Its been well over a year now since i completed my History Masters, in fact its almost a year since my graduation. Busy with a new job and wanting a break from study after 9 years of work with the Open University i resolved to leave things for a bit. In the end it was probably a bit longer than i really intended but i have now finally signed up to a new course!
I am not going to pursue another degree or masters though, been there and done that and to be honest with the HE funding changes i can't afford even the OU anymore. So instead i intend to do a number of short courses in areas that interest me starting with the weather! My first (hopefully of many) courses will be SG089 Science : the weather. Last year i bought a book on meteorology but found it hard to get into, hopefully the course will help me with this and maybe soon i can be predicting the weather! There are a number of other short courses on historical subjects at other universities i am also interested in but lets try SG089 first...
Showing posts with label open university. Show all posts
Showing posts with label open university. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Saturday, June 14, 2014
My graduation
So thats it then, MA in History completed. My graduation was this morning in Birmingham's Symphony Hall. Although i got the actual certificate a few months ago it was nice to formally end the course in this way. At the moment no further studies are planned so maybe the academic journey begun back in September 1976 when i started school can be said to have finished today.
Or maybe not. Learning is a lifelong process. There might be a PhD one day perhaps, i just need to think of something for my doctorate, get the time to do it, and some cash would come in handy as well of course.
Or maybe not. Learning is a lifelong process. There might be a PhD one day perhaps, i just need to think of something for my doctorate, get the time to do it, and some cash would come in handy as well of course.
Monday, April 28, 2014
All official... and i miss...
I received the certificate for my MA at the weekend, its all official now then! Just the graduation ceremony to go in a couple of months then thats me finished with the Open University for the time being at least...
Its a shame really. Although i probably couldn't manage study at the moment due to time pressures with my current job i do miss the routine of study every night (i found it best to do daily small chunks than one longer stint - i have a short attention span see?)
Still i guess unless i do a PhD i've outgrown the need for formal education and should be able to develop my skills and knowledge myself. Actually i am planning on heading up to the National Archives at some stage to research an abandoned canal project for an article i am planning to write for my waterways blog. As with anything though time pressures are keeping me away from Kew...
Its a shame really. Although i probably couldn't manage study at the moment due to time pressures with my current job i do miss the routine of study every night (i found it best to do daily small chunks than one longer stint - i have a short attention span see?)
Still i guess unless i do a PhD i've outgrown the need for formal education and should be able to develop my skills and knowledge myself. Actually i am planning on heading up to the National Archives at some stage to research an abandoned canal project for an article i am planning to write for my waterways blog. As with anything though time pressures are keeping me away from Kew...
Friday, March 7, 2014
End of the affair
So after working on my dissertation for about a year and a half (including research and feasibility studies) at the start of 2014 i submitted it hoping it would be good enough to score me a Masters in History with the Open University. This week the result came out at long last, and it indeed was good enough!
So now i am an MA, i can add that to my assortment of other letters. Its been a long road but my formal academic career will now end after 9 years at the OU (BA then MA) at least for now. I would like to do a PhD but time is a scarce commodity for me these days and funding is not in place and this is likely to remain the case for some time.
Its a shame but maybe it doesn't matter too much, maybe after 9 years its time to end anyway. Its not like i will stop learning in any case, just now i will be reading histories for the interest and not because i have to.
Well i say its all over but i have my graduation to look forward to in June.
So now i am an MA, i can add that to my assortment of other letters. Its been a long road but my formal academic career will now end after 9 years at the OU (BA then MA) at least for now. I would like to do a PhD but time is a scarce commodity for me these days and funding is not in place and this is likely to remain the case for some time.
Its a shame but maybe it doesn't matter too much, maybe after 9 years its time to end anyway. Its not like i will stop learning in any case, just now i will be reading histories for the interest and not because i have to.
Well i say its all over but i have my graduation to look forward to in June.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
A weekend in London
I went down to London again at the weekend, the main purpose was to go to the day school for my A826 course, the only one on this course (there were 3 on the first part of the MA), i'll talk more about the day school in my next A826 progress report on Friday.
