The (dreaded) dissertation topic – 1 of 3 – “A flexible evolution in thinking…”

Introduction

During the short time I have worked on my dissertation (16 months of part-time research and counting), there have been few things that have caused me as much worry and doubt as that of choosing a dissertation topic. 

How do I choose among so many interesting topics? Should I do a textual or topical study? and of course, Will I be able to make an “original contribution?”

The choice of a dissertation topic is obviously of enormous importance given that you will be spending a good 3-5 years looking into this subject.

This next series of posts on the “dreaded dissertation topic” are my attempt to somewhat demystify the process and to share some elements that were helpful in the shaping of my research topic.

Since it is such a large topic to cover, I will be breaking up this post into three separate articles. 1) Highlights how choosing a topic is a flexible and evolutionary process; 2) Focuses on the big picture goal of a thesis, which is asking the right research questions; 3) Dives into some nitty-gritty advice on how to go about finding and choosing a good topic to research.

Choosing a dissertation is a flexible process

One of the first points I should make about choosing a dissertation topic is that you will likely repeat the process 2-3 times.  This is because in the application stage (when you submit a dissertation proposal that outlines your thesis) you are not as familiar with the state of research in your particular discipline as you are after one year of working on your dissertation.  The same would hold true after the second year.

Thus it is expected, and it is somewhat normal, that your dissertation topic will evolve over time into a well established thesis.  A subject that looked interesting or promising when you first applied, can quickly become uninteresting, too daunting or insufficiently original as time goes on and your research ability becomes greater. (Now mind you, if you’ve worked really hard during your MA or MDIV / ThM and have already thought through a dissertation topic, then this evolution in focus will not be as great for you…)

In many instances, I have met doctoral students who have told me that the topic with which they applied is not the same topic with which they finished their PhD program.  In some cases, the topic had very little relationship to the original submission, while in other cases the focus had shifted somewhat. All of this to say that the choosing of a dissertation topic is a somewhat flexible process.

In my case, my original thesis topic was too ambiguous and too large.  I was trying to discover if two texts (Acts 20 and 1 Peter 5) shared the same portrait of leadership based on the shepherd image, and if so, did they possess a common leadership tradition.  This would have required an enormous amount of work to discover the use of the shepherd image in all the literature that predated the New Testament, and an equal amount of work to find the common tradition.  Thus, I simplified my topic and simply settled for finding the parallels that existed between my two texts.

Conclusion

In this first post, I only wish to communicate that you are dealing with a flexible process and it is likely that your focus will change as you dive into more of your research.

This is perhaps a little deflating if you spend so much time trying to get that initial submission just right. Do not fret!  Just because you CAN change your topic does not mean that you have to change your topic.

In addition, changing your focus simply means that you are developing the skills of a good researcher; enough to know when you must let go of a thesis and begin pursuing another research avenue.  Finally, no research is ever wasted.  Pursuing leads gives you a greater knowledge base and it adds to your PhD training of being able to sift through arguments, reflect upon and synthesize the things you are reading.

That’s all for this post.  I will try to give you the more practical advice in my next installment.

Happy researching!