Trimming more branches

Shortly after writing the last entry, I narrowed things down a little, leaving me with two options: The Rhetoric of Misdirection in Discourse and The Rhetoric of Personal Identity Online. I was advised to go with the second, which actually makes me happy. The burning question of personal identity had already rekindled itself, and I’m [...]

Making a Bonsai

It seems like every few months, I come back to this same issue. What do I want to study? It’s getting to be a more and more important question. Right now, I need to make a decision of who I want to be. In a few years, I’m going to have a PhD (hopefully). When [...]

Research interest introspection

Recently, I was asked to write up a brief summary of my research interests. The question was put to me in a very interesting way. “If I told you right now,” he said, “that you had one year to write your dissertation, what would it be about?” Great question. And I need to narrow it [...]

Planning Technical Writing

This summer, I will be teaching technical and professional writing. I teach this course differently than most, and I think my method works pretty well. Some people involve the students directly with real companies, which I appreciate. But my method involves on the one hand much less direct involvement but on the other much more [...]

Getting ready for the C’s, planning classes

Tomorrow at a god awful hour of the morning, I board a plane that, through a series of other destinations, will eventually get me to San Francisco. At least, that’s the plan-there’s a chance the snow will decide otherwise. But most likely, I’m off to the C’s. This is not my first conference, but it [...]