The situated self, Thiele

Lecture by Assoc Prof Beverley Thiele.

1. Concepts of situated self

BAGGAGE - beliefs, perspectives, world view. Influences the way we see things.

"A way of seeing is also a way of not seeing" - Berger

Do not see the world the same way, may not understand the way another person sees things.

University study hopes to give you the skill to recognise the gap exists.

Baggage always exists, but it is not fixed baggage. Learn from experiences.

2. Think about ways you are situated as a university student

Different disciplinary baggage can be just as hard to escape as non-academic baggage.

Despite greater skills, broader knowledge etc the baggage is still there.

Privilege/power governs knowledge relationships between people who are situated differently.

Politics of knowledge - rhetoric, objectivity, knowledge of less value - is all a game.

3. Explain implications for learning

Be aware of your baggage and that of others, be open to exploring both with a view to rethinking them.

Be sensitive to the conventions and politics of knowledge (as a student - constraints, appropriateness, whether to ask "stupid" questions) - and understand your learning is not context free.

Be active in pursuing and engaging with your learning. Don't be a tourist. Make the most of the opportunity to think.