MOVEMENT III · WEEK 14

Prospectus
Workshop

WEEK 14  ·  CRDM 790  ·  Spring 2027
This is the main event of the semester
◆ Milestone 4: Full Dissertation Prospectus — 40% of final grade — due the night before this session
Format: Structured peer workshop · Small groups of 3–4 · Generative, not evaluative
UDL COMPLIANT
CRDM 790 · Spring 2027 Week 14 · Session Map
3.5-Hour Session

Today's Arc

0:00–0:15
Distribute the Workshop Response Protocol (printed). Walk through it briefly — especially the distinction between 'murkiest moment' (specific) and vague feedback ('be clearer').
0:15–2:30
Small group workshops — 3–4 per group, assigned by instructor. Each prospectus: 5 min silent reading · 10 min written responses · 10 min discussion · 5 min author response. Strict timing.
2:30–2:45
Break.
2:45–3:15
Full group: What patterns are emerging across the prospectuses? What does this cohort's intellectual project look like from the outside?
3:15–3:30
Individual writing: "The single most important revision I will make before final submission is ___." Share aloud. These are commitments.
CRDM 790 · Spring 2027 Week 14 · Milestone 4
40% of Final Grade · Due Night Before This Session

Full Prospectus Draft

What to Submit
  • A complete draft of your dissertation prospectus — or equivalent if pursuing non-traditional format (see syllabus appendix)
  • Upload to Moodle or share via Google Drive the night before this session
  • Bring enough print copies for your small group if you prefer print
Director's Note — Include With Your Draft

A one-paragraph 'director's note' (separate page is fine):

  • What are you most uncertain about?
  • What do you most need feedback on?
  • What feels strong?

Share this with your workshop group. It tells readers where to focus — and signals self-awareness about the draft's current state.

This Session Is Generative, Not Evaluative

The goal is to make your prospectus better — not to assess where it currently is. Come ready to hear and to give honest, specific feedback.

Threshold Grading
Complete & Substantive: Clear problem statement; genuinely situated in scholarship; methodology justified; stakes articulated beyond the field.
Nearly There: One or more core elements underdeveloped — problem present but method unjustified; stakes described but not developed.
Not Yet Complete: Not submitted, or does not meet doctoral-level expectations. Come talk to instructor immediately.
CRDM 790 · Spring 2027 Week 14 · Response Protocol
Press A to Advance · Distributed Last Week

Workshop Protocol

1
The project as I understand it
In 2–3 sentences, describe the project back to the writer. This reveals how well it's communicating — not how clearly you can summarize, but how clearly it arrived.
2
The strongest moment
Find the sentence or passage where the stakes are clearest and the argument is most alive. Quote it. Tell the writer: this is where you're most you. This is what the rest needs to do.
3
The murkiest moment
Where did you lose the thread? Be specific — page number, what you needed. Not "this was unclear" but "on page 3, when you moved from X to Y, I needed a sentence explaining how those two are related."
4
The missing piece
What question does the prospectus raise that it doesn't yet address? Not a gap in the literature — a gap in the argument the prospectus itself is making. What does the reader need that isn't there?
5
One concrete suggestion
Specific and actionable. Not "be clearer" but "the third paragraph needs a concrete example of what you mean by X" or "the methodology section needs to explain why you're not doing Y." Give the writer something they can do.
Step 1 of 5
How Each Prospectus Is Workshopped

5 min silent reading · 10 min written responses · 10 min discussion (author listens before speaking) · 5 min author response: What did you hear? What surprised you? What are you taking away?

Norms for This Workshop

Groups are assigned deliberately — not self-selected. Peer feedback that is too kind ('this is great!') or too vague ('the argument could be clearer') violates the protocol. Circulate and prompt specificity: "Which paragraph? What did you need there?"

Come Prepared

Come with written responses to your group members' drafts already drafted — not composing them in the room. The protocol was distributed last week. Students who haven't read the drafts in advance cannot give useful feedback.

CRDM 790 · Spring 2027 Week 14 · Workshop
During the Workshop

Small Group Work

Each Prospectus Gets 20–25 Minutes
  • 5 minutes: silent reading (if not read in advance)
  • 10 minutes: written responses using the protocol
  • 10 minutes: discussion — author listens before speaking
  • 5 minutes: author's turn — What did you hear? What surprised you? What are you taking away?
Full Group Synthesis (after break)

What patterns are emerging across the prospectuses? What does this cohort's intellectual project look like from the outside? These questions are not rhetorical — they reveal something about where CRDM is going as a field.

