare for a dissertation defense, where you’ll present your research findings and answer questions from your committee.
- Address any feedback or revisions requested by your committee and finalize the dissertation for submission.
Dissertation vs. Thesis
Examples of dissertation in education.
- Investigating the effectiveness of flipped classroom approaches in enhancing student engagement and academic performance across various subjects.
- Analyzing the correlation between emotional intelligence levels among teachers and their ability to create supportive learning environments and facilitate student success.
- Examining the benefits of parental involvement in early childhood education and identifying effective strategies for promoting collaboration between families and schools.
- Investigating disparities in access to technology resources among students from different socio-economic backgrounds and exploring interventions to bridge the digital divide.
- Assessing the effectiveness of multicultural education programs in fostering cultural competence, diversity awareness, and inclusivity among students in diverse learning environments.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of social-emotional learning (SEL) interventions in promoting mental health, resilience, and well-being among students, teachers, and school staff.
- Identifying barriers to gender equity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and exploring strategies to encourage girls’ participation and success in STEM fields.
- Investigating the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of teachers related to assessment and exploring professional development initiatives to improve assessment literacy and enhance student learning outcomes.
- Examining the implementation of inclusive education policies and practices for students with disabilities, including challenges faced, effective strategies, and policy implications for inclusive schooling.
- Analyzing the impact of school leadership practices on teacher professional development, instructional quality, and overall school improvement efforts.
Examples of Dissertation in Psychology
- Investigating the relationship between social media usage patterns and the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues among adolescents.
- Examining the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in treating anxiety disorders and exploring the underlying mechanisms of therapeutic change.
- Assessing the long-term effects of different parenting styles (e.g., authoritarian, authoritative, permissive) on children’s emotional regulation, social skills, and overall development.
- Investigating the neurobiological mechanisms underlying addiction and exploring implications for developing more effective treatment and prevention strategies.
- Examining the factors that contribute to psychological resilience in individuals who have experienced trauma, such as childhood abuse, natural disasters, or combat exposure.
- Investigating the bidirectional relationship between sleep quality and mental health outcomes, including the impact of sleep disturbances on emotional regulation and psychological well-being.
- Comparing cultural differences in the conceptualization and assessment of personality traits, such as individualism-collectivism, and exploring implications for cross-cultural psychology.
- Evaluating the effectiveness of mindfulness-based interventions (e.g., mindfulness-based stress reduction, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy) in reducing stress, improving well-being, and enhancing psychological resilience.
- Examining the role of sociocultural factors (e.g., media influence, peer pressure) in shaping body image ideals and exploring interventions to prevent and treat eating disorders.
- Investigating the psychological processes underlying procrastination behavior, including motivational factors, self-regulation strategies, and interventions to promote task completion and productivity.
Examples of Dissertation in literature
- Understanding how stories from countries once colonized talk about who they are and where they fit in the world.
- Checking out how women are shown and what roles they have in old stories from the Victorian times.
- Finding out why scary stories from the past are still popular now and what they’re all about.
- Seeing how heroes are the same in stories from different places and why they’re important to us.
- Learning from stories that care about nature and how writers make us think about protecting the environment.
- Finding out why some new stories are tricky and playful with how they’re written, and what makes them special.
- Understanding how people who lived through terrible events tell their stories, and why it’s important.
- Seeing how Black artists in Harlem made cool stuff and changed how people think about Black culture.
- Exploring stories about moving to new places and how they mix different cultures together.
- Checking out how Shakespeare’s stories get turned into movies and other fun things we like today.
Examples of Dissertation in Politics
- Investigating how different types of political systems, such as democracies and autocracies, influence economic development and growth.
- Analyzing government policies and international agreements aimed at addressing climate change and their effectiveness in mitigating environmental degradation.
- Exploring the rise of populist movements and their impact on political polarization, democratic norms, and institutions.
- Examining the ethical and legal considerations surrounding humanitarian intervention and the protection of human rights in conflict zones.
- Investigating the role of nationalism and identity politics in shaping public attitudes towards immigration, multiculturalism, and social integration.
- Analyzing the effects of globalization on state sovereignty, economic policies, and the balance of power between states and multinational corporations.
- Comparing different electoral systems and their impact on political representation, party competition, and the functioning of democratic institutions.
