Hi all,
So off the bat, I think our group was at an advantage in finding common ground (hip-hop; Yasiin Bey fka Mos Def) through which we can explore our interests, vacillating between personal and academic (e.g. field/department, Independent study). Where we are each touching on our academic fields in our own way, we have come together to explore this subject matter on its own terms, and hence have allowed the project to develop organically, without the need/pressure to conform to disciplinary rigidity (whether it be the field or ourselves; although in the same breadth, each of our fields our inherently interdisciplinary, and we all have backgrounds in english literature). With that being said, although we haven't decided on this just yet, we see the capacity for synthesizing our individual projects -- as we are for the presentation -- into a substantial single document, really putting the practice of interdiscplinarity to the test. We had a smooth and successful test-run regarding the panel abstract/proposal, which was another bench-mark in our collective progress and development.
Although things have been smooth, it is not to say we haven't had to negotiate differences, particularly regarding our personalities. Collectively, we encompass a pretty wide-spectrum in terms of demeanor and approach, and it has been wonderful to see it play out as it has (despite personal anxieties of talking too much and/or coming across as insistent, but that is also symptomatic of my personality).
I look forward to seeing where we decide to take the written ("individual") portion of the project, if we decide to collaborate, and if so, how that process unfolds. But if the panel proposal was any indication, as a synecdoche of a larger document, then I feel optimistic about the possibility and potential of a collaborative writing project, with an eye toward completing a draft to work on for (maybe) publication.
This is a space where UIUC SPI participants in the Summer 2013 Research Methods and Writing Seminar engage each other as researchers, intellectuals and members of a cross disciplinary knowledge producing community.
I am glad your collaboration is going so well that it can lead into future possible work that may be published. I look forward to seeing the direction that your group takes your research topic.
ReplyDeleteI've learned this summer that in group work, through observation and practice, sometimes there are needs to "nudge," sometimes to "push," and at other times, more rarely, to " shove." I think your group has managed this well with negotiation, conscientiousness and patience. Kudos.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how words have all their inherit nuances, subtleties and connotations? Like "request," "ask," "demand" and "insist." And how each has its own function, purpose and intention?
ReplyDeleteYour group has such a creative topic! I can't wait to read the proposal/see the presentation!!
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