MS3 coursework proposal form
- 1. Jenn Bunn INTRODUCTION TO MS3 COURSEWORK MODULE 1. The Research Investigation (45 marks) For this written part of the coursework, you are required to undertake an individual investigation into a specific area of study focused on one of the following concepts: Genre Narrative Representation Your research should draw on a range of both primary and secondary sources (i.e. actual case study texts which you will analyse, and research material drawn from books, the web, etc) enabling you to reach a conclusion that will then inform your production. Once you have come up with a particular topic area that you wish to focus on, you will need to work in conjunction with your tutor to negotiate a focused question/title. For this investigation, you need to consider two key areas: o Choose a topic that you are interested in! This will make the whole process much more enjoyable o Choose a topic that you can then do some follow-up production work on Potential topic areas: Whatever topic area / question you decide on, you must come up with 2-3 focus texts which will be your main case studies and will be the basis of your own analysis. You must base your investigation around one of the following areas:
- 2. REPRESENTATION: 1. Representation of women 2. Representation of men 3. Representation of youth You can choose your own texts/genres to base your investigation on. Successful investigations in the past have included areas such as: • A comparison of the representations of women in pop and rock music (e.g. comparing representations of 2 contrasting artists, looking at how they are represented in music videos, press articles/images, album art work, websites, etc) • Representations of men or women in men’s lifestyle magazines • Representations of young people in TV drama (e.g. comparing US and UK teen dramas) • How have the representations of women in horror films changed over time? • How might we account for the rise in representations of female action heroes? GENRE: 1. How a genre has changed/developed over time 2. How a particular text conforms to or challenges a given genre You can choose to base your investigation on either the horror or action film genres, the reality TV or soap opera TV genre, lifestyle magazines, or beauty or charity advertising. NARRATIVE: 1. Compare and contrast the narrative techniques of 2 texts (e.g. a one-off drama and a soap opera; or a tabloid and broadsheet newspaper; ) 2. Explore the narrative structure and techniques of a particular genre (e.g. soap operas, crime dramas or crime films) Once the investigation is complete, you must then go on to your production
- 3. piece, and finally an evaluation. The Production piece is worth 45 marks, and is informed by your research investigation. It must demonstrate high level creative and technical skills, and must be undertaken individually. Digital and print-based media productions should be 3 – 4 pages in length, with the majority of the images being generated by you. (N.B. You CANNOT produce any magazine material as this is what you did for AS coursework) Examples of successful production pieces include: • Marketing materials (e.g. posters, flyers, viral marketing materials) • CD covers, DVD covers, music artist photo shoots, tour posters, etc • Press packs • Websites and other digital materials Remember: The production must be directly connected to your investigation and its research. So, for example, if your investigation was into how representations of women in horror films have changed over time, your production piece might be, say, a series of teaser and theatrical posters for a new horror film with a female protagonist, which either conforms to, or subverts, the traditional representation of female victims. (i.e. there must be reference to what you have found in your research in the production piece itself) Finally, the evaluation (worth 10 marks, and 500-750 words in length) explores how the research undertaken into a particular media concept (genre, narrative or representation) informed the production, i.e. what did you learn in your research that you have either used in your own production, or perhaps deliberately challenged, and why? A2 Induction work Your tutor will be setting you specific tasks and deadlines which you must hit before the start of the A2 course in September, but broadly speaking, you must have the following completed in this summer induction period: • A firm, specific title for your investigation, which has been agreed with your tutor (N.B. the title must contain one of the following words: genre, narrative or representation) • Selection of 2-3 case study texts, which you must watch, analyse and make detailed notes on in relation to your chosen research area • A decision on what your production pieces will be (agreed with tutor), and completion of some practical skills building work as appropriate • The beginnings of your bibliography, using books, websites, journals, magazines, etc (see notes on referencing on next page ). You must start making notes on particular theories and other useful research, which you can use to ‘beef up’ your investigation to take you into the higher grade bands REFERENCING
- 4. First and foremost, ensure you keep a note of the necessary details of every book, website, article, video/DVD, etc you use as part of your research! IF YOU TAKE SOME INFO FROM A BOOK, BE IT DIRECTLY QUOTED, OR A PARAPHRASED IDEA, IN YOUR NOTES YOU MUST JOT DOWN THE BOOK’S NAME, AUTHOR, PUBLISHER, DATE OF PUBLICATION, AND THE PAGES YOU ARE REFERENCING. IF YOU USE SOMETHING FROM A WEBSITE, YOU MUST MAKE A NOTE OF THE FULL WEBSITE ADDRESS, THE AUTHOR (IF KNOWN), AND THE DATE THE PAGE WAS ACCESSED. IF YOU USE ANY FILMS OR TV PROGRAMMES, MAKE A NOTE OF THE NAME OF THE TEXT, ITS PRODUCER AND DATE OF RELEASE. DO THIS AS YOU GO ALONG – YOU WILL THEN SIMPLY BE ABLE TO PUT ALL OF THIS TOGETHER TO CREATE YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY. You will lose marks if you do not have a complete and thorough bibliography. Coursework Proposal Form Topic area Disney cartoons and adult cartoons
- 5. Proposed question How are women represented in disney cartoons compared to women in adult cartoons Proposed case study texts Disney- Cinderella, Aladdin, beauty and the beast, snow white Adult- The Simpsons, family guy, American dad Proposed production pieces Film promotion posters, dvd covers Of how Disney princesses would look like in adult tv shows and how adult cartoon characters would look like in Disney films Initial vital research to be undertaken (e.g. potential theories, background reading, case study analysis, etc) Propps character theory Papers people have already written on representations of women in Disney
- 6. Proposed question How are women represented in disney cartoons compared to women in adult cartoons Proposed case study texts Disney- Cinderella, Aladdin, beauty and the beast, snow white Adult- The Simpsons, family guy, American dad Proposed production pieces Film promotion posters, dvd covers Of how Disney princesses would look like in adult tv shows and how adult cartoon characters would look like in Disney films Initial vital research to be undertaken (e.g. potential theories, background reading, case study analysis, etc) Propps character theory Papers people have already written on representations of women in Disney