Apart from the day school i did not go many other places in London, we went to Parliament Square and the West End. At the former we saw a man "levitating" on the side of a bus. This turned out to be Dynamo. More excitingly for me i saw some of the New Routemasters.
Apart from the day school i did not go many other places in London, we went to Parliament Square and the West End. At the former we saw a man "levitating" on the side of a bus. This turned out to be Dynamo. More excitingly for me i saw some of the New Routemasters.
Friday, May 31, 2013
A826 progress w/c 27/05/13
Now i'm up and running with the dissertation part of my masters degree (A826 in Open University code) i thought i would do a weekly progress report, detailing what i have been doing this week and maybe some thoughts on how my project is progressing. And if i haven't done anything in a week hopefully this record can shame me to get my finger out!
Anyway this week i initiated contact with my tutor and we discussed some aspects of my project. My project of course is looking at the economic effect of new transport links on Stratford in the early 19th century. I've decided to narrow the project down a bit and only look at the effect of the Stratford & Moreton Tramway as it was thought that covering the tramway and canal might have led to trouble later on.
Today i went to Stratford's archives for the first time this year. I didn't look at any primary sources but instead read the Victoria County Histories and some other articles for information. A bit of background information. While i was in Stratford i took a few photographs naturally.
Anyway this week i initiated contact with my tutor and we discussed some aspects of my project. My project of course is looking at the economic effect of new transport links on Stratford in the early 19th century. I've decided to narrow the project down a bit and only look at the effect of the Stratford & Moreton Tramway as it was thought that covering the tramway and canal might have led to trouble later on.
Today i went to Stratford's archives for the first time this year. I didn't look at any primary sources but instead read the Victoria County Histories and some other articles for information. A bit of background information. While i was in Stratford i took a few photographs naturally.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
A825 passed!
The Open University surprised me by releasing my module result a week early, a nice surprise as they told me i had passed! Actually i did expect to pass (or at least i did not think i would fail which is subtly different) but i passed well so now i am ready to move onto my next module and complete my Masters. In fact it should be this time next year i get that result too.
A826 will begin in May and will consist of writing the dissertation i proposed as part of the final A825 assessment. I will get feedback on my proposal soon and until then there isn't much point in starting research. By mid-April i probably will be at least planning what i am doing.
A826 will begin in May and will consist of writing the dissertation i proposed as part of the final A825 assessment. I will get feedback on my proposal soon and until then there isn't much point in starting research. By mid-April i probably will be at least planning what i am doing.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
The illustrated guide to a Ph.D
The Illustrated Guide to a Ph.D by Matt Might is something i enjoyed finding the other day, it is an attempt to explain what a Ph.D is using simple graphics. Although i am "merely" aiming for a masters i could relate to how my knowledge is represented. I am aiming for the horizon though. I am not discounting working on a Ph.D one day but first things first...
It is almost March and that means results month. Hopefully i should find out if i have passed A825 by mid-March and have some guidance as to where i should be going with my dissertation.
It is almost March and that means results month. Hopefully i should find out if i have passed A825 by mid-March and have some guidance as to where i should be going with my dissertation.
Monday, February 11, 2013
Getting my references under control?
I'm still in between courses on my History MA (Part 2 does not start until May) but i have made my first step in preparing for the course (which involves writing a dissertation) by buying and installing some software to manage my research.
I have bought EndNote, which works with Apple Pages (which is the word processor i use) unlike some other softwares. Its also a heavy weight application and i got a nice academic discount. Now i shall familiarise myself with the software as much as possible before beginning my research in earnest sometime in March (perhaps).
I have bought EndNote, which works with Apple Pages (which is the word processor i use) unlike some other softwares. Its also a heavy weight application and i got a nice academic discount. Now i shall familiarise myself with the software as much as possible before beginning my research in earnest sometime in March (perhaps).
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
An introduction to Greek Theatre
This is an interesting little video i came across earlier via TES and the Open University explaining Ancient Greek theatre. I have a Diploma in Classical Studies from the OU, i did consider their Classical Studies MA as an alternative to the Local History one i am doing instead. One thing that put me off was the module on Greek theatre. To be honest i wonder if i made the right decision there...
