Reader 4: Further Development

As I unfortunately missed the Module 2 Skype session on Friday 26th February, I have found it really useful to read Adesola's blog which gives a really informative overview as to what Module 2 students should be focussing on.

http://adesolaa.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/module-two-on-line-session-good-and.html

I gathered that after selecting my area of interest I should do some research into existing literature to broaden my knowledge and build a foundation of relevant evidence. Alongside this I need to be aware of any ethical issues that may prevent me from conducting my research and how I can appropriately deal with such issues.

Following on from my previous blog, I have continued to look through Reader 4. Martyn Denscombe, one of the authors mentioned in Reader 4, makes some helpful suggestions regarding 'good practice'. When it comes to doing research for an inquiry, Denscombe proposes that your area of research should be;

• ...appropriate for investigation using social research methods.

• There needs to be some element of originality in the purpose.

• The purpose should reflect what is feasible in terms of the available facilities (time and resources) and access to necessary sources of data.

(Denscombe, 2009, p 20)

As well as considering these few points I need to think about making my inquiry specific to a certain area so that the subject does not become too broad and too complicated. I feel that in my previous blog (http://lilygrundy95.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/bapp-part-4-developing-lines-of.html) the questions that I created as a starting point are not definitive enough for starting my inquiry and leave far too much room for interpretation that may not be so relevant to the direction in which I want to head. I therefore, as a result of this reflection, wish to refine my initial questions.

I made the following mind map whilst writing my previous blog (please see photograph below). I can see instantly that although it helped me to interpret the various concepts in Reader 4, it was not so useful in identifying specific strands of research for my inquiry. By noticing this I have decided, as recommended by Adesola, to start on my literature review to try and build a clear-cut basis for my inquiry.

Starting my literature review...

Below is a brief list of the sort of areas that I will be looking into initially for my research. I have been looking at websites for organisations or legal firms who specialise in law for the arts as well as articles and previous case studies. I have found some useful websites so far such as:

http://www.lac.qmul.ac.uk/advice/arts/index.html
http://lawandarts.org/

I also found this fascinating article from the Guardian:

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/aug/07/arts-law-freedom-speech-legal-knowledge-packs-arts-organisations

Tuesday 1st March Group Skype Session...

I was really looking forward to last Tuesday's Skype session as it has been a lot to take in starting on Module 2. Everyone's input proved to be useful and it was so reassuring to hear about other students' journey on the course and how they dealt with various tasks and issues that I myself am facing. I asked of the group how I would go about starting my research process and where I should be looking for information. Jessica Plant (http://jessicaplant.blogspot.co.uk/) in particular gave some very practical advice and commented that you should keep your options open and not limit yourself to choosing a topic straight away. 

The major points that stuck out to me were:

• Do not restrict yourself so early in the process to only looking at one area
• Even if you have found an area that you are interested in pursuing for your inquiry, still allow your ideas to develop and evolve naturally
• Absorb as many external influences as possible so that other interests and areas for discovery are kept at your disposal
• Do not be afraid to let your inquiry change as you move forwards
• Blog about your ideas, write down questions and take notes
• Have discussions with other students as well as external professionals to gather a variety of viewpoints

To finish, Adesola motivated us to "snap out of starting mode" and just throw ourselves into our next Module whether it is 1, 2 or 3. She mentioned that it does not matter if things seem unclear as this is the way in which we learn; by shedding light on the things we do not yet know.

As challenging as it is to start something new - just go for it! 

Special Interest Group (SIG)...

Also during Tuesday's Skype session, I queried how we could go about organising our own SIG. Jessica Plant helpfully suggested that setting up a Google+ community is a really convenient way of communicating with others online - so I went ahead and created one!

Below is the link to my Google+ community and I would love it if you would join. It is a useful and informal way for all of us BAPP students to help each other out and offer ideas and opinions that can aid in our research. I look forward to your contributions!  

https://plus.google.com/communities/112282308913631891593

Already this forum for communication has been really helpful for me. Module 1 student Grace Hume suggested that I look into reasons why dancers would want to seek legal aid, for example; injury due to poor conditions (unsprung floor or slippery surfaces), unfair pay, excessive hours etc. Additional to this, Lisa Meiklejohn challenged me to think about whether many performers are reluctant to pursue legal action for fear they may gain a bad reputation or upset others in the industry who may have an effect on their future. This is a really interesting point to have made and something that I would like to take further.

Jess Boswell highlighted to me that legal representation isn't something that students at say a performing arts schools are necessarily made aware of. But what if they were to need it later on in their career? They should, in my opinion, be able to have the necessary means to access legal aid and have prior knowledge as to how they can do this without being afraid to do so.

All of the comments made in my Google+ community so far have been really useful and I am pleased to have broken down the barrier of creating a functioning SIG which will certainly aid me in my research. Looking onwards to the next tasks, I would like to continue to converse with other students and gather a stronger basis for my research. I will also persist in doing my own digging for information and look to further external support from professional associates.     

Bibliography 

Akinleye, Adesola (2016) Module Two On-line session (good and healthy for all moduler!!!), BAPP blog, sourced from http://adesolaa.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/module-two-on-line-session-good-and.html, accessed (28.02.16)

Anon (2016) Law for the Arts, sourced from http://www.lac.qmul.ac.uk/advice/arts/index.html  accessed (07.03.16)

Anon (2016) The Columbia Journal of Law and the Arts, sourced from http://lawandarts.org/ accessed (07.03.16)

Denscombe, Martyn (2009) Ground rules for social research: Guidelines for good practice, 2nd edition, Maidenhead: OPEN UNIVERSITY PRESS, United Kingdom

Farrington, Julia (2015) The arts, the law and freedom of speech, sourced from http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/aug/07/arts-law-freedom-speech-legal-knowledge-packs-arts-organisations accessed (07.03.16)

Grundy, Lily (2016) BAPP Part 4: Developing Lines of Professional Inquiry, BAPP blog, sourced from http://lilygrundy95.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/bapp-part-4-developing-lines-of.html, accessed (28.02.16)