Graduate Seminar 2019-2020
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Intro
This is the page for the Graduate Research Seminar 2019-2020 run by Steve Rushton and Marloes de Valk.
The outcome of the seminar is:
Trimester four: a Graduate Project Proposal (1500 words) + Trimester four and five: Thesis (8000 words).
The seminar will comprise individual tuition with Steve or Marloes and group sessions on specific methods (including peer to peer commentary, editing and proofing). The days set aside for the seminar will be devoted to achieving specific outcomes which further the research and completion of the proposal and thesis. This page will be used to upload information on your Project Proposal and Thesis and to serve as an ongoing record of research.
HOW THE SESSIONS ARE STRUCTURED
The Graduate Seminar 2019–2020 with Marloes & Steve
The sessions will be for all second year media students: Y2LB and XPub
The sessions will take place every other Thursday.
The sessions will be all day workshops.
For each session the students will set aims at the end of the day the results will published on the wiki and reviewed by the group.
Achievable aims will be set ahead of the next session.
Sessions will include group work, individual work and individual tutorials with Marloes & Steve
Outcome: Project Proposal (trim 4)
Outcome: Thesis (trim 4 & 5)
PROJECT PROPOSAL
Project proposals 2017-2018
Project proposals 2018-1019 FINAL PROJECT PROPOSAL
KEY DATES
Assessments:
9 & 10 November Graduate Proposal Assessment
Deadlines:
9 November Graduate Proposal Deadline
9 November Thesis outline (what form will it take?)
Early Dec Deadline First Chapter
Mid Feb Deadline First Draft Thesis
Early March Deadline Second Draft thesis (texts to 2nd readers)
Mid March Deadlines Second readers' comments
Early April DEADLINE THESIS
GUIDES AND GUIDELINES
A Guide to Essay Writing (including guide to Harvard method).
Handbook details- thesis and final project
Criteria for evaluation (Thesis)
KEY DATES THESIS 2019-2020
Mid March feedback from second readers
Early April: THESIS DEADLINE: all theses submitted (HARD copies + digital)
Early May: Steve, Marloes and Kate draft feedback on the theses they supervised
Mid-May: Steve, Marloes and third writing tutor will review and moderate each other’s feedback and grades
End of May: Finalized feedback and grades submitted to Leslie
Early June: Finalized feedback and grades communicated to students
THE SESSIONS
PREPARATION FOR THE FIRST SESSION
Be prepared to give an account of where you are at with your self-directed research and talk about what you want to achieve this year.
Think concretely about what you want to make, how you are going to make it and why you are going to make it.
Consider:
What possibilities are open to you? (It is understood that making a final project is a process and things will change as you work on it)
What material from the 'text on method' you wrote last trimester could be useful for the proposal?
What material have you written (descriptions of work , assignments for last year's methods class, the methods of annotation you developed &c) which you can use?
Review the written feedback from tutors you got from previous assessments and have it available for reference during the first session
Session 1: 12 September
Outcome: draft project proposal
First session pdf
11:00 – 11:45 Intro Grad Seminar Steve & Marloes. Who is who & what’s the plan for the year. What is a thesis, what is a project proposal and WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE! :)
A short writing game in groups of 3: note taker, interviewer, talker.
11:45 – 12:30 Students present their past work and current projects in more detail. Discuss the writing and research practices you have already developed (for example, the annotated readers and texts on method).
12:30- 13:30 Group session to discuss project proposal work and how to start writing it.
LUNCH
14:30 – 15:50 Write draft individually.
15:50 – 16:25 Peer feedback in groups. How do your ideas communicate in text, to someone less familiar with your work?
16:25 – 16:35 Publish draft on wiki.
16:35 – 17:20 Introduction to thesis writing and homework for next session: theme thesis + annotated bibliography with 5 key texts (synopsis)+ a mini prototype/sketch/gesture in relation to your project proposal.
Session 2: 19 September
Outcome: Project Proposal and First Draft of the Thesis Outline.
Discuss: Hackpact & annotated bibliography as assists to project proposal and thesis outline.
FOCUS: PROJECT PROPOSAL
11:00 – 11:15 Intro: the plan for today and questions.
11:15 – 12.15 Review proposal draft in groups, including the rapid- prototype/ hackpact/gesture in the direction of your research.
12:30 – 13:30 Working on the hack-pact/rapid prototype, sketch.
LUNCH 13:30-14:30
FOCUS: THESIS OUTLINE
14:30 – 15:30 Short intro on how to start writing an outline. Emphasis on using the outline as a flexible document, a work in progress that can help you find focus.
15:30 – 17:30 Write. Steve and Marloes are around to help out.
17:30 – 17:45 Meet up to discuss work load ahead of next meeting.
Brief chat about Jstor / aaarg / Royal Library / …
Outcomes for next meeting 03 October:
1) Draft thesis outline
2) Continue the annotated bibliography by describing how the texts relate to your research (word limit of 200 words).
3) Draft of proposal (30 September upload and Marloes and Steve give feed back).
4) “Hackpact” a sketch each day - write a few lines on each of these experiments. Upload on wiki.
Session 3: 03 October
PROJECT PROPOSAL
11:00- 11:15 Group meeting to discuss plan for the day. Questions about last session & homework.
11:15- 12:15 Meet in groups, go through draft proposals & hackpacts, problems encountered, give each other feedback on texts. 15 mins per person+-.
12:15-14:00 Write draft proposal.
LUNCH
THESIS
15:00 – 16:00 In groups, review each others thesis outline and annotated bibliography. Give feedback.
16:00 – 17:00 Write - Steve and Marloes give individual tutorials where needed.
17:30 – 18:00 Meet as group to discuss plan for next session.
Outcomes for next meeting:
1) Reworked draft thesis outline, more detailed this time.
2) Draft of project proposal nearing final version.
4) “Hackpact” or “rapid prototype” or “a sketch a day”. Include these in your project proposal!
Session 4: 17 October
11:00 - 17:15 Individual tutorials in which we discuss final draft Thesis outline and final draft project proposal. Sign up for a session on the Calendar!
17.15 - 18.00 Group session talking about progress and next steps.
Session 5: 07 November
New tutor joining us!!!