Seeking topics for SCA 201

[jducoeur]

As part of Carolingia's upcoming Novice Schola, I'm planning on teaching a new class called "SCA 201". We've had "SCA 101" for a while -- that's an introduction to the Society, aimed primarily at the true novice, giving useful information for getting up and running. This is a little different. The target audience here is people who have been around for a year or three and have their feet under them. It is intended to get into a bit more detail about life in the SCA, and how to survive and thrive within it.

To that end, I'm seeking ideas for topics. Any and all ideas will be considered, but I'm especially looking for ideas from the people who *have* been in for 1-5 years. What questions have you had in the back of your mind for a while? What would have been useful for you to know about, that you learned only through painful experience? This class has a very broad remit -- the primary constraint is that it about SCA culture, *not* about history. Don't be shy about tossing ideas into the pot, and don't be afraid of "me, too" in this case -- if a bunch of people think a topic would be useful, that will bump it up the priority list. (Just bear in mind that I only have an hour, so I can't cover everything.)

Comments

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

Awards? (what, why, who cares)
What do established SCAdians do at events, anyway? (Newbies meet new people and get dragged to activities by their friends, in my experience)
Kingdoms and Baronies and group structure? (flame topic: The BoD)
So...I want to help out. How do I do that?
So...I have stuff I want to do. How do I do that, especially if no one looks like they're doing it?
The SCA is taking over my life! (pros and cons)

I'll try to think of more.

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

I suspect that most folks know about awards and stuff. But they don't know how to GET one.

Also, I think it would be fun to teach an "everything you know is wrong" class, comparing SCA Sociology and Culture to History. Not as a 201 class, but as a 212 elective. :-)

[jducoeur]

But they don't know how to GET one.

Yaas. One of the first questions I thought of (because it seems to be a FAQ among the moderately-experienced crowd) was, "How does this whole recommendation thing work, anyway?" I might also go a little into how the process works in general, and implications for one's day-to-day life. (Or, Why Not To Get Too Attached to The Award Thing.)

comparing SCA Sociology and Culture to History

Definitely would be interesting, if a shade painful...

[tpau]

also, "vigils, and how open is an open vigil?" and "so, you are a protege, and she is an apprentice, how did you get to be that?"

[jducoeur]

Good topics, both. The latter might be the right way to approach the overlarge topic of fealty. Thanks!

[jducoeur]

Good questions, all. (Although I'll probably try to steer mostly clear of the BoD hot-potato.) Thanks, and keep 'em coming if you think of more...

[new-man.livejournal.com]

I'll cover almost all of these in my class -- even the BoD, except they won't be appearing as the villains of the piece.

[kfitzwarin.livejournal.com]

I'm a little past that duration, but how about something about focus v. diversification of interests, and how you can't do *everything* at once?

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

jducoeur is not qualified to teach that. :-)

[kfitzwarin.livejournal.com]

Neither am I!

[jducoeur]

Heh. Yes, there would be an element of "Do as I say, not as I do" there. OTOH, I *can* talk about the tradeoffs, and the pitfalls of trying to be a jack-of-all-trades...

[cellio]

And maybe bring up SCA activities versus persona restrictions. I've run into a few relative newcomers who have the impression that if, say, they want to fence, they have to have a late-period persona -- and, conversely, that if they have an early-period persona, they shouldn't do the late-period dances etc. The SCA has a potential disconnect between persona and activities that is not shared by other living-history groups.

[jducoeur]

Ah, good point. Persona, in general, is probably a topic worth a few minutes on...

[paquerette.livejournal.com]

This may not be as applicable in your area, but I'd want to see some stuff about households. I'm actually trying to come up with a class or two for AEthelmearc AEcademy in October and I pondered doing something about surviving in the SCA without joining a household (as I have for 5 years) or perhaps something more general about SCA politics, but I doubt I can pull it off without pissing off half of the kingdom. It's pretty widespread around here that you MUST join a household to "get anywhere" and a lot of newcomers get sucked into some pretty crappy households and fed a lot of bunk about the SCA.

I'm also thinking, a little something about the nature of fealty and chivalry (lowercase 'c'). Some stuff I've been pondering that was brought up at Pennsic. What is appropriate behaviour? Is it dishonourable for baronial officers and champions to go mercenary for the War, for example? What is the role of a landed baron/ess supposed to be? Maybe it would be interesting to talk about interkingdom anthropology about stuff like this. I have a vague idea about some things that are different in some places, but I'm always learning new things even after 5 years with a fair amount of travelling.

