What are G's?
These are how the school divides up each semester- G1-G2-G3-G4-G5 etc. If you are in a certain G or about to enter that G, then do a search on this blog for that G. I'm sure you will get lots of information. You can also find the updated information in the addendum. There are two books for Goddard the handbook and the addendum. Get these, highlight them and study them. You can find them on the Goddard website.
Someone asked me
"Also, is it written, noted anywhere, what happens in each semester. I find myself completely mystified, with only an inkling that there is a practicum to develop and a thesis to write, in semesters 3 and 5r respectively? Or do I have even that slight inkling wrong? And should i just peruse your blog from beginning to end for all the juicy details?"
So here is my response.
Yes, go through this blog. There is so much information. I have said," crap I wish I would have had a blog like this when I was going through the program." A few others in the program have said the same thing. I'm sure it will help, and if anyone is confused, feel free to e-mail me and I'll clarify in a post.
A quick overview
G1- get to Goddard, go through residency, say wow, I can design my own study... cool. then get home and wonder what the heck you have gotten yourself into. Create your first packet and say, "Hey, maybe I can do this."
G2- come to residency and say, "Wow, without having to do all of that orientation crap, I can actually find time to take a hike in the woods." ( when this happens do a search for "my special place" and I will send you to a really cool spot, don't bother checking I have not written the post yet.) You are thinking... I can do whatever I want this semester and hey, I know the program, so this will be a breeze. WATCH OUT! yes, you have a report in this semester. No. it is not in place of your packet, but in addition to your packet. I guarantee when you start this report you will say, "how do I know if I am doing what I said I was going to do. Didn't I just start this program?"
( Oh and I would be thinking in advance of the practicum. I would even be kicking it around to the "powers that be" when you are at G2 residency. Go to the meetings on practicum.
Hint.. I know I have said this before on this blog. You are in graduate school to learn how to ... well, I call it defend your practice, but I am sure there is a more academic term. If you find that the advisors are pushing you in a direction that you absolutely don't want to go, push back, learn how to defend what you want. I relate it somewhere else on the blog about a writer. I asked her if she had a hard time getting away with some of her sentence structure. She said if she could justify it to her editors, then there was no problem. Don't take it personal, learn to justify what you want and your direction. Learn to speak in academic terms and defend the direction you are going.
( Now there is a fine line here, Some of the most interesting things that I discovered were when I was pushed beyond the limits that I found comfortable. So there you have it- more confusion to your MFA-IA. )
Yes, you can do what you want, but remember, you really only have this semester to do that, well they tell you otherwise, but read on.
G3
Practicum- though I hear it does not always have to be done in G3. It can span two semesters or be done at a different time. The choosing of a practicum and having it accepted has caused many tears and grief throughout the student body. There are others where it worked fine. Take my advice from the above paragraph about justifying and not taking it personal and you will be fine. The idea of the practicum is to go outside your box, do something you have not done before. If you have never taught, than it might be teaching. Mine, was, of all things, to create just to create. This was strange to me as I create alone, but Goddard pointed out that because I am a commissioned artist I am always working in collaboration. Doing work just to create was a stretch for me. I heard one guy did nothing for his practicum. I guess that was a stretch for him. But everyone is different and there is much about practicum on this blog, so I will go on.
Oh yea, there is a practicum report due at this time. Though my advisor did not ask me to do one, I would check on this. I ended up doing one in my G5 so that it would be in my paper work.
G4
This is a semester to do what ever you have not had the opportunity of getting accomplished before graduation. Are you missing a point in the degree criteria? You have to get this done here. If you have done all of the degree criteria, and it feels like you are pretty full in each of the areas, then it is another semester to experiment. However..... I would highly suggest that you do a few things.
G5 work your butt off getting your portfolio done.
Now in hindsight I would have tried to divide my study up into course equivalents (CE) for clarity. That really helped me. I have a lot on CE's on this blog. Not everyone needs them, but I did and while doing them I did find I could understand my study better.
If I would have done my study differently I could have had 18 hours of credit in 3 different areas. I would have made one of those areas art history, and tried to get enough credits for art history. This is the most available job at the college level. Instead, I had a dual plan—writing and digital art in the traditional studio.
