#difference between thesis and dissertation

[sevenfactorial]

I'm asking this in the context of math PhD programs and one of the answers is kinda specific that, but answer based off other programs if you want. I can't stop you When do you advance to the next grade (1st year to 2nd year, 2nd year to 3rd year, etc)?

End of spring semester

Start of fall semester

Schrodinger's grade level during summer break*

After the written exams regardless of if you're taking them**

Other

See results

Voting ended onJul 16, 2025

* i.e. you're both a n-th year and a n+1-th year between end of spring semester and start of fall semester

** this option is specific to PhD programs in math and fields with similar structures. These are the exams typically taken during your first/second years before you get an advisor and are more breath focused instead of depth focused. I'veseen them called qualifying exams or preliminary exams and most departments will have their primary round in either late May/early June or in August (most also have another round in January and I've seen one school with all three).

[draconianlongings]

WIP Intro: Hic Sunt Dracones

Summary: Here, there be dragons. In which the Targaryens discover that perhaps they are not as alone as they may have thought when it comes to their legacy of fire and blood, and where loss proves a powerful catalyst for change in a young woman's life, and events set in motion by one singular choice will change the path of an entire bloodline and alter the course of history, because in the end nothing perseveres against the powers of fire and blood.

Pairing(s): baelor targaryen x fem!reader; maekar targaryen x fem!reader; baelor targaryen x fem!OC; maekar targaryen x fem!OC

Content: SMUT: 18+ ONLY! MDNI; 3rd Person POV. x fem!reader if you squint (I’m just not in the habit of writing in first person, but there’s no first name or description of the main character besides being a woman and having Targaryen looks – violet eyes, pale skin, golden/silve hair). Female!Velarys!Reader (aka a Dragonlord family from before the fall that I came up with because reasons). References to the Dance of Dragons and related events. Book canon, and what we know of it; therefore, possible spoilers for the TV adaptation, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Age difference (Reader is in her mid-to-late twenties; Maekar is in his mid-to-late thirties, as is Baelor). Each chapter or drabble comes with it’s own warnings, read at your own risk. This whole thing happened because I can’t cope with the season’s ending of AKOTSK; My first fix-it fic; cannon divergence, forbidden romance, power imbalance, angst, hurt/comfort, so much yearning, pre and post trial of seven.

Author’s Note: Hello lovely readers! There’s a lot of info dumping here that mainly stems from the hard work of the folks on AWOIAF and my own (dubious) math (I’m working on a PhD dissertation and procrastinating on fanfic, so no I won’t apologise for any mistakes – though I might correct them if someone (kindly) points them out). Their calculations for the timeline and ages of all characters involved made this possible, and if there’s any questions please don’t hesitate to ask. This one-shot takes place sometime between 205- 208 AC, before the events of the tourney at Ashford in 209 AC.  No beta we die like broke phd students who dissociate to cope with having to finish a thesis.

Chapters:

Read it on AO3

i. Daeron the Drunken - The Disquiet of Dreams

ii. Maekar the (over)Protective - No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

iii. Daeron the Good - A Secret Fit For A King

iv. Myriah the Dutiful - What A Good Woman Does

v. Baelor the Observant - Behind These Watchful Eyes

[kindofwriter]

i… would like to hear about ur dorian gray dissertation if that’s ok 👉👈

This ask is from four years ago, when I was in 3rd year, and at the time I was too busy either ignoring my dissertation so I could work and pay for school or actually writing my dissertation. I'm so sorry anon, but I'm nothing if not thorough, so I shall answer it now!

I wrote my diss on queer identity versus representation in gothic literature - basically looking at how an author's identity affected how they portrayed queer characters.

My main focus was The Picture of Dorian Gray (written by, as much as one could be at the time, an out and proud queer man), Dracula (written by a closeted queer man), and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (written by, as far as sources indicate, a heterosexual).

A very cis-white-male line up, certainly, but not unintentionally. 1. This time period was, very generally, dominated by wealthier white men. This is also the time period in which gothic literature was really taking off and being established. 2. It's no secret wealthy white male writers have, historically, been taken more seriously than most and therefore have more criticisms written about their works. 2/3 of these books were taught on the curriculum, even! This wasn't my thesis, I wasn't looking to reinvent the wheel nor was I particularly encouraged to have my own opinion. I could - and did - read a more interesting and diverse range of authors in my own time. And 3. It made it quite simple to draw equivalencies between their works as they were on a fairly level playing field.