- Examining the tension between national security concerns and civil liberties, particularly in the context of counterterrorism policies and surveillance practices.
- Assessing the barriers to women’s political participation and representation in decision-making roles, and exploring strategies for achieving gender equality in politics.
- Analyzing the role of the United Nations and other international organizations in addressing global challenges, such as conflict resolution, humanitarian crises, and sustainable development.
What exactly is a Dissertation?
A dissertation is a scholarly document that presents original research on a specific topic, typically completed as part of a doctoral program. It demonstrates the candidate’s ability to conduct independent research and contribute to their field of study.
How long is a Dissertation?
The length of a dissertation varies widely depending on the academic discipline, program requirements, and research topic. On average, it ranges from 80 to 200 pages, but some dissertations can be shorter or longer based on the depth and scope of the research.
What Do You Write a Dissertation For?
A dissertation is written as a culmination of doctoral studies to demonstrate a candidate’s ability to conduct independent research, contribute new knowledge to their field, and obtain a doctoral degree. It showcases expertise, critical thinking, and scholarly communication skills.
Text prompt
- Instructive
- Professional
10 Examples of Public speaking
20 Examples of Gas lighting
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Dissertations from 2022. Writing the Aftermath: Uncanny Spaces of the Postcolonial, Sohini Banerjee, English. Science Fiction's Enactment of the Encouragement, Process, and End Result of Revolutionary Transformation, Katharine Blanchard, English. LITERARY NEGATION AND MATERIALISM IN CHAUCER, Michelle Brooks, English.
Theses/Dissertations from 2019. PDF. No Home but the World: Forced Migration and Transnational Identity, Justice Hagan. PDF. The City As a Trap: 20th and 21st Century American Literature and the American Myth of Mobility, Andrew Joseph Hoffmann. PDF. The Fantastic and the First World War, Brian Kenna. PDF.
Recent PhD Dissertations. Terekhov, Jessica (September 2022) -- "On Wit in Relation to Self-Division". Selinger, Liora (September 2022) -- "Romanticism, Childhood, and the Poetics of Explanation". Lockhart, Isabel (September 2022) -- "Storytelling and the Subsurface: Indigenous Fiction, Extraction, and the Energetic Present".
Theses/Dissertations from 2018. Beauty and the Beasts: Making Places with Literary Animals of Florida, Haili A. Alcorn. The Medievalizing Process: Religious Medievalism in Romantic and Victorian Literature, Timothy M. Curran. Seeing Trauma: The Known and the Hidden in Nineteenth-Century Literature, Alisa M. DeBorde.
Prize-Winning Thesis and Dissertation Examples. Published on September 9, 2022 by Tegan George.Revised on July 18, 2023. It can be difficult to know where to start when writing your thesis or dissertation.One way to come up with some ideas or maybe even combat writer's block is to check out previous work done by other students on a similar thesis or dissertation topic to yours.
How to Write Essays and Dissertations: A Guide for English Literature Students, 2nd edition (Longman, 2005). 1.3 Supervision and Support. 1.3.1 The role of supervisors. Though the dissertation is fundamentally an independent piece of work, students are supported by a member of academic faculty who acts as supervisor.
English Literature Dissertation Handbook Page 4 DATE SEMESTER 2 Week 1 Submit an updated plan/outline of your topic and a draft Sample of Work or Introduction to your Supervisor by 5pm on Friday 15 January 2021 (via LEARN or by email, as directed by your supervisor). Around 500 words for the outline, and 1000 for the Sample of Work: 1500
How to Write Essays and Dissertations: A Guide for English Literature Students . 2nd edition. London: Longman, 2005. 1.3 Supervision and Support The role of Supervisors: Though the Dissertation is essentially an independent piece of work, students are supported by a member of staff who acts as supervisor. Supervisors may be able to give
Hap: Uncertainty and the English Novel . Williams, Daniel Benjamin (2015-05-16) This dissertation explores how nineteenth-century novelists envisioned thinking, judging, and acting in conditions of imperfect knowledge. I place novels against historical developments in mathematics, philosophy, psychology, ...
