Dissertation Proposals

[bradscfc]

For anyone who has ever done one, please explain to me what the fuck I have to do exactly?

My tutors have decided to disappear off the face of the earth and I've got no idea what I have to do other than '1000 word dissertation proposal'

I've had a google, but as usual it's just people wanting money to write it for me or generally not much help.

Does it have to be a question? As in it couldn't be 'How Horror movies changed over the 20th century' but could be something like 'Is 3D really the future of cinema?'

That's off the top of my head as it's two film related subjects I could probably chat about.

And how do I turn coming up with a question into a proposal?

Come on you academic GDB'ers

[Plain Jane]

Might be different for you, but my proposal went like this:

Subject chosen: few words on the subject you have chosen and why
Introduction: What you intend to cover in your introduction
Chapter 1: What you intent to cover in chapter one
Chapter 2: etc
Conclusion: What you think you can learn from the piece you have written.

Knock out 200 words for each of the parts above and you are done, obviously you will have more than 2 chapters so 1000 words is a walk in the park.

[salopstick]

i propose bread and butter pudding with loads of custard

[bradscfc]

Having more or a read, could I do a dissertation on one film? Looking at it from a certain theoretical perspective? Or a comparison of films with something in common

So like......

'A critical look at the representation of Women in science fiction'

or

'An analysis of the Cinematography of Hitchcock'

Some shit like that?

[Plain Jane]

Apr 3, 2011 12:57:20 GMT @bradscfc said:

Having more or a read, could I do a dissertation on one film? Looking at it from a certain theoretical perspective? Or a comparison of films with something in common

So like......

'A critical look at the representation of Women in science fiction'

or

'An analysis of the Cinematography of Hitchcock'

Some shit like that?

Ideally you need to be asking a question, then through your research answering it. If you limit yourself to a single film you will run out of steam long before you get to 10,000 words I suspect.

Women in Science Fiction is an interesting one, you could start right back with Jules Verne etc and come to the modern day portrayal of Starbuck in Battlestar Galactica (which will be an interesting comparison with the original Starbuck being male).

Don't forget if you are a Sci Fi Fan you can reference anything you have read or watched (including TV series) in your bibliography.

[salopstick]

surely bread and butter pudding with loads of custard is a better idea

[Plain Jane]

Sorry, forgot to add, your subject would be something "The representation of Women in Science Fiction has changed since it's first appearance in whatever year. Discuss."

Dont forget 2 major points:

1. Harvard Referencing, learn how to do it because its a bloody pain in the arse.
2. You have to write in the third person, you can't say "I believe" it has to be "The author believes"

[Plain Jane]

Apr 3, 2011 13:02:53 GMT salopstick said:

surely bread and butter pudding with loads of custard is a better idea

A hell of a lot less work haha

[bradscfc]

Apr 3, 2011 13:02:53 GMT salopstick said:

surely bread and butter pudding with loads of custard is a better idea

You're not funny.

Miss Piggy, suprisingly I'm not actually that much of a Sci-Fi fan, it was just a general idea, although something similar in Horror films could be a good one.

Representaion of Women is an obvious one, I'm pretty sure I've already done an essay in my first year on the final girl theory though which might fuck that up.

hmmmmmmmmmmm

Maybe something to do with how the cinematography of Horror films has changed to give us different perspectives (in Halloween/Friday the 13th you are the killer etc..)

I

[mermaidsal]

If it's totally open season then those sound really good to me. If you want to do a PhD next then choose the one with less existing literature because you're freer to be original, but for the safe higher grade choose the one with more existing stuff (ie how horror changed) because you'll get marked on biblio, footnotes and cross-refs harder. Or maybe take a leap out of that and do horror in the early 21st, is there a divide from the 20th really or not?

[Plain Jane]

Apr 3, 2011 13:08:38 GMT @bradscfc said:

Apr 3, 2011 13:02:53 GMT salopstick said:

surely bread and butter pudding with loads of custard is a better idea

You're not funny.

Miss Piggy, suprisingly I'm not actually that much of a Sci-Fi fan, it was just a general idea, although something similar in Horror films could be a good one.

Representaion of Women is an obvious one, I'm pretty sure I've already done an essay in my first year on the final girl theory though which might fuck that up.

hmmmmmmmmmmm

Maybe something to do with how the cinematography of Horror films has changed to give us different perspectives (in Halloween/Friday the 13th you are the killer etc..)

