John and all:
At the risk of beating a dead horse, as we say in these parts, I wanted to
say that I had pretty much the same reaction as the others and I think that
was mostly because of the student asking you for your advice on which one
she "could find the most info on and learn about" because well, at the
Masters level, shouldn't the student have some idea what he or she wants to
do because presumably these exam questions are course-related and didn't
just arise out of thin air and shouldn't the student have some research
skills at this point? It sounds as though this person hasn't even done any
preliminary research to see what's out there, at least the way the request
was written, and even my undergrads are savvy enough to google a topic on
the internet before coming to my office hours. That being said, if it were
me, I certainly wouldn't do the work for this person, (her Masters, not
yours) though I may be willing to coffee with the person and ask leading
questions about her initial reactions to the topics, if she has any ideas
as to how she might respond, given what she's learned in the course that
piqued her interest. These might help clarify her thinking and her ideas
and settle her nervousness somewhat, though I'd argue that part of being in
grad school is learning how to deal with the stress that large exams like
your generals create on your own, as she goes about her work and research.
Johnson
At 06:00 PM 5/13/2004 +1000, you wrote:
>Dear Claire,
>
>Your response is not much more helpful than that of m99.
>
>I believe it praiseworthy when a student will make the effort to want
>broader info and opinion than the course tutor can provide. Incidentally,
>Debbie's course tutor is about 800km away, and just a voice on the phone.
>
>rgds John
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Claire Wickham" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Thursday, May 13, 2004 1:12 AM
>Subject: Re: Fw: In need of advice
>
>
> > Well I thought it was an amusing reply, and raised the a valid point about
> > the quality of the course. The initial advice can surely only be "Discuss
> > with your course tutor who set the assignment" who should already have
> > addressed the issues that the m99m rely noted. To the enquirer: there is
> > nothing wrong about seeking advice but your queries are (mainly) those
>where
> > course tutors should be providing support and guidance. (And is this one
> > module/unit of your Masters' qualification?)
> >
> > Claire
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: The Disability-Research Discussion List
> > [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of John Homan
> > Sent: 12 May 2004 04:10
> > To:
> > Subject: Re: Fw: In need of advice
> >
> >
> > Thank you for going to the trouble of putting an email together. I think
> > that the same amount of effort, or less, may have produced a message that
>is
> > more supportive than smart-alecky.
> >
> > rgds John
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "m99m" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: <[log in to unmask]>
> > Sent: Tuesday, May 11, 2004 7:17 PM
> > Subject: Re: Fw: In need of advice
> >
> >
> > > .
> > > Eh... You can get a Masters in Disability Studies (well, the passmark
> > must
> > > surely be below 60%) just by drinking coffee and writing one good essay
>on
> > > one of these topics, or getting a pal to compile it for you? -- and
> > > obviously without needing to attend any boring lectures, working on a
> > > prescribed reading list about DS, taking a course on how to find
> > > information in the modern world, or any tiresome kinda
>textually-fixated-
> > > european-male suffering like that?
> > > What brand of coffee is it, anyway?
> > > m99m
> > >
> > > >
> > > >Subject: In need of advice
> > > > I was hoping you could give me some advice on which one I would have
>the
> > > best chance of finding information on and what would be beneficial for
>me
> > > to learn more about. I have to write 3500 words and it is worth 60% of
>my
> > > marks....this scares me a little! I have to choose one of these topics.
> > > >
> > > >1) 'A disability implies a non-problematic pathological condition
> > > intrinsic to the individual; it fails to recognise that the concept of
> > > disabilitiy is socially constructed'. Discuss this statement.
> > > >
> > > >2) Psychology has had an important impact on how we understand
> > > disabilitiy. Indeed the psychological test has been used extensively to
> > > identify problems and legitimate action. Discuss this statement,
>locating
> > > your response in a particular historical era.
> > > >
> > > >3) Policy documents are texts that are interpreted by school
> > > administrators, teachers and parents. With direct reference to a
> > particular
> > > policy, discuss how it has been implemented in a particular educational
> > > setting. What tactics and strategies have been used? In what ways have
> > they
> > > been enabling or disabling?
> > > >
> > > >Any advice you could give me would be very appreciated. Let me know if
> > > you prefer to meet for a coffee and go over anything.
> > > ______________________
> > >
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> >
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Johnson Cheu, Ph.D.
http://people.cohums.ohio-state.edu/cheu1
The Ohio State University, Dept. of English
421 Denney Hall, 164 W. 17th. Ave.
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****************
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