I received the feedback sheets for my honours presentation yesterday. I just wonder how two of the examiners could observe the same presentation and come to such diverse conclusions. Here’s a little of what they had to say.
On the matter of the presentation of a critical argument or rationale:
“Candidate does not appear to have fully absorbed some of the theoretical ideas he discussed.”
On the other hand:
“Demonstrated a sophisticated grasp of the theoretical perspectives on the thesis topic. In particular, the ???? and limitations of Foucaultian concepts. Strong justification of critical theory to thesis question.”
Then there was;
“[Supporting/substantiating material] not always clearly related to the argument” which was countered by “claims and assumptions made in the presentation were well supported by reference to concrete instances and cases, and the appropriate scholarly literature.”
I’ll take the feedback on board without making too much of either the negative or positive. For me it shows two things. First, there are no right or wrong answers, just different perspectives. Second, getting good grades in uni is a bit of a lottery. One person’s advice is another’s prohibition. Get over it, move on.