Friday, January 11, 2013
In between modules
A825 is completed and now i am waiting for my module result. Assuming i pass then A826 begins in May and then i will write the dissertation i proposed in A825.
What to do in between modules is the question. I will hopefully find out if i have passed A825 in March so any serious work into my dissertation will wait until then, it could be also that even if i pass there may be changes i need to make to my dissertation proposal so its probably best not to delve too deeply into it until then.
Starting next month i will start reading some of the secondary sources i identified which will be of use. They are mostly general to the topic so will remain relevant even if there need to be changes. If i don't end up having to do the dissertation after all well... the sources are pretty interesting to read anyway!
As well as this i also need to get my research methods sorted out, i relied on various notebooks in A825 which worked reasonably well though sometimes i had problems working out my references. I think i will invest in EndNote for A826. I might buy it soon anyway so i can be up to speed in how it works before i get into any serious research.
What to do in between modules is the question. I will hopefully find out if i have passed A825 in March so any serious work into my dissertation will wait until then, it could be also that even if i pass there may be changes i need to make to my dissertation proposal so its probably best not to delve too deeply into it until then.
Starting next month i will start reading some of the secondary sources i identified which will be of use. They are mostly general to the topic so will remain relevant even if there need to be changes. If i don't end up having to do the dissertation after all well... the sources are pretty interesting to read anyway!
As well as this i also need to get my research methods sorted out, i relied on various notebooks in A825 which worked reasonably well though sometimes i had problems working out my references. I think i will invest in EndNote for A826. I might buy it soon anyway so i can be up to speed in how it works before i get into any serious research.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
A825... done!
Another OU course comes to an end, A825's final research essay and dissertation proposal was mailed off on Monday (unlike the TMAs it has to be printed off in triplicate, old skool style) and has now been received. I won't know until sometime in March if i have passed the course or not but assuming i have then the course is done (i'm not actually sure what you have to do if you do fail, resubmit next year?)
A826 will begin in May and will complete my Masters and could be my final Open University course (though i could do some language courses afterwards). Until then i plan to chill out a bit but start some general reading for my dissertation in February.
A826 will begin in May and will complete my Masters and could be my final Open University course (though i could do some language courses afterwards). Until then i plan to chill out a bit but start some general reading for my dissertation in February.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Nostalgia is what it used to be
My dissertation proposal and research essay are completed, its all printed out and is ready to post. I'm not sure how good they are but hopefully good enough. Unfortunately i've reached the stage where i've worked so long on it that i now hate what i've written! Once i've posted the work later today i can then relax and await my result. Part 2 of the MA doesn't start until May (of course i have to pass part 1 first) but i will start my reading before that. I'll give myself the rest of January off at least then maybe start on some of my secondary sources in February.
CITV's retro weekend was great, i managed to catch quite a few programmes. Some i remember quite well and others were much vaguer (and they were all great too). Rosie and Jim fell into the latter category but as it was a programme about 2 rag dolls on the canal boat then of course i loved it! I even recognised part of the canal they were travelling on even though the area (around Brindley Place) has changed so much since the late 80s/early 90s. As for Rosie and Jim i did spot where they live these days last year, they are in Stratford now.
CITV's retro weekend was great, i managed to catch quite a few programmes. Some i remember quite well and others were much vaguer (and they were all great too). Rosie and Jim fell into the latter category but as it was a programme about 2 rag dolls on the canal boat then of course i loved it! I even recognised part of the canal they were travelling on even though the area (around Brindley Place) has changed so much since the late 80s/early 90s. As for Rosie and Jim i did spot where they live these days last year, they are in Stratford now.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
Putting up the tree
As its December i thought it was time to put the tree up. In the past its gone up in the living room though finding space is always a problem. This year i have put it in the porch instead, plenty of space there and many more people will see it!
I also bought another little animal friend. I really need to stop going to Homesense as i seem to leave with a new friend every time...
In other news i went down to Stratford yesterday to do some more research for my dissertation proposal and research essay. I can't say i'm overly confident with either at the moment but oh well, maybe once i start writing the essay everything will flow. I took a few photos in Stratford which you can see here.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
A826
I am currently in the final stages of A825, part 1 of my MA History course with the Open University. Yesterday i registered for part 2 of the course (A826). The deadline for registrations is the end of January but i thought i would do it now and get it out the way, as i'd probably forget all about it otherwise and end up in a mad rush!
