Research Project (MOD002997)

Bridging Project 2025

Introduction

As you complete your Second Year and move into your Final Year at Cambridge School of Art, ARU, we want to introduce you to some areas to start working on over the summer, in anticipation of your module Research Project (MOD002997) in Tri 1 of your Third Year.

By the end of week 2 of your first trimester, you will be asked to submit a very short Research Project Proposal, which is at the end of this document. This Proposal forms the basis of your Research Project, for which you will receive feedback in the first tutorial with your dissertation tutor. Your Image Development (the second element of assessment for Critical Issues and Debates module) has already given us a sense of your aims and interests moving forward, but these can change over the summer. Do not worry if you did not enrol in the Critical Issues and Debates module. The Research Project Proposal allows you to update or inform. us on your thinking!

What is the Research Project?

The Research Project MDF is at the end of this document

The Research Project is your final module for Critical and Contextual Studies at CSA. You can select between two modules in Tri 1 of Third Year: ‘Research Project’, or ‘Working in the Creative Industries’.

For the Research Project, you will focus on identifying and developing research, as well as conducting critical enquiry and reflection into a topic of your own choosing, in order to further underpin, enhance, or contextualise your studio practice. You are also welcome to choose a topic which is different from your studio practice, which you would like to explore solely through the Research Project.

How is the Research Project taught?

This module is 30 credits, it lasts for one Trimester, and is supported by four lectures, four workshops, four individual 30-minute tutorials, a research week extra support, as well as writing spaces and student hours. You are also expected to make full use of Library support, Study Skills Plus support, and DDS support.

This module will give you time and space to identify an individual research topic and question; organize research; identify and evaluate the quality of existing secondary research (bodies of existing literature); apply primary research qualitative and quantitative methods (archive research, critical analysis of visual / audio / material sources, conducting interviews and questionnaires); develop an argument; manage your time; actively engage with tutorial dialogues and feedback; and develop ideas and express them critically through written, visual, and oral outputs.

What do I produce for the Contextual Studies Research Project?

You create a project of 5,000-6,000 words equivalent for your outcome.

We offer different ways of communicating and presenting your work, including a written text, or a Visual Essay, or an Oral Presentation. You will choose the option that suits you best and develop your research based on your chosen form. of communication. If you are not familiar with Visual Essays and Oral presentations, do not worry; workshops and clear guidance will be provided.

What did our graduating Third Years say about the Research Project?

- ‘1 to 1 regular tutorials have been one of the most helpful aspects of this course, with time to discuss updated work etc. Also, the formative assessment was helpful, making sure the essay was started and not left, getting feedback was beneficial to continue writing with better understanding’.

- ‘Tutors went over what was expected of us from the beginning making everything clear’.

- ‘Delivery of the material is engaging and helped me to complete my work effectively. Class activities like reading and lectures / presentations also contributed towards my improved writing’.

- ‘Explanations of the dissertation and ways to approach it have been really useful!’

- ‘The layout of the lectures are very effective for engagement and understanding. Request for constant feedback to the lecturer is great. There is no fear of judgement’.

- ‘The tutors have been very helpful providing clear feedback’.

- ‘Thanks to the academic support provided by ARU, my determination and hard work, I was able to complete my dissertation successfully and gain outstanding grades. I was surprised, but this experience proved that I have the ability to succeed’.

- ‘Dissertation writing felt that it was an insurmountable task. However, with diligence and right support I overcame it and I have learnt writing skills. It has given me the confidence to take on tasks!’.

Things to do over the Summer for Research…

While you are enjoying your holidays, there are some tasks to do even before attending this module in September that help you get ahead of time and lighten your workload during the trimester and achieve a better result for your research project module. This summer research task is also a part of your independent study time, which has been considered in the research project MDF.

Collecting Research

- Create a file on your digital device, with the title ‘Research Project 2025’. Collect all the research you come across about the topic you’re interested in, and store it here. These can be images, screenshots, URLs of interesting online research, journal articles, library resources, exhibitions you’ve visited, and art or design practice you’ve seen or made.

