MS3000
1. Supervision
2. Presentations
3. Writing Annotated Bibliographies
4. Student Reps (IMD, MMDT)
Announce Supervision
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Jalal (J/T)
Jerome (T/M)
Ashraf (J/M
WahiDul (T/J/M)
Zubir (T/J/M)
Steven (M/J)
Karman (M/J)
Sherelle (M/T)
Alper (M/T)
Peter (T/J)
Jamal (T/J)
• J = Jeff
• T = Tony
• M = Mary
17th and 24th Nov
• Thesis presentations for cw1 (Sem B = cw2)
– Covering
• (A) A summary of the thesis/project (20%)
• (B) Annotated bibliography (30%)
• (C) Rationale of chosen methodology (30%)
• (D) A brief reflection on supervision (20%)
Supervision Process
• Send email to both supervisors
• Include
• Request for first meeting
• Completed research question, copied into body of
email
• There is a minimum requirement of 3 meetings per
semester. Of course, you will want to meet more,
and may decide to increase meetings during certain
periods in the teaching calendar.
In groups
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Discuss a book or article
that has been important
to your study
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Answer the following:
1.
2.
3.
Why is it relevant?
Why is it important?
Why is the argument valid
to your degree
WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED
BIBLIOGRAPHY?
1.
2.
3.
A list of citations to
books, articles, and other
documents
Citations are followed by
a brief descriptive and
evaluative annotation (a
paragraph)
Annotation stresses the
importance, relevance
and viability of the
argumentation of works
cited
Be both descriptive and critical
Annotations are designed
to reveal
1. The author's opinion
2. The transparency and
appropriateness of
the argumentation
3. Its significance and
influence on the field
How to write one
• Write concise and
snappy analysis based
on an informed
literature search
• The search must not be
limited to the Web
Steps
1.
Find sources to cite – where?
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2.
Library, Athens, Web – focus on academic refereed texts – Journals, books.
Evaluate the sources – how do they relate to your thesis?
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Think this through logically. Are they key texts, texts that maybe bring
together various strands of your research topic. Texts on the cutting edge of
your research topic…
3.
Confirm with your supervisors
4.
Use Harvard referencing to fully cite the source
5.
Write the annotation
Critical appraisal of text
Check list (we will go into more detail in literature review sessions)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
What is the purpose and intended
audience?
Can you summarize content
Refer to the author – place in
field, publishing history - other
works of note
Note its relevance to the topic
Compare or contrast to other
work in the field (look at your
other sources)
Tell the reader how this work
helps to enlighten the thesis
What argumentation is put
forward, what is the reasoning?
Are there any unique features
What are the strengths,
weaknesses and/or biases
Evaluating examples
Two student examples
(read and make comment)
An academic example
Thesis topic: Computer Technology and
Children
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Gauntlett, D., (2003). Ten things wrong with the effects model. Retrieved 12th
August, 2004, from [3]
– This article takes an interesting approach to the topic by outlining 10 flaws in the
mainstream approach taken to research on the issue, giving a flip-side perspective.
Considering the view taken by most researchers, some of the flaws that Gauntlett states
are:
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They tackle social problems 'backwards'
They treat children as inadequate
Studies are often based on artificial studies or studies with misapplied
methodology
They are selective in their criticisms of media depictions of violence
They make no attempt to understand meanings of the media
– It is important to note that Gauntlett does believe that the impact of new media should
be investigated and considered, however he thinks a more sensitive and rational
approach should be taken.
Example - PhD on comics
McLuhan, Marshall. Understanding Media. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1994.
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McLuhan is one of the leading figures in media criticism and theory. His project in
Understanding Media is “to understand the effects of the extensions of man,” which he
defines as “the technological simulation of consciousness” as expressed through varying
media like the spoken and written word, clothing, ads, games and of course, comics (34). Famously proclaiming “the medium is the message,” McLuhan argues that the content
delivered by a medium obscures the character of the medium itself (8-9). He then
distinguishes between two forms of media, hot and cool, hot being filled with “high
definition” data or information such as radio or film, and cool media, where very little
information is provided, and therefore much of the information must be filled in by its
receptor (i.e. one who senses, or receives information). Cool media, like comics, “demand…
involvement in [the] process… [and] require participation in depth” (31). McLuhan later
devotes a single chapter specifically to comics. Comparing twentieth-century comics to the
rudimentary woodcut of the prior century, McLuhan argues that comics “offer very little
visual information or connected detail… [providing] a participational and do-it-yourself
character” (165). In addition, because of their “participational” quality, they “belong to the
world of games, to the world of models and extensions of situations elsewhere” (169). Due
to this characteristic nature of the comics medium, comics can act as a subversive reaction to
more dominant, “hot” media. Therefore, McLuhan proclaims that “the iconic age is upon
us,” and calls for a better understanding not of comics’ content, but of its form, for a
clarification of the medium itself (167-9). “Our need now is to understand the formal
character of print, comic and cartoon, both as challenging and changing the consumerculture of film, photo, and press” (169).
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See http://english236-w2008.pbwiki.com/Annotated+Bibliography+Template
Exercise
• Compare the following
• Original from UMUC website
Breeding Evil. (2005, August 6). Economist, 376, 9. Retrieved January 5, 2007,
from Academic Search Premier database.
This editorial from the Economist describes the controversy surrounding
video games and the effect they have on people who use them. The
author points out that skepticism of new media have gone back to the
time of the ancient Greeks, so this controversy surrounding video games is
nothing new. The article also points out that most critics of gaming are
people over 40 and it is an issue of generations not understanding one
another, rather than of the games themselves. As the youth of today grow
older, the controversy will die out, according to the author. The author of
this article stresses the age factor over violence as the real reason for
opposition to video games and stresses the good gaming has done in most
areas of human life. This article is distinctive in exploring the controversy
surrounding video games from a generational standpoint and is written
for a general audience.
Breeding evil. (2005, August 6). Economist, 376, 9. Retrieved January 5, 2007, from
Academic Search Premier database.
This editorial from the Economist describes the controversy surrounding video games
and the effect they have on people who use them. The article points out that most
critics of gaming are people over 40 and it is an issue of age not of the games
themselves. While the author briefly mentions studies done around the issue of
violence and gaming, he does not go into enough depth for the reader to truly
know the range of studies that have actually been done in this area, other than to
take his word that the research is unsatisfactory. The author of this article stresses
the age factor over violence as the real reason for opposition to video games and
stresses the good gaming has done in most areas of human life. This article is a
good resource for those wanting to begin to explore the controversy surrounding
video games, however for anyone doing serious research, one should actually
examine some of the research studies that have been done in this area rather
than simply take the author's word that opposition to video games is simply due
to an issue of generational divide.