I

All I can say is call on what you know. My dissertation had nothing to do with Graphic Design really (although you could argue that with movie posters etc it was a representation) but I called on a genre I knew a lot about, had read a lot about and could use.

If you can talk about a subject in depth for 20 minutes or more you are on to a winner.

You could look at Horror as a genre back from Frankenstein to the present day? Has it got scarier or is it just society that has changed?

Horror movie posters?

Something based around the actual killers could be good, Freddie, Jason etc?

[bradscfc]

I'm thinking 'The differences between victim and survivor in Horror films'

Each new movement has genre conventions, so I could go briefly through say 2 or 3 major movements and how the 'rules' change.

Off the top of my head

'Monster' movies, all the 50's and 60's Universal pictures

Slasher, final girl theory and all that stuff

21st century horror

Going to e-mail my tutor know, if I haven't heard back in a couple of days I'll go above her head and explain that I'm not going to be able to meet my deadlines if nobody is getting back to me.

EDIT:

Piggy, I like the idea about whether Horror has got scarier, that would be good to look at how it's always been a reflection or society's fears (like all the 'Attack of the Giant....' stuff in the 50's when everyone was waiting for some scientist to start a global monster war ;D

The differences in killers would be good, but this year I had to do a 5000 word essay on the development of Freddy Krueger so I'd be re-using alot of stuff.

Sal, there's no chance I'll be doing a PhD or anything after next year, so something that I have a decent knowledge of already plus alot of written work to reference would be best. On top of that I've already spent hundreds of pounds on Horror DVD's and books ;D

[LH_SCFC]

What degree subject do you do? I'm guessing Maths based on the above discussion.

[Norfolkstokie in manchester]

Review previous literature, and say where your work would 'fit in'. Argue why your topic should be studied and emphasise how it can contribute to your discipline.

[salopstick]

horror hasnt got scarier it has just gone more gorier intending to shock and squirm not actually scare

princess leia and ripley went some way into moving women into the heroine roles in sci fi as opposed to be there to be thick gormess but looking good

i am actually funny, and have cake in the oven as we speak

[Plain Jane]

Apr 3, 2011 13:20:03 GMT @bradscfc said:

Piggy, I like the idea about whether Horror has got scarier, that would be good to look at how it's always been a reflection or society's fears (like all the 'Attack of the Giant....' stuff in the 50's when everyone was waiting for some scientist to start a global monster war ;D

The differences in killers would be good, but this year I had to do a 5000 word essay on the development of Freddy Krueger so I'd be re-using alot of stuff.

Sal, there's no chance I'll be doing a PhD or anything after next year, so something that I have a decent knowledge of already plus alot of written work to reference would be best. On top of that I've already spent hundreds of pounds on Horror DVD's and books ;D

Yep, you could have a good reference as well with War of The Worlds with people thinking it was real etc.

The chapter I sent you of mine looked at the environment and society at the time, i.e the Victorian obsessions with death, the same would apply really only you wouldn't perhaps look that far back unless you were going with literary inclusion as well?

50's B Movies as you say were a prime example. And then I guess to some extent you could also use The Exorcist, that had people running out of cinema's screaming. Why? Watch it now its not really scary.

Todays society seems to thrive on psychological more than physical horror, such as Blair Witch, Emily Rose, Paranormal Activity etc, is this because we are honed to it as a society or maybe we have more knowledge than past generations to realise that ghosties and ghoulies don't exisit?

Quite fascinating really.

[bradscfc]

Piggy, do you fancy writing a disseratation for me?

[Time4aPINT]

Couldn't you write it about Danny Pugh?

[winedelilah]

Apr 3, 2011 13:02:53 GMT salopstick said:

surely bread and butter pudding with loads of custard is a better idea

Yum.. ;D

[Plain Jane]

Apr 3, 2011 13:43:48 GMT @bradscfc said:

Piggy, do you fancy writing a disseratation for me?

Haha, No! lol

I love writing so I enjoyed working on mine though. If you need any help though, or someone to read through etc feel free to PM me ;D

[Plain Jane]

Apr 3, 2011 14:09:30 GMT Time4aPINT said:

Couldn't you write it about Danny Pugh?

I'm gutted you know, I could have done one on Dave Kitson! Anyone know what his wife's name is?

[jamlander]

You've got to give it to Miss Piggy Brad she knows her stuff.