- Create a physical folder that you can collect and store writing, print-outs and paper copies of ideas in with all your notes with the title ‘Research Project 2025’.

- Create a new, private Instagram account or any online image file (Miro, Pintrest, or OneDrive PowerPoint), and collect images, ideas, screenshots and grabs of research ideas to refer to at a later date. Keep adding to this whenever you can!

- Create an excel spreadsheet where you store details of any and all sources that you have read or watched. Make sure to copy all the reference details on that source, and include any notes or thoughts or quotes you have made about that source.

Things to Think About

- Take a look at your Critical Issues and Debates feedback sheet. Did the marker note that your work has good potential to be expanded on for your research project? Would you like to do it? If you would like to work on a different topic, this is absolutely fine. Start thinking about your interests and curiosities.

- Review the Critical Issues and Debates lectures and field trips. Is there a topic you are interested in investigating and exploring further? You can get inspiration from the themes we discussed there.

- What are the major, key themes of your project?

- What might your title look like? What different elements are there?

- Make a list of your favourite writers/ideas/concepts. Where do you fit within it?

- How might your Research Project work relate to the career you want after university?

- What specialist topics have you enjoyed exploring over first and second year at university?

- How might Research Project work relate to, and support, your studio practice?

- How do you enjoy researching? Interviews? Data collection? Historical research? Watching film? Visual analysis?

More Things to Think About

- Think about how your creativity works. What have you learned about yourself as a creative practitioner? Do you enjoy writing? Do you enjoy visual layouts? Do you like discussing your ideas in class? These will all help you consider how you might want to present and communicate your work.

- Reach out to the Third years and ask them to talk about their experiences with you.

- Get ahead! If you think you might benefit from some support from the Disability and Dyslexia Services at ARU, get that sorted before you begin Third Year, to ensure you have all the right support moving forward.

- Related to this, book in some Study Skill support sessions if you would like to have greater confidence about areas such as referencing, research, or writing.

- Make sure you make full use of the library at ARU, both physically, and digitally, so you come back to Third Year with masses of useful and accessible resources!

Research: Watch, Read, Listen, Find, See…

Watch

(1) Find a film, TV series, or documentary that might relate to your topic. Use your own platforms (e.g. Netflix, BBC, etc.) or Box of Broadcasts (BoB) from our wonderful Library Resources,

Reference (use Harvard style):

(2) What three things did you learn from this source?

1.

2.

3.

(3) Was there a standout quotation that you loved? What was it? And why?

Quotation (use Harvard style):

Why?

(4) Are there other films, TV series, or documentaries by the same director or about the same topic? Are there more sources you could use that are related to this?

1.

2.

3.

(5) Did the source change your mind about this topic? How? In what way?

Read

What reading did you enjoy in first or second year?

(1) What was it? (use Harvard style):

(2) Why did you like it then?

(3) Why do you like it now, and why do you think this reading has stayed with you?

(4) If the reading was from a book, find the book online (it might be available to read for free on Library Search, or you could buy it second hand), and read more from it. If the reading was from a journal, read more from that journal. If the reading was by an author you liked the style. of, find more by that author, and read something else by them.

Once you have read more – think about the following points and write something about:

- Style. of writing:

- Use of evidence:

- Argument style.

- Subject matter:

(5) Could you take some of the ideas from this reading to use in your Research Project? If so, which ideas?

Listen

There are a huge range of free podcasts, radio shows, audiobooks, and oral history recordings available to you. Listening to information is often an enjoyable way of absorbing ideas in a more relaxed way. You can access these sources for free via Spotify, the Podcast app, or ARU Library.

Here are some things to listen to:

- British Library Sounds, or the British Library Oral History Project

Listen to the British Library’s collection of sound recordings, which come from all over the world and cover the entire range of recorded sound: music, drama and literature, oral history, wildlife and environmental sounds. The sections on fashion, design and and craft are particularly great!

