Welcome again to “the embarkation” of your MA thesis experience. I am glad we have all connected again for this Fall semester of ENG 5698. We are truly “underway” now. Moving forward, I hope you will think of “Thesis Class” as a special “accountability community” – a supportive writing group dedicated to co-learning and peer support, helping you refine your own development of a significant writing project.

As we embark on this process, we are setting the tone with weekly connection and check-in-style discussions. You will all be at different “places” during the thesis experience, of course, and each of you will bring different perspectives and concerns. Thesis time together is a unique opportunity. It is a special chance in your life to have a close community of like-minded writers working with you and alongside you, in tandem. Although your work might be different, the process you are all experiencing is shared.

Here are the slides from last class for your reference:

With the exception of Erik & Giselle, each of you is starting the process of “discovery and invention” at this stage. Some of you have a clear notion of what you would like to do, and you might even have some elements “in the can.” But you are all still apprehending certain dimensions of your MA thesis (more conversation on this to come next week).

***Please remember, each of you will learn a great deal from considering each other’s evolving work. The peer support approach for thesis development will rely heavily on the feedback you offer, as well as the feedback you receive. It is critical to keep in mind the significance of both roles you play in this class – writer AND reader, author AND editor. Your own growth as a thinker and creator relies on both sides of this equation. Consider each of the roles with equal measure.

I look really look forward to “jump-starting” our collective work together next week.

For our Next Meeting

• Submit to this form your blog URL
• Your first introductory post: Include an update about you, how was the summer?  What thought do you have at this stage regarding your thesis?

See you then,

Dr. Zamora

Welcome back everyone!

We are now setting off on a challenging journey together. I am happy with this Fall 2024 group in particular, because you will all benefit from a diverse group of fellow writers and peers – a previously established community of support for your MA thesis development. Please remember how invaluable (and rare) having a writing community is. Your time together will be a blessing for all of you.

A couple words of wisdom at the precipice of our journey together:

Writing a thesis is not easy. There are many twists and turns in the road, roadblocks do come up, and there are unforeseen landscapes that cannot be imagined until you cover ground and truly travel. That said, the more time you have on the road, the more of a chance you will have to discover. I have no doubt that each of you will eventually “arrive” at the place of your own design. A place of insight and learning. A place where perhaps the outcomes were not the ones you originally anticipated.

I look forward to working with each of you as you set a course and cover some significant ground on your own terms as you develop your culminating project for your Masters of Arts in Writing Studies degree. I am here to provide suggestions, feedback, resources, and insight; to prompt you to refine your thinking, deepen your research, and take your work to another level. Sometimes you surge forth in the process and cover good distance “on the road” due to insightful feedback during a conversation. And sometimes you surge forth due to extended sessions of engaged independent reading & research. Oftentimes, inspiration hits at the most unlikely times. I hope you will experience all of this.

The MA in Writing Studies @KeanUniversity is inherently a “customizable” degree, and I encourage each of you to follow a course for which you feel a spark of commitment and passion. I also encourage you to take risks in pursuing forms of learning that matter to you personally. In my own experience, this is the place from which meaningful transformation is born. And if you are going to work hard at something, why not make it both meaningful and transformative?

Your peer learning process and our sense of community will continue to be significant, and I hope you will lean on each other for both accountability and self-reflection. That is the inherent design of this seminar class. We will also use our time as a group to enhance and augment the asynchronous/autonomous work that you will shape throughout the two semesters of your work on this project. Our website here will serve to organize some shared resources for supporting your writing process while connecting our learning. It is also a showcase of your (in-progress) work for the year.

Sincerely,

Dr. Zamora