Help! I have accepted work and have no idea what it implies!

aruna · Dec 12, 2007

I have a part time job at a University advising students on their written work. Now, a member of staff has asked me to help with a project. This is what she wrote me:

It would be part of a series of guest sessions we offer to second year students on History of Design, Visual Culture, and Decorative Arts degrees. The sessions are aimed at developing their research skills for their dissertation, and I am keen to include a writing skills element - something to prompt them to think about their practice as writers as part of their dissertation work. Last year Dea came and talked to them about topics and the different ways you can explore an area, but I was thinking that it might be more useful to get them to engaged in some word and image stuff - investigating vocabularies and metaphors and images which are used for representing objects in writing (this is something they all have to get to grips with)... It can be really informal, but needs to work for a group of 40+ students in one afternoon. I think small group work would be great, its a large lecture room they meet in but the chairs can be moved around to accommodate smaller groups. It could happen on 8 or 15 April, or 6 May. I would really love it if you could do this with them.

This sounds good but is so vague! Can any of you tell me in plain language what EXACTLY the job is and how I could develop it, giving examples? I really have no idea, and when I meet with this membert of staff I don't want to look a complete idiot!

Bartholomew · Dec 13, 2007

Sounds to me like you need to give a workshop of non-fiction writing exercises. Sort of like the games we play on this forum, but a tad more serious.

investigating vocabularies and metaphors and images which are used for representing objects in writing

If she never specifies anything beyond this, than you've got a lot of wiggle room to make this workshop into something you would find fun and helpful. Just remember that the ultimate goal is to help these students, ultimately, with their dissertation.

It sounds to me like she doesn't really know what she wants herself; so if you're proactive and already have something planned out, you'll probably make yourself look good. The worst that could happen is that they'll say, "No, no, this is what we want, not that," and then you'll know what to do.

Hope that's helpful.

aruna · Dec 13, 2007

Bartholomew said:
It sounds to me like she doesn't really know what she wants herself; so if you're proactive and already have something planned out, you'll probably make yourself look good. The worst that could happen is that they'll say, "No, no, this is what we want, not that," and then you'll know what to do.

Hope that's helpful.

I figured it would be somehting along these lines so I better sign up for some more AW games! The only one I've done to date is the Lurkers are Yawning one, which was my own contribution but maybe others could contribute suggestions of what might be suitable???

JJ Cooper · Dec 13, 2007

Okay Aruna, have a good look at the note you were sent again. Notice how many times the word 'I' is mentioned. This person knows exactly what she wants. Athough she has offered some ownership to you, the 'I' factor indicates to me that you need to appraoach her for her ideas. If she had of said 'we' then you could have gone out on a limb on her behalf and created something that you wanted to deliver. Trust me when I say - this is her project that you are facilitating. You are going to have to massage an ego here IMO. Call an informal meeting with her over coffee, tell her how great the idea is, listen to exactly what she is saying, ask for her suggestions, tell her it would be great to keep her involved in the process and get her commitment to put her ideas on paper so you can move forward with the project.

And with that comes the mighty 1000 post.

JJ

Help! I have accepted work and have no idea what it implies!

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

Bartholomew

Comic guy

aruna

On a wing and a prayer

JJ Cooper

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