starting iic (ASI)

Starting IIC | Mike McDonald | March 6th, 2003

I'm just starting on IIC (after FND), and would be grateful for any advice on the unit from those who've done it; for example, whether to choose the exam or assignment, interesting books or articles, points to watch out for, difficulties, anything you like.

Mike McDonald

When to choose your assignment topic | Francesca | March 7th, 2003

Mike,

IIC is my last module before the dissertation and I have just chosen my assignment topic. For some modules, the idea for a topic came early on and, as another candidate mentioned, this was useful as it focused my reading, although at times I didn't get as much out of certain units because I could see that they weren't going to be particularly relevant to the area I'd chosen.

For IIC, I adopted a different approach and noted any ideas for possible assignments as they came to mind. The reading triggered these ideas, by problems I was having with classes at the time that I wanted to look at more deeply, and by reflection during my diary writing, which I went back to for this module. By the end of the module I had a list of around 18 possible ideas from which I then selected three to outline to Keith before settling for one after hearing his opinion.

Whichever way you choose to go, don't worry that you haven't got an idea by the end of unit one. It's definitely early days.

Good luck with the module. It's long but fascinating.

Francesca

IIC | John Bartrick | March 6th, 2003

In response to Mike,

I thoroughly enjoyed IIC and I'd like to get the ball rolling with a couple of ideas.

Firstly I have heard the Module files/material described as "extremely thorough". This seems a fair euphemism for "incredibly long and it will take you forever to wade your way through all that stuff"!!!

Joking aside, it would seem sensible to try and read through the material once pretty briskly to get an overview, before returning to selected areas for in-depth analysis.

My preferred focus was Conversation Analysis that I found fascinating. Coming to an understanding of how the rules of spoken interaction work were a real eye-opener. It's one of those things that you take for granted until you see all the levels of negotiation, collaboration and lots of other things that go into apparently straightforward talking.

Enjoy!

John

Question about timing of project | Mike McDonald | March 8th, 2003

Sorry for the barrage of questions, but here's another one: at what stage in the IIC module is it advisable to nail down a project? I've done most of unit 1, but I still have no real idea of what I want to do for the project.

Oh, and by the way, do many people do the exam instead of the report? It sounds like a hard option.

Mike McDonald

Re: Question about timing of project | Danyal Freeman | March 8th, 2003

Mike,

Regarding finding a project idea, I think the advice most often given by tutors and students alike is to try to get one as soon as possible. This will enable you to concentrate your reading on the relevant areas while glossing over, or even skipping, others. My own approach is to skim through a module ignoring all the extra reading and most of the tasks until I find something that appeals and looks "project worthy". You can then dive into that area. You will no doubt need to get hold of specific books for your project also, so you would need to forward plan for that if they are not locally available.

This is my own approach, and I know others prefer to read through the whole module and supplementary reading which no doubt gives them a better grasp of the whole area. It's horses for courses. However, this horse is trying to gallop towards the finish, and I can (rather guiltily!) confess to having completed my last two assignments after reading less than half of the module.

Hope that helps

Danyal
Taiwan

Re: Question about timing of project | Raymond Sheehan | March 8th, 2003

Hi, Mike

Good luck with IIC! And enjoy it!

I agree with the advice to read through all the Units of the Module as fast as you can to get a decent overview; there is a huge danger of getting bogged down in one area too early on--and a lot of the units are interrelated and shed light on each other. As you're reading, you'll find that one area in particular stands out as being the one you might really like to go for.

Exams and assignments: a personal decision. I personally find that exams are not the best way to get the most out of a course such as this. The whole process of working out a proposal, sending it to the tutor, revising, scaling down the focus and tightening up the argument, writing, editing, rewriting, getting detailed tape feedback on an area you've researched: you miss out on a lot of that if you go for the exam option. It's a good option if you're rushing to beat the clock and need to get through the assessments quickly.

Raymond

Thanks | Mike McDonald | March 9th, 2003

Thanks to Raymond, Francesca, Danyal, and others for their kind advice on how to approach IIC.

Mike McDonald

 

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