how to write a dissertation in philosophy

Philosophy dissertations

undergraduate Y4

I supervise at least one undergraduate a year. Many of the same questions come up each year. I have prepared below a set of guidelines to help when starting out on a dissertation.

Please note that this is personal advice and not to be taken as a substitute for the undergraduate handbook and marking scheme.

Do’s and Don’t’s for a dissertation

• Have a claim. You should be able to state your claim clearly in 1–2 sentences.
• Have claim of the right size – viz. a size you can defend (be careful not to be too ambitious here)
• Have a rigorous argument for your claim. Your argument should be able to convince a rational person who does not already believe your claim
• Make your dissertation clearly understandable to a philosopher who is not an expert in this area
• Explain why your claim is important
• Be honest if you do not conclusively establish your claim – e.g. clarify that your claim follows conditional on certain stated assumptions, list unresolved objections
• Make clear your original contribution
• Make use of your supervisor for feedback on drafts

Don’t:

• Aim for this to be your magnum opus or last word on the topic
• Try to solve a major problem (e.g. the mind-body problem, external world scepticism)
• Cover every possible view in the field
• Include extra material unless it advances your argument
• Have one massive 6,000 word chapter
• Leave it until Semester 2 to start work

How to write a dissertation

The points above give you an idea of what to aim for but they don’t provide a method for how to get there. There are many ways to write a dissertation. It may be reassuring to know that there are simple methods that can reliably produce an excellent dissertation. The algorithm below is one method:

• Find the general area you like (e.g. phenomenal consciousness)
• Select one article/book chapter in that area that you find fascinating (e.g. Smith (2009))
• Summarise Smith (2009) carefully in your own words, paying attention to whether each step in the argument follows from the previous
• Look for weaknesses in Smith (2009)’s argument
• Which new resources do you need to draw on?
• Which alternative conclusions follow?
• Which objections can be raised to your proposal?
• Draw on relevant bits of surrounding literature to support (5)

You have a first class dissertation!

Filling the dissertation with enough words

A common worry among students is whether they are able to write enough words. The longest piece of philosophical writing they may have done so far is 3,000 words. How can you write a sustained argument that lasts for 8,000 words? This turns out to be easier than you might think. Indeed, the difficulty often turns out to be not going over the word limit.

For the sake of argument, let us see how following the algorithm above might work out in terms of word count.

• Introduction (500 words): What is your claim, the outline of your argument?
• Chapter 1 (1,000 words): Why is your claim important? What are the pay-offs?
• Chapter 2 (2,000 words): Careful and charitable summary of X in your own words
• Chapter 3 (2,000 words): Your rigorous criticism of X
• Chapter 4 (2,000 words): How X should be corrected, associated costs, consequences for views that use X, possible objections
• Conclusion (500 words): Summary and next steps for future work

And we are done!

Milestones to aim for

Milestones depend on the specific project and you should talk to your supervisor about your workload and what would be a reasonable plan for finishing the dissertation in the year. Below is a rough plan that one might aim for.

• End Y3: meet supervisor & agree on general topic
• Summer vacation: background reading on topic
• Start Y4: find 1 article/chapter to focus

Year 4, Semester 1:

• Start: meet with supervisor & agree plan for year
• Middle: first draft of 2 chapters
• End: polished draft of 2 chapters

Year 4, Semester 2:

• Start: first draft of entire dissertation
• Middle: polished draft of entire dissertation
• End: revisit, revise, and submit dissertation

Background reading

A dissertation in philosophy is a story … like all good stories, it only includes what is essential to the story — Robert Paul Wolff’s astute advice that applies just as well to UG dissertations as well as PhD theses

Be concise, but explain yourself fully — Jim Pryor with an excellent 3-stage plan for writing philosophy

Style is the feather in the arrow, not the feather in the cap — Peter Lipton has some wonderful and concise writing advice

Read your work aloud. … Be firm: take your prose to the gym, and keep working at it until the bones and sinews show through! — Peter Smith, previously editor of Analysis , with some fantastic advice

What is an argument? — Jim Pryor’s guide is essential reading for anyone writing philosophy; it contains a lexicon of philosophical terms and a taxonomy of good and bad arguments, which is useful for classifying the arguments you consider

Mastering Philosophy: Advice For Writing A Dissertation

Writing a dissertation is an important step for those who wish to pursue a career in philosophy. It can be a difficult and intimidating task, requiring significant research and writing skills. Fortunately, with the right strategies, it is possible to master the process of writing a dissertation in philosophy.

This article provides advice for students on how to successfully write a dissertation in philosophy. The advice presented here covers all aspects of the dissertation-writing process, including developing research questions, constructing an argumentative thesis statement, organizing ideas into sections and chapters, formulating persuasive arguments and evidence, and editing.

In addition, this article offers suggestions for resources that will help students develop their understanding of philosophical concepts and terms as well as improve their writing skills. With this guidance, readers can confidently approach the process of writing a successful dissertation in philosophy.

What Is A Dissertation?

A dissertation is a lengthy and detailed written work that presents an original argument based on extensive research. It is typically required to obtain a postgraduate degree, such as a doctorate or master’s degree.

Dissertations are typically composed of multiple chapters and sections that contain the conceptualizing of philosophy, philosophical arguments, philosophical analysis, philosophical implications, and philosophical methodology. This allows for the writer to explore their thesis from various angles and make well-rounded claims.

The dissertation should be written in an academic style, including objective and impersonal language without the use of personal pronouns. The writing should also be engaging for readers who have a subconscious desire for serving others.

The goal of writing a dissertation isn’t just about presenting a theory; it is about providing evidence that supports it as well. The writer must consider how the evidence will interact with their argumentation in order to create an overall cohesive piece of work that can be evaluated by peers and defended against counterarguments.

Once they have presented their thesis in full detail with supporting evidence and analysis, they can draw out the implications of their findings.

Research And Planning

The research and planning stage is crucial for any dissertation. It is important to define your objectives, perform a keyword analysis, manage resources, obtain feedback, and track progress.

Here are 4 tips to help you on this journey:

Define your objectives – setting specific goals can help you stay motivated and focused throughout the writing process.

Perform a keyword analysis – use relevant keywords to ensure that your topic will be relevant to the audience you are targeting.

Manage resources – it is important to carefully manage the time and resources available to you when writing a dissertation. This includes making sure that all materials needed are readily available and that deadlines are met.

Obtain feedback – regularly seek feedback from peers or mentors to ensure that you’re on track with the project and make adjustments where necessary.

Tracking progress is also essential for successful completion of a dissertation project; use an online tracking system or journaling techniques to log milestones achieved and tasks completed along the way so that you always know where you stand in terms of progress made on the project.

Taking these steps will not only help keep you on track but also give you peace of mind as you embark on this exciting endeavor!

Outlining And Structure

Organizing Ideas is an important aspect to consider when writing a dissertation. It involves gathering ideas, classifying them by relevance, and organizing them in a logical manner.

Developing an Outline is a great way to ensure that the dissertation is structured properly and that all relevant information is included. It is also a helpful way to make sure that the research is organized and presented in a concise manner.

Creating a Roadmap is a useful technique to help writers stay on track and organized while writing their dissertation. It provides an overview of the main points and helps writers identify the different sections of the dissertation.

