What is research?

I've always like to read the We Are OCA weekend emails and often find items included that really interest me and relate to my learning struggles.  Although I'm not studying advertising I find that the items regarding the theory behind adverts is fascinating.  The latest WeAreOCA on advertising can be found HERE

Last weekend's bulletin (March 5th) included an item which highlighted a subject that I find most difficult - that of research and how to go about it.   OCA Course Leader Rebecca Fairley explains what research in the Creative Arts is all about.  You can read her article  HERE.  Her recommendation was to:

Look. Think. Write.

Look. Think. Draw.

Think about your thinking.

I think this is essential reading for me as, although working in further education and gaining a marketing and further education teaching diploma, I'm sadly lacking in researching adequately and being able to write a critical review almost kills me.  I put it off as long as possible and use every excuse under the sun to leave it until the last possible moment.  My assignment 4 critical review in Progressing with Digital Photography was not received well and I lost even more confidence.  I've read all the stuff issued by the OCA support group but it still sits uneasily with me.  So I have high hopes that I can get rid of the 'elephant in the room' by reading and inwardly digesting Rebecca's article.

Definitions for Project 2 / Assignment 2

Definitions

Metaphor - noun

The definition of a metaphor is "a figure of speech containing an implied comparison, in which a word or phrase ordinarily and primarily used of one thing is applied to another. For example, "the curtain of night" or "all the world's a stage". http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/metaphor   

Allegory – An allegory is a story with two levels of meaning. First, there's the surface of the story; the characters and plot and all that obvious stuff. Then there's the symbolic level, or the deeper meaning that all the jazz on the surface represents.

The symbolic meaning of an allegory can be political or religious, historical or philosophical. Allegories are kind of like massive metaphors, but they usually come in narrative form—that is, they're told through stories. http://www.shmoop.com/literature-glossary/allegory.html

Out of action for a month

I had a hard time over the past 4 weeks due to my husband needing an op in early February and needing looking after since. He looks much better and I can now pack away my nurse's uniform and get back to my usual attire 

I've got my second assignment ready to get approval from my tutor and have already been planning what pictures and other media I can incorporate to succeed. 

Definitions of words and phrases during Project One

Definition - denotation and connotation

"Denotation is the literal meaning of the word or image, Connotation is the association (emotional or otherwise) which the word or image evokes in a particular viewer.  This will largely depend on cultural factors like race, education, political stance, etc.  An example of this is Dorothea Lange's image of a migrant mother.  This powerful image denotes despair, hopelessness and suffering; it connotes that society either doesn't care or had simply forgotten that such people existed and needed help."  Quote from the Gesture & Meaning project book, page 26.

Punctum:

Point or small area in a picture; precise location of something; a spatially limited location.

Barthes definition of Punctum:

The punctum in a photograph are those (accidental) details (often in the background) that provides no explanation but instead creates questions on the surrounding people in those photographs.

Polysemic:

having more than one meaning, multiple meanings.

Canard:

a deliberately misleading fabrication; (n) an unfounded or false deliberately misleading story; a false or baseless usually derogatory story, report or rumour.

Define eugenics

The science of improving a population by controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics.

Reading about Gordon Parks project on segregation in the USA and about eugenics which is based on the idea that some characteristics are ‘better’ than others and that you can improve the human gene pool by encouraging reproduction between people with desirable genetic traits and discouraging reproduction amongst those with less desirable traits. 

From Chapter 4 in course reader: 

Phrenology

The study of the conformation of the skull based on the belief that it is indicative of mental faculties and character

Physiognomy

The art of determining character or personal characteristics from the form or features of the body, especially of the face.

Objectification

In social philosophy, objectification means treating a person as a thing, without regard to their dignity.

Addendum to Definitions

When I'm working through these exercises and assignments in the module Gesture & Meaning I know I'll come across words and phrases that I don't recognise.  I've decided to put them all in this section as a way of refreshing my memory.   I'll update the post as I find new words so there won't be a huge number of posts, just one but added to as and when necessary.

This was a major problem when I started on the Landscape module as there were so many words and phrases that I just didn't understand and would never use in normal conversation, let alone an arty conversation.  Plus Landscape was not my strongest subject and the first project was so dry, it was unbelievable.

I'm glad I made the effort to change over to G&M as it has stimulated me to work hard to get on.

Recommended reader

Good job I managed to get hold of a reasonable priced course reader as, when I read through the whole of project 1, I found that there were two passages that I needed to read fairly soon. 
At one time course readers were automatically included in the box of goodies you received once you had paid for the module.  Now, even though you are expected to study passages, you have to pay extra and sometimes the recommended books are not cheap, even as second hand.

Recommended books

Why is it that the books the OCA recommend to accompany the course are never cheap.  Up until my last module, L2 Progressing with Digital Photography, a course reader was always supplied with the module manual.  Now it seems that you need a course reader but you have to buy it yourself and they are never cheap even with Amazon used.

For Gesture & Meaning I need to have;

Wells, Liz (2009) Photography: a Critical Introduction (4th edition). Abingdon: Routledge, this is an essential part of this course.

If you’ve studied photography at Level 1, you may already have a copy of Clarke, Graham (1997) The Photograph: A Visual and Cultural History. Oxford

Answers on me having both readers is no, I didn't received these books so have to purchase them.  I've already paid nearly £900 for the landscape module, then another £250 to transfer to this course and now I have to get two books for a total of nearly £30. 

Well, I've ordered them so hopefully they'll be here fairly soon.  Now it's time to get on with Project 1.  I've got a new Nikon 1 v2 with a prime lens and a zoom lens so can nip about the town to get some images to illustrate exercise 1.