CRDM 790 · Spring 2027 · Kirsti K. Cole
Submissions & Google Drive
All four milestones can be submitted through Moodle, email, or the shared Google Drive folder — whichever format works best for you. This page covers what to submit for each milestone, how to submit it, and what the evaluation criteria are. If any submission format creates a barrier, contact Kirsti before the deadline.
Google Drive — Shared Course Folder
CRDM 790 Spring 2027 — Shared Google Drive Folder
The shared Google Drive folder is available for milestone submissions and course materials. Request edit access when you open it for the first time. Use your NC State Google account (@ncsu.edu) to ensure access is granted.
📂 Open Google Drive Folder →
1
Open the folder
Click the link above or the sidebar link. Sign in with your NC State Google account (NetID@ncsu.edu).
2
Find your subfolder
There is a subfolder for each milestone. Place your submission in the correct milestone folder with a clear filename: LastName_M1.pdf
3
Confirm access
After uploading, verify the file is visible. If you have access issues, email kkcole2@ncsu.edu — do not wait until class day.
All submission formats are equally accepted. Google Drive, Moodle upload, email attachment, or hard copy before class — whichever works for you is fine. There is no penalty for any of these formats. If you are uncertain whether a particular format will work, email Kirsti before the deadline.
How Milestones Are Graded
All milestones use threshold grading — not a point rubric. Each milestone is evaluated as one of three levels. The aim is honest, direct assessment of intellectual work without the distortion of partial-credit arithmetic.
Complete & Substantive
The work fully meets the milestone's intellectual and formal requirements. Demonstrates genuine engagement, specificity, and the intellectual work the milestone asks for. This is the expected outcome for work submitted on time with honest effort.
Nearly There / In Revision
The work is present and engaged but has one or more elements that are underdeveloped, generic, or not yet meeting the intellectual bar. Revision is expected. Kirsti will indicate specifically what needs to change.
Not Yet Complete
Not submitted, or does not meet minimum expectations for doctoral-level work. Please come talk to Kirsti — not after the deadline, before it if you see it coming. The conversation is the intervention.
On revision: A "Nearly There" evaluation is not a failure — it is an accurate description of where the work is, with a clear path forward. Milestones revised to "Complete & Substantive" level receive full credit for that milestone. The revision deadline is agreed upon individually.
Milestone 1
Scholarly Identity Statement
20%
Not a CV summary. A statement of intellectual purpose, written in your own voice — what questions drive you, what animates your research, and why any of it matters. This is harder than it sounds, and that difficulty is the point.
What to submit
- ~500 words answering: Who are you as a scholar? What do you care about, and why does it matter?
- Written from conviction, not for a committee — it should sound like you wrote it
- A stranger should not be able to have written this statement; it should be distinctly yours
Threshold criteria
CompleteGenuine intellectual purpose; articulates why the research matters; goes beyond CV summary; written with conviction and specificity.
RevisionReads as written for a committee rather than from conviction; stakes are unclear; or reads like a topic list rather than a purpose statement.
AI may be used for brainstorming or light editing. The substance must be yours — your voice, your convictions. A statement written by AI cannot do what this milestone asks. Its purpose is to surface what you actually think and want.
Due
Before class · Week 5
Submit by the time class begins. Late submissions accepted; contact Kirsti if circumstances arise.
Submission options
Google Drive — upload to the M1 subfolder as LastName_M1.pdf
Moodle — upload PDF, Word, or plain text via the course page
Email — send to kkcole2@ncsu.edu
Hard copy — bring before class begins
Milestone 2
Draft Comprehensive Exam List
25%
Building your exam list is one of the most significant intellectual acts of doctoral training. It is not a catalog of what your field values — it is an argument about what you value and what your project needs. The draft workshopped in Week 8 does not need to be complete. It needs to be real.
What to submit — Two required parts
- Part 1 — Draft Exam List: Working draft with full citations, organized by your own intellectual logic (theme, method, genealogy, period, or combination). Lists in CRDM typically run 50–80 texts across all areas. The organizing structure matters more than total number at this stage.
- Part 2 — Rationale Paragraph: One substantive paragraph arguing why these texts, in this configuration, are the right preparation for this project. Not a description of what you included — an argument.
Threshold criteria
CompleteClear intellectual organizing logic. Rationale argues rather than describes. Demonstrates awareness of inclusions, exclusions, and why. Substantive enough to workshop.
