Guide to Registering and Writing an English Master's Thesis, Schemes and Mind Maps of English

Download Guide to Registering and Writing an English Master's Thesis and more Schemes and Mind Maps English in PDF only on Docsity! 1 Guide to Writing a Thesis in English (M.A. and M.S. Degrees) Contents A. Eligibility B. The Master’s Thesis Track: Overview of Steps C. Applying to Write a Thesis (Step #1) 1. Application and Initial Proposal 2. Choice of Topic 3. Approval and Next Steps 4. Deadlines D. Registering for Thesis Credits (ENG 590) 1. Registering for ENG 590 2. Satisfactory Progress 3. Continuation Credits (IDS 900) E. The Thesis Proposal (Step #2) 1. Preparing the Proposal 2. Submitting the Proposal 3. Deadlines F. Drafting and Revising the Thesis (Step #3) 1. Consultation With Thesis Advisor and Second Reader 2. Thesis Guidelines - Length - Structure - References - List of Works Cited 3. Formatting G. Submitting the Thesis (Step #4) 1. Handing in Your Thesis 2. Evaluation 3. Final Submission 4. Deadlines H. Switching Out of the Thesis Track Appendixes: Appendix I Timeline Appendix II English Masters Thesis Registration Appendix III Sample Thesis Application: Statement of Purpose, Description of Project, and Writing Sample The English Department Graduate Program The English Department Graduate Program 2 A. Eligibility Applicants for the thesis must be matriculated students who have completed or are currently completing eighteen credit hours with a 3.0 average. Applicants in the M.A. program must also have completed the language requirement. B. The Master’s Thesis Track: Overview of Steps M.A. and M.S. students who apply and are approved to write a thesis will complete 30 semester hours of coursework and register for 6 thesis credit hours. The production of the thesis typically takes from nine months to a year and consists of the following steps: Step #1 – Applying to Write a Thesis: An initial application and project description, due one month before the end of the semester prior to that in which the students intends to register for thesis credits. Applications are reviewed by the faculty Graduate Committee. If approved, the student registers for either 3 or 6 credits of ENG 590 (Thesis Seminar). Step #2 – Thesis Proposal: An official proposal, due either Week 8 of the first semester of ENG 590 (if the student is taking two semesters to write the thesis) or Week 4 (if the student is taking one semester to write the thesis). The proposal must be approved by the student’s thesis advisor and second reader in order for the committee to sign and approve the official Thesis Proposal submitted to the Graduate School. Step #3 – Drafting and Revising the Thesis: Multiple drafts of the thesis itself, which the student revises in consultation with the advisor and second reader. Step #4 – Submitting the Thesis: A final, correctly formatted thesis, following MLA style and university thesis protocol, must be evaluated and accepted by the student’s committee and submitted to ProQuest by the Graduate School deadline (typically, the last week of November for fall graduation and the last week of April for spring graduation). For current dates, see: http://www.southernct.edu/academics/graduate/research/student- research/thesisinformation.html C. Applying to Write a Thesis (Step #1) The application to write a thesis is a statement of intent to pursue the Master’s Thesis track and an initial description of the student’s projected topic. It is not a formal proposal. Applications are reviewed by the English Department Graduate Committee and evaluated on the following criteria: • evidence of a reasonable and focused research topic, related to the student’s completed coursework; • a working knowledge of the primary texts / authors at stake in the proposed project; • designation of an appropriate list of potential faculty advisors for the project 5 3. Staying Enrolled after ENG 590 (Continuation Credits IDS 900) All degree candidates must remain continuously enrolled, even if you have not finished your thesis upon completion of ENG 590. Masters degree candidates who do not finish the thesis by the end of 6 credits of ENG 590 (and have completed all other coursework for the degree) must register for 1 credit of IDS 900 and file a continuation form with the university: https://www.southernct.edu/academics/graduate/currentstudents/IDS%20900%206.21.20 18%20modified.pdf. The current fee for continuation credits is $150/semester. E. The Thesis Proposal (Step #2) The thesis proposal is the next – and most important – initial step of the thesis process. It is comprised of an official summary and bibliography for the proposed project, submitted to your committee and the English Department chairperson for approval, and the “Special Project, Thesis, or Dissertation Proposal Acceptance” form, which must be signed and submitted to the School of Graduate and Professional Studies. Rather than an extra step in the thesis process, the proposal – if completed satisfactorily – will form the backbone of your written project, including a significant chunk of the Introduction and Works Cited. As such, it should be completed in close consultation with your thesis advisor. 