...and my wonderful month of sabbatical leave ends tomorrow. I am beginning to pick up the threads of work again while drawing together those of study to complete the assignment. With the written part finished there is just a recorded presentation to create and a bibliography to complete.
Beginning on the bibliography yesterday I was struck by the fact that, so far, none of the sources I cite are actually books. Is there such as thing as a bibliography with no books? How the world has changed in the decade or more since I last engaged with academia.
Thanks to all who have supported during this time of intensive study. With Christmas on the way life will now take a different shape. Fortunately the OU calendar allocates a two week break over the Christmas period. Mine will be starting a little earlier than most.
Thursday, 30 November 2017
Tuesday, 28 November 2017
A milestone and a small victory
The milestone
My first assignment arrived back, marked, thanks to the wonders of the electronic system. I can actually read the tutor's assessment - not always the case in the past. All I need to do now is get the hang of the Harvard Referencing System. I lost a few marks due to failure to correctly reference online sources. Books are so much easier.
The small victory
I have a first draft of the next assignment finished. More to do but always a huge relief to have the right number of words down on paper. Yes, I do still print everything. Never can quite believe it won't vanish into the ether.
So today, all is well. It will be worth sticking with the course.
My first assignment arrived back, marked, thanks to the wonders of the electronic system. I can actually read the tutor's assessment - not always the case in the past. All I need to do now is get the hang of the Harvard Referencing System. I lost a few marks due to failure to correctly reference online sources. Books are so much easier.
The small victory
I have a first draft of the next assignment finished. More to do but always a huge relief to have the right number of words down on paper. Yes, I do still print everything. Never can quite believe it won't vanish into the ether.
So today, all is well. It will be worth sticking with the course.
Monday, 27 November 2017
A Tale of Two Cities
Another assignment is in process. A discussion about 'Muslim headscarves' and the ways they are viewed in our society. As ever, it is a mixed picture.
Visits this year to East London and Bristol have shaped my approach to the subject. Both are multicultural cities. Bristol has around the national average of Muslim residents. East London has the largest Muslim population in Britain.
Women wearing hijabs (headscarves) are to be seen in both cities. The numbers would seem to reflect the statistics - many more in Stratford's Westfield shopping centre than in Bristol's Cabot Circus. The styles are different too. Much more variety in Stratford, where the hijab is clearly a fashion item as well as a religious symbol. Multicultural Britain is far more varied and much less threatening than some newspapers would have us believe.
On with the essay. I was better prepared this time but once again struggling to find enough hours to finish. On the plus side, I am still four weeks ahead of the OU schedule so no need to panic.
Yet.
Visits this year to East London and Bristol have shaped my approach to the subject. Both are multicultural cities. Bristol has around the national average of Muslim residents. East London has the largest Muslim population in Britain.
Women wearing hijabs (headscarves) are to be seen in both cities. The numbers would seem to reflect the statistics - many more in Stratford's Westfield shopping centre than in Bristol's Cabot Circus. The styles are different too. Much more variety in Stratford, where the hijab is clearly a fashion item as well as a religious symbol. Multicultural Britain is far more varied and much less threatening than some newspapers would have us believe.
On with the essay. I was better prepared this time but once again struggling to find enough hours to finish. On the plus side, I am still four weeks ahead of the OU schedule so no need to panic.
Yet.
Monday, 13 November 2017
The melting pot
Religion, belief and culture all mixed up in the second course book, Controversial Practices. Multiculturalism gets a bad press nowadays but, love it or loathe it, there is no escaping its impact. For forty years or more government policy has been informed by multicultural thinking. At the same time most areas have grown progressively more culturally diverse.
Cause for celebration or concern? As ever, the OU material is balanced and makes no judgment. The first two chapters both involved headwear. Sikhs and the Turban Protests of the 1970s; Muslim women and their headscarves today. Religious identity and dress codes offer a window on thought and belief both at the individual and the social level. And they always say so much more than appears the case at first glance.
Why do we care so passionately about what seem to be such very small matters?
Cause for celebration or concern? As ever, the OU material is balanced and makes no judgment. The first two chapters both involved headwear. Sikhs and the Turban Protests of the 1970s; Muslim women and their headscarves today. Religious identity and dress codes offer a window on thought and belief both at the individual and the social level. And they always say so much more than appears the case at first glance.
Why do we care so passionately about what seem to be such very small matters?
Monday, 6 November 2017
Milestones and momentum
First essay almost complete after two weeks of irritating stop-start effort. Being unable to set a whole week aside to achieve the task has been frustrating. Getting used to a new set of academic requirements proved time consuming. Writing the words was more challenging than anticipated. The resulting work is encouraging. A milestone has been reached.
According to the OU course website I am now a quarter of the way through my work on this module. Lessons have been learned and I WILL allocate my time differently with the next study block. Planning was always the key to distance learning.
The online library resources are amazing. They are also hugely distracting. In the past, access to an academic library was limited. I only got there once a month so learned to be very focused. Now everything is right there 24/7. Research possibilities are endless, the search facility is excellent, exploring is such fun and there is always some new thought to follow up. I love being a student.
Planning. Focus. Seriously.
Next time.
According to the OU course website I am now a quarter of the way through my work on this module. Lessons have been learned and I WILL allocate my time differently with the next study block. Planning was always the key to distance learning.
The online library resources are amazing. They are also hugely distracting. In the past, access to an academic library was limited. I only got there once a month so learned to be very focused. Now everything is right there 24/7. Research possibilities are endless, the search facility is excellent, exploring is such fun and there is always some new thought to follow up. I love being a student.
Planning. Focus. Seriously.
Next time.
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