The autumn term rolls on, finally slipping into some kind of rhythm as we near the end of Week 4. There's some structure the weeks and we can anticipate what's coming up with greater clarity and certainty as each day passes.
There are those on campus who perhaps feel they lack such focus though: the final year undergraduate students are discussing and cogitating their early dissertation ideas. This is a time to think expansively about the sorts of topics and themes that interest them, but within a few days they need to turn those thoughts and ideas into something much more narrowly defined. At the end of the day, the dissertation is something they need to feel that they own, can control and will become one of the defining pieces of work that they take away from their university days. Monday will see me in a similar position as I try to vocalise my thoughts to the manage of the doctoral programmes at the university. I'm very far from a focused set of questions, as witnessed by the range of themes discussed in this blog. But there's a process, and hopefully a path towards something I too can take ownership of.