A symbiotic relationship: the UCA MA double act – two heads are better than one and opposites really do attract
Perks, Sue and Johnson, Brian (2017) A symbiotic relationship: the UCA MA double act – two heads are better than one and opposites really do attract. In: GDEN-on-Sea (Graphic Design Educators’ Network), 21 April 2017, Arts University Bournemouth, UK. (Unpublished)
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This paper describes the collaborative delivery of MA Graphic Design and MA Design, Innovation and Brand Management at UCA Epsom. The postgraduate programme consists of an intensive 12-month course which demands deep engagement from day one. The methods we use to deliver the course and the complementary blend of design disciplines offers a unique experience to students who benefit from exposure to the content from both courses. By virtue of the shared delivery, both key lecturers are able to interact with each other’s design expertise and deliver content which is much more than a sum of two parts – in effect, a double act. Both key lecturers take on roles – not unlike comedy duos – funny guy and a straight guy, good cop, bad cop and romanticist and modernist (to name but a few). By adopting these roles, students can actively experience academic differences of opinion, see the human side of their tutors and feel much more comfortable through the comedy moments and convivial differences of opinion. This form of delivery allows our students (many of whom are in the UK for the first time) to settle into their postgraduate studies with greater ease and confidence.
How do we do this?
On the basis that laughter is infectious, the MA framework allows this level of duality to be heavily delivered by the key lecturers through the first semester and into the second. The idea is not to turn lectures into comedy but use various degrees of humor, action and polarity to articulate, simplify and impart often difficult and complex information. The metaphor is regularly key and making it humorous makes it more memorable.
The sessions are co-planned around central themes that connect the two disciplines, research and research methodology being the common thread.
The joint effort offers students a unique insight into the separate disciplines and interconnectivity through set expectants such as discourse, debate, discussion and project assignment.
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