This doctoral seminar is designed to provide some of the analytic tools that should be useful in developing and formulating a conceptually rigorous and ethnographically grounded dissertation project. The focus is on identifying something more than an "interesting issue" or thing but on formulating what constitutes a problematic in the world and one that is feasible and analytically and empirically directed. The seminar sessions alternate between reading and writing exercises that develop your conceptual skills, ethnographic sensibilities, and ethnographic writing. The goal is to clarify your research problematic and the literatures you will need to master. Throughout the semester, participants will share their projects 'in formation," with key issues in the formulation of a project outlined in each session. The final paper will be a preliminary research project statement. This course is only open to Anthropology PhD students.