Month: September 2014

Celebrate Filing Div III at the Red Barn Tuesday 9/30

Posted on by Laura Wenk

Red BarnHi All – By Monday September 29th you should have your contract posted and signed. If you need more time, you need to go to CASA and ask for the paperwork for an extension. But I am hoping that you have gotten everything together.

Don’t lose momentum. Look at your contract and develop a plan for diving in, if you haven’t already. Be as specific as you can about how much work you will get done each week, what you will bring to your chair or committee and when. Next post will be tips about creating a timeline.

In the meantime, come celebrate your Div III filing at the Red Barn on Tuesday September 30th fro 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. with Jonathan Lash and Eva Rueschmann!!!

Listservs – find events, resources, and each other

Posted on by Laura Wenk

ListsThere are a number of email listservs at Hampshire where people share ideas, announcements, and resources.

You can find a list of all the lists at http://lists.hampshire.edu  – click on the list you are interested in and follow the instructions for subscribing.

Some of them are more active than others. You can also create your own email list!

Interested in theater, play writing, and/or living in New York City?

Posted on by Laura Wenk

Alum 1-2-1: Rachel Friedman

CORC’s Alum 1-2-1 on Friday, September 19th features Rachel Freidman (F09) Education Associate for Theater for a New Audience in NYC! This is an Off-Broadway theatre company dedicated to the language and ideas of writers. Rachel has held previous positions with two other Broadway theatre companies: Manhattan Theatre Club and Roundabout Theatre Co. She also writes and develops plays.

Rachel graduated from Hampshire in 2013 with a concentration in Theatre as a Tool for Education. Her faculty affiliations are Natalie Sowell, Laura Wenk, and Ellie Duncan. She moved straight to NYC after graduating and dove into the world of New York City theatre.

Sign up for an individual 30 minute meeting with Rachel to talk about theatre after Hampshire! Even if theater’s not your thing, she’d love to talk to you about living in New York City.

To make an appointment go to: corchampshire.checkappointments.com.

Where: CORC, Harold Johnson Library, 3rd Floor
When: Friday, September 19th
Time: 10:45-4:15

If there are no appointment times available, call or email Liz to be added to the waitlist: llabrocca@hampshire.edu, 413.559.5445, or stop by the CORC office.

Drafting your contract

Posted on by Laura Wenk

If you have not already been meeting with faculty, you should make appointments for advising day, Sept. 18th. Don’t hesitate to email if you are not sure how to sign up for office hours. Bring a draft of your Div III proposal – email it ahead of time if you have it.

If you already have a committee, post your contract and make sure it is visible for faculty. They may have feedback and ask for changes or have a specific way they would like you to write it.

If you don’t have specific instructions from a committee about how to write your contract, here is a way to start:

  • Write a brief description of the issue(s) you want to explore or that motivate your work (this does not have to be in depth).
  • Consider the things you want to get better at. The process of the Division III is as important (or more) than the product. Write your goals about this (maybe it is learning new research methods or improving your artistic production of a particular sort, or joining two different processes you learned in Div II, etc.)
  • Describe the shape of the project – how would you imagine going about answering your questions or meeting your goals? Be as specific as you can at this point in time. Know that it will likely change to get more focused or to include new ideas from conversations with your committee.
  • Write your ideas about what you will complete first semester and what you’ll complete 2nd semester – it really helps to have this conversation with your committee, so writing about it make sure that happens!
  • Include your ideas for 2 advanced learning activities – these are upper level courses, internships (only one) or TA-ships.

KEEP BREATHIING!!! The contract at this point is an initial set of ideas that you might stick with, or that might change, but you need to put them out there to have the conversation with your committee. Good Luck!!!

Div III Orientation: Topic + Resources Activity

Posted on by Carla Costa

This activity from The Creativity Center is designed to help you craft the topic of your Div III project and the scope of your work.
There are two components: an easy visualization and a worksheet.

1.     Think of three key words that describe your prospective Div III.
Don’t overthink it. Just go with what’s been kicking around in your mind lately. Examples: education, inquiry, middle school OR dance, community, Carl Jung.

2.     Draw three intersecting circles and put each keyword in a circle.
This is also known as a Venn Diagram.

DivIIIexercise3.     Identify Areas for Investigation.
The goal is to get you as far as you need to get to develop a contract! Think of the Areas for Investigation as committee feedback, committee membership, campus resources (Librarians, CASA, Student Life).

 

4.     Fill in the Resources Worksheet.
This will help you start to think about the scale and scope of your work. What do you have to work with already? What do you need? Think about skills that are your strengths and be honest about your weaknesses (we mere humans can’t be great at everything). Think about people, places, things, skills, and the unexpected.
Download the Worksheet here.

5.     Bring your Resources Worksheet to committee meetings.
Use this to build your strengths into your contract and get advice on how to track down what you’ll need.

DivIIIExerciseExample2DivIIIExerciseExample16.     Hang your diagram in your workspace.
Edit and alter the diagram to keep track of the big picture of your work.
Here’s some examples of how other students approached it.

7.     Come to The Creativity Center Div III In Progress Workshop.
Thursday, November 6
3:30-5:00
Airport Lounge.
Div IIIs are always evolving. So, how do you balance excitement and execution? Learn how to keep curiosity in focus throughout a productive Div III.

Moving from Div II to Div III

Posted on by Laura Wenk

If you are still compiling your Div II portfolio, writing a retrospective, and/or looking forward to your final meeting, here are some things to consider that can help you make the transition to Div III.

Use the creation of your portfolio as an opportunity to look across your work and reflect on your strengths as well as the questions you still have and the abilities you want to develop. All of this goes into your creation of your Div III proposal

Your Div II retrospective should end with your thinking about Division III and what you are prepared to do and interested in doing

Your Div II final meeting should also end with a conversation with your committee that launches you into Div III – talk about who you should approach as committee members and chairs, what you might be reading or doing

Lastly – attend the Div III programs:

  • Div III Orientation September 12th at 1 p.m. in the East Lecture Hall
  • Library workshops in October and November

Div III Orientation

Posted on by Laura Wenk

They asked for it, you got it!!!

Hampshire Div III OrientationThe First Annual Division III Orientation September 12th
1:00 p.m.
East Lecture Hall 
(don’t worry, it isn’t actually a lecture)

This event is an informational orientation where you can meet some support staff, hear wisdom from a faculty panel, and map your Div III in an activity with other Div III students. Learn about Div III and find others doing work that relates to yours!

Div III students last year asked for programing to help launch them into Division III. There will be a series of events beginning with the orientation program and culminating in a celebration with JLash at the Red Barn at 5 p.m. on September 30th (the day after the filing deadline). Check back here or on the events page of this site for updates on further programing.

 

December Grad?

Posted on by Laura Wenk

Welcome back from what we hope was a productive summer. If you are finishing your Div III for the December deadline, here is something you ought to do now —

Look over what you have completed and what you have left to do. Work backwards from the December 12th pass deadline to develop a calendar of deadlines for yourself. It might not be perfect, but at least of rough idea of what you need to accomplish by when is extremely helpful.

Make a committee meeting and bring your plan with you. Your Div III committee can look over it with you and help make sure that it is reasonable.

Then do a little strategizing to have more specific ideas about how to meet your goals. Let other people know your intentions. Make study dates. Share your writing or show your work to others regularly so they know how you are doing too!

Check back regularly with your committee. Let them know if you need to change any scheduled deadlines and why. Check with friends and back here to this blog for ideas if you get stuck.

Good luck with your work!!!