Congratulations to our Hirschhorn Award Nominees and Winners!

Draper would like to congratulate our 2011-2012 Hirschhorn Award nominees and winners! The Hirschhorn is given annually to the most outstanding thesis written by one of our students during the previous year. Theses are judged on the originality of the project, the strength of the research, and the quality of the writing.

This year we had thirteen total nominees and a tie for the award! The winners were Joey McGarvey (May 2012) and Scott Kaplan (January 2012). Their thesis titles and abstracts are below.

Our nominees were:

Christopher Cappelutti (May 2012)
The Many Faces of Ulysses: Joyce and Dante Rewrite Tradition

Michelle Dennis (May 2012)
Unyielding Passions: Reexamining Sentimental Fiction

Nick Gutierrez (January 2012)
Some Small Measure of Hope for the Possibility of Meaning: Reading the Ethics of Literature and the Literature of Ethics

Sarah Latanshyn (September 2011)
"From Uzhhorod there is a road" to Lemkovyna: Music and Identity Among the Lemkos

Tamir Morag (September 2011)
Public Atmosphere and Policy Making in Israel on the Eve of the Six Day War

Beatriz Olivetti (January 2012)
Conceptual Strategies: Curating Emptiness and Performance at the 28th Sao Paulo Biennial

Ryan Petersen (May 2012)
Heavy Metal Warriors and The Monster-Terrorist-Fag: subcultural Biopolitics and Heavy Metal Masculinity in America's War on Terror

Cara Ryan (May 2012)
American Catholics Meeting Islam: Soidarity, Partnerships and Resistance

Zeinab Saiwalla (May 2012)
Unpacking Rituals: Understanding What Lies Beneath Two Commonplace Dawoodi Bohra Practices

Roy Schwartz (May 2012)
Is Superman Circumcised? The Secret (Jewish) Identity of Superheroes

Eric Silver (May 2012)
Teacher/Preacher: Secular Proselytization in a Classroom Setting

And our winners:

Scott Kaplan
From an Elegant Despair to a Moral Exuberence: A Search for Utopian Feeling in Tony Kushner's Theatre of the Fabulous

Abstract:
In this paper, I will be exploring the political theatre of Tony Kushner and his Theatre of the Fabulous. By breaking down the various meanings attributed to fabulousness, I will be attempting to explain an evolution in quer theatre that Kushner is actively pursuing from the Theatre of the Ridiculous to his Theatre of the Fabulous. I will argue that Kushner’s methodology for this change is related to the way in which he politicizes feeling within two of his most Brechtian plays: A Bright Room Called Day and Slavs!. In these two plays, I will examine how Kushner’s characters both indulge in a hopeless complacent feeling I will refer to as elegant despair as well as willfully and hopelessly struggle with a complicated hopeful and powerful political feeling, which I will refer to as moral exuberance. Through these two emotions, I argue that Kushner’s political theory of the fabulous becomes most apparent, and invite us to imagine a way in which our queer aesthetic can imagine and feel toward utopia.

Joey McGarvey
The Stagecoach and the Pear: The New York Fruit Festival and the Metaphors of Ninetheenth-Century American Authorship

Abstract:
“The Stagecoach and the Pear” is divided into two chapters. The first takes a primarily historical approach and represents the first real exegesis of the Complimentary Fruit and Flower Festival, an event hosted by the New York Book Publishers’ Association on September 27, 1855. The event brought together seven hundred booksellers, publishers, and authors in New York City to celebrate the decade’s literary success. Significantly, as many as fifty—and probably far less—of those who attended were female authors. In this first chapter, I ask the question: Why fruit? Why did the Association’s secretary, publisher George Palmer Putnam, decide his menu would consist almost entirely of produce and pastries (and would entirely omit alcoholic beverages)? One clear answer is as an enticement to these women, who were both apprehensive about attending and phenomenal sources of profit to the publishers who could gain their trust. As I develop the macrohistorical themes of the Festival in a way that has not previously been done, I also reveal the Festival as an active site of negotiation among some of the most prominent men and women of letters at a highly charged moment in literary history. Specifically, I argue that male publishers develop a metaphor for authorship—particularly female authorship—through fruit, allowing them to treat these women as commodities.

