hi all,
brief post re: the study break.
my email (again) is j.sinclair2@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au
as before, I won't be reading whole drafts, but I am very happy to discuss questions of style, approach and un-knotting particular problems, by email or in person.
I am away from the morning of Friday May 27 to the evening of Monday May 30. I won't be on email during that time.
If you want to meet me on Tuesday 31 or Wednesday June 1, the available times are below. If you are coming on a day other than your usual class, please note the different room number. I'll be sticking to these times, ie 15 minutes, so please try to be on time and have an idea what you want to discuss. if you feel you'll need longer, get in touch.
DON'T email me re: booking a meeting time. use the comments function to reserve a time, after reading through the times anyone else has taken, (including previous comments).
You can send me outlines and short extracts ahead of the meetings, bearing in mind that for Tuesday I will only have read them earlier Tuesday morning (unless you get them through to me by Thursday afternoon.)
After Wednesday I'm not planning to be in at uni, but email me if you're having particular problems. For questions about the folio structure, please refer to the reader and other posts on this blog before emailing me; if you want comments back on your pieces, please remember your envelope and stamps.
happy writing and thanks for all your efforts and input!
Jenny
Tuesday: Room 216 A, second floor opposite office in John Medley West.
Available:
9.30
9.45
10:00 booked
10.15:
10:30: booked(I have a short meeting elsewhere in the building at this time)
10:45: booked
11:00 booked
Wednesday: Room 106, first floor John Medley West
9:30
9:45
10:00
10:15
10:30: booked
10:45: booked
11:00 booked
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
hi all,
a small correction to what I've said about the marking process. I am in fact allowed to give extensions for a short period after the submission date.
however, I would rather not, and I'd be looking for reasons such as medical certificates and other unforseeable events that cover a reasonable period of time. something going wrong for a couple of days just before the due date probably won't buy you more than another couple of days, as you are expected to have already done a fair amount of the work by then.
anything handed in late up until June 16 will be marked, with a reduction of 2% for each day late if no extension has been given. Anything after that will not be marked as the results have to go into the uni admin system. and if you simply hand something in ten days late without discussion with me, it's likely you'll get a mark but not much in the way of feedback.
if you do submit late, either with permission or not, please email me and tell me when you've submitted as I don't work at the uni and I won't be checking the pigeonholes that often. an emailed copy of your work at the time of submission would also be really helpful; that will allow me to mark it without physically picking up a copy first, although I will collect the copies at some stage.
thanks,
Jenny
a small correction to what I've said about the marking process. I am in fact allowed to give extensions for a short period after the submission date.
however, I would rather not, and I'd be looking for reasons such as medical certificates and other unforseeable events that cover a reasonable period of time. something going wrong for a couple of days just before the due date probably won't buy you more than another couple of days, as you are expected to have already done a fair amount of the work by then.
anything handed in late up until June 16 will be marked, with a reduction of 2% for each day late if no extension has been given. Anything after that will not be marked as the results have to go into the uni admin system. and if you simply hand something in ten days late without discussion with me, it's likely you'll get a mark but not much in the way of feedback.
if you do submit late, either with permission or not, please email me and tell me when you've submitted as I don't work at the uni and I won't be checking the pigeonholes that often. an emailed copy of your work at the time of submission would also be really helpful; that will allow me to mark it without physically picking up a copy first, although I will collect the copies at some stage.
thanks,
Jenny
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Customer, sorry, student satisfaction survey
Dear all,
The usual hard copy in-class subject assessment survey has been replaced with an electronic thingie.
Although we don't have an LMS page for this subject, I'm assured that the subject will appear on your surveys on your student portal home page.
If not, this is a direct link to the survey module, which I think will open up surveys for all your subjects.
It should be a brief process, and the uni can always do with feedback on all aspects of coursework and teaching, so I encourage you to do it for all your subjects.
......
on other matters, the homework for Week 11 was to look at a disaster through the prism of Twitter, Facebook and blogs, and to try to write a short report on that
of course it's too late for the Tuesday class, but if you're a Wednesday person, here's an excuse to mess around on the Internet and call it work.
For Week 12, we will have a lot of workshopping, David Foster Wallace and cake. I'm also hoping to talk about the concept of the "star" writer, which DFW was, and to look at a couple of others. If you have any favourites you're crazy about, this is the chance to proselytize about them.
by the final week I will have firm times for me to be at uni to meet any of you who want to discuss your work. I'm hoping that will be more or less close to the usual class times. After class I'll post the remaining times here; please check back before emailing me asking for meeting times!
thanks,
Jenny
The usual hard copy in-class subject assessment survey has been replaced with an electronic thingie.
Although we don't have an LMS page for this subject, I'm assured that the subject will appear on your surveys on your student portal home page.
If not, this is a direct link to the survey module, which I think will open up surveys for all your subjects.
It should be a brief process, and the uni can always do with feedback on all aspects of coursework and teaching, so I encourage you to do it for all your subjects.
