Researching Media Summative Research Proposal
Project title: Screening the non-binary: films ‘rebel’ gender. – suggested feel free to adapt
Cis-normativity – rewarded/punished for it
Queer theory
Feminist Film theory
Essay focusing on representations of non-binary characters in films and discuss if they are shown as ‘rebels’
Suggested films
Hedwig and the angry inch
Boys don’t cry
Xxy
Transamerica
Breakfast on Pluto
Rocky Horror
Suggested texts:
Judith Butler, Gender Trouble
Michael Foucault, History of sexuality
Wendy Sue Pawlak, The Spaces Between: Non-Binary Representations of Gender in Twentieth-Century American Film
The Summative Assessment requires you to write a detailed proposal for a research topic of your choice. You are free to choose whatever topic interests you but the scale and scope of your project must be suitable for an undergraduate dissertation. This Research Proposal is intended to form the outline for the dissertation project you will undertake in your final year. However, it is expected you will continue to develop your research plans and may revise these once you actually begin work on the dissertation.
The main purpose of this Assessment is to evaluate the independent research skills you have gained over the module and you will be assessed according to the Module Aims and Learning Outcomes outlined in the Module Handbook. Gaining a pass mark for this Assessment does not mean you are clear to begin work on your proposed project. You will still need approval from your appointed dissertation supervisor in order to proceed.
The following headings will help you to structure your Research Proposal and ensure that you cover all of the relevant information. Your proposal should:
• identify the research question/s that will guide your project
• indicate the central argument/s you will explore
• include a detailed review of relevant academic literature (to be based on at least six academic sources relevant to your chosen topic)
• explain and discuss your methodology and its suitability for your proposed research
• explain the feasibility of the proposed research
• include some information about how you intend to structure the dissertation (eg. chapter plan or outline)
• include a week-by-week timeline for your final year that shows how you will organise and complete your dissertation project over the course of one semester (12 weeks)
The following headings will help you to structure your research plan and ensure that you cover all of the relevant information.
A) RESEARCH QUESTION (100-200 WORDS)
• You should aim to have one question/title which reflects the overall research. To get higher grades you will need to think about developing several supporting questions which enable you to set out the aims and objectives of your research in a clear and cogent way. The clarity and comprehensiveness of your research questions is a good indicator of the clarity of the work more generally and will help you to think about how you might structure the research in the writing phase.
• Try to keep questions relatively short. Long and unwieldy questions are indicative of a lack of clarity.
• You need to demonstrate in this proposal that you have a clear understanding of the key terms and assumptions that underpin your research question/s. You may want to address this here or in another section.
B) CENTRAL ARGUMENTS & AIMS (300-400 WORDS)
• This section of your work should set out the argument you intend to pursue – this offers the opportunity for a more detailed discussion about your research questions and underpins the rationale for doing the research
• You should demonstrate why the project is important or significant, and that you understand how your research sits within the context of key issues and debates in the subject area that you are looking into.
• In this section you may want to reference some of the key academic works that you will want to discuss again in further detail in your literature review section.
• This section should not be overly anecdotal (try to avoid phrasing like ‘I want to do this study because I am interested in….’).
C) LITERATURE REVIEW (1500-1800 WORDS)
• This section needs to identify the key arguments that have been advanced by other scholars in the field and the main literature you intend to draw upon. You will need to show that you understand the debates – so it is not just a matter of locating any material related to your field but also showing that you are able to locate seminal (key) texts and analyse these sources critically.
• You need to be able to explain the key scholarly arguments and ideas in your own words, and show how the materialdirectly relates to or informs your work – for example by supporting it (and explaining how or why); or by highlighting gaps or lack of detail that your research may address; or by creating some other kind of problem that you would look into with your proposed research.
Your Literature Review must include at least 6 academic sources – books, chapters or peer-reviewed journal articles.
D) METHODOLOGY & FEASIBILITY (400-500 WORDS)
• This section should explain the methodology or framework for your research – both the conceptual ideas that underpin your research and the way in which you intend to approach the data or evidence gathering.
• You should indicate what the merits and limitations of your source materials might be. You may need to address issues such as: partiality or bias in the information; the need for cross-referencing (and how you intended to do that); or, if doing an interview or written survey, how this will be conducted (possibly including some sample questions) and how you will recruit participants.
• This section should also address the feasibility of the research project you have in mind – Will it be practically achievable? Will you be able to access the materials, equipment, resources and/or locations you require to complete the project?
• &νβσπ;You should also explain any ethical issues relevant to the research and indicate whether you would need to obtain ethical clearance from the university. If you conclude there are none, then you must demonstrate that you have considered these issues by indicating why there are no ethical implications.
E) DISSERTATION STRUCTURE (50-100 WORDS)
• An essay-based dissertation is an extended piece of writing (10,000-12,000 words) divided into chapters. It may be helpful to use your research question/s to guide your early ideas about how to structure the research – for example how they might serve as foundations for different chapter topics and help build your overall argument.
F) TIMELINE (50-100 WORDS)
• You need to provide a time table for the execution and completion of your research project. Please construct the timeline on the basis that you have 12 weeks to carry out and complete the project.
• Be sure to include time allocations for background research, planning, evidence gathering & analysis, writing, redrafting and revision, proof-reading, and for final formatting, printing and binding of the dissertation ready for submission.