In the largely literary second chapter, I theorize a genre of women’s writing that I call the tale of mobility. Here, I claim that the women writers invited to the Festival had begun to develop their own metaphor for authorship through periodical tales of travel and place beginning in the 1830s. This metaphor stressed experience over commodification, and suggests both women’s excitement and anxiety about authorship. In both chapters, I repeatedly draw on a previously untapped archive, the New York Public Library’s collection of over 190 response letters from authors and other literary notables invited to the Festival, preserved by Putnam in a scrapbook. These letters, I argue, reveal the dialogue, hopes, and fears inherent in the Festival—and in mid-century literary culture—in an entirely new way.

Congrats, everyone!

MA Theses for May Grads Due Monday, April 16!

Dear Students:

Please be reminded that anyone who wishes to graduate in May 2012 *must* submit their completed and approved Master's thesis to Draper no later than 6:00 PM on Monday, April 16. Theses submitted after this date will be held for September graduation. There will be no exceptions. 

In order for your Master's thesis to be considered complete, it must include the following items:

• Cover page, signed by your thesis advisor
• Reader sheet, signed by your advisor
• A second reader sheet filled out with your name and ID number (this will be signed by your reader at Draper later)
• Thesis abstract
• Draper exit questionnaire

The forms above and thesis guidelines with additional information can be found on Draper's website, here. 

If you have any questions or concerns about your MA thesis or graduation, please contact us directly at draper[dot]program@nyu.edu.

Threesis Winners! Congratulations Chris Cappelluti and Roy Schwartz!

Draper students took first place and runner up in the second annual Threesis Challenge last Saturday!

Chris Cappelluti won the $1000 grand prize for presenting his thesis

"The Dual Ulysses Tradition"

and

Roy Schwartz handily gained the runner-up spot with

"Is Superman Circumcised? The (Secret) Jewish Identities of Superheroes"

We'd also like to congratulate, once again, all the Draper students who participated -- Homa Zaryouni, Kevin McKouen, Sam Belkin, Theresa D'Andrea, and Yun Emily Wang, who made it to the final found with her thesis: "Noisy-hot: the Sociopolitical Ramifications of Taiwanese Noise Ideologies."

Well played, Draperites! We are bursting with pride!

Threesis Reminder! This Saturday at Kimmel! Free Wine and Cheese!

The GSAS Threesis Academic Challenge hosted by the Graduate School of Arts and Science Master's College is this Saturday!!!

As you know, seven of our very own Draperites will be competing to get into this final round. Come support all the Threesis Competitors and vote for the recipient of the audience choice award.

Saturday, March 31st - Final Round begins at 4:00 PM.
Doors open at 3:30 PM.

NYU Kimmel Center for University Life,
60 Washington Square South, Fourth Floor, New York, NY

Please RSVP for this event through the link below
http://gsas.nyu.edu/object/gsas.threesis2012.rsvp

A wine and cheese reception will follow. This event will have an audience choice award worth $750 in prize money, so you being there will have a direct impact on the event's outcome. Please come out to support students from across the Graduate School.

Check out last year’s event’s highlights and winning presentations here: http://gsas.nyu.edu/object/gsas.masterscollege.thethreesischallenge

Seven Draper Students Competing in the NYU Threesis Challenge, 3/31

The Draper Program is proud to be the most-represented program in the upcoming Threesis Challenge! Our students will be competing against other NYU MA students for a grand prize of $2,500.

Date: Saturday, March 31, 2012
Time: Final Round begins at 4:00pm. Doors open at 3:30pm.
Location: Eisner & Lubin Auditorium, Kimmel Center, 60 Washington Square South, Room 401
You can see more information about the Threesis Challenge and RSVP here: http://gsas.nyu.edu/object/gsas.threesis2012.rsvp

Your fellow Draperite competitors, and the thesis projects they'll be presenting are:

Christopher Cappelluti
Joyce & Dante: The Politics of Filiation

Homa Zaryouni
Time and Narrative in Three Persian Novels

Kevin McKouen
Institutional Destructiveness: Corporate Ethics and Responsibility through Changes in Organizational Behavior

Roy Schwartz
Is Superman Circumcised? The Hero in Jewish Literature from the Bible to Comic Books

Sam Belkin
The Birth of Music out of the Spirit of Dionysus

Theresa D'Andrea
The Architecture of Fear: Claustrophobia & Confinement in Horror Film

Yun Emily Wang
Noisy-hot: the Sociopolitical Ramifications of Taiwanese Noise Ideologies

Congratulations, Draperites! We wish you all the best in the competition!

Notes from Draper's recent MA Thesis Workshop

Draper student, Chris Iverson, took some detailed notes at Draper's recent MA Thesis Workshop that he was kind enough to share. We hope they will be helpful to many of you.