1. Preparing the Thesis Proposal The thesis proposal contains the following components: (i) A written proposal (8-10 pages) describing the thesis project and its proposed argument. Your proposal should : - Introduce and carefully describe the topic and proposed argument of the thesis project, including the primary texts and author(s) at stake - Provide a “literature review,” or summary of the critical conversation on the topic, including secondary criticism and/or contemporary theory - Explain the specific contribution your thesis hopes to make to that existing scholarship - Briefly summarize the proposed chapters of the thesis (ii) A bibliography of primary and secondary sources, following MLA style; this should include the journal articles, book chapters, and scholarly books you have found through your research and intend to use (not a sample of relevant citations) (iii) The “Special Project, Thesis, or Dissertation Proposal Acceptance” form (see link provided below), with an official project title and abstract. The abstract should distill your proposal into 250 words, and should be written clearly for a general readership. http://www.southernct.edu/academics/graduate/research/student- research/thesis_diss_sp_proposalform.pdf 6 2. Submitting the Proposal Digitally sign the “Special Project, Thesis, or Dissertation Proposal Acceptance,” following the Graduate School instructions here (the signature must be an official electronic signature): http://southernct.edu/academics/graduate/research/digitialsignature.pdf Email the completed form, your 8-10 page proposal, and bibliography to your thesis advisor and second reader for their approval. If the proposal meets with their approval, both readers sign and then forward the proposal acceptance form to the English Department Chairperson, who signs and submits to the School of Graduate and Professional Studies. 3. Deadline Your thesis proposal must be completed by the following deadlines: - For students writing the thesis over the course of two semesters, a completed thesis proposal is due to the thesis advisor and second reader by the 8th week of the first semester of ENG 590 - For students attempting to write the thesis in a single semester, a completed proposal is due to the thesis advisor and second reader no later than the 4th week of the semester in which the student is registered for ENG 590 F. Drafting and Revising the Thesis (Step #3) 1. Consultation with Thesis Advisor and Second Reader Unless the thesis advisor suggests other arrangements, students should consult the advisor regularly, submitting material chapter by chapter for comments and suggestions. Students are strongly urged to submit a completed draft of the thesis to the second reader for comments and suggestions no later than mid-way through the semester in which they plan to submit the thesis, since second readers’ comments must be addressed before theses are finally submitted to the Department Chair. 2. Thesis Guidelines In addition to meeting the requirements of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, all theses written in the English department will meet the following guidelines. Length Completed theses should be at least 50 pages long. Structure For acceptance by the university, English theses must include: (a) an introduction, incorporating a literature review (a section summarizing the existing scholarship and critical conversation on the research topic) and a clear description of the argument, thesis, terminology, and significance of the project; (b) individual chapters (with titles), presenting the body of the thesis’s argument and substantial supporting evidence; (c) a concluding chapter, which provides closure without restating what has already been said, and which may include suggestions for future research in the area, and (d) a bibliography of all primary 7 and secondary sources cited in the thesis (i.e., Works Cited). Reference Style Theses prepared in the English department will follow the most recent edition of the MLA Handbook’s formatting guidelines. List of Works Cited: A complete list of references cited in the thesis. The title, Works Cited, appears in capital letters centered two (2) inches from the top and only on the first page of the section. (Example: WORKS CITED) 3. Formatting In formatting your thesis, consult and follow carefully the Sample Thesis Title Page and Sample Thesis / Dissertation provided by the School of Graduate and Professional Studies: Sample Thesis Title Page http://southernct.edu/academics/graduate/research/20140930_sample.pdf Sample Formatted Thesis http://www.southernct.edu/academics/graduate/research/student- research/Capstone%20Sample.pdf G. Submitting the Thesis (Step #4) 1. Handing in Your Thesis The completed and formatted thesis should be handed in to the thesis advisor, who will forward a copy to the second reader. Prior to submission, ask your advisor and second reader whether they prefer hard or electronic copies. Whichever medium they prefer, email to your readers a copy of the “Thesis Acceptance” form, with an updated 250-word abstract from that which was included in your thesis proposal: Thesis Acceptance Form http://www.southernct.edu/academics/graduate/research/student- research/Thesis%20Dissertation%20Acceptance%20Form%2011.29.pdf 2. Evaluation Faculty readers will be guided in their evaluation of theses by the following considerations: the topic must be substantial and clearly