Introductions &

Time Management
CW 2, January 10, 2024
Ice-Breaker
• Where are you in the writing process for your B.A. thesis?
Research Proposal
• What is it?
• Why do people write them?
Introduction: Form and Function
Read the introduction of the article „Depression and Loneliness among
the Elderly in Low- and Middle-Income Countries”
• How is it structured?
• What is the effect of this structure on you as a reader?
Introductions (Colomb, Booth & Williams)
• Stabilizing condition
(sometimes)
• Problem = Destabilizing
condition + Cost [negative effect]
or Consequence
• Thesis (arguable response) and
(sometimes) road map.
Article (first sentence)
• Stabilizing condition
(sometimes)
• Problem = Destabilizing
condition + Cost [negative effect]
or Consequence
• Thesis (arguable response) and
(sometimes) road map.
• “The elderly population is
growing rapidly in low- and
middle-income countries—it is
projected to increase from about
500 million in 2019 to over 1.2
billion in 2050 (UN DESA
Population Division 2019)—yet
the well being and mental health
of this population are not a
policy or research priority.” (DS)
Go back to the article‘s introduction and map
out its structure
• Stabilizing condition (sometimes) Context (what holds up the
• Problem = Destabilizing condition + iceberg of your text) can be:
Cost [negative effect] or Consequence Theoretical knowledge
• Thesis (arguable response) and Historical knowledge
(sometimes) road map. Disciplinary knowledge
• Context – how do the writers Genre knowledge
strategically use context/evidence to
Language knowledge
help their expert readers understand
the problem (novices give too much Quantitative/Methodological
context, experts give just enough, what knowledge
Huyot, 2013, calls „iceberging“)? And…?
Time Management
• Break the thesis into parts
• Backwards planning – Start from the deadline and plan backwards,
giving yourself intermediary deadlines.
• Reflection: set a goal for writing sessions and monitor progress
weekly. Adjust accordingly.
• Daily short practice (!!!!!!!). Schedule & Protect time.
• Pomodoro technique. Write in 25 (or 45 minute chunks). Hard to do
more than 45 minutes of writing per day when working/attending
class. Hard to do more than 3-4.5 hours of writing per day when not
working/attending class.
Writing Process
• https://www.starkerstart.uni-frankfurt.de/84124745.pdf
Try Backwards Planning for Research
Proposal
• When is the date?
• What are the parts?
• When will you complete the parts? (plug into calendar)