When we talk about guilds, I always bring my students back in time as to why guilds came into existence and what purpose it served. I found this history of Medieval Guilds to be very helpful in getting my head around the concept outside of today's MMORPG's guilds.
Medieval Guilds HistoryIf I were to involve my students in writing the guild charter, I would certainly want them to understand the historic functionality of a guild. I am an anthropologist, and in the tradition of Malinowski, I want to know the structural-functionality of the guilds, why did they come into being, how were they structured and what function did it serve to maintain the culture and society. How did it impact other institutions within that culture. I would also point them to today's trade unions, which serve similar functions, you join (some are harder to get in than others), what are the benefits, what are the costs, what are the responsibilities, etc., and how does belonging to an
occupational Trade Union help you in today's world. I would send them to this link, and then ask them to compare the Medieval Guilds with today's Labor Unions.
Pros and Cons of Joining a Labor UnionAfter those discussions they should really think about how they would want the class guild to operate, including mandatory v voluntary membership, mission statement, goals and objectives, a guild or union, after all, is a business model, not a fan club. I would like it to be inclusive where they help each other.
Our classes, according to Charles Horton Cooley are
Secondary Groups, "Secondary groups are large groups whose relationships are impersonal and goal-oriented. Some secondary groups may last for many years, though most are short term. Such groups also begin and end with very little significance in the lives of the people involved. People in a secondary group interact on a less personal level than in a primary group. Rather than having as the goal the maintenance and development of the relationships themselves, these groups generally come together to accomplish a specific purpose. Since secondary groups are established to perform functions, people’s roles are more interchangeable.
Examples of secondary groups include: classmates in a college course, athletic teams, and co-workers." (wikipedia.com, yeah, wikipedia, what can I say...)
So I would hope that the charters, that our members create, focus on the fact that we are building guilds for secondary groups, not primary, so the
charter has to take into account the short attention span this charter will be viableI think I might like to try with my anthropology classes this fall (cultural) to set them up as a guild and have them create a charter, I wonder if this would make them feel more of a sense of belonging in the class and increase the interaction and support on a student-to-student level.
[/b] Frankly, for me, a mission statement or charter is the hardest thing to write, I have had to do that for real world businesses and you would think a few paragraphs would be easy, but it is all the thought that needs to go into it.
When an outsider reads it, it needs to be clear and concise and most of all, understandable to others. I can rattle on for paragraphs, ;) but alas, compressing them into one sometimes eludes me.
For your charters in the MOOC Forum, you are the students and the instructional designer,
I am anxious to see what you all come up with for your charters, as I know they will be well-received by all of the moocers! Go for it!