Organizing Ideas

Structuring ideas and information is a critical part of writing a dissertation. Concept mapping, mental models, and logical reasoning are all helpful tools for organizing your ideas when you are outlining and writing your dissertation.

One useful tool for organizing ideas is concept mapping. Concept mapping involves creating diagrams or visual representations of ideas and their relationships to each other.

Mental models are another useful tool for organizing your thoughts. Mental models involve constructing a mental representation of the world around us, in order to better understand how things work or why certain decisions are made.

Finally, logical reasoning is an important skill for structuring your thoughts and arguments in a dissertation. Logical reasoning involves analyzing evidence, forming hypotheses, drawing conclusions based on that evidence, and then testing those conclusions against reality.

By employing these three tools – concept mapping, mental models, and logical reasoning – you can more easily structure your ideas into an organized outline that will help you write an effective dissertation.

Developing An Outline

Once you have structured your ideas with concept mapping, mental models, and logical reasoning, it is time to start developing an outline for your dissertation.

Exploring ideas, identifying problems, and brainstorming solutions are all key components of creating a comprehensive outline.

As you explore the ideas related to your dissertation topic, consider the various ways in which these ideas can be organized.

Having a clear understanding of the main issues and topics will help you form a comprehensive outline.

After brainstorming possible solutions to any identified problems or gaps in your knowledge, use this information to further refine your outline.

This process should help ensure that your dissertation is well-structured and logically presented.

By developing an effective outline for your dissertation, you will be able to create a cohesive argument that follows a logical flow of thought.

Creating A Roadmap

After structuring your ideas and creating an outline for your dissertation, it is important to develop a roadmap of how you will achieve your goals.

This roadmap should include strategies for effectively managing time and referencing resources. In this way, you can ensure that the research process runs smoothly and efficiently.

Additionally, by setting clear goals and milestones, you can monitor your progress along the way and adjust your plan as needed.

Crafting a well-thought-out roadmap will help you stay on track throughout the entire writing process and ensure that each step is taken towards producing a quality dissertation.

Writing The Chapters

Having outlined the dissertation, it’s time to begin writing. It’s important to have a plan for managing time and resources. This includes organizing notes, exploring avenues for research, and developing ideas related to the subject.

The following table provides a guide for managing the process of writing a dissertation:

The first step is to find sources of information relevant to your topic area. These might include books, journal articles, websites, or interviews with experts in the field. This will give you an idea of what has already been written on the subject and provide valuable background information.

Once you have enough resources to begin writing, it’s time to start outlining and structuring your chapters. This involves deciding which topics need to be covered in each chapter, summarizing your research findings, and creating an outline of how the information should be presented.

After this is complete, you can begin writing each chapter one by one. As you write each section make sure that your arguments are clear and supported with evidence from your sources.

Finally, as you near completion of each chapter take some time to proofread and edit your work before moving onto the next one. Following these steps ensures that you remain organized throughout the process of writing a dissertation while also providing yourself ample opportunity for exploration and discovery as you develop ideas related to your topic area.

Editing And Proofreading

Grammar errors are often overlooked when writing an academic paper, but they should be addressed to ensure that the paper is clear and concise.

Fact-checking is an essential step in the editing and proofreading process to ensure that all information presented is accurate and reliable.

Word choice is an important factor to consider when writing an academic paper as it can have a significant impact on the overall quality of the writing.

Grammar Errors

Grammar errors are one of the most common mistakes when editing and proofreading. To help you become a master of language conventions, punctuation marks, and grammar rules, it is important to develop an eye for spotting mistakes.

To do this, read your work aloud or have someone else read it for you. This will help you catch any awkward or incorrect sentence structures that may need to be revised.

Additionally, using online resources such as grammar checkers can also be beneficial in catching any lingering errors. Therefore, mastering grammar is key when editing and proofreading; by reading aloud and utilizing online resources, you can ensure your writing is as accurate and polished as possible.

Fact-Checking

When editing and proofreading, it is also important to ensure that the information presented is accurate. To do this, accuracy checks must be conducted by researching reliable sources and consulting peer review.

This can be done through online research or by speaking with experts in the field to ensure the validity of the information. It is essential to double-check all facts for accuracy when editing and proofreading as it helps maintain credibility and trustworthiness.

By verifying the accuracy of information, you can confidently present a polished piece of writing that will serve your readers well.

Word Choice

When editing and proofreading, it is also essential to pay attention to word choice. Using clear terminology and precise language is important for creating an effective piece of writing that will serve the reader’s needs.

Selecting the right words can help ensure that the message is communicated effectively, without ambiguity or confusion. When selecting vocabulary for your writing, it is important to consider the audience and their level of understanding in order to select words that are appropriate for them.

Doing this will help make sure your writing resonates with your readers and provides them with a clear understanding of the message you are conveying. Making sure each word you choose is relevant and meaningful will help you craft a powerful piece of writing that serves its purpose.

Citing Sources Properly

When it comes to academic writing, proper citation of sources is paramount. Not only does citing sources accurately demonstrate thorough research, but it also prevents plagiarism.

To ensure that your dissertation is written in accordance with accepted conventions and referencing guidelines, take the following steps:

Familiarize yourself with the different citation styles used in philosophy (e.g., APA, Chicago).

Research how to cite quotes properly from different types of sources (books, websites, etc.).

Take notes as you read so that you can easily reference where ideas came from when citing them later.

It’s important that you use a consistent style for citing sources throughout your dissertation; not doing so can lead to confusion and mistakes on the part of both you and your reader. Pay close attention to detail when citing sources accurately; this will help demonstrate that your work is of high quality and trustworthy.

Make sure each source is accurately referenced and double-check all citations before submitting your final document.

Formatting And Layout

When formatting and laying out your dissertation, it is important to choose a citation style that is appropriate to the discipline you are writing in. Additionally, it is essential to structure the content of your dissertation in a way that is both coherent and logical, allowing you to effectively communicate your arguments.

Choosing A Citation Style

When formatting and laying out your dissertation, one of the most important things to consider is choosing an appropriate citation style.

Interpreting the rules of each style can be complicated, so it’s important to do your research and determine which method best suits your needs.

Different styles will emphasize different referencing methods, such as placing citations in the body of the text or at the end of each section.

Examples of popular citation styles include APA, Chicago and MLA.

As a tutor, I recommend finding a comprehensive guide outlining the differences between each citation style to ensure that you are accurately citing sources in your dissertation.

Thus, by carefully considering these referencing methods, you can ensure that your dissertation is properly cited and formatted according to your chosen style.

Structuring The Content

When it comes to structuring the content of a dissertation, brainstorming techniques and project management can be extremely helpful.

Taking the time to plan out your ideas prior to writing can make the entire process much more efficient.

Time management is also important in order to ensure that each section of your dissertation is given the appropriate amount of attention.

It’s wise to allocate enough time for research, writing, editing and revising in order to create a cohesive finished product.

Thus, by utilizing these strategies, you can approach structuring your content with greater confidence and achieve success in constructing a well-structured dissertation.

