My thesis plods on. I've decided to take a Foucauldian approach to discussing the formation and structure of academic departments. I think my most interesting contribution (not to say it is unique to my work) is my vision that the "docile body" of the perfectly trained infantryman is analogous to the graduate student. The soldier is charged with the task of defending and representing the kingdom. The graduate student, in the same way, must act as a representative of his or her department through field-wide activities such as conferences and journals and then protect the reputation of the institution as he or she seeks employment elsewhere. 

I've also found great material in the work of Gregory Shepherd, who makes the case that communication study is about ontology rather than epistemology. True disciplines are caught up in clearly defined "things" whereas communication is more about Being and existence. This is indeed a fairly obvious idea upon reflection, but it's my contention that such reflection and self-reflection doesn't occur much.