Dorian Gray portrays a range of queer characters who all express sexuality differently. Basil is a bit of an everyman, sweet, reserved, romantic, tragic. When he's killed it's not a victory for heterosexual society, it's heartbreaking. Dorian is messy, confused, corrupted - a villain perhaps, but still a well-rounded character and, notably, not evil because he's queer. And Lord Henry, who to a contemporary audience could be interpreted as an adulterous heterosexual or a closeted queer man, and to a modern audience may be seen as bisexual or aromantic (albeit a poor representation of either). Although another villain of the piece, ultimately he ends up as quite a pitiable figure.

In Dracula, the Count's advances on Jonathan are seen as lecherous and unwanted, even if, as illustrated via the vampire women, there is some repressed desire there. Jonathan fulfils the role of the gothic heroin, saved by the wit and fortitude of his partner. Renfield's relationship with the Count, while not explicitly sexual, is degrading, unstable, forced. All sexuality in Dracula is portrayed as untoward, unwanted, and/or a little to a lot predatory.

In Jekyll and Hyde it's strongly implied that one of the reasons Jekyll wanted Hyde was to have sexual encounters with men. This, like everything Jekyll used Hyde's face for, was obviously something wrong, improper for polite society. However, repressing that desire is, ultimately, what killed Jekyll as his death is portrayed as a mournful tragedy.

From there I went onto say how early gothic exploration of "taboos" in literature paved the way for the gothic to become an attractive and safe genre for queer authors - Shirley Jackson, Rivers Solomon, Jonathan Sims. As well as for well-intentioned straight authors to explore emerging queer topics - Iain Banks' The Wasp Factory.

I was supposed to write a paragraph or so on American Psycho - I was pretty confident in my ability to spin it into a modern gothic - but when I looked up Bret Easton Ellis' other works I realised it wasn't that American Psycho was kind of gothic, it was that this guy had literally cornered the market for daylight gothic. Only to look that up and find out no one else seemed to think what I thought. And I didn't have the word count to argue with that, so ultimately I wrote nothing about American Psycho.

My conclusion was that openly queer authors are more likely to portray a well-rounded cast of queer characters than to rely on stereotypes and fear-mongering. Like I said, wasn't looking to re-invent the wheel.

This is the ~500 word summary of the 10,000 word paper I wrote three years ago about 3 books I haven't read since, so it's not perfect and I'm probably misremembering a few points. But hey, better late than never!

[thatdude20]

Addressing AI Allegations

This was not a post I ever thought I’d have to make.

Unfortunately, after my dissertation this morning I received a DM from someone accusing me of using AI on this work. At first I thought it was maybe a bot, but there was a lot of stuff included in the message that clearly references parts of this fic, so I believe it is real and I wanted to make a response. To the person who sent me the message demanding responses, I apologize for not having seen it sooner. I have had finals and my dissertation back to back and I haven’t had any time to discuss this until now. Technically I wouldn’t have time until a few hours from now, but this current final is relatively easy so I can take some time off to write a well thought out response.

First off, I want to make it clear that I do not condone the use of AI. I believe AI is horrific not just for the environment, but the entire creative community as a whole. It damages our credibility and our work, and makes it incredibly difficult for us to show off our skills of basic human language.

I wanted to address some comments specifically mentioned in the DM I got.

1. The biggest issue is how quickly I produce chapters. It was mentioned that with my supposed schedule and how much I write per day, that it would be impossible for me to produce so much so quickly. I wanted to make everyone aware that my job requires me to have a WPM count of 70 or higher. Mine is 75 at a comfortable level, which is usually the level I type with. I also find writing to be relaxing, so I write during breaks of my day. I never write during one sitting unless it’s late at night.

2. I use em dashes. I have no excuse for this one because there is nothing to defend. Em dashes are important punctuation and I learned them when I was in fourth grade. I understand that the use of em dashes is seen as AI, but I won’t stop using them.

3. I was told that my writing was too “descriptive,” specifically use of metaphors or similes (like or as). Again, I enjoy using them and they are part of the English writing language. I’m pretty sure we were all taught how to use them very early on.

4. My style differs per chapter. This is a very valid point, however it must be mentioned that this fic was started as a stress relief from my thesis and four other research papers. Every chapter is produced in varying stages of cognitive function based on how much sleep I get or what time of day I write. My sleep schedule has been nothing short of nightmarish thanks to how hard this thesis has been and how much feedback I get in a short amount of time. Chapters 4-10 (excluding chapter 8) were produced with 6 hours of sleep between ALL of them. I apologize if my writing isn’t entirely consistent because of that.

