I want to try and follow up on both Jude's and James' post:
While I read the posts to Jude on her request for ideas on a hypermedia
diss kinda quick, I think I read them differently than she did. Just makes
sense that I would, of course-- I'm quite a different audience, right? But
the way I read them was people were saying "oh, Jude. I've been there and
thought about that, and are you sure you want to go?" Maybe not the best
way to put it, but at the same time, I read the responses as ones
expressing a level of concern based on past and recent experiences.
I think James' post (as is usually the case) was much more refined and
encouraging, though as he pointed out, it's hard for him as an "outside
reader" to get too encouraging because he wasn't necessarily aware of the
conditions at the institution. I was struck by this part of his message
for two reasons:
>
>And, finally, maybe there's a middle ground sometimes in 'dancing on the
>limbs'------why not, for instance, (Jude, I hope it's ok that I'm using
>your experience to make these points----you've really expressed it well,
>and everyone's seen it recently, so I thought it a natural) do a mixed
>media project, where some components are hypertextual and others are more
>traditional and linear? The mix would probably be cool, first of all, but
>also would allow an entry into both hypertextual and print publishing so
>that, no matter where the future goes, the writer would be ready and would
>have work of consequence prepared.
>
First, it struck me as pretty good advice, but second, it reminded me of my
own experiences in writing a dissertation and how this approach would have
probably not worked. I'll spare you the details, but the rules and
logistics for what dissertations had to "look" like at BGSU might have made
this project pretty near impossible. Not *completely* impossible, mind
you. I knew a guy in culture studies who was going to do a multimedia diss
that was going to be burned to a CD and such. However, it seemed to me on
an overly practical level that doing something really innovative and
interesting in terms of the form would have made it difficult for me to
accomplish my primary goal in writing my dissertation, which was finishing
it. If that makes sense.
Maybe I made a big mistake in not doing something different and original
when I had the chance. My diss project (which is at least online! at
http://www.emunix.emich.edu/~krause/Diss ) is what it is, more an exercise
and a part of the process of my education, and maybe that's a shame that it
isn't anything more. On the other hand, I don't think that guy who was
working on the multimedia diss ever finished.
--Steve
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Steven D. Krause * Assistant Professor, English
614G Pray-Harrold Hall * Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti, MI 48197 * http://www.online.emich.edu/~skrause
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