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Dissertation idea help

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in Student Life & Education
I'm not sure if this is allowed so if it isnt mods, feek free to take it down.

Basically I need help for what to do for my dissertation next year. I'm studying Film Studies and the topic has to be wide enough to cover 10,000 words.

I was thinking about looking at Disney/animations and then also bring in modern stuff like Pixar/Dreamworks, and look at its portrayal of maybe gender, race, or other sociological things :chin:

Any ideas?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Any of those sounds fine to me. What about - Disney's depictions of racialised Others, drawing on Said's notion of Orientalism.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oooooh thats a good idea cos I could then include the woman as 'other' as well as race and class as well
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    you could, you'd have to take the 'racialised' bit out though...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hmm yea but Said is more about Western attitudes towards the East so I couldnt really relate that much to Disney. The only film i can think of that represents the East is Mulan.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Lexi99 wrote: »
    Hmm yea but Said is more about Western attitudes towards the East so I couldnt really relate that much to Disney. The only film i can think of that represents the East is Mulan.

    Alladin! :) was Jungle Book set in India? I think it might have been... can't remember
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    But enough for 10,000 words?? Im not sure I could do that
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    maybe widen it like you said to gender, class and race within disney films. sounds like a fun and interesting dissertation anyway
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Maybe pick which movies you think you can stand to watch multiple times and choose your topic around those? that's how I picked my topic...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I'm thinking of talking about stereotypes and archetypal characters used both racially and sexually and how they represent the social context of the time or how they dont in that they misprepresent history or the stories theyre based on ie Pocahontas.

    I may include that just a small chapter though and concentrate on the changing representations of men and women over time such as the new Princess and the Frog film....
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Sounds like fun!

    I think it's interesting to look at gender roles in Disney films and potentially race as well.

    I like your last proposal about concentrating on the changing representations of men and women over time. I haven't seen the new Princess and the Frog but it might be an interesting theme to study.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    katralla wrote: »
    Maybe pick which movies you think you can stand to watch multiple times and choose your topic around those? that's how I picked my topic...

    :yes: Made a big difference for me picking TV I wanted to watch... mind you still can't watch Our Friends in the North and it took me five years to watch The Sopranos again.

    I think a topic around Disney's presentation of gender and race would be pretty meaty, we've just had an African princess and Disney has made continual changes to it's presentation of female protagonists. I'd love to see something examining how the 'other' was used as the evil character though. I bet there's some interesting correlations between how evil a character is vs. how much racial elements are used in the presentation of a character.

    I mean Alladin is pretty much just coloured differently and the Genie is Robin Williams with a goatee vs. Jafar and his goons... least the way I remember it.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Good idea I wasnt even thinking about the villians!!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    agree with Jim, pick movies that you don't mind watching repeatedly and also don't mind ruining for yourself, where you can't stand to watch them ever again.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    So I emailed my teacher for her ideas and this was her reply
    There is certainly enough scope in there for a major project. I'd encourage you to try to do a little bit of brainstorming and thinking outside the box in terms of which films, how and why you want to approach the films in the way that you do, what period of Disney you will focus on, etc. I have to say that if you do decide to do a major project on Disney, it helps to have a really original angle, as this is something we've seen quite a lot of - which is not to discourage you, but to encourage you to think how you can make this topic your own.

    So hmmm..... its hard to think of an area that is 'original'. Another very vauge idea that occured to me would be something about values/morals/life lessons that Disney teaches but I'm not sure that has much substance to it
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Maybe take the suggestion of brainstorming - take one of the films you might be interested in, sit down with a pad and watch it. Just try to write down anything and everything you might be interested to look into. Then maybe use that as a starting point?

    Might give you a good idea of the possibilities :)
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