I started this fic as purely self indulgent. I did not do it for frame as I have been accused of, but rather because this was a topic that interested me and I wanted to write it. I understand my writing style is different from previous fics, but it has been several years between my first fic and my current one, and I went from not having a Highschool diploma to now completing a dissertation. Things change, especially as you mature. Although I have gotten a lot of attention for this fic (to which I am extremely grateful), I am not tailoring my chapters to the comments. This fic has been planned from the very beginning to go a certain way, and I have art I’ve commissioned for later chapters that reflect this. If you guys guessed plot points, that’s because I’m either A. Easy to read or B. You guys are just good.

I do not like having to make a message like this. Being accused of writing AI hurts a lot, and I am reflecting how my writing actually looks to outside perspectives to see if I can change anything. The chapter updates will continue as normal, but I will be taking more time to check them over in the future.

I will be screen recording next chapter being typed for anyone who wants to see physical proof. DM me for the video.

The next chapter should be out in a day or two. Thank you for your time.

[purplet1inuviel]

Hello all! As I have mentioned on this blog, I recently wrote and submitted a research essay on Eposette fanworks for one of my university classes. I received the grade and feedback from my professor today (they liked it, yay!) and thought I would share some parts of it that I particularly like/find interesting.

“I argue that Eposette fanworks serve as apparatuses through which queer female Les Misérables fans confront their heterocentric socialization. By queering heteronormative characters, fans work towards undoing society’s erasure of queer female sexuality through compulsory sexuality and the lack of media representation.”

^My thesis.

“Significantly, the Les Misérables fandom has a history of queer response. Amelia Roberts traces such response to as early as 1919, when a queer reader wrote a letter in which they explained their connection to Jean Valjean’s status as an outsider (63) . . . Roberts’ recent (2019) demographic survey of the fandom suggests that, presently, it is comprised primarily of queer individuals (2).”

^Here is the citation for Roberts’ PhD thesis, if people are interested in the survey and research she completed. I really recommend reading Roberts’ research; it focuses on Valvert and Enjoltaire but also includes context on reception and nineteenth-century queer existence.

Roberts, Amelia. Same-Sex Desire and Intimacy in Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables and Its Adaptations: A Creative and Critical Study. 2023. University of Sussex, PhD dissertation. University of Sussex, hdl.handle.net/10779/uos.24679836.

“Eposette fanfictions also challenge compulsory heterosexuality in less direct ways, such as by invoking queer time. Queer time refers to the many ways in which queer people “experience time differently” than those who are not queer (Aguas 5; see also Demory 150). Queer lives do not revolve around what Evangeline Aguas terms “heteronormative milestones,” milestones that individuals are expected to hit in linear and due time, including marriage and childbearing (5). Femslash authors recall queer time by structuring their narratives in a non-linear manner. Narratives toggle between present and past, with unexplained moments created through ellipses.”

^There are so many creative femslash authors out there, and I love how Eposette fanfictions are unafraid to take risks.

“These representations of Éponine and Cosette as queer women who are discontented until they find each other are not, as I have mentioned, rooted in canon. As Roberts’ 2019 survey of 139 Les Misérables fans shows, fans do not identify homoerotic subtext between these characters in the novel (453, 775, 789). Rather, Eposette points to the broader process of queer adaption. According to Pamela Demory, queer adaptation takes on many forms:

“Queer adaptation might refer to adaptations that are about homosexuality (or non-normative sexual or gender identity more broadly), composed or adapted by queer authors, and consumed by queer audiences and readers – that is, adaptations that explicitly have to do with homosexuality or queer identity in some way. Queer adaptation might also refer to the process of adapting. To queer something may be . . . to make something available to a queer point of view. And it may also be to turn something, to transform it in some way.” (146)

Demory rejects the idea that queer adaptation is only legitimate if it adapts canonical representations of queerness; adaptation is queer if it is merely “about” queerness, appeals to “queer audiences,” or reveals “a queer point of view.” Many noncanonical queer character pairings, Rukmini Pande and Swati Moitra note, face scrutiny by those who support canonical queer and heterosexual pairings alike (162-63). Non-canonical queer pairings are, however, legitimate and necessary for the reasons Demory identifies: they “transform” the original text and open space for queer perspectives.”

^Eposette may lack the canonical subtext of Valvert and Enjoltaire, but that makes it no less legitimate than the latter pairings.