defined, and the outline and development of material should demonstrate logical thinking. The thesis must represent careful analysis of primary materials and appropriate synthesis of secondary materials. The final manuscript must be consistent with the principles enunciated in the Graduate School’s Thesis Guidelines and the MLA Handbook. When the advisor and the second reader have both approved the thesis, they will indicate their approval on the signature page of the “Thesis Acceptance” form. Since the advisor or the second reader may require minor or major revisions before approving the thesis, the student must include adequate time for potential revisions in the thesis timeline. Neither reader will sign the signature page until final revisions and editing, if necessary, have been 10 Appendix I - Timeline Sample Timeline for Writing an English Graduate Thesis To graduate in May, follow this general timeframe: • Jan-March of Previous Spring - Contact potential thesis advisors and begin discussing your proposed topic during the prior spring semester. As you think about potential advisors, look at the areas of expertise and interest that faculty members list on the English department website (NB: don’t be shy about approaching potential advisors—advising theses is part of our job and something most of us like to do!) Remember that you need to submit the names of three potential advisors with your thesis application, so speak with several people to explore where your project might take you. • April of the Previous Spring - Complete an application to write a thesis no later than one month before the end of the semester prior to that in which you hope to register for thesis credits; see the dates provided in Section C4 above • May of the Previous Spring - Once your thesis application has been approved, submit the “English Masters Thesis Registration” form. The Graduate Coordinator will let you know who has agreed to be your second reader and when you can register for ENG 590. Contact your committee to begin planning for the thesis proposal. • Summer - Start reading for the thesis over the summer; take copious notes; start drafting your proposal; form study groups with other thesis writers to share and discuss proposal drafts • Fall Registration - Register for the thesis credits when the Graduate Coordinator contacts you to let you know a section of ENG 590 has been opened for you. You need to complete your registration by the first week of classes. • September or October - Submit your thesis proposal to your advisor and second reader by Week 8 of the fall semester. • December – Re-submit the bottom portion of the “English Masters Thesis Registration” to notify the Graduate Coordinator of your intent to re-register for ENG 590 in the spring • Late January - Submit a complete and polished draft of the thesis to your advisor in the first week of the Spring semester for comments and suggestions • February-March Submit a revised draft that incorporates your advisor’s feedback and addresses any concerns to your advisor and your second reader ten weeks before the end of the Spring 2015 semester. Be ready to address and incorporate further feedback from both advisor and second reader • April - When your advisor and second reader agree that the thesis is done, submit the thesis to the department chair along with the carefully-formatted thesis approval page, for which you must secure signatures from your advisor, second reader, and department chair; • Mid-April - Submit the thesis to the School of Graduate Studies no later than two weeks prior to the last day of classes to graduate in May (check the Graduate Catalog for the final deadline). Questions? Please contact the Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Joel Dodson, at dodsonj2@southernct.edu 11 Appendix II – English Masters Thesis Registration Form (see next page) 12 Appendix III Sample Thesis Application Sample Thesis Application: Statement of Purpose My purpose in writing a thesis is to explore Virginia Woolf and E. M. Forster in relation to gay, bisexual and queer theory. This thesis will address the concept of separate spheres for characters of differing sexualities, focusing on Woolf’s Jacob’s Room and Forster’s Maurice as textual evidence. Woolf’s A Room of One’s Own and Forster’s A Room with a View may also be considered in that they supply further evidence of the importance rooms hold both to those within, and to those not allowed inside. This thesis will consider the importance of the natural, free world, and the unnatural, confining world created by society. It is important to note that to an extent the “room” at Cambridge University is an awakening experience for both Jacob and Maurice in regards to their sexuality. Other rooms in the novels include their homes, Jacob’s various stops overseas, and the homes of friends Jacob and Maurice respectively visit. Because of the wide range of possibilities for interpretation, a detailed research project is required. A thesis is precisely the opportunity to tease out the nuances of these texts and to uncover their cryptic meanings. Honing in on a specific topic will enable me to become more specialized in twentieth century British literature, particularly the works of Woolf and Forster. I hope that this specialization will help me in my aspiration to enter a PhD program in this field. Additionally, the study of my primary books will allow me to explore core concepts of queer, gay and bisexual literature across the twentieth century. Working closely with my primary novels will allow me to uncover the coded nuances of both Woolf and Forster, creating an understanding that will aid me in further research for both authors. 