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.

[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?

[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. :)

[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,

[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.

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

jducoeur is not qualified to teach that. :-)

[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]

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...

[kfitzwarin.livejournal.com]

Neither am I!

[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]

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...

[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!

[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...

[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!

[jducoeur]

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

[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.)

[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. ;)

[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.

[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.

[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...

[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.)

[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]

hav ewe had a fewlty thingy rescently?