End of Session Commitment

"The single most important revision I will make before final submission is ___." Go around the room. These are commitments. Write them down. They are what happens next.

Director's Note Insight

Students who can't write a director's note don't yet know what their prospectus is trying to do. If you found the director's note difficult to write, that difficulty is diagnostic — it points to what needs clarifying before final submission.

Final Submission Timeline

Final prospectus is due one week after Week 15 (see syllabus). You have two weeks after this session. Use the workshop feedback. Revise. Submit via Moodle or email to kkcole2@ncsu.edu.

CRDM 790 · Spring 2027 Week 14 · Full Group Synthesis
After the Workshop · Full Group

Cohort Synthesis

1
What patterns are you seeing across this group's work? What methodological moves, theoretical frameworks, or political commitments keep appearing? Not evaluative — descriptive. What is the shape of this cohort's intellectual project?
2
Where do the projects speak to each other? Where are they in conversation — even if the writers didn't plan it that way? These connections are not coincidental. They reflect shared formation, shared questions, shared historical moment.
3
What is this cohort's collective contribution to the field? If these dissertations all succeed, what will CRDM look like five years from now? This is a real question. Think about it seriously.
4
What's the single most important revision you will make before final submission? Be specific. Not 'polish the writing' — what argument needs clarifying? What evidence needs adding? What assumption needs examining?
Click to reveal · or press Enter
CRDM 790 · Spring 2027 Week 14 · Reference
What a Strong Prospectus Does

Prospectus Elements

Problem Statement
  • Names a specific problem — wrong, unknown, contested — not a topic
  • Explains why this problem matters beyond the field
  • Comes early; doesn't make the reader wait for the argument
Scholarly Situation
  • Genuinely situated in existing scholarship — not a pro forma lit review
  • Shows who you're in conversation with and who you're arguing against
  • Makes the contribution claim: what you offer that others don't
Methodology
  • Justified, not just named — explains why this method for this project
  • Addresses what the method allows you to see that others don't
  • Honest about what it can't do or doesn't address
Stakes
  • Articulated beyond the field — not just a contribution claim but a stakes claim
  • Answers the question: if this dissertation succeeds, what changes?
  • Your 'so what' sentence from Week 12 belongs here

The prospectus shows independent thinking, synthesis, and forward momentum. It is not a survey of what others have done — it is a claim about what you will do and why it matters.

CRDM 790 · Spring 2027 Week 14 → Week 15
Before You Leave

Looking Ahead

🎤
Week 15 · What We Made and What We're Seeing

Each person takes 5–10 minutes to present their prospectus: what you are doing, why it matters, and what you are still figuring out. No slides required — notes if you need them. This is not a defense. It is a celebration with teeth — honest, generative, and collegial.

📋
Final Prospectus — Due One Week After Week 15

Submit final prospectus via Moodle (PDF or Word preferred) or email to kkcole2@ncsu.edu. Use this week's workshop feedback. Make the revision you committed to in the closing circle. The submission is how you complete the semester's intellectual arc.

📇
Week 1 Cards Return at Week 15

Your Week 1 constellation card — what you wrote about your intellectual location, your questions, your fears — will be returned at the end of Week 15. It is evidence of transformation. Hold onto the commitment you wrote today. You may want it then too.

"The single most important revision I will make is ___."

YOU SAID THIS ALOUD. NOW DO IT.

CRDM 790 · Movement III · Week 14

Prospectus Workshop

This is the main event of the semester. Come prepared to give and receive honest, specific feedback.

Format: structured peer workshop · small groups of 3–4 · generative, not evaluative ◆ Milestone 4 due the night before this session

Session Map — 3.5 Hours

0:00–0:15
Distribute Workshop Protocol
Walk through briefly — especially the distinction between ‘murkiest moment’ (specific) and vague feedback (‘be clearer’).
0:15–2:30
Small Group Workshops
3–4 per group, assigned by instructor. Each prospectus: 5 min silent reading · 10 min written responses · 10 min discussion · 5 min author response. Strict timing.
2:30–2:45
Break
2:45–3:15
Full Group Synthesis
What patterns are emerging across the prospectuses? What does this cohort’s intellectual project look like from the outside?
3:15–3:30
Closing Commitment Circle
“The single most important revision I will make before final submission is ___.” Go around the room. These are commitments.