This is a neat idea. I'll be interested to see what you come up with. :)

[jducoeur]

This may not be as applicable in your area, but I'd want to see some stuff about households.

Actually, it's a very worthwhile idea to spend a few minutes on. Households aren't quite the hot-potato here that they are in some places, but they're a significant part of How Things Work, and the 201 class is probably a good place to talk about what they really mean.

I'm also thinking, a little something about the nature of fealty and chivalry (lowercase 'c').

Hmm. On the one hand, it's a very good topic. (Two very good topics, really.) OTOH, I think that both are probably too large to be in scope for this class. I mean, we traditionally have a "fealty thingy" once every year or three, which is an evening class/seminar/discussion just on the topic of fealty in the SCA. It's a pretty complex subject. That said, at least touching on the high points might be quite apt here. Thanks!

[tpau]

hav ewe had a fewlty thingy rescently?

[jducoeur]

No -- it occurred to me while I was replying to dreda, below, that it's been at least a few years. Probably worth doing again...

[chaiya.livejournal.com]

I want to know how to *start* a household, actually. Most of the ones around here are defunct, as far as I can tell.

[jducoeur]

I'll mention it in the class, but for your reference and in case you don't get to it: really, Ya Just Do It. Households are, at their heart, basically unregulated -- if a bunch of people say, "We're a household", then they are. There is so much variety in the concept that there aren't many expectations or requirements about how you organize it.

Within Carolingia there's the concept of the "chartered household", which is a slightly bigger deal (mostly in that it gets a Council seat), but it's basically just a higher layer. To get chartered, the household has to demonstrate that it's reasonably stable and worthwhile; at that point, they present a charter to the Baron, who signs it.

(I should note that this is mostly talking about the practical side. The *politics* of households, and how to avoid making them nasty, can be an extremely complex subject indeed. That's another good topic for a separate session, if there is interest.)

None of the households currently being called in Council are defunct, but none are really roaring along. Windsmeet and Chat Gris have effectively reduced in size due to members gafiating, Silverwing's center of gravity has shifted to Bridge, and Lochleven (which is actually huge and very healthy) has always been a rather inter-Baronial entity. There is certainly lots of room for more-active households if folks wanted them...

[jtdiii.livejournal.com]

Some suggestions:

How to write a letter or reccomendation.
How polling orders really work. How to behave, getting on polling and discussion lists, etc.
Fealty relationships from the other side. How to take students, how to let them go,

[jducoeur]

Definitely yes on the first. Maybe on the second -- it's just a smidgeon high-level for this class, although shading into relevance. (People at the more senior end of the target audience are potentially at the point of getting a Manche or Crescent, although I'm mainly aiming a little younger than that.) Probably not on the third: by the time someone is taking on dependents, I hope they have more clue than that.

Heh. I think you're coming up with some very good ideas for the 301 class...

[lakshmi-amman.livejournal.com]

Ditto!

Awards:
- writing a recommendation
- the awards process and timeline from recommendation to receipt
- scrolls - how to get involved in making them
- regalia - ditto

- and something that naggles my brain on "how to receive an award" - thoughts on how it may (or may not) change your SCA experience. And what to expect during the reciept of various Eastern/Carolingian awards.

Fealty
- both taking/releasing a student/man at arms
- AND being one and getting out
- and negotiating a relationship when it isn't working.

[jducoeur]

The fealty topic seems to be generally one of the most popular. I'll have to chew on which bits of it are in scope.

Good ideas, all -- thanks!

[dreda.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'll second (or third?) the suggestion for a discussion of fealty. Perhaps the period ideal, the SCA reality, why they diverge, how that manifests, why it's important, etc.

Perhaps also something about networking? How do you find out who the "right people" are to meet for whatever it is that you're doing? Not how to climb the social ladder as such, but how to find your particular needle in the personnel haystack.

[jducoeur]

I'll second (or third?) the suggestion for a discussion of fealty.

As I mentioned in my comment above, the main problem here is that the subject is very large -- I can't do more than touch on it in this class, and it deserves more depth.

We used to have "Mara's Fealty Thingy" every year or two, a special evening session solely on the topic. Traditionally, Mara would explain the core concepts, and we would talk a bunch about the various ways it works in the SCA. It's been a while since we last had one. Maybe it would be worthwhile to revive that and do one this year?

Perhaps also something about networking?

Interesting -- not a trivial topic, but a useful one. I'll have to think about what I would say on the subject, but I might well tackle it. Thanks!

[metahacker.livejournal.com]

the subject is very large

I always think of this sort of class as a list of pointers to information, or pointers to pointers... more kind of raising the questions people should ask than answering them. Merely *knowing* there are different kinds of fealty, and issues with each, and that sort of thing, is a worthy piece of information to pass on; then, if people are interested, there could be a class on the topic itself as you mention.

[dreda.livejournal.com]

What he said - I would suspect that if the class aims to cover much stuff in the depth that it genuinely deserves, then you've got space for about two topics, max. Particularly if discussion gets going - I would recommend deciding at the outside if this is a lecture or a seminar, and particularly if this is meant to be a salon. These folks will ostensibly have enough of a clue to have opinions, and we all know that leads to six-hour classes. ;)

[jducoeur]

a list of pointers to information

It's a good point, although tricky in this particular case. Fealty in the SCA is something of a black art, and I've never seen a really *good* printed discussion of it. Which probably indicates that such a thing should be written, but I don't have time right now.

Merely *knowing* there are different kinds of fealty, and issues with each, and that sort of thing, is a worthy piece of information to pass on

Hmm -- yes, that's probably a good approach. Get people asking the right questions, anyway...

[lakshmi-amman.livejournal.com]

I'd definitely be interested in a "Mara's Fealty Thingy"... especially given that I find myself not only in a new student/teacher feudal relationship, but once that will probably get the overtone of apprentice/mistress - whether or not the participants cast the tone, I suspect that we will deal with, regardless. I'd love to get some perspectives...

[tangerinpenguin.livejournal.com]

Interkingdom anthropology, especially how different groups (sometimes even in-kingdom) differ in custom and tradition. That's typically overkill for a 101, but starts becoming more applicable as folks get more established and start travelling (although it may be less urgent in Carolingia, surrounded by the East, than it was in Debatable Lands, where you have several other kingdoms in casual driving distance and the cultural mixed grill that is Pennsic every summer.)

[jducoeur]

Excellent point -- at least a brief overview of how things can be expected to vary. Probably best presented as "how to travel in the SCA", which involves not just interkingdom but interregional issues. (Even visiting the next Barony over often involves calling some assumptions into question.)

[cellio]

Persona: how important is it and what does it mean for me?

Finding things out: a combination of networking and finding the useful sources. E.g. I want to make garb for my period and it's not a t-tunic; now what? This is not about answering specific questions (you don't have time), but rather pointing at useful starting points and maybe raising some BS-detection awareness. (As part of that: peers are not gods. :-) )

Households and the great variety of ways they work.

For you: burroughs, baronies, neighbors, and kingdoms, oh my! (One of your barony's issues, as I understand it, is integrating the burrough folks into the larger SCA.)

[jducoeur]

Good ideas, all. (And I'm noticing some useful trends in the suggestions.)

The structural stuff is often covered in 101, at least at the general level, but I'll think about whether there is more to do at this level. And yes, the integration issues are real, and worth thinking about, although I'll have to think about what I can do here that is useful in that regard...

[cellio]

The structural stuff is often covered in 101, at least at the general level

I didn't mean the "baronies are subgroups of kingdoms" level of stuff, but the more practical stuff -- who are the neighbors, what might be interesting or surprising about them, what things at the kingdom level are worth paying attention to, how to make the jump to getting off your campus, etc.

[lakshmi-amman.livejournal.com]

A couple (hopefully) originals:
- among the various ways to participate in the Society, may things tend to fall under the "three pillars" of the Society - arts, arms, service. Running through some of the ways to be involved within this structure might be useful.

For example, if I was focusing on the A&S community with someone who wanted to be more involved in that "track", or else who was clearly an artist or researcher who was looking for good ways to get involved, I'd probably point out that among the ways to play are:

- A&S displays/compeitions - what are the "big ones"? what's the difference? how do you enter? other points of protocol
- teaching classes - how do you volunteer? when? what makes a good class?
- writing articles - how? what types of articles are generally good?
- performance opportunities
- pure participation - wearing and using stuff you make in a medieval way
- starting or running long-term classes or guilds

I suspect that folks more focused on other areas would also have thoughts for their areas. In many of these things, there's a generally good "process" that is more likely to get you a good outcome if you adhere to it... for example - volunteering for a class at least a month in advance is "good form". Documenting the who/what/when/where/why/how is often a reasonable structure.

