Choosing a Thesis Topic That Matters to You (& the World): 1-Day Workshop

This one-day training is designed to help undergrad and grad students choose a thesis or dissertation topic that matters deeply to them and to the world.

Led by two award-winning researchers, it offers expert advice, practical exercises, and peer feedback on the process of figuring out how to create a research project aligned with your passions, principles, and proficiencies. The goal of this workshop is not to produce a polished final product, but to learn new methods of generating research ideas that inspire you (and others).

You might benefit from this training if you:

• experience difficulty in choosing a research topic;
• already have a clear topic of interest, but feel unsure how to turn it into a research project;
• worry you’re asking the wrong questions about your research topic;
• have plenty of "good ideas," but aren’t sure which one to commit to;
• feel like your research topic was imposed by someone else; or
• want to learn new ways to think about self-driven research

The event schedule will consist of a mix of:

• Brief lectures on best practices for choosing topics and generating questions
• Hands-on exercises to help you navigate the key decision-making moments in the early stages of research
• Peer feedback sessions
• Lunch (included, no fee)
• Free-writing session

This workshop is being offered on two dates:

- Wednesday, June 26, 2019, 10:00am-4:00pm

- Thursday, June 27, 2019, 10:00am-4:00pm

Location: Stanford University, Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA), Fourth Floor, Wallenberg Hall (Bldg. 160), 450 Serra Mall, Stanford, CA

Cost: Free (Advanced Registration Required; On-Site Registration NOT Available)

Eligibility: This training is limited to currently registered full-time undergraduate or graduate students from any college or university.

Registration Link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/choosing-a-thesis-topic-that-matters-to-yo…

Participation is limited to 12 students per session, and pre-registration via Eventbrite is required. Registration closes on June 20. Incomplete registrations will not be processed. Successful registrants will receive a confirmation.

Instructors:

Tom Mullaney, Professor of History, Stanford University

Christopher Rea, Professor of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia