This session continued to focus on potential research topics, strategies and resources. This session also worked as a revision of the topics covered so far, including research questions, literature reviews, academic structure and how to prepare for the draft literature review assignment.
A key part of the session was revisiting the draft literature review assignment. The assignment asks us to develop a research question or problem, write a short research objective, produce a draft literature review and include a bibliography of academic sources. This is intended to test the potential of the FMP thesis topic and create a foundation for the later thesis proposal.
We also looked again at how to structure a literature review. A literature review should not just describe sources one by one. It should organise research around key topics or concepts, compare authors’ positions, and explain how the sources support the wider argument. The resource also reminded us to be selective, synthesise and evaluate the literature, and use topic sentences to guide the reader through the discussion.
The session also introduced writing introductions. An introduction should explain what the research is about, why it matters, and how the study will approach the topic. The resource explains that an introduction should provide topic and context, focus and scope, relevance, aims and objectives. This helped me understand that the introduction is like a roadmap for the thesis. It should prepare the reader for the argument and make the research direction clear from the beginning.
For my own FMP thesis, this means I need to introduce the topic carefully without making the subject too wide. My current research question is: How can stylised 3D animation represent the contrast between media narratives of war and the lived experience of civilians affected by conflict?
This question gives me a clear direction, but I still need to refine the scope. I should explain why this topic matters, what kind of animation examples I might analyse, and how the research connects to my practical FMP work.
Another useful point from the session was the importance of integrating research properly. The resource on integrating research reminds us that research should not be added randomly into writing, but should support the argument and help develop the discussion. This is important because I need to use academic sources to build my argument, rather than only relying on my personal opinion or visual ideas.
Week 7 helped me understand how all the previous sessions connect together. Defining the research question, building the literature review, integrating sources and writing the introduction are all part of the same process. My next step is to continue collecting academic sources and begin shaping my draft literature review around clear themes that support both my thesis and my practical FMP animation.