Quality Assurance

Formatting and Layout are important steps in writing a dissertation, but Quality Assurance is just as crucial. Quality assurance involves making sure that the research has been conducted ethically and with rigorous methodologies. Peer review is a key part of this process, as it allows for other researchers to assess the strength of arguments and the quality of data collected.

Argumentative Logic:

• Present clear evidence to support all claims.
• Analyze facts from reliable sources deeply.
• Ensure you have strong supporting sources.

Critical Thinking:

• Analyze deeply to ensure your arguments are sound.
• Use reliable sources to back up your claims.
• Exercise sound judgement in all areas of research.

Research Ethics:

• Follow APA standards and guidelines throughout your dissertation.
• Ensure that you follow all ethical guidelines for conducting research.
• Seek out accurate information from reliable sources.

As an online tutor, it is essential to ensure that your work meets the highest standards of academic rigor. By following these guidelines for argumentative logic, critical thinking, and research ethics, you can guarantee a high-quality dissertation that meets the criteria for excellence in academic writing.

Working With An Advisor

Working with an advisor can be a rewarding experience if there is clear communication and expectations are established. It is important to be as open and clear as possible when discussing goals and objectives with an advisor, to ensure that the dissertation is on track.

Communication

It is important for a student to have strong interpersonal skills when working with an advisor. This includes having the ability to effectively communicate ideas, discuss progress, and ask questions.

Furthermore, it is beneficial to practice oral presentations of research findings in order to gain feedback from peers and advisors.

Additionally, engaging in peer review activities allows students to learn from each other’s work and improve their own research.

Therefore, it is important for students to practice these communication skills in order to successfully collaborate with an advisor on their dissertation project.

Ultimately, engaging in these communication activities will help students become more confident in their research and bolster successful collaboration efforts.

Expectations

When working with an advisor, it is important to have a clear understanding of expectations.

Time management is essential for staying on track and meeting deadlines.

Moreover, critical thinking skills are required when formulating research ideas and responding to feedback from peers and advisors.

Additionally, peer review activities can help students become more aware of their own strengths and weaknesses, allowing them to improve their research.

Therefore, having the ability to effectively manage time, think critically and engage in peer review activities is essential for successful collaboration with an advisor.

In conclusion, effective communication and a clear understanding of expectations are paramount for successful collaboration.

Completing The Dissertation

Completing a dissertation is a challenging and rewarding process. It requires discipline, motivation, organization, and time management in order to be successful.

Finding motivation can be difficult when working on a long-term project with no immediate rewards or feedback. But it is important to keep in mind the end goal and the sense of accomplishment that comes with finishing your work.

Managing time effectively is key to making progress on the dissertation while maintaining other obligations such as a job or family commitments. Break down larger tasks into smaller pieces and set achievable goals for each day or week. Don’t forget to take breaks as well in order to stay focused and energized throughout the process.

Seeking feedback from colleagues, mentors, friends, or family can also be beneficial when working on your dissertation. Feedback helps identify strengths and weaknesses in your work that you may have missed while improving clarity of argumentation and structure.

Remember to stay organized by keeping copies of drafts, notes from meetings or phone calls, relevant documents, etc., in one place so they are easily accessible when needed.

Finally, it is essential to remain focused despite any distractions along the way. Set aside dedicated times for writing where possible and avoid multitasking as much as you can during these periods. This will help maximize efficiency and ensure quality work is produced over the duration of the project.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it usually take to write a dissertation.

The time it takes to write a dissertation varies greatly depending on a variety of factors, such as time management, research strategies, mental health and writing techniques.

Generally speaking, it is important to plan ahead and have an effective timeline for completing all the necessary steps associated with writing a successful dissertation.

For example, setting aside specific blocks of time each week dedicated to researching and gathering data can help streamline the process.

Additionally, taking regular breaks in between intense periods of writing and data analysis can be beneficial for maintaining mental health and productivity.

Lastly, having an understanding of the fundamental principles of effective writing can help ensure that the final product is well-written and persuasive.

What Are The Common Mistakes To Avoid When Writing A Dissertation?

Writing a dissertation can be a daunting task, and there are several common mistakes to avoid when undertaking such an important project.

Firstly, it is important to pick topics that are feasible and relevant while ensuring they are not too broad or too narrow.

Additionally, time management is essential; allowing enough time for research, writing, and editing can help make the process less stressful.

Furthermore, when researching ideas and using sources it is important to properly cite them in order to reduce the possibility of plagiarism.

Finally, managing stress levels while working on a dissertation is key as burnout can occur if it becomes overwhelming.

Following these tips can help make writing a dissertation easier and more successful.

What Is The Best Way To Stay Motivated While Writing A Dissertation?

Staying motivated while writing a dissertation is essential for success.

One of the best ways to stay motivated is to set achievable goals, breaking larger tasks into smaller, more manageable chunks.

Additionally, it is important to research thoroughly and track progress on individual goals in order to have a clear idea of where you are in the process.

Finally, getting feedback from an advisor or mentor can be incredibly helpful in order to stay motivated throughout the process of writing a dissertation.

By following these steps, you will be able to keep yourself focused and motivated throughout your dissertation-writing journey.

What Is The Best Way To Stay Organized While Writing A Dissertation?

Staying organized while writing a dissertation is key to success. Identifying resources and conducting research are essential steps that require effective communication and time management skills.

Additionally, strategies such as avoiding procrastination can help keep things on track. Achieving organization while writing a dissertation means developing an effective plan of action, identifying what needs to be done on a daily basis, and sticking to it.

It also involves being mindful of one’s progress and making necessary adjustments when needed. By following these guidelines, you will be able to stay organized while writing your dissertation.

How Often Should I Consult With My Advisor While Writing A Dissertation?

Consulting with an advisor is an important part of writing a dissertation. Advisors can help students set goals, analyze sources, research methods, and set deadlines. Additionally, they can provide guidance on citing sources correctly.

It is important for students to consult with their advisors regularly throughout the dissertation process in order to stay on track and ensure that their work meets the expectations of their institution. Taking the time to discuss progress and issues early on will save time and energy in the long run.

Writing a dissertation can be a long and daunting process. It is important to remain organized, motivated and focused throughout the entire writing process.

To ensure successful completion of the dissertation, it is essential to avoid common mistakes such as procrastination, being unfocused or disorganized, and not consulting with your advisor often enough.

It is recommended to take plenty of breaks throughout the writing process. This will help maintain focus and motivation.

Additionally, it is beneficial to consult with your advisor regularly for guidance and feedback on your work. This will help ensure that you are on track for completing the dissertation in a timely manner.

Finally, it is important to remember that you are in control of the writing process. Take ownership of your project and stay organized while writing your dissertation.

Writing a dissertation may take several months but with proper planning and discipline you can create an impressive piece of work that will be rewarding both personally and professionally.

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2.6 Writing Philosophy Papers

Learning objectives.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:

• Identify and characterize the format of a philosophy paper.
• Create thesis statements that are manageable and sufficiently specific.
• Collect evidence and formulate arguments.
• Organize ideas into a coherent written presentation.

This section will provide some practical advice on how to write philosophy papers. The format presented here focuses on the use of an argumentative structure in writing. Different philosophy professors may have different approaches to writing. The sections below are only intended to give some general guidelines that apply to most philosophy classes.