“Demory’s idea of queer adaptation as transformation is essential to understanding why Eposette fanworks are such powerful tools for confronting heteronormative socialization. As I have shown, Eposette fanworks reject heteronormativity by challenging compulsory sexuality and by exploring queer time. The transformative potential of Hugo’s novel opens space for queer (re)imaginings like these and even, I argue, encourages them. Eposette is, according to Shipping Wiki, more popular with novel fans than with fans of other adaptations (e.g., the 1985 musical) because Éponine and Cosette’s childhood relationship is recounted in more detail in the former than in the latter (“Éposette”). This relationship provides a baseline from which queer readers can (re)imagine these characters’ futures. Part II, Book III, which spans nearly fifty pages in Christine Donougher’s 2013 translation, delineates Éponine and Cosette’s shared upbringing at the Thénardier inn. At the end of this section, Jean Valjean adopts Cosette; as a result, she and Éponine do not see each other again for many years. Éponine and Cosette’s shared childhood is alluring because it provides an experience over which they may bond upon reconnecting. Additionally, the years preceding this reconnection, of which Hugo narrates only fragments, recall the queer potentiality of “empty space,” or gaps in the narrative (Roberts 64-65). Femslash writers transform this potentiality into something distinctly queer.”

^In extension of the previous excerpt.

“Despite the push for queer female representation in the Les Misérables fandom, femslash remains understudied. Few scholarly studies examine queerness in the novel or the fandom, and those that do, such as Roberts’ 2023 dissertation and Nemo Martin’s 2024 monograph, focus on slash pairings. As Roberts writes, the abundance of queer fanworks “stands in opposition to scholarship on Hugo’s Les Misérables and its adaptations, which is relatively silent on adaptations in this respect” (3). Slash pairings are also far more popular than femslash ones within the Les Misérables fandom itself. Two of the most popular pairings in this fandom are Enjolras/Grantaire (“Enjoltaire”) and Javert/Jean Valjean (“Valvert”). Of the over 23,000 Les Misérables fanworks on Archive of Our Own (as of April 2026), approximately 2,800 are tagged with “Javert/Jean Valjean” and almost 13,500 include the tag “Enjolras/Grantaire (Les Misérables).” The #valvert and #enjoltaire tags are also more frequently used on Tumblr than #eposette; while #eposette often goes days without being cited, users tag #valvert and #enjoltaire on a daily basis.”

^Something important to keep in mind. I mentioned how many Eposette fanfictions exist on AO3 earlier in the paper, and it's less than one thousand.

“The problem of phallogocentrism, however, persists in femslash communities and fandoms more broadly. This privileging of male perspectives reflects the tendency of fandoms to overrepresent privileged perspectives, specifically white and male ones, over marginalized voices, including female and racialized ones . . . Until [fandoms] more critically addresses these power dynamics, the new “life about to start when tomorrow comes” that the musical imagines (Kretzmer 201) cannot truly become a reality.”

^Another important thing to keep in mind.

Works (that I have not previously cited) mentioned in these excerpts, in order of reference:

Aguas, Evangeline. Queer Interruptions: Temporality in Femslash Fandom. Palgrave Macmillan, 2025. Springer Nature Link, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-77025-8.

Demory, Pamela. “Queer Adaptation.” The Routledge Companion to Adaptation, edited by Dennis Cutchins et al., Routledge, 2018, pp. 146-56. Taylor & Francis Group, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315690254.

Pande, Rukmini, and Swati Moitra. “Whose Representation Is It Anyway? Contemporary Debates in Femslash Fandoms.” Fandom, Now in Color: A Collection of Voices, U of Iowa P, 2020, pp. 151-63. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv193rr0q.16.

“Éposette.” Shipping Wiki, shipping.fandom.com/wiki/%C3%89posette. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.

Hugo, Victor. Les Misérables. Translated by Christine Donougher, Penguin Books, 2013.

Martin, Nemo M.S. Introduction. The Construction of Race in Les Misérables Fanworks: Liberty, Equality, Diversity, Bloomsbury Academic, 2024, pp. 1-24. Bloomsbury Collections, https://doi.org/10.5040/9798765107652.

Kretzmer, Herbert. Les Misérables. Composed by Claude-Michel Schonberg. London: Cameron Mackintosh (Overseas) Ltd., 1987. 201. Print scan. www.bab.edu.mx/difusioncultural/VOCAL_SCORE.pdf.

I'd be happy to share other sources I used. There are a LOT, and femslash needs more love.