......
on other matters, the homework for Week 11 was to look at a disaster through the prism of Twitter, Facebook and blogs, and to try to write a short report on that
of course it's too late for the Tuesday class, but if you're a Wednesday person, here's an excuse to mess around on the Internet and call it work.
For Week 12, we will have a lot of workshopping, David Foster Wallace and cake. I'm also hoping to talk about the concept of the "star" writer, which DFW was, and to look at a couple of others. If you have any favourites you're crazy about, this is the chance to proselytize about them.
by the final week I will have firm times for me to be at uni to meet any of you who want to discuss your work. I'm hoping that will be more or less close to the usual class times. After class I'll post the remaining times here; please check back before emailing me asking for meeting times!
thanks,
Jenny
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
hi all,
just this week's homework for any who weren't there or didn't catch it: Using firsthand accounts on blogs/Facebook/Twitter as your source, write a short (very short - 500 words max) report of a natural disaster.
if the a/v cooperates I'll be showing a small part of a movie called When the Levees Broke, about Hurricane Katrina, so if you happen to have access to it and want to have a look before next week, please do.
For next Tuesday's class, please make sure you read the Chloe Hooper piece in particular as that's what Tim will be presenting on.
Jenny
just this week's homework for any who weren't there or didn't catch it: Using firsthand accounts on blogs/Facebook/Twitter as your source, write a short (very short - 500 words max) report of a natural disaster.
if the a/v cooperates I'll be showing a small part of a movie called When the Levees Broke, about Hurricane Katrina, so if you happen to have access to it and want to have a look before next week, please do.
For next Tuesday's class, please make sure you read the Chloe Hooper piece in particular as that's what Tim will be presenting on.
Jenny
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
homework for week 9/10
for those who weren't there, the writing exercise is to write for 10+ minutes on either: a musical event as an anthropological study (ie writing about people's behaviour, not the music as such)
or: a time when you were convalescing from illness or recovering from grief (ie not the event itself, but the process of regaining some normality, even a new normality)
we'll use these to kickstart next week's discussion, so it would be great if you brought it along ready to read.
Important folio info in post below.
thanks,
Jenny
or: a time when you were convalescing from illness or recovering from grief (ie not the event itself, but the process of regaining some normality, even a new normality)
we'll use these to kickstart next week's discussion, so it would be great if you brought it along ready to read.
Important folio info in post below.
thanks,
Jenny
folios and workshopping roster
folio outline recap: READ THIS PLEASE!
Due date is Monday June 6, 5pm. I can’t give extensions on this. If work is late, it will lose marks for each day late, and there will come a point during that week where it will be too late for me to mark it at all; I don’t have an exact mark submission date but it will be early the following week.
Special consideration is another matter that’s dealt with by the faculty.
Marks are going to be given on a standard curve, as with all undergrad subjects, spread across my two classes. This may mean some of you get lower or higher marks than the work warrants; my hands are tied on this one.
Folio requirements are in the reader, but to recap:
4000 words (I’ll allow +/- 10%)
Each piece can be between 1000 and 2500 words (each +/- 10%)
At least two pieces, maximum four (mathematically).
Submission needs to be through the office, with a cover sheet, but if you can manage it I’d also like electronic copies as text or .doc (NOT .docx, my software is archaic.) Email to j.sinclair@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au (and if you have real problems with submitting in person on time, you can do this to get it to me sooner, as long as the office copy goes in asap.)
Attach a stamped, addressed envelope if you want your work back. If you do this I’ll give you written feedback as well. If you don’t, the work goes back to the office but isn’t retrievable; it’s held for a while then binned. (if you forget, you can drop an envelope off marked attention to me by the start of semester two, and I can still get it sent back.)
Each piece must fit one or more of the themes in the reader. You must briefly nominate/justify the theme(s) – if you need more than a few lines to do this, contact me beforehand to make sure it’s not stretching it too far.
Each piece must have a different theme (though if a piece covers two themes, you can re-use
Titles and supplementary images etc are good but not essential; images etc don’t count towards marking unfortunately.
For poetry and other unusual approaches, please talk to me about word length etc.
If possible please talk to me before class or during the break, particularly on Wednesdays when I often have to go by 12.30.
I’ll be making times to see students in the study break week; probably close to existing class times of Tuesday and Wednesday mornings (you can come on a different day to your class), but check back here or with me to confirm that.
I can’t read drafts but I can discuss specific questions you find in your writing and try to help you break logjams.
workshopping: let me know if you don’t have a slot listed below.
TUESDAY:
week 10
Connor
Romina
Tim
week 11
Sam
Emily
Jessica
Claire
week 12
Gabrielle
Nathan
Hillary
Margaret
WEDNESDAY
week 10
Charles
Michael
Rebecca (was week 9)
Laura (was week 9)
week 11
Tom
Sasha
Kevin
James
Stephanie
week 12
Bridget
Ainslie
Ben
Lauren
ps: some of you are still to do your pitches, particularly on Tuesdays. we WILL get around to them. they really are useful, in terms of focus and practising “selling” your work.