15 Sample Thesis Application: Writing Sample The Queer Character of Jacob in Virginia Woolf’s Jacob’s Room Virginia Woolf’s novel Jacob’s Room follows the life of Jacob Flanders, one of many young men to be killed during World War I. The narrative style Woolf employs limits the direct contact readers have with Jacob’s thoughts and feelings; instead, a narrator follows Jacob’s life, giving details that must be decoded in order to better understand Jacob. It is through these “details, details, details – enormous, petty, vital details” (Kelsey 439) – which are rarely specific – that Woolf gives life to Jacob. The narrator states, “nobody sees any one as he is . . . They see a whole—they see all sorts of things . . . . It is no use trying to sum people up. One must follow hints, not exactly what is said, nor yet entirely what is done” (29). This is Woolf’s method of introducing Jacob’s character. In reading Jacob through these details, it is clear that his sexuality, just like the details surrounding him, is a complicated situation. Jacob does not overtly prefer the company of men to women, or vice versa; instead, Jacob is a queer character. His sexual preferences deviate from social conventions as he chooses to have sex with prostitutes and experiences at least one instance of homosexual love. Jacob’s sexuality is even confusing to himself, as he constantly applies the desires felt for his male companions onto the females he is with, leading only to disappointment when those women fail him in their intellectual capacity. In looking through the details, Jacob can be seen as a man preferring intellectual stimuli, who battles with his desires for female flesh against his quest to have an intelligent conversation. Woolf’s narrative method argues that humans are not able to be completely classified. In an instance of narrator intervention, we are told that “the observer is choked with observations. Only to prevent us from being submerged by chaos, nature and society between them have arranged a system of classification which is simplicity itself; stalls, boxes, amphitheater, gallery. 16 . . There is no need to distinguish details” (69). Yet not long after, Mrs. Durrant announces “that Jacob Flanders was ‘distinguished-looking.’ ‘Extremely awkward,’ she said, ‘but so distinguished-looking’” (71). Woolf’s narrator almost argues in favor of allowing the details to blend into overarching categories. Details seem to be unimportant, almost; it is simply one’s category that matters. If, however, Jacob is distinguished as Mrs. Durrant believes, then he seems to exist outside the boundaries applied by the narrator; that Mrs. Durrant acknowledges Jacob by making him distinct in her eyes causes her to break from the rules set forth of general categorization. It also shows that Jacob cannot fit in to these rules. To Mary Kelsey, Jacob’s Room consists of “myriad elements, all churning and turning and frothing and surging . . . for everything is somehow inextricably mingled with everything else” (442). These details of life are “mysterious, indefinable” (Kelsey 442). This imagery gives Jacob and his life the ability to flow freely between scenes. A contrary point of view is used by Kami Hancock; she breaks Jacob’s Room into snapshots, or brief instances of details that define Jacob’s life. Hancock argues, “Each of these snapshots of objects adds tiny increments, which create a rhythm of picture followed by picture, undermining a normative perception of time” (10); this is why the narrator frequently draws our attention away from the action of the story and to details, and how “a whole night goes by, and one marks it by the enumeration of noises” (Kelsey 440). Jacob’s entire, albeit short, life is able to be shown in such a small period of time because of these snapshots. David Daiches believes that Jacob’s Room is Woolf’s first novel culminating the techniques she learned through writing her short story collection Monday or Tuesday (53). The question Woolf seemed most intent on answering, according to Daiches, was the question of reality: what was reality in literature, and how was it portrayed? While her earlier works had “a certain heaviness and over-intellectualization” (Daiches 42), her later novels, Jacob’s Room included, were the result of an economical and effective technique, “a prose style that [enabled] 17 her to utilize some of the resources of poetry in creating a view of life as the story moved” (42). This technique would create “a structure that would enable her to transcend the traditional limitations of narrative and construct a meditative web of retrospect, anticipation and analogy that would build up atmosphere and interpret life as the novel proceeded” (42). Instead of the narrator telling readers explicitly what they should be feeling, she instead allows the world around Jacob to be filled with a sort of poetry of life. “[Woolf] wanted to find a way of writing which