Unit 1: What remains?

Strongest memory from U1 – a moment from class that remains in your mind? 

• Milana talking about her response to Jordan, J. (2006) ‘In the Footnotes of Library Angels’ – her perception that he was talking from a very privileged position. It made me aware that I’d felt very little resistance on reading this piece (something I blogged about). Milana sharing this – and I think she’s totally right – gave me a moment of clarity over how my experience and positionality informed my reading.

What readings/materials had the biggest impact on you, do you remember best and why? (Either from the course reading or that you found yourself prompted by the course)

• DAS Feedback method – these struck me as really helpful structures to think about when sharing feedback, which is something I’ve often felt inequipped to do. It also prompted several really interesting conversations, including with my partner who is a teacher and a friend who lectures in drama but wasn’t aware of this method. 
• Also, foraging around ‘foraging’ in the first weeks, I came across Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book ‘Braiding Sweetgrass’, which I’ve been dipping in and out of ever since – there have been a lot of overlapping themes with the course so far, and it’s a beautiful read. 

Were there any moments that ‘caught’, where you felt friction, felt personally challenged or like you learnt something, grew or changed?

• Engaging with Michael Dicks writing about storytelling created quite a bit of friction for me. It helped me to articulate a change within myself – one that I was vaguely aware of but hadn’t been fully conscious of or articulated – a move away from this type of personal storytelling. The way it deliberately smooths over complexity feels disengenuous, and I have questions over the ethics of this relationship with truth. 

Has anything happened outside of the course that wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t enrolled in MAIP?

• A lot of conversations. My interview with Makhasiri led to a lot of rich conversations with friends and family about how we experience memory and how this is tied to worldview and identity. 
• The Fall Festival of Failure also pushed me to try some things I wouldn’t have otherwise. 

What skills or knowledge do you feel you’ve developed this term? 

• Around self-reflection and reflexivity. The process of making the video helped me to see where I’ve exercised choice in my life and where I’ve been influenced by outside forces.
• I’ve developed some new techniques for developing my own ideas – involving braindumping, making multiple low-pressure iterations, working between spoken word and written text (reading my text allowed, recording voice notes while walking, etc.) and working collaboratively with AI to parse my ideas and identify themes. 
• I developed some technical skills in video making and editing – and really enjoyed the process. 
• Skills and awareness in collaboration and in particular in intercultural dialogue while working with the cohort. I’ve learned a lot from observing and participating in class discussions, including from how Marsha has gone about cultivating a culture within the group. 

What lessons have you learned from your peers this term? 

• Getting to know my peers this term has felt like such a privilege. Through the process of the video assignment and interviews, I’ve felt like I’ve learned a lot about their different contexts and their personal perceptions of them. 
• I’ve posted about my interview with Makhasiri, which I took several important lessons away from around the ethics of collaboration and the interview-interviewee dynamic. I’ve also been inspired by the open way she communicates about her art and ideas – it feels generous and generative.