Due date is Monday June 6, 5pm. I can’t give extensions on this. If work is late, it will lose marks for each day late, and there will come a point during that week where it will be too late for me to mark it at all; I don’t have an exact mark submission date but it will be early the following week.
Special consideration is another matter that’s dealt with by the faculty.
Marks are going to be given on a standard curve, as with all undergrad subjects, spread across my two classes. This may mean some of you get lower or higher marks than the work warrants; my hands are tied on this one.
Folio requirements are in the reader, but to recap:
4000 words (I’ll allow +/- 10%)
Each piece can be between 1000 and 2500 words (each +/- 10%)
At least two pieces, maximum four (mathematically).
Submission needs to be through the office, with a cover sheet, but if you can manage it I’d also like electronic copies as text or .doc (NOT .docx, my software is archaic.) Email to j.sinclair@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au (and if you have real problems with submitting in person on time, you can do this to get it to me sooner, as long as the office copy goes in asap.)
Attach a stamped, addressed envelope if you want your work back. If you do this I’ll give you written feedback as well. If you don’t, the work goes back to the office but isn’t retrievable; it’s held for a while then binned. (if you forget, you can drop an envelope off marked attention to me by the start of semester two, and I can still get it sent back.)
Each piece must fit one or more of the themes in the reader. You must briefly nominate/justify the theme(s) – if you need more than a few lines to do this, contact me beforehand to make sure it’s not stretching it too far.
Each piece must have a different theme (though if a piece covers two themes, you can re-use
Titles and supplementary images etc are good but not essential; images etc don’t count towards marking unfortunately.
For poetry and other unusual approaches, please talk to me about word length etc.
If possible please talk to me before class or during the break, particularly on Wednesdays when I often have to go by 12.30.
I’ll be making times to see students in the study break week; probably close to existing class times of Tuesday and Wednesday mornings (you can come on a different day to your class), but check back here or with me to confirm that.
I can’t read drafts but I can discuss specific questions you find in your writing and try to help you break logjams.
workshopping: let me know if you don’t have a slot listed below.
TUESDAY:
week 10
Connor
Romina
Tim
week 11
Sam
Emily
Jessica
Claire
week 12
Gabrielle
Nathan
Hillary
Margaret
WEDNESDAY
week 10
Charles
Michael
Rebecca (was week 9)
Laura (was week 9)
week 11
Tom
Sasha
Kevin
James
Stephanie
week 12
Bridget
Ainslie
Ben
Lauren
ps: some of you are still to do your pitches, particularly on Tuesdays. we WILL get around to them. they really are useful, in terms of focus and practising “selling” your work.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
for anyone interested in writing about music, there's a nice piece here reviewing two books about rap: one academic and one by Jay-Z
Home straight...
dear all,
I hope you had a good break. we have four weeks to go, then a very short study break.
This week or next I'll talk in some detail about the folios and submission etc, and post here, so if you have small questions, hold on till then (and read the course guide first please).
Questions about topics and other issues that could delay your work can be done by email (j.sinclair2@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au) or after class (Tuesday) or preferably before class on Wednesday (I'll try to be there from 9.45, and if you contact me first I can meet from 9.15 on).
I'll also be available for meetings in the study break (first week of June), probably in class times (say 9.30-11.30 Tuesday/Wed) but I have to confirm the exact times.
What I will say at this point is:
the margin for word count is strictly 10% up or down. I won't read over that length, and I'll mark down for less.
I can't read drafts. Use the workshopping for that, but I will answer specific questions about how to get around issues YOU have identified in your work.
I have no flexibility on submission dates because it's end of semester and the results need to be sent to University Central or somesuch office; if you need special consideration there's a process for that, but that allows for lower standards of work, not lateness.
Monday June 6 is it.
----------------------
This week we'll be deciding who workshops when over the next four weeks, so have a think about that. I hope you've managed to do the reading and the short Christos Tsiolkas piece I handed out.
cheers,
Jenny
I hope you had a good break. we have four weeks to go, then a very short study break.
This week or next I'll talk in some detail about the folios and submission etc, and post here, so if you have small questions, hold on till then (and read the course guide first please).
Questions about topics and other issues that could delay your work can be done by email (j.sinclair2@pgrad.unimelb.edu.au) or after class (Tuesday) or preferably before class on Wednesday (I'll try to be there from 9.45, and if you contact me first I can meet from 9.15 on).
I'll also be available for meetings in the study break (first week of June), probably in class times (say 9.30-11.30 Tuesday/Wed) but I have to confirm the exact times.
What I will say at this point is:
the margin for word count is strictly 10% up or down. I won't read over that length, and I'll mark down for less.
I can't read drafts. Use the workshopping for that, but I will answer specific questions about how to get around issues YOU have identified in your work.
I have no flexibility on submission dates because it's end of semester and the results need to be sent to University Central or somesuch office; if you need special consideration there's a process for that, but that allows for lower standards of work, not lateness.
Monday June 6 is it.
----------------------
This week we'll be deciding who workshops when over the next four weeks, so have a think about that. I hope you've managed to do the reading and the short Christos Tsiolkas piece I handed out.
cheers,
Jenny
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)