would interpret events as it described them, show both the thing and its value, its metaphysical meaning, simultaneously” (42), Daiches writes. Whether the story is read as a photo album or a flowing river can depend on the situation. The narrator is able to control the “flow” of the story so that we travel down the river of Jacob’s life, stopping in stationary pools when our attention should be directed elsewhere. It is the narrator, therefore, who leads readers in the direction of Jacob’s sexuality, a factor of his life which readers cannot fully pinpoint despite hints from the narrator. On the one hand, Jacob appears to be heterosexual in that he has sexual relations with multiple women. His homosexual desires and interactions are more secret, but are, with the exception of his affair with Sandra Wentworth Williams, the strongest relationships he has. Jacob’s male-male relationships are infused with a sense of mental and emotional connection, whereas his attempts at male-female relationships – more often than not purely sexual in nature – are based upon physicality, necessity, and lack an intellectual respect. “Woolf carefully entwines the narrative strand that follows Jacob’s sexual education with the one following his intellectual education until the two finally become inseparable” (Harris 421), leading to the relationship between intellectual and physical attraction. Kelsey argues that “what interests Mrs. Woolf within human beings is, first, their intolerable mystery and then all those parts of them that are on the borderland of various levels of consciousness between body and 20 who couldn’t love a woman and never read a foolish book” (147). These sentences seal the previous selection in a way that makes it clear the two males find reading extremely important. In fact, their relationship seems defined by what they read and write. Who exactly believes Bonamy had never read a foolish book is unclear, but the omnipresent feel to the text can imply that narrator has stepped in again to show us the connection between Jacob’s reading of the foolish Daily Mail and Bonamy’s intellectual superiority. The unobvious voice could also be Jacob’s thoughts about his friend, thus strengthening further the argument that we are being transported over time and space: Bonamy is thinking of Jacob, and Jacob is thinking of Bonamy. They are connected. This connection through words is certainly a transcendence of “traditional limitations of narrative” (Daiches 42). It is a smooth transition, hardly to be noticed by the reader; we are swept across time and space, are shown instead of told about Bonamy’s sexuality, and given an idea of the males’ intellectual abilities in juxtaposition to each other. While their mental relationship has already been clearly assumed, this added commentary on Bonamy’s inability to love a woman creates a deeper meaning to their relationship. If he cannot love a woman, can he then love a man? The texts speaks for itself; Bonamy “was fonder of Jacob than of any one in the world” (148), and “the sharpest of knives never cut so deep” (174) as when Bonamy learns Jacob has fallen in love with a woman. At an earlier point in the novel, Jacob and Bonamy are also connected through an emotional understanding; “there remains over something which can never be conveyed to a second person save by Jacob himself. Moreover, part of this is not Jacob but Richard Bonamy— the room; the market carts; the hour; the very moment of history” (73). Anna Snaith refers to this passage to describe direct interior monologue – in her argument, the technique used for Woolf’s narrator – but argues that in this case the direct interior monologue “is used to demonstrate its 21 own limitations” (144). Snaith argues that “inflections and mood cannot be conveyed through direct interior monologue, and so . . . the contingencies of the moment are lost” (144). While she is correct that there is no conveyance of mood in this instance, something greater is being shown to readers: Snaith omits the connection between Jacob and Bonamy, which is an important addition on the part of our narrator. The purpose of this section is not to convey an emotion, but instead to clearly show the relationship of the two men: Jacob has a part of himself only he can share, and one can speak of Bonamy in the same way. If Bonamy “could not love a woman” (147) and is the same as Jacob, then Jacob likewise cannot love a woman. That only Jacob, not the narrator, can convey something to a second person, and part of this is also part of Bonamy, then there is a secret connection between them; probably a bond which mirrors the pearly pools of intimacy experienced by Simeon and Jacob. It is not the narrator expressing limitations, but rather a showing a respectful distance between the title character – a refusal to break his trust. Because homosexual relationship were illegal during the time of her writing, Woolf had to be sure to cover the details of Simeon and Jacob’s encounter, for fear of being indiscreet; the heavy code leaves only the reader’s imagination to bring the details forward. Yet a heterosexual relationship could not be frowned upon. Why then does Woolf abstain from being graphic in her description of Jacob and his women? “If Jacob was to carry conviction, he must be given a body as well as the