Another thought - Championships and Honorary Positions - they aren't "awards" per se, but some level of proficiency is involved. What are the Kingdom and Baronial Championships and how do you compete/sign up? How about the Guards (King's, Queen's, Baron's)?

On the same topics - being involved in a Royal Household. What does being "a retainer" mean? how do you do it? How about making stuff for the royalty? Or for the Barony or Kingdom? This is stuff I only started doing after I'd been around for a few years... and I only really clued in because I had friends who were in the know who filled me in on how to do it.

Households and Tourney Companies are other good ones... the whys and wherefors of joining, things to think about, as they can have their own personalities, and it could be argued that in households there's a few noticeable archetypes.


Hmm... It seems like my experience may be "not normal". I did fall in with the hardcore set pretty early on, and so I think my tenure in the SCA was pretty condensed, as I got really involved in 1999 and so it's really only been 6 years... But I'm trying to dredge up things I started caring about around years 2-4...

Looking at the clump of thoughts, I can see that you'd probably end up choosing some of these, not all. A class on "how to get involved in A&S in the East" could easily run an hour all by itself!!

[tpau]

and if he doesn't cover it, can you tell ME hwo to get involvedin retaining and makign stuff for royalty? :)

[jdulac.livejournal.com]

ya volunteer :)

http://www.eastkingdom.org/trh/

[tpau]

yes, thank you. when i do that i get ignored. ti is all about knowing the right people.

[jdulac.livejournal.com]

you've got one of the major Right People at the other end of your yellow belt. She knows everyone.

contact their head lady-in-waiting. If you want an introduction, I can provide one.

check out their list of "needs." Offer to make something specific for them -- it really helps to let them know exactly what you can do. Seems to me there's some possibilities in the "personal device" category.

if you want to make something, show them (or their Chief Retainer) examples of your work, find out exactly what they want, and deliver it on time. Don't offer them things that they don't need.

if you want to retain, let them know your availability. The Winter king has gruelling schedule with out-of-kingdom events (Kingdom Crusades, Estrella, Gulf Wars). If you're willing to travel, I'm sure it would be helpful. Often retainers are based around the royalty's existing friends and household, because that is just easier for them to organize. You need to make the extra effort to be where they need you to be.

offer to make royal room food for an event that they'll be at. Keep in mind that this royalty has extremely limited diets, but their servants don't.

that's a start.

[new-man.livejournal.com]

"It's all about who you know" is absolutely incorrect. It's all about volunteering in some specific way which is actually useful. Simply saying "I want to help" is not enough. Say "I want to make order medallions" -- maybe they'll say "Thanks, we've already got plenty" (they don't), but you've given them something specific to react to. TRM/TRH get a lot of vague offers of help; managing all of them puts an extra burden on the royalty which is often enough for them to table the vague offers in favor of the concrete ones.

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

Hell, it's a burden on us peons too.

One thing I've already really learned strongly is vague offers = not my friend.

[new-man.livejournal.com]

Yes, making a vague offer of help is a lot less effective than a specific offer of help -- regardless of the rank of the person to whom you're making the offer. This isn't just an SCA-ism; it's true in most situations.

[new-man.livejournal.com]

Write a letter to the prince and princess (trh@eastkingdom.org).

Say "Hello, I'm Tpau from Carolingia. Id' like to do this specific thing for you (make you a choli, coordinate your travel when you're coming into the area, coordinatre the making of new baldrics for the Queen's Guard -- whatever. Just be specific). If this is alright with you, I expect to be able to deliver it by XX. YiS, Tpau".

It's that easy.

[jducoeur]

Yep, but this is definitely good food for thought. You're right that some of these are too large for the topic, but as others have mentioned, they may be worth quickly glossing over and giving people some pointers. Thanks!

[siderea]

You may find my four modes paradigm a useful one, under the rubric of "How to survive this club with your sanity intact".

I think you may need to cover geopolitics; it's amazing but, yes, quite a number of people manage to make it to their 1-3th years without knowing their borough is in a barony which is in a kingdom.

