So far

The course my dissertation will be based around got off to a shaky start. The first proposal was rejected, and with good reason; my original focus would have been outside the remit of the institution where the course will be given. Since then I´ve modified my focus slightly, and the second draft of the proposal got the go-ahead.

Dates and times for the course are now confirmed, we start at the end of September.

And the course has a name: African Voices, British Accents.

I´m working on the synopsis that will be used to promote the course, both in print and online. This afternoon I hunted out some images I like for the promotional materials, and have sent them to the Design and Marketing department to see what they think.

I also went to the library to start looking for possible texts. I´ve got Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga, which I think I´d like to use, but will need to re-read first, and some autobiographies, Walking in the Shade by Doris Lessing, and Don´t Let´s Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller. I´m not sure about the autobiographies yet. I still have to decide about whether or not the course will include non-fiction.

I´m starting this blog in order to have a place to keep track of thoughts and decisions along the way; it might be useful to have a record of them to refer back to when I write up my dissertation.