You'll see that both Steve and Theresa, who led the workshop, mention that Draper has a collection of award-winning and -nominated theses. It's true! We do! If you haven't heard of or seen it yet, please feel free to come take a look. The theses are housed in rm 107 and are available to browse during office hours (M-F, 9-5). You can read them at Draper or check a couple out for a week or so. As Steve and Theresa point out, this can be a great resource when it comes to writing/formulating your own thesis.

If anyone has additional notes from this workshop that they'd be willing to share, we'd love to post them to the listserv in addition to Chris's excellent overview, below.

Please email notes to draper.program@nyu.edu.

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Draper Thesis Workshop 2/24/12

· Draper has a collection of award-winning and -nominated theses to read.

o This might help with format.

· A thesis topic should relate to where you’ve been and/or where you are going.

o Draw on previous research or design the thesis to help in future work.

· Three starting points might help when considering a topic:

o Method/methodology

o Data/types of sources

o Theory

Steve Moga’s Talking Points

· Pick something that motivates you.

o If your topic does not interest you, this will be painful.

· Write all the way through.

o Do not collect data and wait to write. You may forget some context or lose steam.

· Be in communication with your advisor.

· Think about the thesis in the simplest possible way (elevator speech). It helps to think about a title to keep on track.

· In the planning stages, it helps to set a deadline and work backwards. This is a way to get an vision of what the finished thesis should look like and break it up into more doable parts.

Theresa MacPhail’s Talking Points

· Writing is thinking.

o Freewriting is a valuable parctice when “stuck.”

o Idea mapping gives the material a physical dimension.

· Reverse outlining can help organize

o Taking a written passage and notating the margins can help find the stucture hidden in a written text. This allows for organizing at a basic level .

· Do not start at the beginning!

o The thesis or topic may not become clear until the bulk of the paper is written and organized.

· Look at other papers and “steal” the format.

o Like, for example, see Draper's collection of award-winning and -nominated theses.

· Have a friend or other educated reader take a look at the text to make sure that it does what you want it to do. If another intelligent reader cannot follow the logic, then it may not be organized properly.

· Write a one-sentence thesis statement to help simplify the idea that will make the core of the argument.

· Don’t be afraid to “kill your babies.” In other words, you may have to delete blocks of great text if they prove tangential and do not return to your topic.

o A way to make this less painful is to cut and paste “outtakes” into another file so thay are not lost forever. They may even prove helpful for a future project.

Spring 2012 Thesis Workshop

Save the Date!

Master's Thesis Workshop
Friday, February 24
5:30 - 7:30 PM

Led by Professors Theresa MacPhail and Steven Moga

This workshop is primarily intended for students who are in the early phases of thesis preparation, but also for those at later stages of the process. Students will receive guidance on how to refine their topics and narrow the scope of their theses, and on some of the basic mechanics of writing up their work.

RSVP's are appreciated--call 212.998.8070 or email draper.program@nyu.edu to let us know if you'll be attending.

Thought You Might Enjoy This Song

A sort-of-topical, truly catchy theme for grad students everywhere. "When I Write My Master's Thesis" from John K. Samson.

Stream via http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/av/2011/12/song-premiere-john-k-samson---when-i-write-my-mast.html

Thesis Submission & Thesis Topic Approval Due Today, 12/16

A friendly reminder to Draperites!

If you're planning on graduating in January, you must turn in your thesis (and corresponding paperwork) by 5pm today, 12/16. When you come in, please deliver it directly to the front-desk.

If you're planning on graduating in May, you'll want to hand in your thesis topic approval form this Friday as well. Simply leave it in Robert's box (bottom left hand corner of the wooden mailboxes behind my desk). We will email you when it's been approved.

Contact our offices if you have any questions.

Two Weeks from Today...

Two Important Reminders for Friday, December 16!

Thesis Submission for January Graduates

Please be reminded that those of you who intend to graduate this coming January will need to submit your completed and approved Master's thesis to Draper no later than one month from today: Friday, December 16. Any theses received after 6:00 PM on December 16 will be held over for May graduation. There will be no exceptions.

For more information on thesis guidelines, please see Draper's Web site, here: http://www.draper.fas.nyu.edu/object/draper.program.thesisguidelines

All thesis related forms--including a sample cover page and second reader sheets--can also be downloaded from the Draper website, here:http://www.draper.fas.nyu.edu/object/draper.forms

If you have any questions or concerns about the thesis submission or graduation processes, please feel free to email us at draper.program@nyu.edu.

