Monday next is the first day of my first dissertation class. The object of the course is to prepare the candidate to complete Chapter One of their dissertation. This morning, I added Manipulating the Masses to my current reading list.1 Hamilton’s book is considered the state-of-the-field academic work on the origins of modern American propaganda. My current class is the first in the dissertation series (HIST901) and focuses on Chapter One. I have academic questions and a hypothesis, but I need to read and thoroughly digest Manipulating the Masses, along with its notes and citations, to develop a solid historiographical picture to begin my literature review. I had an email exchange with Hamilton, and he asked to see my working bibliography, which I posted (here). He thought I had a solid foundation for my research and offered a couple of additional suggestions, so I am confident I am headed in the right direction. The question now is, what will my dissertation adviser think?
I started a dissertation research journal yesterday. I also started re-reading Kate Turabian’s Writer’s Guide, which happens to be the course textbook.2 For now, I will focus on a slow read through Manipulating the Masses over 600 pages and keep a question log for Dr. Hamilton if the need arises. The next dissertation class isn’t for a few months yet, so there is plenty of time to develop a historiography and literature review.
- Hamilton, John Maxwell. Manipulating the Masses: Woodrow Wilson and the Birth of American Propaganda. Louisiana State University Press, 2024. ↩︎
- Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers. 9th edition. University of Chicago Press, 2018.
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