Hey! Not sure if this is the right place to post this kind of question (and please do let me know where else to post this if it's completely in the wrong place) but I'm an Undergrad Classics prepping for my Dissertation this Sept. I've started doing some research around my topic but I'm a little worried about structuring and don't know what kind of structure/argument I should be aiming for. I have an idea and a topic I really love but I'm a bit confused and worried I'm going to get myself stuck writing a thematic narrative around the topic rather than actually crafting an argument. (For Context I want to look at the reception of Classical Imagery/Themes in Contemporary Art)
As of right now my idea is incredibly vague, which is why I've started researching so I can focus my question enough pre September to start writing in the Autumn, my trouble is the question is so big I don't even know where to start.
Google has given me lots of advice for Scientific Dissertations but I can't find any good advice for Humanities Dissertations which is why I thought I'd post this question here! How much of an argument should I be crafting right now? Is it enough just to do lots of reading around the topic and then figure things out later? In short I'm a little overwhelmed and would really appreciate some advice/useful links from fellow historians who have been or are going through the process, thank you in advance !!
Tl;dr: I'm overwhelmed by the Dissertation process and would appreciate some advice around structuring/starting or any tips at all
Hey, as someone who was in the exact same boat as you, I think that you would benefit immensely from narrowing the scope of your project. There are many ways to do this, but since you bring up the topic of contemporary art, picking a specific artist or a motif that appears in many artists' works (e.g. the parthenon) would be a good place to start. This means that your research will be limited to your case study and grounded in the particular (evidence that has to be tied back to the primary material— art works, poems, etc).
For example, are you interested in the use of classical Greek art proper, or the neoclassical (19th c) revival? Or the works from the Renaissance (e.g. Michelangelo David)? Whose perspective do you want to explore? Greek artists? American artists? Japanese artists? Do you want to engage with primary sources (e.g. doing a translation of classical Greek text)? Trace the concept of aesthetics in a Kantian way?
I highly recommend that if you haven't already, to reach out to the Classics art historian at your university. Your librarian (and if they have written a library research guide for your topic) is also your best friend. They will be able to give you some information/resources that will open you other avenues of inquiry. If you think a book might be able to help you, read reviews of it first instead of diving in and getting bogged down in the details.
The path of research often resembles reading and meandering into multiple rabbit holes until you feel like you have enough material. Then you start writing, only to find that your argument is completely different from the one that you began with. This is the twin joy and suffering of humanities research. If you are able to do it, consistently summarizing your notes by paraphrasing them in your own words will help you figure out what concepts are most interesting to you and what your "hunch" for your main diss is going to be.
Hope this helps! Best of luck to you.
edit: i also rec pinging r/AskProfessors