From Prof. Beal's assignment prompt (emphasis added):
As we’re studying the history of diversity in film, it has been important to also gain an understanding of overall historical developments. These events lead to what we see on the screen or what exists behind the camera. There are striking parallels between the United States’ handling of race, immigration and the overall concept of “Otherness” historically and what we hear and see today.
In your research paper, you can elect any racial group of your choice. You are assigned to compare and contrast the early film and TV imagery of that group versus today. A significant part of your discussion should focus on surrounding history and cultural settings that have led to your selected group’s status.
Requirements:
Due Dates:
Strategies for Research
In order to find helpful books and articles for your paper, it's always a good idea to start with a plan. For this particular assignment, we can approach the research process from at least 2 perspectives:
Finding books and articles from strategy #1 is great because the authors will do a lot of the (historical) analysis for you. Strategy #2 takes a little more effort to incorporate into your paper because, after reading about a particular group's history in America, it will be up to you to explain to the reader how it connects to depictions in film and television.
Most likely, you will end up trying out both of these strategies as you conduct research for your paper. Additionally, new strategies may arise as you begin searching and learn new information. Let's take a look at the video below for an example of adjusting your research strategies.
Video (3:10): Picking Your Topic IS Research!
Haven't decided on a particular racial group yet? Not quite sure which direction your writing is going to go? That's OK! Reading through this guide will give you ideas. Often times, we start the research process without a specific topic in mind -- we only have a vague, general idea of what we might want to write about. As soon as you start to do a little searching and reading, though, you should start to get some more concrete ideas about your topic.
The video (3:10) below will introduce you to some of the factors that can affect how we choose our paper topics. One thing is for certain: paper topics aren't set in stone! As you will see, continually adjusting our topics based on available research is an fundamental part of the research process. After watching the video, move on to the next portion of this guide to learn how to start finding sources!
Source: NCSU Libraries
