For issue 12 I wrote an editorial telling you to use academic jargon and the language of your field of study in your assignments. Here’s more unsolicited advice for writing assignments.
There’s something I’ve noticed to be constant across my assignments, papers, and the fields I’ve studied. Virtually every assignment wants you to apply a framework to some example. That framework might be anything from a given marketing process to a certain media analysis, historic perspective, artistic treatment, or maybe a psychological theory. Behaviourism (like Skinner and Pavlov), Maslow’s hierarchy, cognitive development, Jung and Freud of course, seem to be frameworks from psych that pop up all over the uni. The framework might even just be major definitions from your field but remember – those definitions represent entire ideas and theories. It’s usually pretty easy to tell what framework you’re meant to apply because it’s what you’ll be taught in class. Any time you see the word “apply” it’s safe to assume someone’s talking about one of these frameworks.
The level of analysis, that is to say where your thinking happens and where a lot of your grade will come from, seems to occur in how you use these frameworks and how you apply them to any specific subject or situation. So how can you get a good grade? Understand the framework well. It’s hard to wing it on the day somethings due and try figure out what the fuck psychoanalysis might mean but if you already understand the framework (by going to class or watching someone on YouTube explain it) then you can focus on how it interacts with your example. What I mean by interact is that when you apply your framework, what does the framework say about the example or the example say about your framework?
If you have an assignment due today and haven’t gone to class, start by learning the framework (even a little bit) and go from there. Frameworks often overlap a bit too so if you understand a few theories in your field that should help you understand a new one.
After you’ve applied the framework to your example it can also be a good idea to get a bit meta and fit your analysis into your field – but more on that next time. And what if I disagree with the framework? Or what if I’m applying it to my own experience? I’ll discuss personal voice in the future.
I’ve said framework a lot but theory, paradigm, perspective, system, structure, can mean the same thing. Good luck and email yell@nexusmag.co.nz if that was helpful (like, at all).
