When mind maps go bad

When mind maps go bad
Originally uploaded by powerfulpierre

I tried doing a mind map today but it got a bit out of hand.

Essay #2 done / book review

Very glad to say I've finished my second and final assessed essay for this term. It was for the philosophy course and I did it on interpretative social science / social constructionism / discourse theory. Not sure how good it is - I'm just glad it's done.

Now I can concentrate on my research project. And I've been offered a book review to do which should be good experience. It's a book called 'Transnational Actors in Central and Eastern European Transitions' for a journal called Slavonic and East European Review. Have got three months to do it and it's only 750 words.

First essay finished

Well, I've finished my first essay. 4000 words on mixed methods research. I think it's okay, but I'm mainly just glad to have done it at all and got back into writing, referencing etc.

Next essay is 4000 words for the philosophy course. I'm thinking of doing it on Kuhn and Foucault but I'm not totally sure. I think it's going to be a much harder task. I've got til mid Jan for both of these anyway... as usual I'm working way ahead of deadline.

In the meantime, seeing one of my supervisors next week to present the mini literature review I've been doing, talk about the potential gaps in the literature and look at my research questions.

First essay

Well, today I have written the first 1500 words or so of the first academic essay I have done in nearly a decade. It feels good to have made some real progress, but it's made my brain hurt! I just hope when I read it back tomorrow I don't think it's complete rubbish. Oh, it's about so-called 'mixed methods research' i.e. using both quantitative and qualitative methods.

Obama victory

Can't really not mention the historic Obama victory. I stayed up watching the results come in and then to see his speach at around 5am our time. Truly inspiring.

On a broader note, there will hopefully be an increased interest in politics in general, at least for a short time. And wouldn't it be wonderful if Europe could generate a leader of the same calibre - then we might really get somewhere.