Wow, I feel your pain. Hang in there! Seriously, the best piece of advice I ever received was the tried and true "The best dissertation is a completed dissertation" cliche. It's trite, but it's true: I saw several people stall in the eleventh hour trying to, as Scotty would say, "overthink the plumbing" on their conclusion. It makes sense, doesn't it? After years on a project, the wrap-up should be one serious climax! But at some point, it just has to be done, and the mind-game pressure of the conclusion can be an annoying obstacle to that.
That was no help at all, was it? ;) My experience is a bit different, since I was doing intellectual history (different methodology, etc.), but I bookended my whole work with a contemporary case study begun in the introduction and revisited and ended in the conclusion. The reason I did it that way was to say 1) See how relevant I am?, 2) Have you heard other people talking about this? No, I didn't think so. See how I'm filling a hole in the current scholarship?, 3) See? I have been paying attention to what's been going on while I wrote this monstrous tome, and not living under a rock, and 4) See what a cool project this could be on its own, if you'd just pass my defense and let me get on with it? And all that is to say, in response to the current advice you're leaning toward, yes. :)
Sorry for the ramble. I have good thoughts aimed in your direction, not that you need them! :) Go you!
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2004-12-10 05:16 am (UTC)That was no help at all, was it? ;) My experience is a bit different, since I was doing intellectual history (different methodology, etc.), but I bookended my whole work with a contemporary case study begun in the introduction and revisited and ended in the conclusion. The reason I did it that way was to say 1) See how relevant I am?, 2) Have you heard other people talking about this? No, I didn't think so. See how I'm filling a hole in the current scholarship?, 3) See? I have been paying attention to what's been going on while I wrote this monstrous tome, and not living under a rock, and 4) See what a cool project this could be on its own, if you'd just pass my defense and let me get on with it? And all that is to say, in response to the current advice you're leaning toward, yes. :)
Sorry for the ramble. I have good thoughts aimed in your direction, not that you need them! :) Go you!