I am so stoked about a new project that I’m working on. After the poli sci conference last month, I began thinking seriously about changing the direction of my dissertation research. (It’s still a bit early to carve into stone, but I do need to start focusing on a general theme.) You may recall that I was planning to talk to a friend/mentor about possibly co-authoring a paper with me. If that worked out, then it could certainly put me on the path of my ultimate dissertation focus.

Well, we bounced some thoughts back and forth, and after we hammered out some more specific ideas today, I think we have landed on our topic! Woot!

What is especially thrilling is that the topic is under-researched and represents an opportunity to make a ground-floor impact on future scholarly efforts. On a totally unrelated note, I just-so-happened to talk to someone later in the day who — as it turns out — may very well have contacts in one particular area that I need to delve into further! How cool is that?!

This paper wouldn’t be for a particular class, per se, but it would be a huge step in establishing my credibility as a researcher. Having a published article would also look great in my portfolio for my capstone class (part of the dissertation process) and set the stage for future prospective articles … textbook chapters … books … ?!? … the possibilities are endless. I can’t let my imagination get ahead of me; I have to focus on the task at hand, first.

I don’t mean to be overly vague about the paper; I just want to pull it together a bit more cohesively before I share a lot of details (and avoid sounding like a bigger dork than I already am, LOL!).  The pieces do seem to be falling into place, though, and it’s really exciting to me to explore this new area of research!