1201250011538285_p-day cat 2 (briefing) 19 jan 2012

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Projects Day 2012Category 2: Non-Experimental ResearchPreliminary Briefing

Prepared by Mr. Tommie Chen

19 January 2012


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Reader, after my best efforts, heres what I believe not thewhole or final truth, but a truth important to me. I havetested and supported that truth as fully as my time andabilities allow , so that you might find my argument strongenough to consider, perhaps to accept, maybe even tochange what you believe.(Booth, Colomb and Williams, 2008, p.186)


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Qualitative Research Qualitative analysis is commonly used inHumanities and Social Sciences research. It has special value for investigating complex and

sensitive socio-political issues from either asociological, historical or literary standpoint. It can be broadly divided into 2 sub-fields:1. Practical/Applied Research2. Pure/Literature-Based Research


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Applied vs. Pure ResearchPractical/Applied Research Is motivated by a practical problem which defines the research question.

E.g. An existing socio-political/historical issue widely reported in thenewspapers or widely debated in online forums.

Often leads to a proposed solution that helps to solve the practicalproblem .

Research Significance: Topic: I am studying ___________ Question : because I want to find out what/why/how

__________________ Practical Significance: in order to help my reader understand__________________________. Potential Practical Application: so that readers/political leaders can

__________________________.


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Applied vs. Pure ResearchPure Research Is motivated by a conceptual problem that helps us to understand an

issue in-depth. It does not bear a solution to a practical problem, but it improves theunderstanding of an EXISTING community of researchers .Research Significance: Topic: I am studying ___________ Conceptual Q uestion: because I want to find out what/why/how

__________________ Conceptual Significance: in order to help my reader understand

__________________________ by refining a particular theory/philosophy.


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Qualitative Research Centered on reviewing academic literature, with a focus on primary and/or secondary

sources (Especially applicable to projects with a History/Literature slant).

Examplesofpastprojectswhichqualifyforthissub-categoryare:1. Revisiting the riots: A media perspective2. A review of the recent politics of Sino-American relations3. The Political Openness of Singapore: Past and Present4. Mastering the history of the Communist Statue Park in Budapest.5. Captain America: Saving Americas Lost Children6. The Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill A corpus-based study of metaphors in British &

American Discourse7. Changing Lanes : A Study of the evolution of secular rhetoric in Singapore Politics8. Shedding Light on the Literary Vampire9. Analysis of Singaporean Nationalistic Song Lyrics10. Examining the Evolution of Female Representation in Popular Culture: Madonna vs.

Lady Gaga A Corpus-Based Approach

11. Masculinity as Portrayed in Ip Man (2008, 2010)12. Examining the diachronic evolution of Masculinity in James Bond Films13. The Search for the "Ideal I" : An Examination of the Portrayal of the modern hero in

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), The Bourne Supremacy (2004) and The BourneIdentity (2002)


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Qualitative Research You need to critique Concepts/Theories. E.g. How useful

certain concepts or theories are for understanding particularpatterns of behaviour/ events.

You need to delineate the contexts andjustify the choice ofyour dataset/theories IN OTHER W ORDS You need tobase your research on existing academ ic perspectives.

In research projects with a History slant, emphasis is placed onhow sources are selected, interpreted and used.

In other projects, there is a focus on reaching judgementsbased on the value of key concepts or theories in understanding

the world. The foundation for the entire research MUST be based on asolid academ ic platform.


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Literature Review W ikipedia should on ly be used as an initialspringboard for the research, it SHO ULD NO Tbe the MAIN SOU RCE of data. Remember to base your methodology on existingresearch by a recognised comm unity ofpractitioners.


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What makes a good Cat 2 Project?

A good and relevant Thesis Statement/Hypothesis basedon EXISTING research/literature ORCURRENT issues Well-formulated Research Questions that will support your

Thesis Statement/Hypothesis. Theoretical Scaffolding

- Psychoanalytic Film Theory/Lacans Spectatorship Theory- Critical Discourse Analysis- Marxist Theory- Foucault (Discourse & Power)- Gender/Feminist Theory- Conceptual Metaphor Theory

Clear research methods Well-scoped with CLEAR delimitations. Practicality in terms of data/text collection Reliability in data analysis Interpretation & Extrapolation With Scope for Future Research


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RESEARCH QUESTIONS

How does the portrayal of the protagonist in The BourneTrilogy (2002- 2007)aid the spectator in the identificationprocess and to make the heroes more realistic?

How do contemporary developments in society explain thedifference in the portrayal of modern heroism?

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2

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What are the defining characteristics of the modern hero, asseen in Jason Bourne?


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Thesis and Research Qns

This Project will Analyse the Conceptual Metaphors present in National Day

songs.

Discern their use in the formulation of Singapores nationalidentity (Ortmann, 2009)

Research Questions

Are there any stock metaphors in Singaporean nationalistsongs?

What are the conceptual metaphors behind theserepresentations?

What underlying national ideologies do the conceptualmetaphors promote?


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How has the usage of secular rhetoric and conceptualmetaphors changed over the years to protect themultiracial and potentially explosive composition ofsociety?

Through the usage of secular rhetoric, how has thegovernment upheld secularism through an unwaveringemphasis on pragm atism as a cornerstone?

Research questions


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Research Questions

How do Madonna and Lady Gaga differin theirrepresentation of the femalein their lyrics? What are the Conceptual Metaphorsused in the

representation of the femalein the lyrics of Lady Gaga andMadonna? How do they differ?

How are the proposed representations on gender furtherjustified empiricallyby the use ofCorpus Linguistics?


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Theoretical Frameworks

CorpusLinguistics

CriticalDiscourseAnalysis

ConceptualMetaphor

Theory


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W hat makes a good Cat 2 Project?Two key questions you need to ask yourself:

So what? Beyond your own interest, whywould others think that your topic is a

question worth asking. What will be lost if your question is not

answered? How will not answering yourresearch question keep us from understanding

something better than we do?


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What makes a good Cat 2 Project? You need to identify of a worthy issue for exploration. A potential issue for further research has the following characteristics:1. Real world: Relevant, contemporary, widely-debated, ambiguous and

evolving with no simple answers e.g. disturbing trends incontemporary film, literature texts or socio-historical or politicaldevelopments.2. Multiple points of view: Identify the stakeholders. There should be apractical slant/link to Singapore societyOR to a specific academiccommunity.3. Practical: There SHOULD be existing academic literature/research inthe field pertaining to your area of interest and there should be theavailability ofsubstantial information/data for collection/mining.4. Multi-faceted and Significant: You have to ask questions about thingsthat matter. You also have to consider the arguments of others andcontribute your personal perspective and original thinking..


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Many thanks to Mediacorp Channel News Asia 2010

BreakfastwithCEOs27thOctober2010

Outlining/StoryboardingI. IntroductionII. Literature Review/ Theoretical Scaffoldinga. Author Ab. Author Bc. Author CIII. Key Issuea. Identifying Gaps in Literatureb. Real world ImplicationsIV. Outlining the Problem/ Data CollectionV. Analysis and EvaluationVI. ConclusionVII. Future Areas for Research/Extension Having an outline like this helps to ensure overall

coherence/persuasiveness & enables you to chart yourprogress satisfactorily.


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Tommie ChenSenior Consultant CorporateCommunications

[email protected]

Thank You for Your Kind Attention.Any Q uestions?

1201250011538285_p-day cat 2 (briefing) 19 jan 2012

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