Draper's Year-End Celebration Party

After you've turned in your thesis and/or had your last class for the semester, stop by Draper to celebrate the end of another busy year with food, wine, and general merriment. Feel free to bring your loved ones!

Let us know if you're coming: RSVP to draper.program@nyu.edu.

Threesis Challenge: Win $1K

The Graduate School of Arts and Science announces the second annual GSAS Threesis Academic Challenge!

Qualifying rounds take place March 30, 2012 and finalists compete on March 31, 2012.

The Threesis Challenge is an academic competition where GSAS master's students present the work of their thesis/final project (e.g., creative project, science experiment and/or research paper) to a panel of three faculty judges in accessible language that a non-expert can understand in three minutes or less. Competitors are judged on how well they grasp the subject of their thesis, their ability to discuss the topic to non-experts and presentation skills.

Students compete for grand prize of a $1,000 and other prizes while learning to organize ideas and speak about them persuasively in a fun academic atmosphere. This competition is adopted from the Three Minute Thesis Challenge currently taking place in Australia and New Zealand. The Master's College is proud to bring this "American Idol" style academic competition to this hemisphere.

You can watch a video highlighting last year’s Threesis Academic Challenge for an inside view of how it works. Just click this link: http://gsas.nyu.edu/object/gsas.masterscollege.thethreesischallenge

Applications are available in the Draper office. Completed submissions are due to gsas.threesis@nyu.edu by January 31, 2012.

Notes on the Recent Draper MA Thesis Writing Workshop

Our thanks to Scott Silsbe for providing the following notes!

On writing a thesis

It should be an original argument embedded within the current work on the subject.

When choosing a thesis topic think about the following: What have I done? Where am I going? Think broadly at first, then narrow the topic down. What are my 'key terms'? How will your thesis be formally organized, i.e. chapters, sections, etc.

Five hints for choosing a thesis-writing:
1: Pick something that motivates you, not something you think you ‘should’ do.
2: Pick something you can finish in the allotted time.
3: Write throughout the entire process. ('Writing' includes note-taking, graphing outlining, etc. in addition to drafting the essay itself.)
4: Be in communication with your adviser.
5: Throughout the process, think about your title as well as write and rewrite your abstract. Ask yourself, "What is my ‘elevator talk’?" How do you explain your thesis in 300 words or less? In 50 words or less? In ten words?

Three possible starting points are:
1: Methodology - how will you go about your research and analysis?
2: Data - what is the material you're working with (primary sources or literature on the subject you'll be analyzing)?
3: Theory - what ideas/system of ideas will you be using you make sense of your data?

Keep in mind: the time between when the thesis-approval document is due and when the thesis itself is due (about 3 months) is not enough time to write a thesis. Start working early.

Set early personal deadlines. Your personal ‘final draft’ deadline should be two weeks to one month before the actual final draft deadline. Work backwards to plan your schedule.

One Month from Today...

Two Important Reminders for Friday, December 16!

Thesis Submission for January Graduates

Please be reminded that those of you who intend to graduate this coming January will need to submit your completed and approved Master's thesis to Draper no later than one month from today: Friday, December 16. Any theses received after 6:00 PM on December 16 will be held over for May graduation. There will be no exceptions.

For more information on thesis guidelines, please see Draper's Web site, here: http://www.draper.fas.nyu.edu/object/draper.program.thesisguidelines

All thesis related forms--including a sample cover page and second reader sheets--can also be downloaded from the Draper website, here:http://www.draper.fas.nyu.edu/object/draper.forms

If you have any questions or concerns about the thesis submission or graduation processes, please feel free to email us at draper.program@nyu.edu.

Draper's Year-End Celebration Party

After you've turned in your thesis and/or had your last class for the semester, stop by Draper to celebrate the end of another busy year with food, wine, and general merriment. Feel free to bring your loved ones!

Let us know if you're coming: RSVP to draper.program@nyu.edu.

Workshop Reminders

Ph.D Application Workshop

Friday, October 14

5:30 - 7:30 PM
Draper Map Room

Led by Professors Theresa MacPhail and Amber Musser. Please email Draper (draper.program@nyu.edu) or call the main line (212.998.8070) to RSVP.

MA Thesis Workshop

Friday, November 4

6:00 - 8:00 PM

Draper Map Room

Led by Professors Rebecca Colesworthy and Steven Moga. Please email Draper (draper.program@nyu.edu) or call the main line (212.998.8070) to RSVP.

Reminder: Theses (Sept Grads) and Thesis Topic Approval Forms (Jan Grads) Due Next Tuesday, 8/16!

