Although the subject or topic of your dissertation will need to berelated to the themes and issues covered in your ?Advanced Topics? course(s),this is an opportunity to identify and explore your own areas of interest.Generally speaking, the more narrowly focused your dissertationsubjects will, the better result you get. Of course, you have to locateyour particular study within a broader anthropological debate. As well asconsidering your personal enthusiasms, it is also important that you designyour project with an awareness of the constraints that you face. Questions youshould therefore ask yourself include:
? Will the topic sustain your interest over the months to come?
? Is there an existing literature within which you can locate your work?
? Is there sufficient material to provide the evidence that you are goingto need.
? Is the topic one that you can research with the time and resources available?
? Do you have the time and opportunity for empirical work?
Always remember the following:
?A dissertation topic does not need to be a totally new, groundbreaking,re-write the textbooks revelation. Studying an old dissertation subjectin a new way, from a different perspective, can be a new contribution.
?The topic chosen must be appropriate to your degree.
?Be sure your chosen topic addresses a real problem or question.
?The chosen dissertation topic must be appropriate for the subjects youhave available to work with.
?Select a topic narrow enough to be manageable, with a study that can bedone in the time allotted.
?It must be of genuine interest to you! If not, it will be hard for youto stay motivated over time.
?Ideally, your topic should be of interest to your advisor.
