Idea and topic developement 1

Subject guarantor:

Vít JANEČEK

Name of lecturer(s):

Vít JANEČEK

Learning outcomes of the course unit:

Course, which take place once in 14 days, aims to begin and develop topic for student´s thesis.

Mode of study:

Seminar.

Prerequisites and co-requisites:

Students are to bring at least three ideas which hold their interest and which they would like to consider in a reflective manner. Students are to also bring three films which they consider as crucial from some personal viewpoint, which they find are not examined enough in public space (it can be short film, whole length fiction or documentary).

Students are not expected to bring formulated topics, for example (just some broader tips):

filmmakers or other artists of their interest (for monographical topics), some typically problematic elements which might be commented on (e.g. directing children, relation of cinema and social topics, inner time of narration in certain period etc.) or historical phenomena to reflect on (e.g. certain periods within the national cinema of the country where the student comes from, specifics of development of art cinema support in some country etc.)

Students are to bring at least three ideas which hold their interest and which they would like to consider in a reflective manner. Students are to also bring three films which they consider as crucial from some personal viewpoint, which they find are not examined enough in public space (it can be short film, whole length fiction or documentary).

Students are not expected to bring formulated topics, for example (just some broader tips):

filmmakers or other artists of their interest (for monographical topics), some typically problematic elements which might be commented on (e.g. directing children, relation of cinema and social topics, inner time of narration in certain period etc.) or historical phenomena to reflect on (e.g. certain periods within the national cinema of the country where the student comes from, specifics of development of art cinema support in some country etc.)

Recommended optional programme components:

Finding a topic for a thesis is a kind of variation on finding a topic for a film. Students should continuously pay attention to this seemingly distant task.

Course contents:

Course contents:

1. Methodology of writing thesis + consequences for finding/formulating the topic.

2. Topic development.

3. Two final outputs:

a) a topic for a thesis, which will be developed further in the Thesis seminar

b) a topic for presentation within pedagogical practicum Watching films (in the Spring term), where students of CDM are in position of presenters/teachers for audience consisting of students of other programmes.

Recommended or required reading:

Study materials will be given within the course, nonetheless I recommend several short, but useful links from other schools:

http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~wricntr/documents/Thesis.html

http://www.srjcwritingcenter.com/essays/thesis/thesis.html

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/ac_paper/develop.shtml

Planned learning activities and teaching methods:

After an introductory methodological part students will be asked to present their tips (formulated above in prerequisites) and those which appear to have good potential will be subject to testing and development.

Assessment methods and criteria:

Students are allowed to have a maximum of 1 absence (as the subject take place only once every 14 days) and to participate with their feedback also in their schoolmates topics.

Each student have to bring at least three ideas for potential topics and three tips for widely unknown films, which he or she intends to present. (The best case is some connection between these two entities).

Students will write one analytical essay (min. three pages) and at the end will formulate (min. four pages) a topic for their thesis including methodological approach, literature and potential structure (or at least hypothesis and way of approaching it).

Course web page:

Note:

Schedule for winter semester 2013/2014:

	06:00–08:0008:00–10:0010:00–12:0012:00–14:0014:00–16:0016:00–18:0018:00–20:0020:00–22:0022:00–24:00
Mon
Tue
Fri
Thu
Fri

Date	Day	Time	Tutor	Location	Notes	No. of paralel
		10:40–12:15	JANEČEK V.		FAMU Studio, room 324	přednášková par. 1

Schedule for summer semester 2013/2014:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

The subject is a part of the following study plans:

• Cinema and Digital Media - Cinematography (qualification subject)
• Cinema and Digital Media - Screenwriting (qualification subject)
• Cinema and Digital Media - Directing (qualification subject)