CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES: Essay Question's & Research

New skills:
- To develop research and critical writing skills further
- Independent study & dissertation writing

Project submission details
10th November 1500-1600hr
- Draft submission of essay. Hard copy on paper, properly formatted using Harvard.

15th December 1000-1100hr
- Final submission of essay
- Essay - hard copy on paper, submitted through turnitin.

Essay question choices:
1) Discuss and critically analyse the view that "with a successful adaptation, the original work is transformed into something new and different, although retaining many traces of what it was formerly" with reference to at least one text adapted for broadcast on television.

OR

2) Analyse the implications of online journalism and the extent to which "we are all journalists now", making reference to examples of both traditional broadcast journalism and citizen journalism.

Essay Q1
What is this question asking you to consider?
- If you adapt something will it always make it better and different?
- Does it ruin the original?
- If it has traces of the original is it really new and different?

What television broadcast/s could you consider referencing as case studies?
- Pride and Prejudice (BBC) - adapted from book - TV - film.
- Sherlock - book - TV
- The Series of Unfortunate Events - book - film - TV
- Game of Thrones
- 13 Reasons Why (Netflix) - book - TV
- Dexter (1st season) - novel (Darkly Dreaming Dexter) - TV
- Orange is the New Black
- Lucifer
- The Walking Dead
- Romeo & Juliet

What are the challenges in answering this option and using your chosen case study?
- Comparing adaptations to the original
- Remaining unbiased

Essay Q2
What is this question asking you to consider?
- Impact of user generated content
- Is citizen journalism becoming more prevalent in online journalism?
- In what ways is citizen journalism used in online journalism? Twitter?

What are the challenges in answering this option and using your chosen case study?
- Arguing both sides of the question


Group feedback discussion:

Essay Q1
Discuss and critically analyse the view that "with a successful adaptation, the original work is transformed into something new and different, although retaining many traces of what it was formerly" with reference to at least one text adapted for broadcast on television.

- Original form must have been a book.
- Will be helpful if the TV choice has been through a few adaptations.

"successful"
- Subjective term e.g. box office/barb (viewer numbers)
- Successful can mean a few series or it has been frequently adapted - critical response to it.
- How well has it done at the box office? find out at broadcast magazine/IMDb
- Look in the press for a critical response to it - The Times etc.

"adaptation"
- The translation process
- Journalism/news

"traces of what it was formerly"
- The basic plot isn't changed
- However audience doesn't stay the same
- What we think is acceptable changes
- Some of the traces from the plot are their characters
- Author decides characters
- Tone

"into something new and different"
- Put into a modern context
- Use of technology
- Book, online, film
- Films always have to keep attraction with action etc. but books don't need to do this
- Easily can judge the film if you've read the book

Essay Q2
Analyse the implications of online journalism and the extent to which "we are all journalists now", making reference to examples of both traditional broadcast journalism and citizen journalism.

What is a benefit of being a citizen journalist?
- Can be in more than one place
- Very democratic



CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES: Research & writing skills

Questions to ask when selecting & researching a case study
- Where was it made?
- When was it made?
- Who made it?

Questions to ask when analysing your case studies
- What has influenced the nature of the media product - its character: physical/visual?
- Who made it? artists/designer
- These could be creative; critical/conceptual/technological/science bound and connect to contemporary or traditional modes of practice and cultural developments.

- Find out how was it made, processes techniques small or large scale production
- Find out about the audience/consumer demographic
- Look around for the critical reception of the piece of media you are analysing e.g. reviews, articles, critical writings, papers, catalogues, books
- Find out what is/was the intention or motivation of the creator... a personal project or small/mass scale piece of work
- Research and ask... who's interest does the media product serve?
- Who benefits from it being made and does its production support an ideological position?
- Is it/was it part of a propaganda campaign - pro something? (may be subtle)

Meaning and semiotics
- What meanings are generated by the adaption or news piece?
- What are the social and cultural mechanisms of communication (symbolic / visual / formal / textual / textural / auditory / verbal)
- What are the connotations and meanings being formed - are these "re-generated" - intended or not?
- CONTEXT - Consider reviews/papers or re-readings or meaning after time has evolved or after other cultural or global changes - e.g. political
- Consider also the intertextual relationship that exists now between all media products in culture - books, gaming, cinema, small screen, online, etc - they can refer to and connect to one and another

Expand knowledge and power to interpret/self analyse
- Will help to develop rich case studies and select relevant and interesting examples of creative output to elaborate around and theorise around

Developing your academic writing/planning:
- Research and create plan
- Plan intro, begin to draft
- Create and maintain reference list
- Proof read, edit and refine reference list

What is critical writing?
The most characteristic features of critical writing are:
- a clear and confident refusal to accept the conclusions of other writers without evaluating the arguments and evidence they provide
- a balanced presentation on reasons why the conclusions of other writers may be accepted or may need to be treated with caution
- a clear presentation of your own evidence and argument, leading to conclusion

Avoid overly descriptive writing
- The difference between descriptive writing and critical writing
- With descriptive writing you are not developing argument; you are merely setting the background within which as argument can be developed
- You are being descriptive if you are representing the situation as it stands, without presenting any analysis or discussion
- Descriptive writing is relatively simple. There is also the trap that it can be easy to use many words from your word limit simply providing description.
- In providing only description, you are reporting ideas but not taking them forward in any way

Referencing sources
Referencing is:
- a formal, academic convention which allows for the acknowledgement of the use of other peoples ideas and work
- when we refer to, paraphrase, summarise or quote from any work produced by others then we must state where we found our information
- identify key positive and negative aspects you can comment upon;
- assess their relevance and usefulness to the debate that you are engaging in for your assignment; and identify how best they can be used