PROFESSOR (British): Hi
Josie. So, I got your email about the independent study that you’d like me to
supervise, but we’ll have to discuss it a bit more before I can sign off on it.
STUDENT (British): Sure,
no problem. I’d like to do it during the summer. I know it’s already April, so I’m
trying to rush to get it organised.
PROFESSOR: OK.
It’s still possible. Do you have a topic?
STUDENT: I want to study the culture of Flamenco in
Spain. I’d like to visit Barcelona for 8 weeks in June and July, so I thought
it’d be a perfect time to interview dancers while I’m there. My plan is to
include this research in my dissertation about the history of Flamenco. I think
it’d be interesting to look at how traditional Flamenco is blending with more
modern styles of dance.
PROFESSOR: That’s
a great idea. Do you speak Spanish?
STUDENT: Yes. I’ve been
fluent for several years because my grandmother is from Spain and she taught me
Spanish when I was younger.
PROFESSOR: That’ll
help a lot with your research. Now, have you already reached out to potential
contacts in the dancing industry there?
STUDENT: Not yet. I thought
I’d wait until after you and I spoke.
PROFESSOR: I
see. Well, I think it’s important to have a clear outline of what you’re going
to accomplish while you’re there. My advice would be to contact
several dance schools in the area that you’re going to visit. That way, you can
set up some interviews before you’re even there.
STUDENT: That’s a great
idea. I was also going to email some instructors who teach Flamenco in the universities
there and see if they’d meet with me or at least answer some questions over
email.
PROFESSOR: You
might have a hard time meeting with professors since it’ll be summer and most
of them will probably be on break. It’d be better to email them now. Have you
already written up the questions which you’ll use during your interviews?
STUDENT: I haven’t, but my
plan was to make a list of 12 questions which I would ask each dancer I
interviewed. Ideally, I’d like to interview 30 different dancers. I’m also
planning on attending five different Flamenco performances while I’m there.
PROFESSOR: I
think that sounds reasonable. Now, there are few technicalities we’ll have to
work out. First of all, I’d like you to write up an outline for your study. It
should only be a page long, but it should include a synopsis of your project,
intended outcomes, and how many study hours it will require to complete. I’d
also require two more meetings before you leave. One to go over the outline and
a second one to go over your interview questions. Does that sound alright?
STUDENT: Sure, no problem. I
can get started on the outline right away.
PROFESSOR: Regarding
assessment, I’d require a 3000 word paper detailing your research. Think of it
as a small excerpt of a chapter. I’d like to see some of your research, but it
needs to be presented in an academic paper format, not just the transcripts of
the interviews.
STUDENT: That sounds great.
Would it be possible to get feedback on the paper that I turn in?
PROFESSOR: Absolutely.
I can give you feedback on the drafts as well. The final paper will be due
around October 1st after you get back . . . but, uh, that is somewhat flexible.
If you need a bit more time, no problem. However, you won’t officially receive
credit for the study until you’ve submitted all of the work.
STUDENT: Got it. Out of
curiosity, I was planning on creating a blog while I was there. I mean, I’d
like to document with my research into modern Flamenco with more than just
writing. So, I plan to take photographs of the performances. Can I somehow use
that blog as part of the writing requirement?
PROFESSOR: Hmmm
. . . I think you’d be able to excerpt some of your blog entries into the
paper, but you can’t substitute the length of the paper for text that only appears
on your blog. Make sense?
STUDENT: Yes, that makes
sense.
PROFESSOR: Finally,
make sure you bring in an Approval Form. You’ll need to fill it out and I’ll
need to sign it before the end of the term.
STUDENT: Perfect. I’ll fill
one out and leave it in your mailbox.
PROFESSOR: That’ll
work. Let me know if you have any questions.
STUDENT:
Will
do, thanks!