i've just signed up here (hi everyone) and this thread seems like a suitable place for a first post, considering i've just started on a part time MA in (cough) Cultural Studies at (cough cough) Birkbeck... god we're everywhere.
my background is a degree in Music - and not a particularly theoretical one at that - though i was always interested in the theory side of things and tried to apply it in my writing. i am however, up to this point, almost entirely self-taught in terms of theory, philosophy, criticism etc., so have always regarded this type of thinking (in academese) to belong purely to the private domain (i.e. reading, writing), whilst tending to be more 'layman'-esque in public (i.e. at work, with friends). this makes it difficult formulating vocal arguments in real time(!) as i've always kept the two domains separate - and will probably continue to do so seeing as i only have lectures/seminars one evening a week. meanwhile, the level of fluency others (of incredibly diverse backgrounds) seem to be able to wield can be quite intimidating...
so any tips there would be greatfully received....!
HOWEVER, i seem to be quite happy with the reading involved and can offer the following (fairly obvious, perhaps patronising, certainly practical) suggestions:
- personally, i can't engage with anything properly if it's on a screen - it has to be physically in my hands. my brain is trained to flit around too much otherwise. printing/photocopying is the only way. sorry trees.
- always read with a pencil, underlining everything that seems to be particularly pertinent to the main argument, making comments, drawing lines, numbering arguments, summarising at the bottom of the page etc. this means you never just glaze over - or if you do, your lack of understanding is evidenced by a particularly blank patch, so you can go back to it later.
- as suggested above, rewrite stuff in your own words, in bullet points, or even full paragraphs. (then you've already done some of the hard work later when it comes to showing understanding in an essay).
- i don't know if it's a bit of a faux pas to use a good dictionary of terms relevant to your field? like those penguin ones are pretty good. i'd say do it, but keep it a bit hush hush.
sorry for the lengthy first post! way to endear myself to the community...
in summary then, breezes.
