The Initial Proposal for my MFA.

Title: Univeristy without Walls – A Concept
By; Shamsul Bahari

Introduction:
The concept of University without Walls was first pioneered at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA. I was invited to join in the program while doing my Bachelor degree at the University of Wisconsin in Green Bay sometime in 1978.

The program was to allow for outstanding students in various fields of academic studies to do independent or directed studies and research away from the regular classroom environment.

WHAT IS AN INDEPENDENT STUDY?

Independent studies are meant to give students the opportunity to tailor course work to their specific interests, talents, goals, etc., in ways that normal courses do not. They also allow students to work more intensely on a subject or in a particular field than a regular course does. This includes summer work. Thus, an independent study can allow a student who was introduced to a writer as part of a survey course in, say, spring semester to dig more deeply into that writer’s work through a summer independent study. For students with demanding jobs and work schedules, including TA’s, summer independent studies can help keep the student on track in progressing through the program.
Resource; George Mason University
Dept. of English
Independent Studies in Writing.

Method:
Students were chosen based on their good academic performances in their core subjects like basic studio classes and understanding of Art history and so forth. They would also have to achieve a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 (negotiable?) after attending three semesters of introductory classes.
A letter of proposal was required to be written by the student explaining the intention of their chosen course of study and this will be deliberated by three or four faculty members to ensure the feasibility and accountability of the course.
After the deliberation the student will be interviewed by the faculty members to verify that the student has a good understanding and is capable of meeting all the requirements set forth for the course. This included the time management and fiscal cost of the action to be taken.
Upon completion of the process and thorough understanding of what entails was agreed upon the student will then make arrangements with the various class instructors for the subjects to be taken and how the credits would be awarded.

WHAT ROLE DO FACULTY MEMBERS PLAY IN AN INDEPENDENT STUDY?
Each independent study needs one faculty member willing to serve as faculty of record. Early in the process of thinking about an independent study, a student should consult faculty members with expertise or interests in the area proposed to be covered and should let discussions with the faculty member help shape his or her ideas for the study. The student and faculty member should discuss ideas about what reading and written work is to be carried out, the criteria by which the work is to be evaluated, and the schedule for meetings. Dates for submission of work also should be determined. Fewer contact hours may be more appropriate for some independent study topics or work than they are for others.
Faculty members are not separately compensated for mentoring students in independent studies. While most faculty are quite willing to do independent studies with students, if the workload for them becomes the equivalent of another class, it can pose problems. Faculty who are most interested in the field of study or writing that the student is considering, or those with whom the student has worked in the classroom are more likely to agree to mentor an independent study.
George mason University
English Dept. Writing
Independent Studies.

The student will leave the Campus and carry out his studies as planned albeit leaving the country or doing his studies in another state for the duration of the semester.
At an appointed date the student will return with a completed project and make a presentation to the related Instructors for evaluation process.

IS THIS INDEPENDENT STUDY WORTH ONE, TWO, OR THREE CREDIT HOURS?
Independent studies may be created for one to three credits of English 798. For the maximum of three credits, the volume of reading and written work to be undertaken should mirror the levels required in a normal three-hour course. While this is a variable standard, a typical graduate-level literature course will encompass ten or more books and require at least one major paper and exam or two major papers or a detailed in-class presentation and major paper or exam. Comparable standards for writing courses are even more varied, but in a writing-based independent study, a student normally would be expected to complete at least one major project of roughly the size of a small book or the equivalent, depending on the field (a chapbook of poems, for example, or a collection of four to six essays, or four to six short stories or a small novel or novella).
Work should be scaled from the three-credit standard to create two- or one-credit independent studies.

Process:
At the beginning of the semester students will be made aware of the offer for such a program in the form of bulletins and announcements which will explain the concept and its challenges.
Students who find it hard to endure or finds it boring in doing semesters of studio activities and have achieved the required the status prerequisite to do so may be advised to partake in the program.
Students who have the inkling to travel and explore the world around them and can afford to do so are also encourage to join in the program.
Students exhibiting independent personality and active mind are also invited to look into the program.

Procedure:
Having completed all the necessary procedures and requirements the student will leave the campus and embark upon his or her independent study activities.
Equipped with the number of classes in various chosen subjects and agreed upon number of credits to be awarded the student is on his own; however a close monitoring of his progress is kept through various means such as the Internet and so forth. This can be arranged between the instructor and the student.
As an art student I would advise that the student should keep an ongoing sketchbook/journal of his progress and this would be like his diary of daily thoughts and activities as he is being exposed to the outside world.
Upon return the student will hand in all his works to his respective instructors to be graded. He could even be made to make presentations to his class such as slide shows and mini – art exhibitions.

Results:
Students will return from their trips with a wider sense of understanding of who they are in relation to the outside world.
They will also develop a greater sense of understanding their vocations and their studies as they will inadvertently be exposed to encouragements and criticisms from strangers on the street.
Students will also develop a sense of responsibility in upholding their part of the expected performance and excel in being free thinkers.
The dependency on the instructors and professors would be less as they become more self sufficient and responsible for their own thoughts and ideas.
New and fresh ideas may even be discovered as the student is exposed to those who are established in the Fine Arts while on their journey. They might meet established artist or full time artists and learn from these individuals.

Discussion:
The prime motive of this program is to broaden the horizon of potential students and awaken their perceptive awareness towards their related courses.
New ideas and possibilities will emerge from their interpersonal exposures with fellow artists from varied backgrounds as they approach those who have established themselves in the field; like fellow art students and teachers, full time artists and even local college and university lecturers.
By visiting local galleries and museums or even libraries the student will again be exposed to the arts and cultures of any given area they had chosen to visit.
Having spent over five years of my time here at MGTF –USM as an ‘unofficial artist in residence’ and from my teaching experiences in Japan and Penang, Malaysia, I have heard and observed of students being bored with being ‘stuck’ in their normal day to day courses in the studios and lecture rooms. Most expressed the desire to be able to explore beyond the scope of the campus walls. In this day and age I feel this is a legitimate concern for any institution to look into and find ways to resolve to the benefit of both the system and the students. As my personal experience has been to travel while doing my school work I find it to be one viable solution to this dilemma.

The gist of my written proposal for my bachelor degree at the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay was to be allowed to do my independent studies away from the campus; in essence to travel away from the academic surroundings of the campus and live as an artist on the street anywhere in the world. I was a part of the pioneering students accepted to do this program which was a concept being studied by the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

After being accepted into the program my first trip out of the campus was to visit London, England. Later I traveled through three states, that of Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona, in the United States. My next journey took me to Colombia and Ecuador in South America and on my final journey I returned to Malaysia. One of the major outcome of these travels was the keeping of an on going journal which I have kept to this date. I further enforced the act of keeping an art journal by blogging in the Internet of which I have thus far made 900 odd entries with 56000 odd hits and 33 followers. I am relating these information so as to add to my contention that the program I am proposing has its merits through my own personal experiences.

Addenda;
The reaction of my intended advisor is that i cannot leave the campus while pursuing my MFA degree. I have to be here to do the studio works, so narrow it all down to what I can actually do here as a program.
 Finding out the cost and registeration procedures is another hurdle as the graduate studies office at this unversity is run like a by people who is more in a hurry to get rid of you than to help you. So strike two against so far. Is it worth the aggravation?
 One can only keep on trekking to get to where one intended, after all what else is there in life then facing all the petty tyrants that stand in your progress if the desired goal is worth it.