Since I've been bounced from adviser to adviser, my rationale prep process involved bothering lots of professors, teachers, and friends I respect and just asking for any feedback they might offer. I also consulted Google. One key thing I learned is that EACH ADVISER HAS HIS OR HER OWN IDEA OF WHAT A GREAT RATIONALE LOOKS LIKE. I might venture to say that some of the very new ones don't have much of an idea yet. The point? I'm no authority; just wanted to save future Gallationians some footwork by putting all the advice I gathered in one place. Really, though, you just have to ask around and then go with your gut.
Anyway, I have lots of useful links for you. But let's be methodical and dissect this thing in an orderly-ish fashion.
ONE: What is this thing and what is it for? (Questions I won't answer: When is it due by? What do I study?)
The formal process of presenting one's concentration for review takes 3-7 months. That's not as scary as it sounds, though, because hopefully you're presenting something you're passionate about and have been studying for the past 3+ years. Throughout your academic career, you should also have been meeting with your adviser and with other professors whose interests are close to yours. Make sure you schedule time to talk to these people, and try to go in with specific questions so that you have productive meetings.
The process has three parts: the rationale, the book list, and the colloquium. We'll define them each separately below. The point here is also three-fold, in my opinion. First, this is the school's chance to evaluate each student's course of study. Second, it provides a chance for the student to practice presenting his or her work coherently in a formal setting and see what questions the panel raises. Lastly, it lets us talk about all the things we think are so super interesting.
TWO: Brainstorm.
Call it what you will: mental vomiting or intellectual masturbation or any other slightly disturbing name the kids have for it these days. Back when I was a third grader, we called this stage "brainstorming."
Sit down and write or type everything you can think of that relates to your concentration. Start abstractly with themes and questions. When you get stuck, move on to consider classes you've taken, internships, jobs, projects, trips, papers, conversations, questions, case studies and all such things. Don't be afraid to double back if something reminds you of something else that you forgot elsewhere--jot it down. Read back over that and add anything else that comes to mind.
It may also be useful to sit in front of your books/movies/music and pull out anything that may be relevant. You may find that just by doing this you transform the process of "building" your book list (stressful) to "distilling" it from works you already have and know (not-so-stressful).
These may help. I found the workbook to be particularly helpful in the brainstorming/organizational process:
Now that all your ideas are out of your head, you can work with them without worrying about forgetting any in the process. Tie them together, split them apart, experiment, play...You'll find yourself noticing themes, questions, and uncomfortable (useful!) points of paradox. Congratulations!
THREE: the Rationale.
"In addition to the book list, students are required to submit a rationale (3-5 typed and double-spaced pages) about a topic or topics they plan to discuss in the colloquium. The rationale should establish the central theme of the discussion, and then go on to identify and explore the major related questions that the student wants to address in the colloquium discussion. In describing the main colloquium questions and topics, the rationale should refer to several (on average, 4 - 6) of the texts on the list. Questions raised in the rationale should be formulated in relation to the texts on the book list. In order to contextualize the rationale content, the rationale can also include a student’s area of concentration, internships, independent studies, courses, and extracurricular projects. Note however that the rationale should place primary focus on explaining the central questions through textual evidence."
That's from Gallatin's website. Here are the key parts:
- 3-5 pages
- topics to be discussed in colloquium
- identify major related questions
- references to 4-6 book list texts
One approach to this is to pretend that you are writing the syllabus for a Gallatin course on your concentration. The rationale is the blurb at the beginning which outlines the progression of and questions raised in the course. That mindset is also useful in preparing the book list.
Another professor suggested writing this a map of the development of your concentration. That approach would draw in relevant courses/experiences. My problem with this approach was that I sounded too much like an essay-writer in my first draft and too much like a research paper writer in my second. In short, I told my reader too much and didn't raise enough questions. The rationale is your conversation starter for your colloquium; it is not a thesis which you set out to defend.
The third approach provides lots of scaffolding. Here are two writing exercises:
Work through them, then go back and see what you've written. Expand, cut, and re-arrange as necessary, and your rationale will--as I was told--write itself. Just don't get too caught up in following the recipe! These are scaffolds to support you, guidelines to work around. Make sure to be you.
FOUR: the Book list.
Don't be scared. You read a lot. You do. Look at those ridiculous bills you have from all the books you buy at the beginning of each semester! And you have Bobst (Fales and Avery-Fischer center included). And the NYC public library. You've got this in the bag.
Feel better? Good. Now then. These are the current guidelines for the book list, from the school website:
"The texts should be of high quality - the kind of books or other works you encountered in your courses - but they do not have to be part of a recognized canon of "great books." Avoid pop fiction, how-to manuals, self-help books, and textbooks unless you plan to engage critically with these genres.
The book list should consist of 20-25 texts, arranged according to the following four sections:
Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance Classics
At least seven works produced before the mid-1600s;
At least seven works produced before the mid-1600s;
Modernity-The Humanities
At least four works, produced after the mid-1600s, in Humanities disciplines such as Literature, Philosophy, History, the Arts, Critical Theory, and Religion;
At least four works, produced after the mid-1600s, in Humanities disciplines such as Literature, Philosophy, History, the Arts, Critical Theory, and Religion;
Modernity-The Social and Natural Sciences
At least four non-fiction works, produced after the mid-1600s, in the Natural Sciences and Social Science disciplines such as Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Anthropology, and Sociology.
At least four non-fiction works, produced after the mid-1600s, in the Natural Sciences and Social Science disciplines such as Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Anthropology, and Sociology.
Area of Concentration
At least five additional works representing the student's area or areas of concentration; students whose area of concentration already appears among the above categories may simply choose five additional works from these categories."
At least five additional works representing the student's area or areas of concentration; students whose area of concentration already appears among the above categories may simply choose five additional works from these categories."
So dig out your old syllabai, talk to professors, email your high school Latin teacher and your friend who teaches literature courses at that college your sister goes to. Of course, do these things after you've taken a good look at your bookshelf. I'm confident you'll be surprised by how much of your book list is sitting over your desk waiting for you to notice it.
Talk to your friends. Talk to people in your field. And for those super scary classics, remember that you can find them for free online. Project Gutenberg and Google Books are your friends, as is BobCat (the library thing...For classics check out "Articles and Databases" > "Philosophy" > "PastMasters").
You have time to read/re-read some of your books, but don't pick 25 that you've never opened. Also be sure to take advantage of the "Area of Concentration" section. One of my listings for that section is composed of 5 children's books, and another one is composed of 3 short films. This is a good place for specialty texts or non-text sources.
FIVE: um...
So you put these things together in a word document and send it to your adviser for approval. You can also send it to friends. It's really helpful to send the rationale to a friend who's a solid writer from a different discipline; he or she can let you know if your writing is accessible to someone with a different background.
That's it! Submit via the school website and you're good to go. Until you start preparing for your colloquium itself, but I don't have any tips about that yet. I'll start asking around this week and hopefully have some insights to share soon! In the meantime, here are some sample rationales:
That's it! Submit via the school website and you're good to go. Until you start preparing for your colloquium itself, but I don't have any tips about that yet. I'll start asking around this week and hopefully have some insights to share soon! In the meantime, here are some sample rationales:
