UGS 303: Visual History / Burrowes

Before you choose a topic, you need to search the literature. You want to avoid:

• Overly broad topics (you are not writing a book)
• Obscure topics (there is nothing written about the topic and no one arguing about it so there's nowhere for you to enter the conversation)

Use these resources to learn more about your topic - more about the films and filmmakers you are studying. 

Suggested process: 

1) Broad topic:

(Daughters of the Dust, film directed by Julie Dash)

2) Search for background information about my topic (see below for some suggestions) - What are people saying about my topic?

(Gullah, migration, emancipation, feminism) 

3) Identify scholarly conversations. Who is talking about my topic? What terms do experts use to talk about your topic?

(film history and criticism, women and gender studies, black studies) (Diaspora, antebellum, body politic, black feminism, intersectionality)

4) Think about an open ended question you have about your topic, or list some promising avenues to pursue.

(How does Daughters of the Dust address the woman's role in black families?)

You may open this image in a new tab to see it larger - the parts I have highlighted in yellow are good ways to limit your search.