MaCRA(&)me!

Introduction to Specialist Research

Ady Evans and Mafalda Stasi

Define MaCRA(&)me

macraméPronunciation: /məˈkrɑːmi, -meɪ/The art of knotting string in patterns to make decorative articles.

You have 20 minutes – what do you do?

Debrief

• What was your initial reaction (e.g. ‘I don’t know how to crochet?’ ‘I don’t know what these are?!’)

• How did you cope?

• What did you end up with?

MaCRA(&)me Ethos

• What would it mean to think about research as a thread that interweaves with other threads to make up a whole?

• As an artistic method of producing, crafting and creating knowledge?

• And what if this was also a collaborative process, with other people similarly threading together different parts of the whole?

Stitch and Bitch• Threading, crafting and weaving have much in common with

the practice of research (metaphors can equally be granted to the concept of the detective, traveller or passionate romantic).

• Macramé as a metaphor for the research process in media and cultural studies, emphasizes the feminine practice of craft.

• Research rarely a solitary process: negotiated and collaborative. Produced through talking, sharing, and thinking through ideas alongside others and with others. Creates networks and spaces of support.

Rhizomatic Pedagogy• Specialist research will work in tandem with 306/7, 305 and

380.

• Should be seen as both more than and less than a stand alone module.

• Is about you becoming involved in the department’s own areas of specialism.

• A space to explore different possible research options individually and collaboratively.

This is not a module!

You are no longer students to us; we are not your teachers.

You will not have any lectures.

We’re not here to make this interesting; you have to make this interesting for yourselves

What we WILL be doing…

Module Structure

Module ContentWorkshops:

• Each workshop will cover an important skill that you will need for the individual tasks

• At the end of the workshops, you will be given a clue that will help you unlock the individual tasks, e.g.:

– What is the name of the famous book by Judith Butler, published in 1990?

– Which famous painting did Jameson used to illustrate the difference between modernism and postmodernism in 'The Cultural Logic of Late Capital'?

Macra(&)me Group Work Tutorials

• Each week you will get dedicated time with one of us to talk through your individual and collaborative activities.

• This will be done in group tutorials, ETG22/23.

Specialist Research Panels

Place, Space and

Identity

Presenters:

Dr John Keenan

Dr Mafalda Stasi

Chair: Dr Adrienne Evans

Emotion and Gender

Presenters:Francien BroekhuizenDr Adrienne Evans

Chair: Dr Mafalda Stasi

Digital Culture

Presenters:

Dr Shaun Hides

Janneke Adema

Chair: Dr Adrienne Evans

Living in the PostPresenters:

Dr Stefan Herbrechter

Martyn Lee

Chair: Dr Mafalda Stasi

Film Theory and Practice

Presenters:

Matthew Hawkins

Spencer Murphy

Chair: Dr Adrienne Evans

Assignments

The Archive

“This is a technical term Foucault uses in The Archaeology of Knowledge. It designates the

collection of all material traces left behind by a particular historical period and culture. In examining these traces one can deduce the historical a priori of the period and then if one is looking at science, one

can deduce the episteme of the period. None of these concepts has predictive value – they are all descriptions of limited historical orders.” –

www.michel-foucault.com

Media and Cultural Research Archive, and me

• Coursework 1:

• Each week you are expected to participate in the Specialist Research Panels. From this participation, you must write a 500 word summary of the panels as a group. By the end of the module, you should have five 500 word group summaries – with each summary counting for 10% of your final grade.

• The summary should include:– Introduction to the topics– Discussion of the content– Place within wider media and cultural research– Links to previous modules

Media and Cultural Research Archive, and me

• Please post your summary onto your group archive by the following Tuesday, so that you can discuss the work with your tutor.

• We would strongly suggest using GoogleDocs or similar.

Media and Cultural Research Archive, and me

• Coursework 2:

• Individual tasks will be provided each week – the actual tasks themselves are top secret, kept under lock and key.

• Each individual task is worth 10% – making coursework 2 50% of the final grade.

• It is strongly suggested that each individual project is completed within the week, and feedback can be gained by talking/booking office hours with your seminar tutor.

Submission and Return• Both the group summaries and the individual weekly tasks

MUST be posted on a group blog. This blog then represents an archive – this will be a similar process to 380.

• Please ensure individual tasks have your name on them – otherwise we don’t know!

• The deadline is the 26th November. Everybody needs to submit a doc with the link to your archive on TurnItIn, via Moodle. Marks will be returned within 2 weeks of submission and available at APT meetings.

Group work• Your groups will be the same as those for 380 – this will help

you build rapport and identify particular traits and skills that may be useful later.

• You are expected to behave as professionals. Includes online and offline. Time management will be key to doing well.

• Poor attendance and participation in group work will be penalized – please speak to a tutor if you come across any issues, we can’t mind-read.

Expectations

• Academic conferences/seminars require active and engaged participation.

• You will rarely find the opportunity to attend a series of research seminars; they are almost never presented to students!

• The content will feed directly into your courseworks.

• You should be asking questions…

Expectations

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever (Gandhi)

If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research, would it? (Einstein)