While you don't want to cover history, I think, doing this class as you are in Carolingia, you should cover a bit about how Carolingia's history as "the scholarly barony" impacts inter-baronial relations to this day.

Likewise, some discussion about authenticity, the various ways to approach it, and how to make peace with it and with others at other levels. Seeing as you'll have a class of "sophomores" it would be lovely to seize the opportunity to pass on the "do whatever works for you, just don't lie about it" meme which was so powerful over on sca-dance. Explain the notion that being able to say, "No, this thing I am doing is not authentic, and this is how it fails to be authentic" will get you infinitely more street cred in the Society than "fudging" -- "oh, well, they had something like this I'm sure." Integrity is not just for the battlefield. "You may be the only book someone ever reads" is advice not just for laurels.

There are some things about the philosophy of the baronial orders which would be lovely and beneficial to share. The standards of "impact" and of "service to the art", are illuminating to explain, not just of the way the orders work, but of our Barony's values: this is what we choose to recognize, and why.

It may be useful to explain what an order meeting is and is like. I got such a discussion from Gwendolyn many years ago, and found it quite enlightening. I know a lot of youngsters get weird star-chamberish ideas about this closed system they are not privy to. There's no reason not to explicate how orders work and what happens at an order meeting, or even how candidates are discussed. Just the fact that discussions are generally positive is something not immediately obvious to non-members. Also, how slow the process can be, due to logistics.

[tpau]

this class in in a culture track, between sca 101 and Kali's history of the barony...

[jducoeur]

Ah -- I was actually looking for the Four Modes posting a while back, in the context of another conversation. Thanks for the pointer!

quite a number of people manage to make it to their 1-3th years without knowing their borough is in a barony which is in a kingdom.

Hmm. I'll chew on that one. I'm trying not to be too duplicative of new_man's SCA 101 class, and I think he'll be covering that sort of stuff, but it's a good point that people do get a long ways in without those particular clues.

History, authenticity: both very good ideas. (Especially the authenticity one -- I agree that this is a very useful stage in which to emphasize the appropriate attitude.)

Orders and order meetings: interesting, and worth chewing on. I wasn't planning on covering those, since the target audience is a smidgeon young for the topic, but you're right that demystifying the process would be socially useful. Probably worth discussing a bit in the same context as recommendation letters: peel back the cover of the black box a bit, and explain what's really going on. (Hopefully without making it look *too* much like the sausage factory...)

[siderea]

Hopefully without making it look *too* much like the sausage factory...

Heh. It is a sausage factory. Some honesty about that may be appropriate. At the 201 stage, I don't think they need to be protected from the truth: it's a messy process run by humans with all their human frailty, and sometimes people get hurt as a result. Some people find the whole thing so disagreeable that they think the system should be abolished, and other people think it's the soul of the Society, and there are folks all along the spectrum between those points. And they all have a point.

I would hope -- and, knowing you, expect ;) -- that in explicating these things, you would stress the role these "young" (in some cases just new) people have in this system. The fact they might not be about to be in a polling order today or tomorrow (though, on the other hand... 3 years? They might!) that doesn't mean now isn't a splendid time to start thinking about what that would mean. The basic idea that it is everyone's job to ask themselves, "Who should we -- Carolingia, the East -- honor for their contribution to our lives? Who are the pillars upon whom my good experience in the Society rests?"

That's a radical attitude. It's not a natural one for most people. Most people go through their lives taking the positive contributions of their fellow community members for granted. "Somebody else does it. Somebody else always sees to it." Pointing out, "Here, you are expected to go through your life with eyes open to what your fellow community members are doing for you. Here, you are expected to ask yourself how the people around you fit into the communal whole." is to raise their consciousness, in a quite radical way. It is to ask them to become aware of the dynamics of their group, of the group's health and functioning, in a way a passive absorber of a group's services never is.

[jducoeur]

Yep. I just have to be careful of how I present things here -- there's a delicate line between teaching people the messy realities underlying the system, and driving them to write it off entirely.

(That said, I do like the community-responsibility approach you imply here...)

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

Borough, barony, kingdom... Just as a heads up, Liam is doing an "SCA Geography 101" class of some sort.

[jducoeur]

Okay, good -- another topic I can mostly gloss, then. Thanks...