Dividing my time into 3 hour course equivalents let me know the real direction I was heading, even if that changed. now, everyone works differently.
So that is the run down of each of the G's. At least all that I can think of right now.
Someone asked me
"Also, is it written, noted anywhere, what happens in each semester. I find myself completely mystified, with only an inkling that there is a practicum to develop and a thesis to write, in semesters 3 and 5r respectively? Or do I have even that slight inkling wrong? And should i just peruse your blog from beginning to end for all the juicy details?"
So here is my response.
Yes, go through this blog. There is so much information. I have said," crap I wish I would have had a blog like this when I was going through the program." A few others in the program have said the same thing. I'm sure it will help, and if anyone is confused, feel free to e-mail me and I'll clarify in a post.
A quick overview
G1- get to Goddard, go through residency, say wow, I can design my own study... cool. then get home and wonder what the heck you have gotten yourself into. Create your first packet and say, "Hey, maybe I can do this."
G2- come to residency and say, "Wow, without having to do all of that orientation crap, I can actually find time to take a hike in the woods." ( when this happens do a search for "my special place" and I will send you to a really cool spot, don't bother checking I have not written the post yet.) You are thinking... I can do whatever I want this semester and hey, I know the program, so this will be a breeze. WATCH OUT! yes, you have a report in this semester. No. it is not in place of your packet, but in addition to your packet. I guarantee when you start this report you will say, "how do I know if I am doing what I said I was going to do. Didn't I just start this program?"
( Oh and I would be thinking in advance of the practicum. I would even be kicking it around to the "powers that be" when you are at G2 residency. Go to the meetings on practicum.
Hint.. I know I have said this before on this blog. You are in graduate school to learn how to ... well, I call it defend your practice, but I am sure there is a more academic term. If you find that the advisors are pushing you in a direction that you absolutely don't want to go, push back, learn how to defend what you want. I relate it somewhere else on the blog about a writer. I asked her if she had a hard time getting away with some of her sentence structure. She said if she could justify it to her editors, then there was no problem. Don't take it personal, learn to justify what you want and your direction. Learn to speak in academic terms and defend the direction you are going.
( Now there is a fine line here, Some of the most interesting things that I discovered were when I was pushed beyond the limits that I found comfortable. So there you have it- more confusion to your MFA-IA. )
Yes, you can do what you want, but remember, you really only have this semester to do that, well they tell you otherwise, but read on.
G3
Practicum- though I hear it does not always have to be done in G3. It can span two semesters or be done at a different time. The choosing of a practicum and having it accepted has caused many tears and grief throughout the student body. There are others where it worked fine. Take my advice from the above paragraph about justifying and not taking it personal and you will be fine. The idea of the practicum is to go outside your box, do something you have not done before. If you have never taught, than it might be teaching. Mine, was, of all things, to create just to create. This was strange to me as I create alone, but Goddard pointed out that because I am a commissioned artist I am always working in collaboration. Doing work just to create was a stretch for me. I heard one guy did nothing for his practicum. I guess that was a stretch for him. But everyone is different and there is much about practicum on this blog, so I will go on.
Oh yea, there is a practicum report due at this time. Though my advisor did not ask me to do one, I would check on this. I ended up doing one in my G5 so that it would be in my paper work.
G4
This is a semester to do what ever you have not had the opportunity of getting accomplished before graduation. Are you missing a point in the degree criteria? You have to get this done here. If you have done all of the degree criteria, and it feels like you are pretty full in each of the areas, then it is another semester to experiment. However..... I would highly suggest that you do a few things.
G5 work your butt off getting your portfolio done.
Now in hindsight I would have tried to divide my study up into course equivalents (CE) for clarity. That really helped me. I have a lot on CE's on this blog. Not everyone needs them, but I did and while doing them I did find I could understand my study better.
If I would have done my study differently I could have had 18 hours of credit in 3 different areas. I would have made one of those areas art history, and tried to get enough credits for art history. This is the most available job at the college level. Instead, I had a dual plan—writing and digital art in the traditional studio.
Dividing my time into 3 hour course equivalents let me know the real direction I was heading, even if that changed. now, everyone works differently.
So that is the run down of each of the G's. At least all that I can think of right now.
posted by isculpt at
4:31 PM
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