Identify Claims

The key element in any argumentative paper is the claim you wish to make or the position you want to defend. Therefore, take your time identifying claims , which is also called the thesis statement. What do you want to say about the topic? What do you want the reader to understand or know after reading your piece? Remember that narrow, modest claims work best. Grand claims are difficult to defend, even for philosophy professors. A good thesis statement should go beyond the mere description of another person’s argument. It should say something about the topic, connect the topic to other issues, or develop an application of some theory or position advocated by someone else. Here are some ideas for creating claims that are perfectly acceptable and easy to develop:

• Compare two philosophical positions. What makes them similar? How are they different? What general lessons can you draw from these positions?
• Identify a piece of evidence or argument that you think is weak or may be subject to criticism. Why is it weak? How is your criticism a problem for the philosopher’s perspective?
• Apply a philosophical perspective to a contemporary case or issue. What makes this philosophical position applicable? How would it help us understand the case?
• Identify another argument or piece of evidence that might strengthen a philosophical position put forward by a philosopher. Why is this a good argument or piece of evidence? How does it fit with the philosopher’s other claims and arguments?
• Consider an implication (either positive or negative) that follows from a philosopher’s argument. How does this implication follow? Is it necessary or contingent? What lessons can you draw from this implication (if positive, it may provide additional reasons for the argument; if negative, it may provide reasons against the argument)?

Think Like a Philosopher

The following multiple-choice exercises will help you identify and write modest, clear philosophical thesis statements. A thesis statement is a declarative statement that puts forward a position or makes a claim about some topic.

• How does Aristotle think virtue is necessary for happiness?
• Is happiness the ultimate goal of human action?
• Whether or not virtue is necessary for happiness.
• Aristotle argues that happiness is the ultimate good of human action and virtue is necessary for happiness.
• René Descartes argues that the soul or mind is the essence of the human person.
• Descartes shows that all beliefs and memories about the external world could be false.
• Some people think that Descartes is a skeptic, but I will show that he goes beyond skepticism.
• In the meditations, Descartes claims that the mind and body are two different substances.
• Descartes says that the mind is a substance that is distinct from the body, but I disagree.
• Contemporary psychology has shown that Descartes is incorrect to think that human beings have free will and that the mind is something different from the brain.
• Thomas Hobbes’s view of the soul is materialistic, whereas Descartes’s view of the soul is nonphysical. In this paper, I will examine the differences between these two views.
• John Stuart Mill reasons that utilitarian judgments can be based on qualitative differences as well as the quantity of pleasure, but ultimately any qualitative difference must result in a difference in the quantity of pleasure.
• Mill’s approach to utilitarianism differs from Bentham’s by introducing qualitative distinctions among pleasures, where Bentham only considers the quantitative aspects of pleasure.
• J. S. Mill’s approach to utilitarianism aligns moral theory with the history of ethics because he allows qualitative differences in moral judgments.
• Rawls’s liberty principle ensures that all people have a basic set of freedoms that are important for living a full life.
• The US Bill of Rights is an example of Rawls’s liberty principle because it lists a set of basic freedoms that are guaranteed for all people.
• While many people may agree that Rawls’s liberty principle applies to all citizens of a particular country, it is much more controversial to extend those same basic freedoms to immigrants, including those classified by the government as permanent residents, legal immigrants, illegal immigrants, and refugees.

[ANS: 1.d 2.c 3.c 4.a 5.c]

Write Like a Philosopher

Use the following templates to write your own thesis statement by inserting a philosopher, claim, or contemporary issue:

• [Name of philosopher] holds that [claim], but [name of another philosopher] holds that [another claim]. In this paper, I will identify reasons for thinking [name of philosopher]’s position is more likely to be true.
• [Name of philosopher] argues that [claim]. In this paper, I will show how this claim provides a helpful addition to [contemporary issue].
• When [name of philosopher] argues in favor of [claim], they rely on [another claim] that is undercut by contemporary science. I will show that if we modify this claim in light of contemporary science, we will strengthen or weaken [name of philosopher]’s argument.

Collect Evidence and Build Your Case

Once you have identified your thesis statement or primary claim, collect evidence (by returning to your readings) to compose the best possible argument. As you assemble the evidence, you can think like a detective or prosecutor building a case. However, you want a case that is true, not just one that supports your position. So you should stay open to modifying your claim if it does not fit the evidence . If you need to do additional research, follow the guidelines presented earlier to locate authoritative information.

If you cannot find evidence to support your claim but still feel strongly about it, you can try to do your own philosophical thinking using any of the methods discussed in this chapter or in Chapter 1. Imagine counterexamples and thought experiments that support your claim. Use your intuitions and common sense, but remember that these can sometimes lead you astray. In general, common sense, intuitions, thought experiments, and counterexamples should support one another and support the sources you have identified from other philosophers. Think of your case as a structure: you do not want too much of the weight to rest on a single intuition or thought experiment.

Consider Counterarguments

Philosophy papers differ from typical argumentative papers in that philosophy students must spend more time and effort anticipating and responding to counterarguments when constructing their own arguments. This has two important effects: first, by developing counterarguments, you demonstrate that you have sufficiently thought through your position to identify possible weaknesses; second, you make your case stronger by taking away a potential line of attack that an opponent might use. By including counterarguments in your paper, you engage in the kind of dialectical process that philosophers use to arrive at the truth.

Accurately Represent Source Material

It is important to represent primary and secondary source material as accurately as possible. This means that you should consider the context and read the arguments using the principle of charity. Make sure that you are not strawmanning an argument you disagree with or misrepresenting a quote or paraphrase just because you need some evidence to support your argument. As always, your goal should be to find the most rationally compelling argument, which is the one most likely to be true.

Organize Your Paper

Academic philosophy papers use the same simple structure as any other paper and one you likely learned in high school or your first-year composition class.

Introduce Your Thesis

The purpose of your introduction is to provide context for your thesis. Simply tell the reader what to expect in the paper. Describe your topic, why it is important, and how it arises within the works you have been reading. You may have to provide some historical context, but avoid both broad generalizations and long-winded historical retellings. Your context or background information should not be overly long and simply needs to provide the reader with the context and motivation for your thesis. Your thesis should appear at the end of the introduction, and the reader should clearly see how the thesis follows from the introductory material you have provided. If you are writing a long paper, you may need several sentences to express your thesis, in which you delineate in broad terms the parts of your argument.

Make a Logical and Compelling Case Using the Evidence

The paragraphs that follow the introduction lay out your argument. One strategy you can use to successfully build paragraphs is to think in terms of good argument structure. You should provide adequate evidence to support the claims you want to make. Your paragraphs will consist of quotations and paraphrases from primary and secondary sources, context and interpretation, novel thoughts and ideas, examples and analogies, counterarguments, and replies to the counterarguments. The evidence should both support the thesis and build toward the conclusion. It may help to think architecturally: lay down the foundation, insert the beams of your strongest support, and then put up the walls to complete the structure. Or you might think in terms of a narrative: tell a story in which the evidence leads to an inevitable conclusion.

Connections

See the chapter on logic and reasoning for a developed account of different types of philosophical arguments.