[gyzki.livejournal.com]

Topics already suggested, which I second (or third; you know, especially agree with):
households, inter- and intra-kingdom anthropology, persona v. activities

Reminder: I'm teaching a class on the history of the barony, so that's one topic that you don't need to go into in depth (but I'll plug yours if you plug mine). (Lord, that sounds dirty, of a sudden.)

Thought: Maybe the Class Wrangler could wrangle a whole separate class on the fealty issue? If not, and if your class doesn't end up covering it in depth either, I'll see to it that there's an evening's discussion at MIT this fall. Through the Philosophers if nothing else.

[jducoeur]

Okay, cool -- I'll definitely mention your class.

It sounds like the class schedule is pretty full already, and while I'll probably gloss the fealty thing, I'm certainly not going to be able to give it the depth it deserves. Frankly, I think having an evening on it sometime this fall sounds lovely...

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

We only have two slots left open (barring any cancellations) and the Baron's got dibs on them for now. If something comes open, a fealty class would be great.

[cvirtue.livejournal.com]

I'd tell them it's important to read whatever they're calling Corpora these days. Not memorize, not agree with, but read it, so they know it's there.

And I'd touch on some of the different flavors of SCA electronic communication -- blogs, email lists, rialto; non-SCA-specific historic email lists. And that Google Is Your Friend.

[jducoeur]

Both very good ideas, and quite apt for this level. Thanks!

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

Networking is everything!

[dreda.livejournal.com]

I spent some time last night chewing on the question of bringing up authenticity in this class, and I'm no further than I was, but I thought it worth mentioning anyway. I worry about giving people the impression that authenticity is somehow extra, optional, or really advanced. It's just as easy to make your first tunic out of $4 linen from Sewfisticate as out of $4 cotton-poly, and it will last longer and feel better.

I worry that it is a guaranteed way to turn people off if we say "do whatever you want for a couple of years, and when you're ready for authenticity, you'll have to chuck all that and start over, with people watching you to see if you backslide." And I feel like that's what we're saying when we say that authenticity is advanced specialty work. It is genuinely no harder to stick to pre-1600 anything if that's what you start out doing. People pine for what's on the other side of the chronological fence if they feel like they used to be able to play there, but now they have to be dressed up and on their best behavior all the time - it's like kids in scratchy formalwear.

If, for example, people start out learning Child ballads, get comfortable and happy with them, and are then told that they're only appropriate to post-revels, then of course they're going to be miffed about authenticity in music.

Dunno - it's much on my mind of late as I talk to new folks. Most people want to play medieval, and want to learn what that is. I think we do them a disservice by saying it's a sideline.

(ObDisclaimer: when I started almost fifteen years ago, I was surrounded by people who told me authenticity was stuffy and no fun and to be avoided and something that nobody bothered with. I am still shedding stuff that I learned and made then, and I wish I'd spent that energy doing it more attentively the first time around. This colours my thoughts on this subject.)

[jducoeur]

My official policy, which I often (with some accuracy) describe as the ambient Carolingian attitude, is: "You should be as authentic as you can conveniently be. It is up to you to decide what is convenient."

It's not a perfect formulation, but I find it a good middle ground for SCA purposes. It expresses that authenticity is a goal, rather than an absolute standard, and reflects the Society's lack of clear standards. It basically turns the matter into one of personal responsibility and honor, which resonates well with SCA attitudes. And it deflects the core of the fun/authenticity debate by doing so. By refusing to recognize that particular dichotomy, it takes the wind out of the argument's sails.

I actually tend to teach this attitude somewhat earlier than at the 201 level, but I might bring it up at least briefly during this class. We'll see...

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

Quick question on the Fealty Thingy, because I'm impatient.

Protocol. Is it poor form for a person looking to become an apprentice/protege/etc. to approach a peer on this, rather than waiting to be approached?

Perhaps the question I should really ask is "Where can I look this stuff up?"

[jducoeur]

No -- it's less common for the relationship to be initiated by the protential student, but that's just because they tend to be shyer about it, and are less sure what they're getting into. But it certainly happens, and there's nothing wrong with it. (I've only been approached once myself, and I felt it was a bad fit for me on personality grounds, but I thought that the overture was entirely reasonable and appropriate.)

As for where to look it up -- I really don't know a good source on the subject. Indeed, the most central and common statement is, "It depends". Since the relationship is fundamentally personal and unregulated, everything is allowed, and not much is really discouraged. If it appears to be in reasonably decent taste, some people probably do it...