RevisionRationale describes rather than argues; organizing logic is unclear or unreflective; no acknowledgment of gaps or choices.
🔁 Workshop note: Your draft will be peer-reviewed in class during Week 8. Revision is expected before Week 10. Submitting a rough draft is fine — submitting nothing is not. The workshop cannot work without your list.
Due
Before class · Week 8
Bring a print copy to class for the workshop in addition to your digital submission.
Submission options
Google Drive — M2 subfolder as LastName_M2.pdf
Moodle — PDF, Word, or plain text
Email — kkcole2@ncsu.edu
Print copy — bring to class (plus Moodle upload if possible)
Milestone 3
Committee Confirmation
15%
Forming your committee is not only an administrative step — it is the beginning of a sustained intellectual relationship. The people you ask will shape your project and your relationship to the field for years. This milestone makes the process real, not just planned.
Submit one of two options
- Option A — Email confirmation from your chair: Forward or paste the email confirming their willingness to serve. Even a brief reply ("Yes, I'm on board") is sufficient. Your chair is the most important committee relationship; this option confirms you have made that contact real.
- Option B — Written plan with named faculty and timeline: If your chair has not yet formally confirmed, submit a plan that includes: named faculty for each position, current status of each conversation (have asked / waiting / planning to ask by [specific date]), and a realistic timeline for completing committee assembly.
Threshold criteria
CompleteChair confirmed (Option A), or written plan with named faculty, current status of each conversation, and a specific, realistic timeline (Option B).
RevisionPlan submitted but faculty are unnamed, or timeline is vague or not credible. Shows committee formation has not begun in any real way.
🙋 If you're running into obstacles — faculty haven't responded, you're uncertain who to ask, you're navigating a difficult advising dynamic — flag it in your submission and raise it in your Week 10 individual meeting. Do not wait. The individual meeting is precisely the time to problem-solve. Silence is the one thing that cannot help you here.
Due
Week 10 — individual meetings week
You may bring documentation to your individual meeting in lieu of a separate submission.
Submission options
Google Drive — M3 subfolder
Moodle — paste as online text, upload doc, or attach forwarded email
Email — kkcole2@ncsu.edu
Bring to your individual meeting — documentation in hand counts
Milestone 4
Dissertation Prospectus (or Equivalent)
40%
The most consequential document you will write before the dissertation itself. Not a summary of what you plan to do — an argument that there is a real problem worth investigating, that you are positioned to investigate it, and that you have a principled method for doing so. A strong prospectus does intellectual work; it does not just describe work to be done.
Four interconnected elements (no required structure)
- The Problem: What question are you asking, and why does it matter? Names the specific phenomenon, tension, or gap — not "I am studying social media" but what your project addresses and why it is consequential.
- The Conversation: Who has addressed this before, and what does your project do differently? Not a literature review — a visible account of the intellectual conversation your dissertation enters, and your position within it.
- The Method: How will you pursue this question, and why is that the right approach? Justifies the method, does not just name it. Explains how the method produces the kind of knowledge your question requires.
- The Stakes: Why does this matter — to scholars, yes, but also beyond the discipline? Goes further than "this will contribute to the literature."
Threshold criteria
CompleteClear problem statement; genuinely situated in existing scholarship; methodology justified (not just named); stakes articulated beyond the field. Shows independent thinking and forward momentum.
RevisionOne or more core elements underdeveloped — problem present but method unjustified, stakes described but not developed, or workshop draft was incomplete.
🔄 Non-traditional option: If your post-degree goals are primarily non-academic, your prospectus may take the form of a public-facing research proposal or professional research agenda. Same rigor, differently difficult. Talk to Kirsti before Week 11 to discuss format.
AI may be used for brainstorming or editing. Problem framing, scholarly situatedness, methodological argument, and stakes articulation must be yours.
Workshop draft due
11:59 PM — night before Week 14
Include a director's note (separate page): What are you most uncertain about? What do you most need feedback on? What feels strong?
Final version due
One week after Week 15
Revised based on workshop feedback and individual conversations.
Submission options
Google Drive — M4 subfolder, or share a Drive link
Moodle — PDF or Word preferred
Email — kkcole2@ncsu.edu
Print copies — bring enough for small group (workshop only)