rural livelihoods in the global south (f8017s) - University of Sussex

that everyone living in the countryside in the Third World was a farmer. So then
after the class I read xxxx and yyy and here is a summary of these different articles,
and what I thought of them:...”
As you can tell, critical reflection on what you have read and heard is required, particularly
in the ways in which it reflects back upon your ideas and preconceptions. There is of
course such a thing as a bad Diary entry. These can range from a ‘non-entry’ to an illinformed
rant. So, do not do the following:
“This week we talked about stuff we were asked to read in our small groups. I only
got halfway through the thing we were given to read because it was such badly
written rubbish – why do academics use such overcomplicated language?
(Probably to justify their existence). As far as I could tell the seminar was about
what ‘rural livelihoods’ are: pretty obvious I’d have thought – what people living in
the countryside do for a living. All pretty straightforward stuff, and I can’t see what
all the fuss is about. I’ve tried to summarize what happened in the seminar but
frankly it was just a talking-shop...”
The Learning Diary is a more autobiographical account than perhaps you are used to, but
it does require you to be both rigorous and open-minded in your writing. If you think
something is not especially useful then say this in a constructive way. Honesty is also key
here: an honesty to admit that you do not understand something for instance is far more
acceptable here than it would be in an essay. Keep your own thinking in central position
rather than constantly relating and uncritically reproducing the thoughts of various authors.
Of course the fact that the Learning Diary carries 100% of the assessment might well
mitigate against some of the above statements – how honest can you be about your
feelings about lectures and seminars? Please be assured that the Diary will be graded for
coverage, structure, creativity, overall presentation and sense of personal development,
rather than for false compliments (for which Sussex students are not well known).
Early in the module, and by request later on, you will be able to view particularly
successful Learning Diaries as well as some problematic ones. You will note that some of
the most successful diaries are those that follow a particular focus throughout and use new
perspectives and ideas presented each week to add to the understanding of that focus. It
is also possible however to produce a first class Learning Diary that does not work through
a particular example.
The official word limit on the diary is 7,000 words. This limit excludes notes from
lectures/seminars and additional material such as newspaper articles, reviews of TV
programmes etc. Because this is not an essay or dissertation the official word limit should
be viewed as a guideline only and you will not be penalised for overshooting it.
Rural Livelihoods in the Global South, 2013 - F8017 22