Summarize Your Argument in the Conclusion

Conclude your paper with a short summary that recapitulates the argument. Remind the reader of your thesis and revisit the evidence that supports your argument. You may feel that the argument as written should stand on its own. But it is helpful to the reader to reinforce the argument in your conclusion with a short summary. Do not introduce any new information in the conclusion; simply summarize what you have already said.

The purpose of this chapter has been to provide you with basic tools to become a successful philosophy student. We started by developing a sophisticated picture of how the brain works, using contemporary neuroscience. The brain represents and projects a picture of the world, full of emotional significance, but this image may contain distortions that amount to a kind of illusion. Cognitive illusions produce errors in reasoning, called cognitive biases. To guard against error, we need to engage in effortful, reflective thinking, where we become aware of our biases and use logical strategies to overcome them. You will do well in your philosophy class if you apply the good habits of mind discussed in this chapter and apply the practical advice that has been provided about how to read and write about philosophy.

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Department of Philosophy

General exam and dissertation, on this page.

• For Students in the Standard Program and Special Tracks

For Students in the Classical Philosophy Program

The qualifying exam.

• Choose a Reasonably Sized Project

Dissertations Consisting of Several Essays

General exam format, for students in the standard program, the logic & philosophy of science track, or the interdepartmental program in political philosophy.

October General Exam Schedule ( General Exam in October of the Third Year) :

• Provide the name of your General Exam adviser to the DGS  by March 15 th  of your second year of regular enrollment.  Once your General Exam adviser is approved, the DGS will set up your General Exam committee.
• Submit all papers, take all exams, complete all distribution requirements and units  by May 31 st  of your second year   of regular enrollment*. This includes your first and second oral units.
• At the latest, two weeks before the oral exam, students will have received the approval of two examiners for an examination proposal, which must include a description of the unit’s field of study, six to ten sample questions, and a bibliography. This document, after approval by the examiners, must be forwarded to the DGS. The written part of the unit can be a paper or a 48-hour take-home exam on questions formulated by the examiners. Both written and oral parts of the exam must combine a survey of the field with creative philosophical work.
• Your undergraduate lecture, observed and confirmed in writing by a Princeton PHI faculty member, must be completed  by May 31 st  of your second year of regular enrollment.
• Part 2 of the General Exam is the qualifying exam (the oral portion; preceded a few days before by submission of a draft chapter of your dissertation). This due date is based on the University academic calendar for October General Exams. (See below for a complete description of the qualifying exam.)
• Teaching in your second year at Princeton is optional.

January General Exam Schedule  (General Exam in January of the Third Year):

• Provide the name of your General Exam adviser to the DGS  by March 15 th  of your second year   of regular enrollment. Once your General Exam adviser is approved, the DGS will set up your General Exam committee.
• Submit all papers, take all exams, complete all distribution requirements and units (including your first oral unit)  by May 31 st  of your second year of regular enrollment*.
• Your undergraduate lecture, observed and confirmed in writing by a Princeton PHI faculty member, must be completed  by December 15 th  of your third year of regular enrollment.
• Part 2 of your General Exam is the qualifying exam (the oral portion; preceded a few days before by submission of a draft chapter of your dissertation). This due date is based on the University academic calendar for January General Exams. (See below for a complete description of the qualifying exam.)

*Failure to meet this deadline results in loss of entitlement to staying enrolled in the program and in the deferral of the department’s re-enrollment recommendation. In that case, a new timeline for completion of the ten units is agreed upon with the student by June 15, and continued enrollment is conditional on implementation of the new timeline.

If any of the above dates occur on a weekend or during recess, the due date will be on the following Monday.

• Provide the name of your General Exam adviser to the DGS  by March 15 th  of your second year of regular enrollment. Once your General Exam adviser is approved, the DGS will set up your General Exam committee.
• At the latest, two weeks before the oral exam, students will have received the approval of two examiners for an examination proposal, which must include a description of the unit’s field of study, six to ten sample questions, and a bibliography. The written part of the unit can be a paper or a 48-hour take-home exam on questions formulated by the examiners. Both written and oral parts of the exam must combine a survey of the field with creative philosophical work.
• Your undergraduate lecture, observed and confirmed in writing by a Princeton PHI faculty member, must be completed  anytime prior to your General Exam.
• Part 2 of your General Exam is the qualifying exam (the oral portion; preceded a few days before by submission of a draft chapter of your dissertation). This can be completed in October, January, or as late as May of your third year of regular enrollment,  following the schedule based on the University academic calendar. (See below for a complete description of the qualifying exam.)

Part 2 of the General Exam is the qualifying exam.  The written part of this exam is constituted by (1) a draft dissertation chapter of between 7500 – 8500 words, and (2) a dissertation prospectus of 2 – 4 pages. If you feel the need to exceed these limits (with quotations, for example), consult with the DGS. The oral part of the exam is conducted by the student’s General Exam committee, which is composed of four faculty members, under the direction of the exam committee chair. It is preferred that students enrolled in the regular program take this oral exam in the General Exam period in October of their third year of enrollment. However, students may also take the exam in the January exam period of their third year of enrollment. 

All students who are allowed to retake their General Examination after a failed attempt are required to do so by following the format of the qualifying exam (Part 2 of the new General Exam format).

Back to top.

Qualifications to Write A Dissertation In A Given Area

If you can complete pre-Generals requirements and pass Generals, then we take it that you are able to write some dissertation or other, but not necessarily the dissertation of your choice. To do justice to some topics, you may need preparation and qualifications that go beyond those required of everyone as part of our pre-Generals requirements, and beyond what you could reasonably expect to pick up while working on the dissertation. You might need to know a considerable amount of logic, or linguistics, or physics, or history, or econometrics, or something else. In par­ticular, you might need a level of proficiency in some foreign language which is substantially higher than that needed to pass the language requirement. That might be because there are impor­tant untranslated scholarly works relevant to your topic. Or it might be because your topic requires you to figure out what someone meant by something written in a foreign language. Note the department's requirement that "if a student's dissertation is devoted to any considerable extent to an author, the student must be able to read the author's works in the original language." (But note also the delicate, yet real, distinction between writing about an author and writing about philo­sophical ideas that come from that author.) Don't take chances. The standards that apply are the generally accepted standards of sound scholarship, not the standards of doing the best you can with what preparation you have. If you can't do sound scholarship on a topic because you aren't good enough at a language (or something) that doesn't excuse or justify bad scholarship – it means that you should have chosen a different topic.

If in doubt about what qualifications are needed for a topic, and whether you have them, seek advice! Your adviser cannot determine by an exercise of authority what standards of scholarship will suffice – the adviser is only an adviser, there is no such authority – but the adviser can give you good advice on what will be needed to meet generally accepted standards of scholarship, and the adviser (with your help) can try to measure your level of proficiency. If you can't do a topic justice, you'd rather find out now than after you've submitted a dissertation.

Choose a Reasonably-Sized Project

In choosing a dissertation topic and General Examination field, beware of overambition. Students sometimes attempt enormous projects which later have to be abandoned, others are completed many years later. Either way is a disaster for the student's academic career. It is hard to write a dis­sertation while starting to teach, hard to remain employed without the Ph.D., hard to publish arti­cles that would support promotion to tenure while still struggling with the dissertation. It is extremely advantageous to finish the Ph.D. before leaving Princeton. Your dissertation does not need to be a magnum opus; it does not need to contain every thought you have about the topic; the end of the dissertation need not be the end of your research and writing on the topic. Choose a project you can soon finish!

