Catch that? It’s the title of my thesis. I’m in the final stages of writing a thesis to fulfill part of the requirements of my master’s degree in Rural Sociology. In January and February I spent five weeks traveling around Uganda interviewing fish farmers who belong to fish farmer groups (organizations, associations, or cooperative societies). I went to fish farmer workshops, hung out at a fisheries research station, visited farmers, attended fish farmer group meetings, and followed around extension agents.
I came back, got married, and started writing my thesis. It’s been an exercise in perseverance. The hardest part for me has been writing, revising, and narrowing my focus as my conclusions about what I saw and heard in Uganda, combined with what I constantly read, evolve and mature.
Frankly, at this point, it’s hard to see what needs to be changed. Once you’ve read over something and revised it enough times, it just looks right, even if it isn’t (or could be better). So tonight I met with a graduate student writing coach at the Writing Center. We spent an hour together and she brought fresh eyes and a strong organizational sense to my first chapter. We’ll meet together again next week and I’ll show her chapters two and five.
Here’s the course of events to come: my major professor will see my thesis one more time, I’ll spend another session with the writing coach, and I’ll give the revised copy to my committee. After my committee reads it, I’ll have my oral defense, where my committee asks me questions about my thesis and the research it describes, and I’ll answer them. If they are sufficiently pleased with my answers, I pass my oral defense and they sign off on my oral exam form. If my committee thinks my thesis is up to their standards, they will sign off on my thesis completion form. If not, they will give me their written comments and revisions and I’ll take another crack at it (which will be official draft 7).
I am feeling pretty good about the process and what I have left to accomplish.
Emily
clayandemily
