Digital Media Cultures - 1st Day Back

As it always is with the modules, the first lecture back after Christmas is an introduction and a chance to catch up. A lot of information was said in this lecture and I made a fair few notes too; things about or work this year, the dissertation next year, student support with essay writing, and so on.

First we had a quick chat about our essay that we recently got the results for. I have to say that I am somewhat dissapointed in myself about my result because I really tried hard and thought I had done everything in my power to reach a high 2.1 or even a 1st. But this didn't happen; just scraping a 2.1 was not how I expected things to turn out. Keith reassured me that my mark is a very good one and he even went through my essay with me to explain where I went wrong. Before having the conversationg with Keith I was really beating myself up about the result; but now I see what I need to do and I can improve for the next assigment that we have.

Improving is something that I really want to do throughout university and Keith mentioned a really useful person to talk to and take work to if need be. I am going to look in to contacting the student support next time I need help because, well, I am paying for it after all!

Back to whats happening now. Our next assignment is due in on the 11th February; it is a group piece of work and will be 2000 words. We work in a 4 but divide in to two pairs for the work. One pair does a report and one pair does a dissertation, both 1000 words long. I don't mind the sounds of this, it does seem pretty straight forward.

After discussing briefly the next assignment, we went on to the subject of our dissertation. Now it is approaching the time when we need to start researching and finding the topic that we would like to use; so Keith gave us all some pointers.

Dissertation Preperation

• Find a few subjects
• Research those areas
• Choose one and read up on that area
• Data research/focus groups/etc

A dissertation should:

• Answer a research question
• Develop a hypothesis
• Test that hypothesis
• Adhere to academic conventions
• Analyse and critically engage with academic literature on specific topics
• Show in depth knowledge of the chosen topic

Choosing a subject:

• Should be decided well in advance, ideally over the summer
• The topic chosen should not be too broad, it needs focus
• There should be extensive reseach for you to build on
• Limit potential problems with ethical clearance
• Choose something that interests you!

Dissertations should focus on one or two major points.

Stay away from media affects.

Plan an effective strategy - effective management is essential. Set a timetable.

Think of a phenomena or dilemma that you wish to address.

My Reflection

I got a confidence boost from this lecture because I went in thinking that I had done so bad on the essay but really I had done pretty well. I know now what I need to do for the next assignment and that is to time manage and to make sure what I am saying has focus.

I also learned a lot about the dissertation which I previously didn't know and this lecture has shown me that I need to start looking now for a topic of I want to get an early handle on things. Overall I feel a lot better about written work than I have done up to now; I feel like if I just stick to a plan and make a timetable for my work then everything will go smoothly!

You Learn Something New Everyday

There is nothing wrong with a 2.1!

Speak Soon!