Some dissertations consist of several significant philosophical essays on different topics. Each essay in such a dissertation must be a substantial full-length philosophical article, not just a dis­cussion note.

Your dissertation should have a useful title that gives some indication of the philosophical content of the dissertation. Specifically ruled out are titles like "Philosophical Essays" or "Three Philo­sophical Essays."

Although a good dissertation might be significantly shorter or longer, the department recom­mends a target length of 30,000-50,000 words. Besides this recommendation, we also have established a length limit. Dissertations will normally be limited to 100,000 words (about 400 standard pages); exceptions must be approved by the Graduate Committee.

The following links will provide information on preparing your dissertation for submission:

FPO Checklist

Mudd Library

Graduate School – Dissertation and FPO

Graduate School - Advanced Degree Application Process

Back to top

Secondary Menu

• Dissertation

The dissertation is expected to be a mature and competent piece of writing, embodying the results of significant original research. Physical requirements for preparing a dissertation (i.e., quality of paper, format, binding, etc.) are prescribed online in the Guide for the Electronic Submission of Theses and Dissertations ; a copy is also available in the Graduate School Office. For specific aspects of form and style, students are advised to use Kate L. Turabian's  A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations  (Eighth Edition, 2013). Special physical problems regarding preparation of dissertations should be taken up with the Assistant Dean for Student Programs.

Graduate students also have the option of submitting their dissertation electronically , to facilitate access to their work through online databases. Students must be registered at Duke during the semester in which they defend their dissertations and therefore must take their final dissertation examination while classes are in session. It is best to schedule a final examination (the so-called "thesis defense") early in the fall or spring semester. Examinations during the summer terms are almost impossible to arrange and should be avoided, if possible. Examinations between semesters are permitted only in exceptional cases.

Checklist for Doctoral Dissertation Defense

• Schedule exam during school semester. At the beginning of the semester be sure to register for continuation and to complete the Apply to Graduate process in DukeHub.
• Go to the Graduate School's Preparing to Graduate  to be sure your plans meet all graduation related deadlines.
• If your dissertation committee remains the same as your preliminary committee, send an email indicating there is no change to [email protected] & to DGSA. If there are changes, contact DGSA immediately.
• Clear date and time with all members of your committee. As soon as you do this , email [email protected] to reserve a room for your defense date (tell her if you have special AV needs, or will be skyping during the defense). When you get confirmation of the room, email it to the DGS and DGSA, and each committee member.
• Proofread your dissertation and have someone else do so.
• Provide committee with reading copies of your dissertation 3 weeks in advance.
• Format check a copy of your dissertation through the Graduate School Office several weeks in advance (following these procedures outlined ). Initial submission of dissertations into UMI/ProQuestmust take place at least two weeks prior to the defense date and no later than the established initial submission deadline for that graduation term.
• At least 2 weeks before defense date, ask Advisor to email Advisor Letter to [email protected] (with your name in the subject line) stating they have read your dissertation and it is ready to defend.
• Ask DGS to email Department Defense Announcement form  to the Graduate School at [email protected] at least 2 weeks ahead.
• Prior to defense date, pick up Exam Card from the Graduate School at your exam card appointment (you schedule this here after  you get email notification from the Graduate School). Bring exam card to the defense.
• On defense date, come to exam with enough sleep and earn a clear pass.
• Have committee sign Exam Card & the Title & Abstract Signature pages. Have Advisor sign the Duke Space licensing agreement.
• Return the original signed Exam Card, Title & Abstract Signature pages, and Duke Space licensing agreement to Graduate School, and bring a copy of these forms to DGSA's office.
• Make corrections and submit 3 dissertation copies and abstracts.
• Pay for microfilming, binding, & (optional) copyrighting.
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Dissertations 4: methodology: introduction & philosophy.

• Introduction & Philosophy
• Methodology

Introduction

The methodology introduction is a paragraph that describes both the design of the study and the organization of the chapter. This prepares the reader for what is to follow and provides a framework within which to incorporate the materials. 

This paragraph says to the reader, “This is the methodology chapter, this is how it is organized, and this is the type of design I used.” 

In this introduction, you can also state:  

The objectives of your research and/or 

The research question or hypothesis to be tested 

Research Philosophy

Carrying out your own research for your dissertation means that you are engaging in the creation of knowledge. Research philosophy is an aspect of this. It is belief about the way studies should be conducted, how data should be collected and how it is then analysed and used.  At its deepest level, it includes considerations of what is (ontology), like, is there an objective truth or is it everything subjective, and how to know (epistemology), like, can we know the truth, and how can we get to know it.

Writing about your research philosophy, therefore, involves reflecting on your assumptions and beliefs about data collection to develop, analyse, challenge and evaluate them.  

If you need to have a research philosophy section in your dissertation, the handout attached below provides some guidance.  

• Research Philosophies Offers descriptions of different research philosophies
• << Previous: Structure
• Next: Methods >>
• Last Updated: Sep 14, 2022 12:58 PM
• URL: https://libguides.westminster.ac.uk/methodology-for-dissertations

CONNECT WITH US

How to Write a Philosophy Paper

• Develop a Thesis
• Formulate an Argument
• Structure & Outline
• Grammar & Style

Forming an Argument

Writing a Paper in Philosophy Part 3 - Forming an Argument

What is an Argument?

Arguments consist of one or more  premises and a  conclusion. "

Image source: Hartmann Schedel. Publius Ovidius Naso and Plato. Public domain. Wikimedia Commons.

Source:  Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy .

• Argument Good background information on argument; includes links to information on different types of arguments. Dictionary of World Philosophy.
• Inductive Argument Defines inductive arguments. Dictionary of World Philosophy.
• Deductive Argument Defines and describes a deduction, or the deductive method. Dictionary of World Philosophy.

Is Your Argument Valid?

Make sure there are no sharks in your roof: argue with validity and soundness.  Learn how to do that in the article below.

Image source:  SG Bailey.  Public domain.  Wikimedia Commons.

• Validity and Soundness Article on logic that covers validity and soundness. Dictionary of World Philosophy.
• << Previous: Develop a Thesis
• Next: Structure & Outline >>
• Last Updated: Jan 22, 2024 10:48 AM
• URL: https://libguides.lvc.edu/philosophypaper

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This short book, written by recent Cambridge PhD students, is designed to introduce students to the process of writing an essay in philosophy. Containing many annotated examples , this guide demonstrates some of the Do's and Don'ts of essay writing, with particular attention paid to the early stages of the writing process (including the creation thesis statements and essay outlines).  This book may also be useful to instructors looking for teaching-related resources.