Milestone 4 — Full Prospectus Draft

40% of final grade · Due night before this session
What to submit
  • A complete draft of your dissertation prospectus — or equivalent if pursuing non-traditional format (see syllabus appendix)
  • Upload to Moodle or share via Google Drive the night before this session
  • Bring print copies for your small group if you prefer print
Director’s Note — Include with your draft
  • What are you most uncertain about?
  • What do you most need feedback on?
  • What feels strong?
Complete & SubstantiveClear problem statement; genuinely situated in scholarship; methodology justified; stakes articulated beyond the field.
Nearly ThereOne or more core elements underdeveloped — problem present but method unjustified; stakes described but not developed.
Not Yet CompleteNot submitted, or does not meet doctoral-level expectations. Come talk to Kirsti immediately.

Workshop Response Protocol

Distributed last week · Come with written responses already drafted
1
The project as I understand it
In 2–3 sentences, describe the project back to the writer. This reveals how well it’s communicating — not how clearly you can summarize, but how clearly it arrived.
2
The strongest moment
Find the sentence or passage where the stakes are clearest and the argument most alive. Quote it. Tell the writer: this is where you’re most you. This is what the rest needs to do.
3
The murkiest moment
Where did you lose the thread? Be specific — page number, what you needed. Not “this was unclear” but “on page 3, when you moved from X to Y, I needed a sentence explaining how those relate.”
4
The missing piece
What question does the prospectus raise that it doesn’t yet address? Not a gap in the literature — a gap in the argument the prospectus itself is making.
5
One concrete suggestion
Specific and actionable. Not “be clearer” but “the third paragraph needs a concrete example of what you mean by X” or “the methodology section needs to explain why you’re not doing Y.”

During the Workshop

Each prospectus gets 20–25 minutes
  • 5 min: silent reading (if not read in advance)
  • 10 min: written responses using the protocol
  • 10 min: discussion — author listens before speaking
  • 5 min: author’s turn — What did you hear? What surprised you? What are you taking away?
End of session commitment
“The single most important revision I will make before final submission is ___.” Go around the room. These are commitments.

What a Strong Prospectus Does

Problem Statement

Names a specific problem — wrong, unknown, or contested — not a topic. Explains why it matters beyond the field. Comes early; doesn’t make the reader wait.

Scholarly Situation

Genuinely situated in existing scholarship. Shows who you’re in conversation with and who you’re arguing against. Makes the contribution claim: what you offer that others don’t.

Methodology

Justified, not just named — explains why this method for this project. Addresses what it allows you to see that others don’t. Honest about what it can’t do.

Stakes — the most underdeveloped element

Articulated beyond the field. Answers: if this dissertation succeeds, what changes? Your ‘so what’ sentence from Week 12 belongs here. The prospectus shows independent thinking, synthesis, and forward momentum — not a survey of what others have done.

Full Group Cohort Synthesis

1
What patterns are you seeing across this group’s work? What methodological moves, theoretical frameworks, or political commitments keep appearing?
Not evaluative — descriptive. What is the shape of this cohort’s intellectual project?
2
Where do the projects speak to each other? Where are they in conversation — even if the writers didn’t plan it that way?
3
What is this cohort’s collective contribution to the field? If these dissertations all succeed, what will CRDM look like five years from now?
4
What’s the single most important revision you will make before final submission?
Be specific. Not “polish the writing” — what argument needs clarifying? What evidence needs adding?

Looking Ahead

Week 15 — Presentations & Card Return
  • 5–10 min each — no slides required, notes encouraged
  • What you’re doing, why it matters, what you’re still figuring out
  • Not a defense — a celebration with teeth
Final Prospectus — Due One Week After Week 15
  • Submit via Moodle or email kkcole2@ncsu.edu
  • Make the revision you committed to in the closing circle
Week 1 Cards Return at Week 15
Evidence of transformation.

Your Week 1 constellation card — what you wrote about your intellectual location and your fears — will be returned at the end of Week 15. Hold onto the commitment you wrote today. You may want it then too.

“The single most important revision I will make is ___. You said this aloud. Now do it.”