Issues In Culture: Project
This is a research project.
Choose a Cultural Object, Social Issue or a cultural Issue. Critically analyse a cultural object in light of social issue or critically analyse a cultural issue. A cultural object or issue that can be described and an argument that can be developed.
This is a presentation. you will be asked to present the outline of an independent project of research and in the second assessment (2,500 words essay) you will be required to fully develop the project you have outlined into a complete essay.
This independently researched project includes a presentation & Essay.
Examples of Cultural object:
Painting, Piece of advertising, art. A culture that you can critically analyse and interpret.
Examples of Social Issue:
Intersectionality, Cultural appropriation, Cultural representations of intersectionality e.g., black femininity, Asian masculinity, British Muslims, Middle Eastern immigrants, working class Northerners), Protest and resistance, Working culture.
Examples of Cultural Issue:
Cultural appropriation, cultural racism, sexism, homophobia, cultural effects of social media, intersectionality, cultural assimilation, Xenophobia. This needs to critically analyse and engage with arguments and debates.
Topic Examples:
Solange Knowles and representations of black female sexuality.
Little Mix and the female body as a site of contestation and power.
Presentation
This Presentation MUST include:
One slide or section with the presentation title. A good title should not be a question but, as far as possible, it should summarize your answer.
It should identify and summarize your chosen cultural object, topic, methodological or theoretical approach, and argument.
One or more slides or a section that briefly introduce the cultural issue, object, or event you have chosen.
One or more slides that explain and clarify the methodological or theoretical perspective that will inform the critical analysis. Will your project utilize Foucault’s theory of biopolitics to analyze its chosen cultural object?
Will it critically analyze a protest movement according to Butler’s performative theory of assembly?
One or more slides that outline your central argument or hypothesis: the starting point or assumption of your critical analysis that you will demonstrate and argue for in the essay itself. This should explain why the object you have chosen is significant and what you hope or intend to say, reveal, or argue about it in your conclusion .
Where appropriate and relevant, you should include key textual quotation or visual detail from the primary material and quotations or central terms and ideas from the secondary sources , using Harvard Style bracket or footnote referencing.
These should explain and illustrate the kind of theoretical approach you will be taking in your analysis.
One slide with a properly constructed (using the Harvard referencing) bibliography of the main primary and secondary sources you intend to use.
This should include:
(1) an entry for the main primary source you will be using (a novel, film, television program, collection of photographs, exhibition, etc.) and
(2) At least three other additional critical/theoretical/secondary sources (i.e., Articles, essay, or books) that you have identified through independent research and consider will be important to your analysis.
You are not expected to have read all the sources you mention but you are expected to identify the key texts you believe will be important.
Critically Analyse:
This Presentation must include:
A detailed examination of the elements or structure of something, using logical/conceptual/theoretical reasoning:
Expressing or involving the merits and faults of a work of literature, music, or art
Assessing something, especially a literary, philosophical, or political theory
Evaluating e.g., a theory or practice, in a detailed and methodological way.
Presentation Brief:
Relevant and focused title (with subtitle).
Introduction to the Cultural Object or topic
The methodological or theoretical perspective to be used
Hypothesis or anticipation of its main argument and conclusion.
Some engagement with its sources (terminology, quotation, Paraphrase).
Referencing and bibliography that indicates:
Main primary source
Three other additional key critical/theoretical/secondary source (i.e., academic articles, essay, or books) through independent research.
Provide an outline of a clearly defined and clearly focused project, demonstrating that you have thought about and narrowed down your project, so it has a clear focus and complete for the final essay.
Title:
One slide or section with the presentation title, Including Subtitle.
The title must NOT be a question but identify and summarize your chosen cultural object/topic, methodological or theoretical approach and summarize your answer.
Introduction to methodological or theoretical perspective:
One or more slides that explain and clarify the methodological or theoretical perspective that will inform the critical analysis.
Demonstrate a good familiarity with and understanding of an appropriate methodological or theoretical perspective, with its central terms and concepts clearly defined.
You must demonstrate some familiarity with and manipulation of theoretical perspectives with central terms clearly defined.
Hypothesis:
One or more slides that outline your central argument or hypothesis: the starting point or assumption of your critical analysis that you will demonstrate and argue for the essay itself.
Explains why the object/issue you have chosen is significant and what you hope or intend to say, reveal, or argue about it in your conclusion.
Suggests, anticipates, or indicates a knowledge of what would make an original analysis, criticism or argument regarding the chosen cultural object or topic, even if that hasn’t been fully developed and substantiated at this stage.
You must demonstrate a clear indication of the direction of the argument with potential to be strong eloquently expressed and show originality and coherence within and between elements and identification of anticipated conclusion that shows synthesis of material and independent judgement.
Engagement with sources:
Where appropriate and relevant, include key textual quotations or visual detail from the primary material i.e., cultural object, and quotations or central terms and ideas from the secondary sources for example, the critical sources used.
Appropriate referencing to explain and illustrate theoretical approach.
This must be supported through relevant sources.
Bibliography:
One slide with a properly constructed Harvard Referencing bibliography of the main primary and secondary sources you use including: The main Primary source i.e., Film, novel.
At least three other additional critical/theoretical/secondary sources e.g., articles, books, or essays that you have identified through independent research and considered important to your analysis.
Potential problems with the project:
Where appropriate identify any potential problems with the project. In this presentation the project MUST be defined in a clear and focused way, ‘With potential problems in project identified’. This slide must be placed after the Conclusion slide.
This Presentation MUST INCLUDE:
Include all elements in the presentation brief listed above.
Outline a clearly defined and clearly focused project and, where appropriate, identify any potential problems with the project.
Be well presented, in terms of the vocabulary, tone, spelling, punctuation and grammar, and the appropriate use of visual material.
Demonstrate a familiarity with and understanding of an appropriate methodological or theoretical perspective, with its central terms and concepts clearly defined.
Outline an original analysis, criticism or argument regarding the chosen cultural object or topic.
