PhD Comics: "Relationship Status"

So in the midst of juggling all my blogging-writing-thesisizing crazy, I totally let this post slip by the wayside and accidentally posted a barely-finished draft this morning (note to self: do not schedule posts unless they are 100% complete).  This, my friends, is the downside of multi-tasking.

At any rate, here I am.  My name is Lena, and I happen to be an academic — a sociologist, to be exact.  I have been in trying to write a MA thesis for almost four years, and I am finally seeing the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel.  By the end of September I should have a complete draft in hand, and by December I should have that draft all shiny, pretty, and ready to be defended.   

One of the difficulties of scholarly research is the highly limited audience.  Because of the nature of the work (jargon-y terms, specialized knowledge, etc.), as well as the publications where it’s eventually found (academic journals that can only be accessed through university libraries or personal subscription), it’s easy to feel as though one is writing for only a handful of people.  In my case, my guaranteed readers are the three members of my committee, a couple of friends, and maybe my parents.

Okay, so *sometimes* academic jargon can be deciphered. Source: PhD Comics, "Deciphering Academese"

But I like to share the things that I’ve learned, and after almost four years, my brain is bursting at the seams with fascinating facts, historical tidbits, and other odds and ends that I’ve acquired.  So every Thursday until I defend my thesis, I’ll be offering these wee shining jewels of knowledge for public consumption.

The Project.

By this point, I’m sure you’re scratching your head and asking, “But Lena, what exactly is this magical, wonderful thesis about?  What exactly are you trying to study?”

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