Your group should reach out to Dianne or Josh to schedule a time, in early October, to review preliminary research: searching for primary and secondary sources, how to cite properly, and understanding fair use guidelines. This meeting, which takes 30-45 minutes, is mandatory. At least 1 group member must attend; 2 is recommended.
They’ll introduce you to the Tisch Research Guide for our class, and will walk you through the Research Assignment. You’ll complete the assignment independently, and submit that by Thursday, October 20 by 5pm. In the body of the email with that submission, please also describe your topic (or two possible projects) in a few sentences. I’d prefer if you completed this electronically. But you can complete it by hand, and drop it in my box in Eaton Hall by the deadline. (I can scan it, so you’ll retain a copy.) If you do this, please also be sure to send a separate email with your topic description.
The requirements for use of sources:
Locating primary source material (e.g. art, photographs, TV shows) is more exciting. This will come easy, and you’ll probably have way more interesting sources than you can use. You must locate and use at least 4 primary sources.
As for secondary source material (e.g. journal articles and books), you must locate and use at least 4 sources. Your narrative should engage concepts from at least two assigned readings from class in a rigorous way. Think carefully about how major themes, theories, concepts (e.g. hegemonic masculinity, consent, multiple masculinities, discourse and subjectivities, nation, intersectionality, Guyland, common sense, female masculinity) can help deepen viewers’ understanding of your topic.
Depending on your intended audience, you might find it helpful to integrate authors’ quotations into your narrative, just as you would in a paper. For example, a line like “As the historian Gail Bederman has observed, male insecurities have always been a defining feature of the American landscape” might fit into your story. Or, you might draw on Bederman’s ideas without explicitly citing her in the narrative. In this case, you can paraphrase her ideas. For projects that are aimed at a younger audience, you’ll need to think carefully about how you can articular complex information in an accessible way.