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Digital Commons @ USF > College of Arts and Sciences > Philosophy > Theses and Dissertations

Philosophy Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

On the Possibility of Secular Morality , Zachary R. Alonso

An Ecofeminist Ontological Turn: Preparing the Field for a New Ecofeminist Project , M. Laurel-Leigh Meierdiercks

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

Karl Marx on Human Flourishing and Proletarian Ethics , Sam Badger

The Ontological Grounds of Reason: Psychologism, Logicism, and Hermeneutic Phenomenology , Stanford L. Howdyshell

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Interdisciplinary Communication by Plausible Analogies: the Case of Buddhism and Artificial Intelligence , Michael Cooper

Heidegger and the Origin of Authenticity , John J. Preston

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Hegel and Schelling: The Emptiness of Emptiness and the Love of the Divine , Sean B. Gleason

Nietzsche on Criminality , Laura N. McAllister

Learning to be Human: Ren 仁, Modernity, and the Philosophers of China's Hundred Days' Reform , Lucien Mathot Monson

Nietzsche and Eternal Recurrence: Methods, Archives, History, and Genesis , William A. B. Parkhurst

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Orders of Normativity: Nietzsche, Science and Agency , Shane C. Callahan

Humanistic Climate Philosophy: Erich Fromm Revisited , Nicholas Dovellos

This, or Something like It: Socrates and the Problem of Authority , Simon Dutton

Climate Change and Liberation in Latin America , Ernesto O. Hernández

Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa as Expressions of Shame in a Post-Feminist , Emily Kearns

Nostalgia and (In)authentic Community: A Bataillean Answer to the Heidegger Controversy , Patrick Miller

Cultivating Virtue: A Thomistic Perspective on the Relationship Between Moral Motivation and Skill , Ashley Potts

Identity, Breakdown, and the Production of Knowledge: Intersectionality, Phenomenology, and the Project of Post-Marxist Standpoint Theory , Zachary James Purdue

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

The Efficacy of Comedy , Mark Anthony Castricone

William of Ockham's Divine Command Theory , Matthew Dee

Heidegger's Will to Power and the Problem of Nietzsche's Nihilism , Megan Flocken

Abelard's Affective Intentionalism , Lillian M. King

Anton Wilhelm Amo's Philosophy and Reception: from the Origins through the Encyclopédie , Dwight Kenneth Lewis Jr.

"The Thought that we Hate": Regulating Race-Related Speech on College Campuses , Michael McGowan

A Historical Approach to Understanding Explanatory Proofs Based on Mathematical Practices , Erika Oshiro

From Meaningful Work to Good Work: Reexamining the Moral Foundation of the Calling Orientation , Garrett W. Potts

Reasoning of the Highest Leibniz and the Moral Quality of Reason , Ryan Quandt

Fear, Death, and Being-a-problem: Understanding and Critiquing Racial Discourse with Heidegger’s Being and Time , Jesús H. Ramírez

The Role of Skepticism in Early Modern Philosophy: A Critique of Popkin's "Sceptical Crisis" and a Study of Descartes and Hume , Raman Sachdev

How the Heart Became Muscle: From René Descartes to Nicholas Steno , Alex Benjamin Shillito

Autonomy, Suffering, and the Practice of Medicine: A Relational Approach , Michael A. Stanfield

The Case for the Green Kant: A Defense and Application of a Kantian Approach to Environmental Ethics , Zachary T. Vereb

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Augustine's Confessiones : The Battle between Two Conversions , Robert Hunter Craig

The Strategic Naturalism of Sandra Harding's Feminist Standpoint Epistemology: A Path Toward Epistemic Progress , Dahlia Guzman

Hume on the Doctrine of Infinite Divisibility: A Matter of Clarity and Absurdity , Wilson H. Underkuffler

Climate Change: Aristotelian Virtue Theory, the Aidōs Response and Proper Primility , John W. Voelpel

The Fate of Kantian Freedom: the Kant-Reinhold Controversy , John Walsh

Time, Tense, and Ontology: Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Tense, the Phenomenology of Temporality, and the Ontology of Time , Justin Brandt Wisniewski

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

A Phenomenological Approach to Clinical Empathy: Rethinking Empathy Within its Intersubjective and Affective Contexts , Carter Hardy

From Object to Other: Models of Sociality after Idealism in Gadamer, Levinas, Rosenzweig, and Bonhoeffer , Christopher J. King

Humanitarian Military Intervention: A Failed Paradigm , Faruk Rahmanovic

Active Suffering: An Examination of Spinoza's Approach to Tristita , Kathleen Ketring Schenk

Cartesian Method and Experiment , Aaron Spink

An Examination of John Burton’s Method of Conflict Resolution and Its Applicability to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict , John Kenneth Steinmeyer

Speaking of the Self: Theorizing the Dialogical Dimensions of Ethical Agency , Bradley S. Warfield

Changing Changelessness: On the Genesis and Development of the Doctrine of Divine Immutability in the Ancient and Hellenic Period , Milton Wilcox

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

The Statue that Houses the Temple: A Phenomenological Investigation of Western Embodiment Towards the Making of Heidegger's Missing Connection with the Greeks , Michael Arvanitopoulos

An Exploratory Analysis of Media Reporting of Police Involved Shootings in Florida , John L. Brown

Divine Temporality: Bonhoeffer's Theological Appropriation of Heidegger's Existential Analytic of Dasein , Nicholas Byle

Stoicism in Descartes, Pascal, and Spinoza: Examining Neostoicism’s Influence in the Seventeenth Century , Daniel Collette

Phenomenology and the Crisis of Contemporary Psychiatry: Contingency, Naturalism, and Classification , Anthony Vincent Fernandez

A Critique of Charitable Consciousness , Chioke Ianson

writing/trauma , Natasha Noel Liebig

Leibniz's More Fundamental Ontology: from Overshadowed Individuals to Metaphysical Atoms , Marin Lucio Mare

Violence and Disagreement: From the Commonsense View to Political Kinds of Violence and Violent Nonviolence , Gregory Richard Mccreery

Kant's Just War Theory , Steven Charles Starke

A Feminist Contestation of Ableist Assumptions: Implications for Biomedical Ethics, Disability Theory, and Phenomenology , Christine Marie Wieseler

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Heidegger and the Problem of Modern Moral Philosophy , Megan Emily Altman

The Encultured Mind: From Cognitive Science to Social Epistemology , David Alexander Eck

Weakness of Will: An Inquiry on Value , Michael Funke

Cogs in a Cosmic Machine: A Defense of Free Will Skepticism and its Ethical Implications , Sacha Greer

Thinking Nature, "Pierre Maupertuis and the Charge of Error Against Fermat and Leibniz" , Richard Samuel Lamborn

John Duns Scotus’s Metaphysics of Goodness: Adventures in 13th-Century Metaethics , Jeffrey W. Steele

A Gadamerian Analysis of Roman Catholic Hermeneutics: A Diachronic Analysis of Interpretations of Romans 1:17-2:17 , Steven Floyd Surrency

A Natural Case for Realism: Processes, Structures, and Laws , Andrew Michael Winters

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Leibniz's Theodicies , Joseph Michael Anderson

Aeschynē in Aristotle's Conception of Human Nature , Melissa Marie Coakley

Ressentiment, Violence, and Colonialism , Jose A. Haro

It's About Time: Dynamics of Inflationary Cosmology as the Source of the Asymmetry of Time , Emre Keskin

Time Wounds All Heels: Human Nature and the Rationality of Just Behavior , Timothy Glenn Slattery

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Nietzsche and Heidegger on the Cartesian Atomism of Thought , Steven Burgess

Embodying Social Practice: Dynamically Co-Constituting Social Agency , Brian W. Dunst

Subject of Conscience: On the Relation between Freedom and Discrimination in the Thought of Heidegger, Foucault, and Butler , Aret Karademir

Climate, Neo-Spinozism, and the Ecological Worldview , Nancy M. Kettle

Eschatology in a Secular Age: An Examination of the Use of Eschatology in the Philosophies of Heidegger, Berdyaev and Blumenberg , John R. Lup, Jr.

