If anyone wants to help me focus my attention, I'd be open to thoughts regarding which project I should pursue first. The four projects include:
Starhawkian Rhetoric. Based on a paper I wrote in grad school and written as an update/response to an article published in the mid 90s, this essay examines the writings of Starhawk and suggests a new way of approaching the notion of rhetorical visions. I'm using the rhetoric of Barak Obama as a case study for the theoretical frame that emerges from Starhawk's work. This project is realistically about 1/2 finished.
The Dissertation Chapter That Should Have Been Written. One of the realizations that emerged from my dissertation defense 1.5 years ago (has it been that long?!) is that I probably should have written another chapter highlighting the resistant characteristics of the goth scene. While I definitely touched on resistance throughout the work, I never offered a decisive "Here are three major cultural practices being resisted" moment. Unlike many postsubcultural scholars, I do believe spectacular subcultures are more than "postmodern pleasuredomes". As such, the DCTSHBW will sythesize my observations and present a clear, cohesive argument for a goth rhetoric of resistance. This project is probably about 1/8 finished.
We are All Cylons: Battlestar Galactica and Fandom’s Fitting Response. This is a project I started thinking about last year and submitted as both a convention paper and book chapter. Denied in both venues! I'm tweaking my abstract and proposal in another attempt to present this work at a convention. The old version follows. This essay positions Ron Moore’s contemporary reconceptualization of Battlestar Galactica as part of an on-going public dialogue concerning ethics and human rights. Touching on such thought-provoking issues as terrorism, torture, and rape, Battlestar Galactica offers a dialogic hail that requires a fitting response. Message board posts provide an opportunity to examine the way in which fans acknowledge the hail and participate in the dynamic moment of communal discernment. This project is about 1/20 complete.
Chocolate Madonna as Spiritual Communication. As I wrote a while back, I'm totally obsessed with the communicative aspect of the appearances of the Virgin Mary, Jesus, the Arabic script for Allah, ghosts, etc. Even if they aren't real--the skeptic in me says there's nothing miraculous going on here--what does this phenomenon communicate to us about our culture? I'm just in the process of conceptualizing this research project so I'm guessing I'm about 1/100th of the way finished.
The sensible approach would be to work on the project that's closest to being finished and move on down the list, right? The problem is that I'm WAY more interested in working on the BSG essay. There's a fifth piece that's also waiting in the wings that's probably about 1/2 finished, too. I'm reading a book that could add a dimension to that essay so it's on hold until I find some time to read (which is amazingly difficult to find, believe it or not).
6 comments:
I want the untold dissertation chapter!
- Sheila
(now back to the dissertation mines with me...)
I'd say the BSG piece because the call for papers is still out and needs to be fulfilled..... ::mutters as she needs to proof her own abstract and send to same conference::
I just submitted my abstract to the Film and History area of the conference. Wish me luck! Or, better yet, I'll just hope to see you there, too!
When do you expect Barakian (né Starhawkian) Rhetoric to be finished? Such a paper would have the most value if it came out right during the Democatic Presidential nomination race. Obama will be a front runner until losing in the end to Clinton, who will, in turn lose to whatever Republican happens to run. For that reason, timing is critical. If you can't get it done in time, you must put it off until 2012 when Obama gets a chance to lose.
The Dissertation Chapter That Should Have Been Written. You could knock this one out fairly quickly and it wouldn't be that much additional work for you. Plus, it doesn't have the critical timing as the Obama paper.
BSG. It sounds like you may be getting a little backlash from the "paper on the latest pop-culture TV show" phenomenon. Maybe broaden the topic to be popular conceptions of ethics and human rights that are influenced and dramatized by fictional TV shows. I am thinking about a "moment of zen" the other day where some talking head lady was saying how Americans support the government's use of "torture in quotes" because America loves "24" and America loves "Jack Bauer". Do current events drive fictionalized representations or the other way around? Again, this paper is only good until our inglorious, Vietnam-style pull-out of Iraq in 2009.
My favorite idea is the Chocolate Madonna. People are way more into spiritual mysticism these days than just about anything else. Plus, it is a straightfoward comm paper that would be hard to turn down. Whether you believe it or not is irrelevent - it is believed. What does that say? Also, this paper would fit very nicely into your employer's "theme". Maybe you could get a sabbatical out of it? Nothing wrong with that!
Just do it.
Just do it. The first one wins.
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