I was always of the view that writing in first person was central to the
discipline of design since identity is so fundamental to our practice. Since
the sciences and social sciences have finally come round to the idea that
the observer is never neutral, I thought the design field was ahead in this
regard. Luce Irigaray writes an interesting piece on this called 'In
Science, is the Subject
Sexed?<http://books.google.com/books?id=o5xXQG7T5ewC&pg=PA247&dq=IRIGARAY,+L.,+2002.+To+Speak+is+Never+Neutral,+London:+Continuum&lr=&source=gbs_toc_s&cad=1&sig=VkpvMR9cFKe-T-JAOCnEATdz3EM>'
in IRIGARAY, L., 2002. To Speak is Never Neutral, London: Continuum
On reading this I realised why it is important for design to use the first
person.
Thanks
v.
On 26/03/2008, Chris Rust <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> Hello everybody.
>
> As we are in the middle of the review process for the DRS2008 conference
> I thought it might be interesting to discuss some issues from the
> reviewing. I'm in the very privileged position of seeing for seeing a
> large number of the authors' proposals and reviewers' comments and,
> while it would be wrong to talk about individual work, I feel there
> might be value in looking at broader issues that come up.
>
> One that struck me very firmly is the question of whether it is
> appropriate to use the first person, "I" and "we", in writing about your
> research. It is clear that some reviewers don't like it, seeing it as an
> indication of lack of rigour. Some people instruct students at all
> levels that they must not use the first person in essays etc so this is
> not a minor question. When I Googled the topic of <academic writing
> "first person"> I found a great many university student guides and other
> publications on the issue, most seemed to support the careful use of
> first person but a minority assert the convention of third person only.
> I have given four examples below of which one is in the third person camp.
>
> My personal view is that it is perfectly acceptable to write in the
> first person, and in some cases it may be helpful. Of course it is
> absolutely essential that it is done with clarity and precision, like
> all aspects of academic writing, and it seems to me that using the first
> person is both an important acknowledgment of the role of the researcher
> in the work and a challenge to the writer's rigour. If you can write in
> the first person and be completely clear about the way that you and your
> actions affect and effect the inquiry then you have done yourself and
> your readers a great service.
>
> I could say a great deal more but I am interested to hear what others
> have to say.
>
> regards
> Chris
>
> PS
> Here, below, are the examples that I referred to above. Incidentally, as
> we are dealing with rigour I should acknowledge that four examples
> picked from the first page of a Google search might not be considered a
> scholarly resource. I did not go to Google expecting to find the most
> authoritative publications on the topic but I felt that it was a good
> way to find quickly some of the resources that Universities offer their
> students. I checked that the institutions were reputable places
> representing a range of different kinds of universities. Three of the
> items are official guides for students and the other is an article by an
> academic from a distinguished university writing in a professional
> journal.
>
> Now I am aware that some people would do a similar quick trawl on Google
> then present what they find as unqualified evidence of their own broad
> knowledge. I must admit that I have done it myself in moments of
> weakness but it is essential for us all to be clear and precise about
> what we know and how we know it.
>
> Dartmouth College, USA
> Dartmouth Writing Program materials for students, 'What is an Academic
> Paper' available online at
> http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/ac_paper/what.shtml
> "Watch your personal pronouns. Students often wonder if it's OK to use
> the pronouns "I" and "you" in a paper. In fact, it is OK - provided you
> use them with care. Overusing the "I" might make the reader feel that
> the paper was overly subjective. In fact, when a writer too often
> invokes himself in the first person, he may be doing so to avoid
> offering proof: "It's my own personal opinion, and I have a right to it.
> I don't have to defend it." But of course, he does."
>
> Hull University, UK
> Peter Wilson, 'Study Advice Series: Academic Writing' available online
> at
>
> http://www.hull.ac.uk/studyadvice/LearningResources/StudyGuidesPDFs/acadwrit.pdf
> "Write in the third person ('it', 'he', 'they' etc.). Avoid the first
> person ('I', 'me', 'my' etc.) – particularly in the singular."
>
> University of North Carolina, USA
> UNC Student Handout: 'Should I use "I"?' available online at
> http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/should_I_use_I.html
> "In some projects, you need to explain how your research or ideas build
> on or depart from the work of others, in which case you'll need to say
> "I," "we," "my," or "our"; if you wish to claim some kind of authority
> on the topic, first person may help you do so."
>
> Conall Hamill, of Queens University, Belfast has written on this issue
> in the context of nursing education, noting that the use of third person
> has become a rigid convention in his field, with unfortunate
> consequences for many students' work.
> Hamill C (1999) Academic essay writing in the first person: a guide for
> undergraduates. Nursing Standard, 13, 44, 38-40. available online at
> http://www.nursing-standard.co.uk/archives/ns/vol13-44/research.htm
>
> *********************
> Professor Chris Rust
> Head of Art and Design Research Centre
> Sheffield Hallam University, S11 8UZ, UK
> +44 114 225 2706
> [log in to unmask]
> www.chrisrust.net
>
> Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the
> future of the human race. - H. G. Wells
>
--
Viveka Turnbull Hocking
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