Kate Willyard
  • About
  • Research
    • Journal Articles
    • Awarded Research Proposals
    • Datasets
    • Doctoral Dissertation
    • Op-Eds and News
    • Presentations
    • Working Papers
  • Teaching
    • Classical Social Theory
    • Enviornmental Sociology
    • Medical Sociology
    • Social Inequality
    • Social Problems
    • Sociology of Organizations
  • Academic Blog
  • Personal Blog
  • Contact

Academic Blog

"If we knew what we were doing, it would not be called research, would it?" -Albert Einstein

Preliminary Exam Preparation

7/28/2015

0 Comments

 
I am currently preparing to take my preliminary exams this upcoming semester. In my I have done multiple things to prepare so far. 

First of all, I compiled reading lists for both my major (political sociology) and my minor (sociology of organizations). I have sent them to my dissertation chair/advisor (Dr. Harland Prechel), who is verifying the list with the other members of my committee. I compiled the reading list so I have a clear scope. In order to better understand the relationship between the readings and my field of study, I broke out the readings into categories.

My reading lists are as follows:
  • Political Sociology
  • Sociology of Organizations


Next, I gathered all of my literature. Texas A&M University Libraries was wonderfully helpful in this process. Either the literature was made immediately available online, or I was able to request the literature through a service called Get It For Me. 

I put the literature into binders based on subject. Now, everything I need to study for my preliminary exams is compiled and in one place:
Picture
I'm not sure if it was a good or bad idea, but I have the literature in my living room. It can be good because I see it all the time. As a result, I am continuously motivated to study. However, it can be bad because I see it all the time. As a result, any time I am not studying, I see the large amount of literature I need to master. I feel like I am not doing enough and should get back to studying. I am still learning how to manage the stress of the work it takes to be an academic. But while I am still learning to master that skill, I feel bad for my husband who has to deal with me being easily agitated. 

Next, I organized the literature into an electronic literature matrix with the following fields:
  • Year
  • Complete Reference
  • Category
  • Research Question(s)
  • Key Concepts & Definitions
  • Variables and Ways of Measurement
  • Data Used
  • Methods Used
  • Adequacy/Shortcomings of Data and Methods
  • Main Findings
  • Importance/Contribution
  • Similarities to Previous Research
  • Differences from Previous Research
  • Other Comments


Click here for a blank literature matrix.

I developed the fields for the literature matrix using a document my advisor, Dr. Harland Prechel, gave me which summarized Zeitlin's central questions to think about my own research. I figured this would also be a good way to organize my study of the literature to prepare for my preliminary exam. 

My goal is to go through my reading list and complete the matrix. I have the literature sorted by year, so I can see trends in the literature over time.

I am using a couple of web applications to help with my studies. I have the document saved to Dropbox. With new Dropbox Office Online web(integration) features, I am able to edit the document within the cloud to ensure it would be saved if my computer ever had a sudden catastrophe. I also have the information integrated with my Evernote account, which includes all of my notes from graduate school. Evernote makes it easy to search my notes to find the information I need.

Finally, I have set myself a very strict schedule. Each day I make sure I put in 5 hours of studying and 1 hour of writing. I am writing response papers and answers to previous preliminary exam questions found at the University of Wisconsin- Madison archives. 

I am lucky to be able to learn from the experiences of those who have been there before me. So many people were happy to provide me useful advice when I asked. Now it is time to use all of that information to prepare to successfully complete my preliminary exams. Back to work!
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Kate Willyard is a political and economic sociologist interested in human organization and the environment.

    Archives

    October 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    November 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    Categories

    All
    Critical Geography
    Economic Sociology
    Environmental Sociology
    Natural Resources
    Political Sociology
    Quantitative Research Methods
    Sociology Of Organizations

    RSS Feed

Research Gate

ORCID

Academia

LinkedIn

GitHub