mind of a young man: he is seen sailing and riding to hours – should he also be seen making love?” (97) Julia Briggs asks, arguing that “there was still a great deal of hypocrisy as to what it was acceptable for a woman to know, even a married woman” (98). Woolf could not blatantly portray a sexual act, for she would “shock her male readers and reviewers profoundly” (Briggs 98). Woolf settles for the alternative: she does not code Jacob and Florinda’s encounter, but she does not blatantly describe it, either. Briggs argues “Mrs. Flanders’ letter is made the unwitting witness of what cannot be said in print” (99), as Woolf attests that “to suppose that 22 wood, when it creaks, transmits anything save that rats are busy and wood dry is childish” (95), even though she allows that “behind the [bedroom] door was the obscene thing, the alarming presence” (95). In addition to the different censorship during the acts of copulation between Jacob and Florinda, and Jacob and Simeon, both encounters end differently, showing the impact of mental stimulation upon Jacob. When Jacob and Simeon’s pearly pool of intimacy is through, Jacob is able to return home, his footsteps sounding “as if the old stone echoed with magisterial authority” (45). After “the obscene thing” (95) with Florinda, Jacob, though still “authoritative” (95), stays in his room; the two do menial things to pass the time, neither satisfied enough to leave for bed, nor too tired to read or fix appearances (96). He does not seem overly satisfied. Florinda’s inability to satisfy Jacob in his intellectual needs is demonstrated soon after their “obscene thing” (95) through her writing. Letter writing is something that Jacob is able to do well; “Jacob had written in his day long letters about art, morality, and politics to young men at college” (97), yet Florinda is essentially incompetent. “Fancy a butterfly, gnat, or other winged insect, attached to a twig which, clogged with mud, it rolls across a page” (97), the narrator says. Florinda is transformed into a crushable creature, similar to the moths Jacob so often tries to catch. Her attribution to nature is not flattering; the mud of her stick pen is dirty, her technique non-existent, and it appears that her writing is thoughtless. In addition, the narrator states that “the impediment between Florinda and her pen was something impassable” (97). If Florinda cannot successfully handle her own pen, it is safe to assume that she is not very good with Jacob’s “pen,” either. This example can be taken to describe Florinda’s inability to satisfy Jacob on a mental level, but can also be a coded implication that her bedroom skills also leave much to be desired. Jacob’s swapping between preferring male and female company can be attributed to his 25 character as the everyman, or a representation of all the young men killed in the war. While this theory is supported throughout the text and Woolf’s diary, there is also the depth of character that Woolf has given Jacob that deserves consideration. His confused sexual appetite is only part of the Jacob we are shown, but it makes up a great deal of his interactions and his life. In showing the many details of life that she does, Woolf is portraying the confused in all of us, giving light to an existence that does not attempt to conform to pre-set standards by society. Instead, Woolf is acknowledging Jacob’s own unique needs and allowing him to fulfill himself without being exposed to any but the most careful readers. Works Cited Briggs, Julia. “In Search of Jacob.” Virginia Woolf: An Inner Life. Orlando: Harcourt, 2005. 84- 108. Print. Daiches, David. Virginia Woolf. New York: New Directions, 1963. Print. Hancock, Kami A. “Deviant Snapshots: Re-Visiting Jacob’s Room.” Virginia Woolf Miscellany (2006): 10-11. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 20 Mar. 2013. Harris, Susan C. “The Ethics of Indecency: Censorship, Sexuality, and the Voice of the Academy in the Narration of Jacob’s Room.” Twentieth Century Literature 43.4 (1997): 420-438. JSTOR. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/441744>. Kelsey, Mary Electa. “Virginia Woolf and the She-Condition.” The Sewanee Review 39.4 (1931): 425-44. JSTOR. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/27534697>. Snaith, Anna. “Virginia Woolf’s Narrative Strategies: Negotiating between Public and Private Voices.” Journal of Modern Literature 20.2 (1996): 133-148. JSTOR. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/3831471>. 26 Wisner, Melissa. “Geographies of Gender in Jacob’s Room: The Smooth Circles of Dods Hill and the Jagged Mounds of the Acropolis.” Virginia Woolf Miscellany 75 (2009): 16-17. MLA International Bibliography. 24 Apr. 2013. Web. Woolf, Virginia. Jacob’s Room. Orlando: Harcourt, 2008. Print. In my work with Virginia Woolf I have proven that I am able to address her style of writing, and will be competent to write a thesis dedicated to Woolf and E.M. Forster. The attached writing sample demonstrates my ability to read closely into Woolf’s motifs and coded symbols of her writing, showing an attention to detail necessary in a thesis project. By incorporating sources on various topics regarding Woolf and Jacob’s Room, I have further shown an ability to use different forms of theory and criticism to make an argument.