The thesis may focus on illustrating how a work reflects the particular genre's forms, the characteristics of a philosophy of literature, or the ideas of a particular school of thought. Example: "The Third and Final Continent" exhibits characteristics recurrent in writings by immigrants: tradition, adaptation, and identity.
Example: Mix of different constructions Chapter 2 contains a review of the relevant literature that I used for the purposes of this paper. The methods used in the study are then described in Chapter 3, after which the results are presented and discussed in Chapter 4. Sample verbs for variation in your chapter outline
Theses/Dissertations from 2015. PDF. Abandoning the Shadows and Seizing the Stage: A Perspective on a Feminine Discourse of Resistance Theatre as Informed by the Work of Susanna Centlivre, Eliza Haywood, Frances Sheridan, Hannah Cowley, and the Sistren Theatre Collective, Brianna A. Bleymaier. PDF.
English Literature refers to the study of literature, written in the English language. The authors were not necessarily from England, but their works were written in English. Many forms of text could be considered literature, including novels, non-fiction, plays and poetry. English literature is one of the most popular fields of study in universities around the world.
Dissertation examples. Listed below are some of the best examples of research projects and dissertations from undergraduate and taught postgraduate students at the University of Leeds We have not been able to gather examples from all schools. The module requirements for research projects may have changed since these examples were written.
Table of contents. Step 1: Reading the text and identifying literary devices. Step 2: Coming up with a thesis. Step 3: Writing a title and introduction. Step 4: Writing the body of the essay. Step 5: Writing a conclusion. Other interesting articles.
Writing Successful Reports and Dissertations by Lucinda Becker. Call Number: 378.242-BEC. ISBN: 9781446298268. Publication Date: 2014. Research Methods for English Studies by Gabriele Griffin (Editor) ISBN: 9780748683444. Publication Date: 2013. How to Write Essays and Dissertations by Alan Durant; Nigel Fabb.
A literature review is a survey of scholarly sources on a specific topic. It provides an overview of current knowledge, allowing you to identify relevant theories, methods, and gaps in the existing research. There are five key steps to writing a literature review: Search for relevant literature. Evaluate sources. Identify themes, debates and gaps.
The thesis may focus on illustrating how a work reflects the particular genre's forms, the characteristics of a philosophy of literature, or the ideas of a particular school of thought. Example 1: "The Third and Final Continent" exhibits characteristics recurrent in writings by immigrants: tradition, adaptation, and identity.
The MA dissertation requires students to undertake and complete a sustained research project of 16,000 words on a topic of special interest. TERM 1: Writing your proposal. Dissertation proposals - of 500-words in length - must be submitted to the department by noon on Friday 30th December 2018 (week 9 of term 1).
Nigel Fabb and Alan Durant. How to Write Essays and Dissertations: A Guide for English Literature Students, nd2 edition, (London: Longman, 2005). 1.3 Supervision and Support The role of Supervisors: Though the Dissertation is essentially an independent piece of work, students are supported by a member of academic faculty who acts as supervisor.
A dissertation is a long-form piece of academic writing based on original research conducted by you. It is usually submitted as the final step in order to finish a PhD program. Your dissertation is probably the longest piece of writing you've ever completed. It requires solid research, writing, and analysis skills, and it can be intimidating ...
The thesis presented in the introductory paragraph of this essay offers a defensible interpretation of the poem and presents a complex idea: "Illuminating the inherent need not only for appreciation of the little things, but of ... 2021 AP Exam Administration Student Samples: AP English Literature and Composition Free-Response Question 1 ...
Dissertations showcase a student's ability to conduct independent research, critically evaluate literature, and communicate complex ideas effectively. Pronunciation of Dissertation . American English Pronunciation: In American English, "dissertation" is pronounced as /ˌdɪs.ərˈteɪ.ʃən/.
The thesis or dissertation conclusion should be 5-7% of your paper's overall word count. For example, if your thesis is 30,000 words, the conclusion can be 1,500-2100 words. The conclusion for empirical or scientific theses or dissertations is often brief.
Nigel Fabb and Alan Durant. How to Write Essays and Dissertations: A Guide for English Literature Students . 2nd edition. London: Longman, 2005. 1.3 Supervision and Support The role of Supervisors: Though the Dissertation is essentially an independent piece of work, students are supported by a member of staff who acts as supervisor.
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