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The purpose of these practices and the following suggested methods is not to demonstrate a practicable
model for solving sessions with a thesis student, but instead, to arm the tutor with awareness which will
help them identify and project a productive session plan.
1 The valued practice of finding a rhetorical common ground is never more important than when
there are barriers to entry in the material which the tutor cannot overcome (which, in a thesis,
there are). The tutor has to assert an agreeable plan or the tutee will run the session.
2 Every thesis is an argument with identifiable steps in its logic. Even the most florid humanities
dissertation is not a narrative.
3 The tutors distance from the material also means a reversal of the sessions pace: the tutee will
probably be the first to know if learning happens.
4 The duration of this papers development does not make it an exception to valued practices. The
steps we can take to help a student better understand their own argument could help in any stage
of the writing process.
5 The one session model is probably untenable: suggest as early as possible to set up a
recurring appointment.
Finally, what if Perception is the problem? Of course, its up to tutor discretion if grammar has
obscured the argument to the point of becoming a global concern, however, it is more common for
grammar issues or an unconfident writerly identity to be the problem causing a global concern: an unclear
or unconfident argument. Any of the proposed methods could be useful in reconciling this concern.
Solutions, especially for this last factor, may be difficult to discover, which is why this handout aims to
better prepare the tutor cognitively for this type of session. In a situation where the tutor is in a rare
position of disadvantage, a reasonable session plan has never been more important.