One Last Reminder!

Those of you who intend to graduate this September will need to submit your completed and approved Master's theses to Draper no later than next Tuesday, August 16th. Any theses received after 6:00 PM on August 16th will be held over for January graduation. There will be no exceptions.

Thesis topic approval forms for students graduating in January 2012 are also due on August 16th.

For more information on thesis guidelines, please see Draper's Web site, here: http://www.draper.fas.nyu.edu/object/draper.program.thesisguidelines

All thesis related forms--including a sample cover page and second reader sheets--can also be downloaded from the Draper website, here:http://www.draper.fas.nyu.edu/object/draper.forms

If you have any questions or concerns about the thesis submission or graduation processes, please feel free to email us at draper.program@nyu.edu.

MA Theses for May Grads Due Today!

Draper will be open until 6:00 PM today, Monday, April 18th, for students who are submitting their Master's theses for May graduation.

A MA Thesis Submission Checklist can be found here.
MA Thesis forms can be downloaded here.

Congrats (in advance) to all our May grads for finishing their thesis writing!

Reminder: Theses for May Graduates due April 18

Dear Students-

This is just a friendly reminder that the thesis submission deadline for all Draperites planning to graduate this May is Monday, April 18th at 6:00 PM. Students must submit their completed and approved theses--along with the necessary paperwork--no later than this date; theses submitted late will be held for August 2011 graduation. No exceptions are made to this rule, and students who do not meet this deadline will not be eligible to walk in either the GSAS convocation or all-university commencement ceremonies.

Students planning to graduate in August should submit their Thesis Topic Approval Form by April 18th as well.

Thesis paperwork (including reader's sheets, the Draper Exit Questionnaire, and a sample cover page) can be found on Draper's 'Forms' page.

If you have any questions or concerns about thesis submission or graduation, please feel free to email Draper or call our main line at 212.998.8070.

The Threesis Challenge is on!

You are cordially invited to attend the GSAS Threesis Academic Challenge hosted by The Graduate School of Arts and Science Master's College on Saturday, April 9th at 3:30 pm. Please click to view the invite and to RSVP for this event: http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/forms/threesisacademicchallenge/form.html

The Threesis Academic Challenge is a tournament style competition through which master's students can showcase their scholarly achievements. Competitors present the research of their thesis or final project in three minutes or less to an audience and a panel of judges hoping to win prizes totaling $2,500.

This competition originated the University of Queensland in Australia. The Graduate School of Arts and Science is proud to be the host of the first Threesis competition in this hemisphere. In honor of the heritage of the Threesis, the reception following will have a distinctively Aussie flavor.

Reminder: MA Thesis Workshop This Friday: 3/11

Master's Thesis Workshop
Friday, March 11 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Draper Map Room

Led by Professor Steven Moga and Robin Nagle

This workshop is primarily intended for students who are in the early phases of thesis preparation, but also for those at later stages of the process. Students will receive guidance on how to refine their topics and narrow the scope of their theses, and on some of the basic mechanics of writing their work.

RSVPs are appreciated:
Email draper.program@nyu.edu or call 212.998.8070 to let us know if you'll be attending.

Workshops!

Mark your calendar for two upcoming workshops for Draper students. RSVPs are appreciated: call 212.998.8070 or email draper.program@nyu.edu to let us know if you'll be attending.

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Master's Thesis Workshop
Friday, March 11 from 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Draper Map Room

Led by Professor Steven Moga and Robin Nagle

This workshop is primarily intended for students who are in the early phases of thesis preparation, but also for those at later stages of the process. Students will receive guidance on how to refine their topics and narrow the scope of their theses, and on some of the basic mechanics of writing their work.

Ph.D. Application Workshop
Friday, April 29, 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Draper Map Room

Led by Professors Rebecca Colesworthy and Nina Hien

This workshop is a mini-orientation session geared towards students who are either considering a Ph.D. or those who are already in the early stages of the application process. It is also relevant to students who are interested in general information regarding doctoral degrees and those who need some guidance as to what they should be prepared for in terms of the application process. Some general issues that will be tackled are:

* How do I know if a PhD is right for me?

* Setting realistic expectations of the PhD process and future career trajectories.

* Choosing a department as well as a university that is a good fit for me.

*What to expect in terms of the contents and deadlines for a PhD application.

* Using Draper as a resource for making decisions about a PhD and a career in academia.

We encourage all Draper students who are interested in future doctoral studies and have questions regarding the same to attend this workshop.