[salvadorbonaparte]

How to set up a research journal

This is just one way you can set up a research journal but it's helping me tremendously so maybe it also works for you. My set-up is partially inspired by this video by Answer in Progress and I suggest you check out their curiosity journal.

Preparation

First you need a notebook. The trick is to find a notebook that you're not afraid to "ruin". We all want a really neat, aesthetic research journal, but the reality looks more like hasty scribbles, but that's okay, that's where the research breakthroughs happen.

I personally bought a cheap lined notebook from Søstrene Grene that I thought looked cute and put a sticker on it. That way I feel good about using it but I also don't mind when my handwriting gets messy because it was only like 3€.

You should also stock up on pens you like writing with. Different colour highlighters and post-its are also a good idea but not a must. Keep it cheap but comfortable.

Title Page

Here you should put down all the really important information: year, title, deadlines, word count, supervisors. Maybe add an inspirational quote to spice it up but keep it simple and relevant.

Key

This should either be your next or your last page. I personally use the last pages of my journal so I can add thing and find it easier. Your key is there to list abbreviations and symbols.

For example, I have different symbols for statistics, dates, new terminology, questions, breakthroughs, important notes and abbreviations for the most important terms in my field. It's shorter to write T9N than Translation.

The trick here is to have enough abbreviations and symbols to save time and effort but not so many that you constantly have to look back and forth between your page and key. They should be memorable and not easy to confuse.

Topic Mind map

If you hate mind maps you can skip this of course or use a different method but what helped me is to visualise all the topics that connect to my research project in a mind map. I then colour-coded the main groups of topics with my highlighters. It helps me to keep an overview on how many topics I need to do research on.

Proposal

If you're writing a thesis/dissertation it can be helpful to have a page set aside for your proposal and take some bullet point notes on methodology, chapter structure, research context, aims and objectives and think of some titles. You can also do this for your lit review and a list of works to include.

Hypothesis and Question Pages

I set aside four pages for this but you can adjust this to your needs. The first page is my hypothesis. It doesn't have to be fully formed yet, it can just be bullet points with five question marks. You can always revise and update it but it is important to keep an eye on what you're actually trying to find out.

The next idea is basically just stolen from Answer in Progress: a section for big questions, medium questions and little questions. These aren't necessarily hypotheses you aim to answer but questions you have about your topic that might be good to look into (maybe they lead somewhere, maybe they don't).

Research Notes

Now comes the big, fun part. Research notes are allowed to be a little messy but you should have some sort of system so you can actually find what you're looking for afterwards. I'm currently just looking at books and articles so that's what my system is based on. You can totally adjust this to include other forms of research.

What I do is that I put down and underline the author and title of my source. Underneath that I use my highlighters and mark the topic of the paper based on how I colour-coded them in my mind map. You might have to do this after you've finished reading. For example, if a text talks about censorship and dubbing in Germany, three of my topics, I will draw three lines in light blue, dark blue and red, the colours I chose for those topics. This way you can easily browse your notes and see which pages are talking about which topics.

When it comes to the actual research notes, I include the page number on the left and then take bullet point notes on whatever is relevant. These are often abbreviated and paraphrased but if something is especially important I will write down a full quote.

As mentioned earlier, I have a key of symbols I use so I can simply put down a '!' in order to differentiate a research breakthrough from a normal note. You can insert your own thoughts much more easily when you know you'll be able to tell them apart later on. At the end of each article, book or even chapter I write down my main takeaway.

Other Notes

This is your research journal and you can do with it what you want. I also added lists of films that might be relevant for my research, a list of databases and publishers to check for papers and tips on research strategy.

If you're working with interviews or surveys you could write down your questions. If you're nervous about your research you could include a list of reasons why your research project is important or why you're doing it. You can include a to-do list or a calendar to track meetings with supervisors. Anything that helps you with your research.

[masochismustango]

Greetings! ✌🏻🧛🏻‍♀️

Due to being busy with writing dissertation thesis I have no finished artworks/just anything artsy left and that’s pretty common for me as a person whose major is different, lol.

But! Recently I’ve finished rewatching the first season of “Tabaluga”, the cartoon of my childhood, and I’m hella excited about it, considering the fact that its morals are still relevant for the people of every age. I dare say that’s the cartoon piece we all need to watch to relax, have some fun observing funny moments it and get touched by Tabaluga’s wise words and actions. c:

As you’ve probably guessed, that’s not really the reason for a post of mine - I wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t had a crush on the main villain, Arktos - and it was an obvious thing to predict judging by my recent reblogs of him (and some post of mine, ehehe). I loved Arktos as a kid and now my sympathy for him got even bigger.