A826 is a shorter course which i think runs from May 2013 to January 2014. The purpose of the course is quite simple, in it i have to write a dissertation of 15,000 words. Now the subject of that dissertation i have to define in my final assessment of A825. I have to come up with a full dissertation proposal as well as a 3000 word research essay based on the subject area by early January.
Both are in hand, i am going down to the archives in Stratford again on Saturday where i can hopefully complete the research i need to do for my essay. I sent my tutor a second draft of my dissertation proposal on Monday though have yet to have any feedback from it though i am more confident with it, i think i am getting closer to my final topic which i have discussed here on this blog already though the proof will be in the pudding as they say (whatever that actually means).
A826 is a shorter course which i think runs from May 2013 to January 2014. The purpose of the course is quite simple, in it i have to write a dissertation of 15,000 words. Now the subject of that dissertation i have to define in my final assessment of A825. I have to come up with a full dissertation proposal as well as a 3000 word research essay based on the subject area by early January.
Both are in hand, i am going down to the archives in Stratford again on Saturday where i can hopefully complete the research i need to do for my essay. I sent my tutor a second draft of my dissertation proposal on Monday though have yet to have any feedback from it though i am more confident with it, i think i am getting closer to my final topic which i have discussed here on this blog already though the proof will be in the pudding as they say (whatever that actually means).
Monday, November 26, 2012
Proposal version 2
Sometimes its best just to start again as i did this evening with my dissertation proposal. I indeed wrote the whole thing again too and sent it to my tutor for comments. I like my second version a lot better, the structure is more logical, the questions my dissertation will seek to answer are clearer and i've packed in more sources. Well i like it anyway, hopefully my tutor will too!
I've requested Stratford archives dust off some more old ledgers for me on Saturday, though i saw on the TV today that there had been flooding in Stratford! The archives are quite some way uphill though from the river bank, if they ever got flooded it would probably be on Noah's comeback tour.
Friday, November 16, 2012
One step back or one step forward?
I went to Stratford today to consult some archives and try and get more of an idea of how my dissertation proposal and research essay might progress. I checked out some sales ledgers and accounts from a timber merchant in the mid-1800s and a mysterious world they belong to indeed...
Unfortunately i do not think my research essay idea is that feasible after having a look at these sources so i am back to square one in thinking up a topic... which has to be researched and written up by the end of the year. No pressure then!
However it isn't all bad, the sources will be useful for my dissertation next year and may have given me an idea for a research topic anyway. I just need to try and interpret my notes over the weekend. While in Stratford i took some photos of course as well as some of the Birmingham German Market which was very impressive and makes Stratford's Xmas decorations look a bit weak!
Unfortunately i do not think my research essay idea is that feasible after having a look at these sources so i am back to square one in thinking up a topic... which has to be researched and written up by the end of the year. No pressure then!
However it isn't all bad, the sources will be useful for my dissertation next year and may have given me an idea for a research topic anyway. I just need to try and interpret my notes over the weekend. While in Stratford i took some photos of course as well as some of the Birmingham German Market which was very impressive and makes Stratford's Xmas decorations look a bit weak!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Losing (a bit of) faith
The score for my final TMA was not as high as my other ones, though to be honest it was still a decent score and i am confortably over the 40% needed for that part of the assessment to pass the A825 course by some margin. It was still a bit of a disappointment though but not totally unexpected. I did not engage with the TMA question as much as i would have liked, to be honest i did not like the question that much but it was the least worst of the three options...
Onwards and upwards, now i am awaiting feedback from my first draft of my dissertation proposal. The lower TMA score has knocked my confidence slightly and i am feeling a bit disillusioned but its a bit late to stop now! I have booked some sources out of the Stratford archive on Friday so will hope to do the bulk of the primary source research i need to do for my final EMA and proposal for further study. I just want to get it out of the way and get writing to be honest.