Navigation and Immersion of the American Identity in a Foreign Culture to Emergence as a Culturally Relative Ambassador , Lee H. Rosen

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

A Philosophical Analysis of Intellectual Property: In Defense of Instrumentalism , Michael A. Kanning

A Commentary On Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz's Discourse on Metaphysics #19 , Richard Lamborn Samuel Lamborn

Sellars in Context: An Analysis of Wilfrid Sellars's Early Works , Peter Jackson Olen

The New Materialism: Althusser, Badiou, and Zizek , Geoffrey Dennis Pfeifer

Structure and Agency: An Analysis of the Impact of Structure on Group Agents , Elizabeth Kaye Victor

Moral Friction, Moral Phenomenology, and the Improviser , Benjamin Scott Young

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The Virtuoso Human: A Virtue Ethics Model Based on Care , Frederick Joseph Bennett

The Existential Compromise in the History of the Philosophy of Death , Adam Buben

Philosophical Precursors to the Radical Enlightenment: Vignettes on the Struggle Between Philosophy and Theology From the Greeks to Leibniz With Special Emphasis on Spinoza , Anthony John Desantis

The Problem of Evil in Augustine's Confessions , Edward Matusek

The Persistence of Casuistry: a Neo-premodernist Approach to Moral Reasoning , Richard Arthur Mercadante

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Dewey's Pragmatism and the Great Community , Philip Schuyler Bishop

Unamuno's Concept of the Tragic , Ernesto O. Hernandez

Rethinking Ethical Naturalism: The Implications of Developmental Systems Theory , Jared J.. Kinggard

From Husserl and the Neo-Kantians to Art: Heidegger's Realist Historicist Answer to the Problem of the Origin of Meaning , William H. Koch

Queering Cognition: Extended Minds and Sociotechnologically Hybridized Gender , Michele Merritt

Hydric Life: A Nietzschean Reading of Postcolonial Communication , Elena F. Ruiz-Aho

Descartes' Bête Machine, the Leibnizian Correction and Religious Influence , John Voelpel

Aretē and Physics: The Lesson of Plato's Timaeus , John R. Wolfe

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Praxis and Theōria : Heidegger’s “Violent” Interpretation , Megan E. Altman

On the Concept of Evil: An Analysis of Genocide and State Sovereignty , Jason J. Campbell

The Role of Trust in Judgment , Christophe Sage Hudspeth

Truth And Judgment , Jeremy J. Kelly

The concept of action and responsibility in Heidegger's early thought , Christian Hans Pedersen

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Strategies for writing a dissertation: write before you’re ‘ready’

Reading isn’t writing, and knowing about your topic isn’t writing. So, what should graduate students do to get started and make steady progress? Monique Dufour suggests practising well before it’s time to write the thesis or dissertation

Monique Dufour

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You’ve completed the coursework of your graduate programme and passed your comprehensive exams with flying colours. You know the literature, you have a novel idea, and you have collected preliminary data. It’s time to write your thesis.

Why is it so hard to start (never mind generate momentum and make steady progress)?

Graduate programmes in the US are often structured on the assumption that reading, discussion and research will prepare a student to write the thesis. But reading isn’t writing. Knowing about your topic isn’t writing. Conducting research and having great conversations with your advisers do not automatically translate to a capacity for writing papers or chapters. Even writing seminar papers may feel surprisingly different from tackling this long, significant piece of independent scholarship.

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What you need is a writing practice, a habit of using writing as part of your thinking and research. In a writing practice, you write before you are “ready”, before the ideas have crystallised in your mind and, crucially, before you officially enter the thesis-writing phase of your programme. You don’t wait until you are assigned to do so to write or until you need to produce and deliver professional work. You write for yourself , to develop your facility for translating ideas into words and sentences.

Writing for yourself to turn practice into words

If you want to do something well, you need to practise. No wonder, then, that many graduate students who wait until they enter the thesis phase to develop a writing practice may find themselves stuck. They are confronted with the need to write on the spot at the highest-stakes moment in their programme. When this happens, to comfort their apprehension, they return to reading or collecting more data, as though these comfort zones will make them more “ready” to write.

You don’t need permission from your adviser to start a writing practice early in your programme. This writing is for you. Yes, you will likely write material that finds its way into your thesis drafts. But the main value of this work is that you establish a comfortable relationship with writing, with its pleasures and its challenges. You will reap the benefits of your practice through your dedication over time.

I recommend experimenting with these approaches to developing a writing practice.

Write regularly

Put “writing practice” in your calendar and show up for it. Do this with a frequency that is aspirational but actionable. You will build the habit and build trust in yourself. Try my version of the pomodoro technique to shape your writing sessions.

Keep a dialogic notebook

To take dialogic notes (a form of Cornell Notes), draw a line down the centre of a page. On one side, note what you’re taking in – what you are hearing, observing or reading (for instance, at a lecture, note key concepts, explanations or equations). On the other side of the page, engage with what you’re taking in. What does it provoke you to think about? Does it raise questions to explore? Uncertainties to clarify? Connections to forge?

Dialogic notetaking is a tool of memory; it helps you to retain what you hear and read. It is a tool of thought ; it sparks ideas, insights and questions. You can explore and experiment and play. It is also a tool of expression; you learn to put your perceptions and ideas into words. It worked for Leonardo . It can work for you.

Pause regularly to review and synthesise

Amid the demands of graduate school, writing pieces that you will not hand in or don’t “count” may seem like a waste of time. But regular writing review sessions will pay off. I recommend that scholarly writers (graduate students and faculty alike) set aside about 30 minutes a week to write about the important things that they are learning and/or thinking about and connecting them to what they already know.

Synthesis is an essential skill that requires intentional effort and practice. Take time in your writing practice to bring together the disparate things you are learning, to connect them to each other and to your own research questions.

Ask and explore questions

Turn to your notebook to write out the questions that arise in your mind as you work in the lab or read the literature. Take a few sentences to explore those questions. You don’t need to figure out the answers. The value lies in the practice of moving that amorphous sense of a question from your head to the written form. When you get stuck in a project, ask yourself: “What am I trying to figure out?” Your goal is to move yourself from the inchoate feelings of inadequacy and discomfort to the empowering experience of problem-definition and problem-solving.

When you write before you feel ready, you will learn a surprising truth: that you get ready by writing.

Monique Dufour is an associate professor of history as well as a faculty fellow in faculty affairs at Virginia Tech. 

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For further reading on this topic, see From Student to Scholar: A Guide to Writing Through the Dissertation Stage by Keith Hjortshoj (Routledge, 2019).

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