This process will include a lot of reading about t genre and children, so that I can find prominent themes or elements that separate children's movies from adult movies. Or possibly do not separate them? I have to justify that whether it necessitates distinction or not.
The subtopics I envision for my project:
- Genre
- Children's movies
- Family Film
- Children
- Adults
- Film Theory/ Film basics
- Thematic Topics
- Maturity
I also am planning to add onto this list, specifically the elements that separate children from adults. Right now, I still have a broad idea of what I am doing. I know what film I am looking at, but I cannot tell at the moment what I am looking for. This will come with more research and reading.
My subtopic list right now deals mostly with being able to define the different parts. What is genre distinction? What is a child? What is an adult? What is family film and how has it developed? What are current definitions of children's movies? Once I have this information I can put a whole picture together and hopefully find a gap, where I can better define children's movies.
In terms of searches, right now I am looking a genre development, what it is and how you do it. From here I hope to find sources on children's movies. Since I have not had as much luck with that, I may have to take a different direction. This is both exciting and nerve-wracking to me, since it means there is a gap, but that I have a big gap to fill. My plan from here is to look at sources that define children versus adults. This way I can analyze movies paying attention to these attributes that set them apart.
Since this is a very new field of study for me, I am still feeling nervous that my subtopics are not solid. But, I am so excited for this project and am willing to build a base of knowledge for my inquiry. I also have great guidance with Dr. Helmers and Mrs. Haag. Now it's time to hit the books.
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Grace, I am so excited by the development of your project! I think that, with the help of Dr. Helmers, you've made great strides in terms of focus (not only for your literature review, but also for your primary research). I think interrogating genre distinctions is exactly what you originally wanted to do, as you noticed the discrepancy between movies that are supposedly intended for children, but seem to speak to adults. It'll be really interesting to see where the delineations are (or aren't).
ReplyDeleteI like your subtopics, but I agree that they are BROAD. Your instinct to add to them and refine them as your read more is exactly right. Keep killing it and READ!
Grace! First of all, great job finding a niche in the broad subject of film -- I really think that your paper is going to be unique and nuanced. I think that you should look into imagination and creativity (granted that the subtopic is more specific) since they play a key role children stories. Adults are sometimes criticized for losing their imagination as they age so I think it could be a subtopic worth considering.
ReplyDeleteI also like how you are keeping an open mind and avoiding confirmation bias by implying that no distinctions could exist. This is an important research skill to keep in mind. Yet, what would your topic look like if you can't find a justification to separate the two?
I also agree with Mrs. Haag that your subtopics are currently too broad. To make them more specific or to avoid any distracting subtopics, I would consider connecting a few with a more concrete subtopic such as children and cognitive development.
Sergio! I love these suggestions -- especially looking at the role of imagination in children and adult psychology as perhaps a way to make a distinction between the two.
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