This week has been more productive than last week; I have managed to get a lot done already (and it's only Wednesday!). I am still trucking along with the literature review (word count now exceeds the research paper limit, by the way) and I have added in the necessary extra sections my supervisor wanted me to include. I have also finished summarising the raw data from the survey conducted by the council. The results were interesting to say the least. One such question asked about the effects of climate change, with a considerable percentage of people surveyed saying that they don't believe that global climate change exists!!! Thankfully the majority of people acknowledge it as a problem in our society. Interesting to say the least...
I have also tried to get in contact with the Aboriginal elders my supervisor wants me to interview. She warned me they might be hard to track down as they often have a different perception of time; she even suggested that sometimes you just have to 'rock up' and try your luck with who's there! I don't know if I'm keen to sit in a car for four hours for the chance I might interview someone... Emailing and liaising will suffice for now!
I have knocked off more hours as well, which is good. I'm now down to the '75 hours to go' mark. I aim to have all my hours down hopefully in the next three to four weeks, to coincide with the end of semester. One thing is for sure, I don't want to carry the hours over to an August graduation. Until I hear back from the Wiradjuri men, at least I can utilise my 'free' time to work on the research paper.
Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Thursday, 13 September 2012
The literature review that never ends
I'm a little overwhelmed this week; my supervisor has given me so many more additional jobs to complete and trying to do all of this, finish research paper assessments, work two separate casual jobs for actual money, and maintain a semblance of a social life is becoming increasingly difficult! I figure I can rant on here as pretty much everyone in the Art Admin program is in the same boat on this one!
I am STILL working on the literature review for the museum plan. When I think it's done I get another email which says to add in another section on something else and so on. It's rapidly approaching the 10,000 word mark! In addition, I have to go and sit in on interviews my supervisor is conducting for another project out at Windsor Library week after next, as I then have to return to the country to conduct a couple of interviews with some Aboriginal people from the Wiradjuri tribe. Not too sure when yet, but it'll be sometime in the next month. It's great that I'm being given the independence and responsibility to do this on my own; however I'm starting to get a little stressed with only 4 weeks until the draft of our paper is due in. At least I'm well and truly passed the half way mark with hours. 240 is A LOT and thankfully I only have about 100 remaining.
It's a good thing I booked myself on a holiday for two weeks in November, I think I'm going to need the time off!
I am STILL working on the literature review for the museum plan. When I think it's done I get another email which says to add in another section on something else and so on. It's rapidly approaching the 10,000 word mark! In addition, I have to go and sit in on interviews my supervisor is conducting for another project out at Windsor Library week after next, as I then have to return to the country to conduct a couple of interviews with some Aboriginal people from the Wiradjuri tribe. Not too sure when yet, but it'll be sometime in the next month. It's great that I'm being given the independence and responsibility to do this on my own; however I'm starting to get a little stressed with only 4 weeks until the draft of our paper is due in. At least I'm well and truly passed the half way mark with hours. 240 is A LOT and thankfully I only have about 100 remaining.
It's a good thing I booked myself on a holiday for two weeks in November, I think I'm going to need the time off!
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Ten weeks of interning completed... many more to go!
I can't believe it has been ten weeks already since I started working with my supervisor on this project. It doesn't feel like that long at all!
I met with my supervisor again this morning to go over what I have already done and what is left to do. She explained it like we're working in a pyramid format, building and collating information and research to build our case, which will eventually be presented to government and other funding bodies. It's quite exciting to know that the work I'm doing will become the foundation for the museum. It is a lot of work though; I tend to think that I am going to need much stronger reading glasses at the end of this internship as I spend most of my time staring at my computer screen or reading piles of documents! As I am framing my research paper around aspects of my internship, I am saving myself a lot of time researching an unfamiliar topic. Two birds, one stone... it's working out alright for the time being at least!
Next thing I have to do is add to the massive literature review I have been working on for the past two months (!) - I need to add in extra sections that mention certain funding and government bodies, such as the Federal Government, the State Government, Arts NSW and M&G NSW. The way this was explained to me is basically when the museum plan is presented for funding purposes to these people, it helps to 'stroke the ego' of their organisations by mentioning them by name within the body of the plan. It makes sense and I guess will help in the case for building a new museum in the regional area we are working with.
I am more than happy to continue working on it, as I am learning so much and acquiring a lot of knowledge about this side of the museum sector, but part of me seriously thought I had bid adieu to the 7,000+ word lit review; with everything I have to add in, it will probably grow to be longer than my research paper!
We also have the final data from the survey, which was distributed online and amongst the community - around 550 people completed it, so there will be (hopefully) a wide spread of demographics and responses to the questions. Another job I have is to summarise the answers to the survey questions, which will then be compiled with the focus group responses to form one large sample to put forward in the museum plan.
At least with all of these jobs I will have no problem accruing hours for the course - 100 hours down, 140 to go and counting!
I met with my supervisor again this morning to go over what I have already done and what is left to do. She explained it like we're working in a pyramid format, building and collating information and research to build our case, which will eventually be presented to government and other funding bodies. It's quite exciting to know that the work I'm doing will become the foundation for the museum. It is a lot of work though; I tend to think that I am going to need much stronger reading glasses at the end of this internship as I spend most of my time staring at my computer screen or reading piles of documents! As I am framing my research paper around aspects of my internship, I am saving myself a lot of time researching an unfamiliar topic. Two birds, one stone... it's working out alright for the time being at least!
Next thing I have to do is add to the massive literature review I have been working on for the past two months (!) - I need to add in extra sections that mention certain funding and government bodies, such as the Federal Government, the State Government, Arts NSW and M&G NSW. The way this was explained to me is basically when the museum plan is presented for funding purposes to these people, it helps to 'stroke the ego' of their organisations by mentioning them by name within the body of the plan. It makes sense and I guess will help in the case for building a new museum in the regional area we are working with.
I am more than happy to continue working on it, as I am learning so much and acquiring a lot of knowledge about this side of the museum sector, but part of me seriously thought I had bid adieu to the 7,000+ word lit review; with everything I have to add in, it will probably grow to be longer than my research paper!
We also have the final data from the survey, which was distributed online and amongst the community - around 550 people completed it, so there will be (hopefully) a wide spread of demographics and responses to the questions. Another job I have is to summarise the answers to the survey questions, which will then be compiled with the focus group responses to form one large sample to put forward in the museum plan.
At least with all of these jobs I will have no problem accruing hours for the course - 100 hours down, 140 to go and counting!
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