[SOLVED] MCS360 Media Research Dissertation Proposal Processing

MCS360

Media Research Dissertation Proposal

Proposals will be marked anonymously, so please do not include your name or any other identifying information in the document. Ensure that you have given it a file name that also does not have your name or identifying information in it.

The proposal should be 1800-2300 words and include the following elements. While you will be penalised using standard Faculty and Department deductions if you go over 2300 words, there is no penalty for exceeding any of the more specific suggested word lengths below. 

Word count: xxxx

1. Proposed dissertation title

This should express the main area of interest and indicate the general scope of the research. Choose a title that is informative and that is likely to interest a potential reader. When choosing a title, ask yourself the following questions: does the title accurately reflect the content of the dissertation? Is the title too general (e.g. ‘Identity in Modern Britain’)? Does the title reflect your particular angle on the topic? Some sample titles include:

· A history of package tours: Thomas Cook and the implications for modern tourism

· Alternative and mainstream tattoo cultures: Representations in tattooing magazines

· Hip hop in China: negotiating and appropriating western popular culture

· EBay versus charity shops:  second hand goods and the thrill of the bargain

· Eating disorders and online communities: analysing pro-ana websites

· Violence in video games: a study of the debate about real and virtual life

· Hollywood musical film: an analysis of the success of Mamma Mia!

· Representations of young Muslim masculinity in British newspapers

· Theorising queer subjectivities: comparing Butler and Foucault

· Consumer culture in China and the UK: a comparison of women’s magazines

2. Aims of research

You should give a brief description – or list of bullet points – of the aims of your research. What are you trying to explore, explain, describe or compare? Imagine that you are explaining the aims of your dissertation to someone who is not familiar with the area or with Media and Cultural Studies.

[You should write about 200-300 words for this section]

3. Outline of topic and research questions

Give a brief overview of the key issues and questions raised by academic writing in your field of inquiry. When writing this section, consider why media and cultural analysts have been interested in this area. What are the main questions they have asked about the issue or topic? Why is this an important or interesting topic or area?

Highlight your specific focus and list between one and three focused research questions. When composing your research question(s), think about your particular interest in the topic – are you interested in the ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘when’, ‘how’, or ‘why’? What angle are you taking on the topic or issue?

[You should write about 500 words for this section]

4. Research methods and approach

Outline the research method(s) that you will use

Explain how the method(s) are appropriate for your project – how will your chosen method(s) help you answer your research question(s)? Are your methods appropriate for the scale and scope of your project?

Outline the main sources of data that you intend to use (e.g. existing statistics, interviews of organisations or individuals, databases or archives) and provide details of these

[You should write about 300-400 words for this section]

5. Ethical issues/issues of self-reflexivity

Are there are sensitive elements to your research (for example, interviewing children)? Do you require informed consent from any participants/respondents? Are there any power differentials (for example, white researchers interviewing black subjects)? How will you ensure confidentiality for any interviewees?

Where are you positioned in relation to the proposed research? What is the significance, if any, of your positioning?

NB: This section is less relevant to those doing theoretical dissertations, but is particularly relevant for research that involve volunteers as respondents or participants. If you are unsure, please speak to your tutor.

[You should write about 100-200 words for this section]

6. Projected dissertation outline

Outline the titles of your dissertation’s chapters along with a brief summary of their proposed content. For example:

Introduction

(outline of the area and presentation of research questions and method)

Chapter 1: ‘Television, football and national identity’

(review of the literature in the area of sport, television and national identity and discussion of methodology)

Chapter 2: ‘Representing the nation: football and the national imaginary’

(content analysis of selected television programmes)

Chapter 3: ‘Decoding sporting identities: audience reception and the medium of television’

(analysis of my interview data with television viewers with reference to my research questions)

Conclusion

(Summary of the arguments of the dissertation)

[You should write about 100-200 words for this section]

7. Key Readings

You should choose 10 academic texts central to your topic. For each, write a short summary of why and how you think they will be important to your project. Please include an in-text citation to clearly reference each and include the full citation in your bibliography.

These key texts could be books, journal articles, book chapters or reports.  

[You should write about 500 words for this section]

8. Timetable

You should outline a timetable for the completion of your research project indicating when you hope to have completed: the literature review; the body of data collection/research or reading; the analysis of the material; drafts of chapters; final draft of the entire dissertation.

[You should write about 100 words for this section]

9. Bibliography

Please include a full bibliography. The bibliography is not included in your word count.