Next Steps

Following on from the submission of my literature review I now enter a period of preparation for my Annual Progress Monitoring review. By November I will need to submit the following:

1. Proposed Bibliography
2. Thesis Plan
3. Thesis Timescale
4. Sample Chapter

Over the last week I have created an initial timescale and thesis plan, consisting of 6 chapters (including the introduction and conclusion). Though, at present, the main content is contained within four chapters I anticipate these to be large chapters with five sections each. The proposed Threads of my thesis as follows:

1. Thread One: Context & Ethnogaphy - Contextualising Goddess Spirituality's history and present form
2. Thread Two: Reception of Ancient Goddesses - Asking how Goddess devotees receive and interpret information regarding ancient cults
3. Thread Three: Historical Reconstruction & Contemporary Innovation - Investigating what Goddess devotees do with the information their receive, in a religio-spiritual context
4. Thread Four: Weaving the Threads Together - Analysing the so what? and why the above research is to be considered significant to scholars of the ancient world.

Always lots of colours involved!

I have begun drafting survey and interview questions with a goal to have these complete by 1st June. I have also started a primary source and suggested informants list. Though I won't be contacting informants until December, for Spring interviews, I need to ascertain who I will reach out to much sooner. My introductory chapter will likely be completed closer to the end of my third year, but I have started to fill that in with my present ideas as they come. This has helped me to confirm my initial aims and approaches.

In addition to developing my primary source list and editing participant questions, I now need to focus on my sample chapter. 

Seeing as each my my Threads invovle informant contributions, I was unsure how to produce a sample chapter before such research; however, I have decided to draw from my literature review to begin with Thread One, exploring the background of Goddess Spirituality and - space permitting - its present context. As it is a sample chapter the ethnogrpahic portion of this will be outlined for later elaboration.