- In Our Time, BBC

A free, BBC radio series that has been running since 1973. It covers a huge range of historical, cultural, philosophical, and intellectual topics, and has a programme on nearly anything and anyone you can think of!

- Desert Island Discs, BBC

A free, BBC radio interview series that dates back to 1942. Well-known guests have to choose 8 records, a book, plus a luxury item if they were castaway on a desert island. A wonderful series to learn more about people important to your research.

- Design Emergency Podcast

Design curator Paola Antonelli and design critic Alice Rawsthorn, discuss inspiring and ingenious designers whose success in tackling major challenges, gives hope for the future.

- Material Matters Podcast

A great, easy listening podcast, where Grant Gibson talks to a designer, maker, artist or architect about their relationship to a material or technique with which they’re intrinsically linked.

- If Not Now Then When? Podcast

A platform. founded in 2017 to support people entering the creative industries – the podcast was created with the intention ‘to make idols become accessible mentors’. Inspirational!

- Design Matters Podcast

The first podcast about design, which inquires into the broader world of creative culture through conversations with designers, writers, artists, curators, musicians.

(1) Find an audio source you might enjoy listening to that relates to your topic.

Source? (use Harvard style):

(2) Can you summarise what the source is about?

(3) What new information did you learn?

(4) Did the work affect you in any other way?

(5) Did you think of this topic differently than before you listened?

(6) Where the ideas presented convincingly? Why? Be specific:

Find

ARU gives you access to an enormous range of online archives and databases.

Primary research through database and archival research is a brilliant way to discover new ideas, to find fascinating images, and to learn more about the history of your subject.

Here are a few databases and online archives that are particularly worth looking at:

- Archives Unbound

An incredible resource – this database holds digital collections of historical documents organised through subject matter. They cover a broad range of topics from the Middle Ages onwards, from Witchcraft to World War II to twentieth-century political history to LGBTQIA+ material.

- Gale’s Primary Sources

Use this database to search through dozens of historical archives covering hundreds of years of history. In this resource you’ll find monographs, manuscripts, newspapers, maps, and photographs.

- Office for National Statistics

An independent platform, that produces national statisics related to the economy, population and society at national, regional and local levels in the UK. Fascinating and weird stuff buried here!

- Vogue Archive

An archive of American Vogue, from 1892 to the current day, reproduced in high-resolution colour page images. Pages, advertisements, covers and fold-outs are included.

- WGSN

A trend forecasting company founded in 1998 in West London by Julian and Marc Worth, now a global authority on consumer and design trends.

(1) Go through a few of the databases and online archives on ARU’s online database system.

(2) Type in some key words from your topic and see what comes up. Play around with the filters to find interesting material: eg. date, location, type etc.

(3) Locate an image, an article, or text that seems interesting. How does this relate to your research?

(4) Make a list of two databases you might want to use for your Research Project:

See

Exhibitions, galleries and museums are invaluable resources that help to shape and transform. the way we see the world. In Cambridgeshire, you are surrounded by more than 30 museums, all of which have a unique character and collections.

Exhibitions, galleries and museums can be inspiring places, that help us to formulate our own thinking in response to collections, curation and objects.

Over the summer, make sure to visit some exhibitions, galleries and museums, either in and around Cambridge, or in your home town, or on holiday.

Note down some things about them:

(1) What is the exhibition, gallery or museum you visited? And on what date?

(2) What was the key takeaway from the visit?

(3) What surprised or inspired you about it?

(4) Was there one object / display / item, that you found particularly appealing or interesting? What was it? And why?

Here are a few exhibitions, galleries and museums in and around Cambridge that might be useful:

· Botanic Gardens

· Cambridge Contemporary Art

· Cambridge Museum of Technology

· David Parr House

· Fitzwilliam Museum

· Kettle's Yard

· Museum of Cambridge

· Museum of Classical Archaeology

· The Centre for Computing History

· The Heong Gallery in Downing College

· The Women’s Art Collection

· University Museum of Zoology