Speaking of the reason I’m writing this… I’M TOTALLY NOT GOING MAD OVER HIM AND TOTALLY HAVEN’T NOTICED ANY PARALLELS BETWEEN HIM AND ARCHIBALD SNATCHER, MY OTHER BIG BAD SIGNIFICANT ONE, LMAO

[mediaspectacle]

thank you so much for the reading list, there are so many great things here i can't wait to get to! i would love to hear if you ever drop the full lit review. can i ask what you're doing for your thesis? no worries if not, i'm also writing mine right now and i always get neurotic about discussing projects before they're complete

omg no thank YOU for letting me yap about film/media theory and academia for a bit!!

first of all, i’ll make sure to send you the drive folder with alllll my sources once i’m done with everything, there’s some really great stuff on there (some insane books that i can only skim to cite one sentence or something for now... academia really sucks sometimes also i’m terrible with time management)

so what am i doing for my thesis? i’m in an ma program for film and i’ve been technically working on my thesis for over a year but actually writing since february. and honestly right now, what i’m doing for my thesis is basically whatever i can to finish it lmao but that’s only because i’ve been mentally and physically soooo drained since i started working as an ra and i only have until october to finish the whole thing. mainly though i’m writing about mockumentary and persona, specifically wrt documentary ethics and self-reflexivity. what i’m actually really interested in is fictionalized versions of real people in film and popular culture hence my all consuming obsession with ntbts and mj in general. i wrote a little essay for my seminar class titled the representation of matt johnson in matt johnson’s filmography and it’s been downhill ever since lmao

part of me really wanted to write a whole thesis about mj as an autofiction auteur (everything on my reading list for you would be the theoretical framework for it...) but my consultant was like you seem to really like this guy it’d be too bad if you hated him after dissecting every single thing he made for literal years and she was so right for that. although i do wanna get more into persona and docucharacter (we love melanie piper in this house, she really cites whole fics in her dissertation and god i wish that were me) and relate it to matt, i’ll work on that at some point i’m sure

(there was a post i reblogged a few days ago about how matt can reveal whatever the fuck he wants on camera bc he’s a cishet man (presumably, i have my own opinions lmao) and women cannot do that, i really wanna write smth about that bc it is sooooo true. my thesis subject was almost symbolic annihilation of woman directors in mockumentary but my consultant thought there wasn’t really a gender gap there but i still think there is?? i’ll look into it more after i graduate so we’ll see in a few months maybe. if you wanna read about symbolic annihilation (even though it is actually pretty self-explanatory) i highly recommend killing off the lesbians: a symbolic annihilation on film and television by liz millward, janice g. dodd and irene fubara-manuel. it’s pretty much the only book on symbolic annihilation and thank the lord of course it’s about lesbians, really exceptional work we love to see it)

so yeah, for my master’s thesis i’m listening to my consultant, being a good little boy and not writing about mj (or found footage and/or horror which is my other huge hyperfixation) for now. she primarily works in documentary studies so my thesis is grounded in documentary theories for the most part. my literature review is basically just yeah so this is what a documentary is and isn’t, these guys think this film could also be classified as documentary but can it though? if so what would be a mockumentary? what’s the real difference? then i get into my discussion of what really distinguishes the form and content of the mockumentary from documentary. does the presence of a fictionalized filmmaker blur the lines between fact and fiction more? does it add to the self-reflexivity of a mockumentary, what’s the potential there for criticism of documentary ethichs? so on and so forth. these are pretty much my research questions. for my phd though??? oohhh boy i’m gonna be so annoying and pretentious about rpf and horror and mockumentary and whatever the fuck i want.

(sidenote, not to doxx myself but i live in a crazy bigoted country where if i were to even mention anything queer in my thesis i could potentially get fired if the wrong person saw and filed a complaint. so i’ve been self-censoring like crazy here even though everything that i write is always based on butler in some way but i’m applying to phd programs abroad, mostly in canada and yes, i’m aware it’s very parasocial of me but i wanna live/work in an english speaking country with fully funded phd programs and a stipend of some kind. so hopefully i’ll be in canada circa september 2027)

i guess that’s it for now, i wish i could say i’ve been writing on schedule instead going through the most intense obsession i’ve had since like idk 2019?? but i do feel really inspired here, it’s too late for my masters but some of you will be cited in my phd thesis for sureeee