I've just been talking to my brother in law who's a senior lecturer at Nottingham and it sounds like you're getting the right advice. He suggested that it's basically a project outline that they require for dissertations. He suggested that you look for a neglected angle around a research puzzle/question and back it up with references.

[salopstick]

Apr 3, 2011 14:44:36 GMT Plain Jane said:

Apr 3, 2011 14:09:30 GMT Time4aPINT said:

Couldn't you write it about Danny Pugh?

I'm gutted you know, I could have done one on Dave Kitson! Anyone know what his wife's name is?

MRS KITSON

[salopstick]

Apr 3, 2011 14:54:24 GMT @jamlander said:

You've got to give it to Miss Piggy Brad she knows her stuff.

I've just been talking to my brother in law who's a senior lecturer at Nottingham and it sounds like you're getting the right advice. He suggested that it's basically a project outline that they require for dissertations. He suggested that you look for a neglected angle around a research puzzle/question and back it up with references.

can a plane take off on a runway

[frasier45]

Can you eat frozen bread after its been toasted

[stokiecat]

Apr 3, 2011 14:54:24 GMT @jamlander said:

He suggested that you look for a neglected angle around a research puzzle/question and back it up with references.

pay attention to this. You'll get a higher mark if you are using more sources than "a list of films i have watched". Make sure you research around your subject and how your analysis of the subject fits in with a generally accepted academic canon, even if you are going to go off at a completely different angle or are going to disagree/disprove something already accepted. The whole of your past degree studies should have been to look at what has gone before so you have the knowlege to write 10,000 words on your subject area and know the references. They are testing your knowlege and your reasoned argument.

Edit: Consider your subject, when I was at uni nearly 20 years ago depiction of women in films was already a very broadly researched subject, so unless you really do have anything new to say (the rise of proto-feminism in romantic comedy maybe?) I would seriously consider not doing a subject like that. Genre picks (sci-fi, horror, noir, western, gangster etc.) do tend to have more written about them but this means the quality can vary. Film type areas I would look at are post-modernism, the moving image in art, sociological effects (as you have suggested above in the "is horrorscarier" question although that may turn into. genre question) or internationalism (e.g. global influnences on hollywood main stream). Depictions of middle-eastern conflict and the differences between Hollywood, Uk and international film would be really up to date. You can bring in genre-theory about previous war films and how this might have changed. I don't know if the publication
Projections is still going but tht is useful for current trends in film criticism.
You can do a dissertation on one film, check out the BFI film guides, just make sure there is a valid point and you will still need to bring in other sources.

[bradscfc]

Right there's clearly a few people who know my degree better than me ;D

So........if five of you do 2000 words each?

[Plain Jane]

Apr 3, 2011 19:50:54 GMT @bradscfc said:

Right there's clearly a few people who know my degree better than me ;D

So........if five of you do 2000 words each?

My rates are reasonable at 50p a word I think

[bradscfc]

Piggy, from all the ideas thrown out on this thread, what would you say is the best?

I like the idea of stayign within Horror purely because it's my main interest in the subject and the area I'd love to work in after Uni but if it's not the best option then there's always something else. Also, doing a dissertation on one film really interests me but what sort of question would I have to ask to get 10,000 words out of one film?

[Plain Jane]

Apr 3, 2011 20:20:42 GMT @bradscfc said:

Piggy, from all the ideas thrown out on this thread, what would you say is the best?

I like the idea of stayign within Horror purely because it's my main interest in the subject and the area I'd love to work in after Uni but if it's not the best option then there's always something else. Also, doing a dissertation on one film really interests me but what sort of question would I have to ask to get 10,000 words out of one film?

It really boils down to what you feel the most confident in doing, don't go off on a tangent because you will find yourself 2000 words in and thinking WTF. One film as you say is going to struggle to reach a valid argument in the amount of words you need. Don't pick a subject you have no idea about, because your final months are a hard slog without adding to the pressure of researching something you know nothing about.

This is why you have been asked for a proposal, your lecturers should take a look at that and guide you from there, it gives them an idea of where you are at and how much help you will need.

For me, I liked your earlier proposal about whether horror as a genre has changed or has society become more used to it. Its a subject you know enough about to talk confidently in, but also has enough there that you will need to do relevant research into historical records too. Also, how were Horror Movies affected by the war? This was a period of terror in general so did this have any effect on that side of the film industry? Did they feel they needed to go further to shock perhaps given that real life was quite frighting?

Write down a few ideas and discuss them with your thesis lecturer ;D