Onwards and upwards, now i am awaiting feedback from my first draft of my dissertation proposal. The lower TMA score has knocked my confidence slightly and i am feeling a bit disillusioned but its a bit late to stop now! I have booked some sources out of the Stratford archive on Friday so will hope to do the bulk of the primary source research i need to do for my final EMA and proposal for further study. I just want to get it out of the way and get writing to be honest.
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Getting closer
I went up to Stratford's archives today to continue my evaluation of sources for my dissertation next year. The visit was very useful, i think i have managed to fine-tune my proposal a bit (though i haven't sent it to my tutor yet...) I am also a little bit more confident that i have enough sources to play with when i get on with the research next year.
I'm still not 100% sure though, and that is the problem with the proposal. I know there are sources but i'm not yet sure they will be sufficient to answer the questions i have posed. What questions are they? Well i am going to research if new transport links (i.e. the canal and tramway) in early 19th century Stratford had an effect on the economy of the town. I have found one possible snippet that may show an effect, coal merchants increased in the town after the tramway was built but can i show the tramway (and canal) caused these changes? I don't really want to spend the next year trying to research something only to find its all a bit inconclusive. So anyway thats why i am not yet 100%.
I took a few photos around the town (naturally). The Christmas decorations are also up (though these were up last week to be honest).
I'm still not 100% sure though, and that is the problem with the proposal. I know there are sources but i'm not yet sure they will be sufficient to answer the questions i have posed. What questions are they? Well i am going to research if new transport links (i.e. the canal and tramway) in early 19th century Stratford had an effect on the economy of the town. I have found one possible snippet that may show an effect, coal merchants increased in the town after the tramway was built but can i show the tramway (and canal) caused these changes? I don't really want to spend the next year trying to research something only to find its all a bit inconclusive. So anyway thats why i am not yet 100%.
I took a few photos around the town (naturally). The Christmas decorations are also up (though these were up last week to be honest).
Thursday, October 25, 2012
March to the EMA
The last TMA of A825 has been sent now there is just the little matter of my EMA before i can complete part 1 of my Masters degree. The EMA consists of writing a dissertation proposal and a research essay which is derived from that proposal and that little lot has to be done before Christmas! (Technically early January but the end of year festivities may get in the way a bit...)
To make matters more complicated i need to get my proposal agreed informally by my tutor before i can do the research essay part (though its only 3000 words) so that can also eat into a bit of time. I know more or less what i want to do now, i shall be researching the economy of Stratford-upon-Avon and the effect new transport links had on it in the first half of the nineteenth century.
Well that is the plan anyway (i won't call it plan A as there is no plan B really) and the next week or so i need to do some final feasibility research. That involves searching existing research to see if anyone has done this topic before (it doesn't seem so though there have been similar studies of other towns) and also seeing what is available sources and material wise to see if i can actually research the topic! I have investigated some sources already and will be going to the archives in Stratford again at the weekend to check out some more.
Then assuming all is fine i can start "negotiating" with my tutor about my proposal from next week and getting it fine tuned. I can start the research essay once i have a green light on the topic so do not have to wait until the proposal is perfect. November will be spent researching and December writing. I'm not 100% sure what the research essay topic will be yet to be honest but it may involve passenger traffic on the tramway.
To make matters more complicated i need to get my proposal agreed informally by my tutor before i can do the research essay part (though its only 3000 words) so that can also eat into a bit of time. I know more or less what i want to do now, i shall be researching the economy of Stratford-upon-Avon and the effect new transport links had on it in the first half of the nineteenth century.
Well that is the plan anyway (i won't call it plan A as there is no plan B really) and the next week or so i need to do some final feasibility research. That involves searching existing research to see if anyone has done this topic before (it doesn't seem so though there have been similar studies of other towns) and also seeing what is available sources and material wise to see if i can actually research the topic! I have investigated some sources already and will be going to the archives in Stratford again at the weekend to check out some more.
Then assuming all is fine i can start "negotiating" with my tutor about my proposal from next week and getting it fine tuned. I can start the research essay once i have a green light on the topic so do not have to wait until the proposal is perfect. November will be spent researching and December writing. I'm not 100% sure what the research essay topic will be yet to be honest but it may involve passenger traffic on the tramway.
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