Abstracts of Project Reports / Dissertations/ Thesis by
Dr. Chandrasekharan Praveen
as on February 2018
1.
Literary Criticism vis-à-vis The Media
Project work submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for the Post Graduate Diploma in English
Studies (PGDES) to the Central Institute of English & Foreign
Languages, Hyderabad, 1989.
Supervisor DR R Amritavalli, 26 Pages
Abstract
Literary Criticism is a
means to an end-“a finer discriminating communication”. But only a direct palpable confrontation with the text
can result in good literary appreciation. In this respect the Media has a major role to play.
This project pursues the role.
My tryout with audio
materials based on literature proved my hypothesis that the Media can help students appreciate literature better.
Summary of Chapters
The first chapter deals mainly with the topic under discussion-Literary
Criticism vis-à-vis the Media. The scope of the New Media in literary appreciation is the topic dealt with
in the second chapter. The third chapter tries to show how screen adaptation of
literary texts can itself be an activity in literary criticism. And in the last
chapter the conclusions based on the
comments the students offered after the
try outs are given.
2. Genre Study: British Radio Drama
Dissertation submitted
in partial fulfilment of the
requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in English Language &
Literature to the University of Kerala, 1994.Supervisor DR K.Radha, 86
Pages
Abstract
British Radio Drama is a
major source of dramatic writing. Notable dramatists like Tom Stoppard and John
Mortimer started their career as radio
playwrights. Leading dramatists like Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter have
shown a very special devotion to radio
drama. Yet , many consider radio drama to be artistically inferior and ignore
it altogether. Genology is one area of Comparative literature that will
enable us to understand and appreciate
the merits of a significant genre like British Radio Drama.
This dissertation
attempts to examine the generic features
of British Radio Drama through a
comparative study of acclaimed stage plays and
radio plays of two famous British playwrights.
Summary of Chapters
The introductory chapter
makes an attempt at an exposition of
Genology. It also dwells on the nature of radio drama. Chapter 2 traces the
evolution of British Radio Drama with an emphasis on technical developments.
Chapter 3 analyses the stage play End
Game and the radio play All That
Fall both by Samuel Beckett to elicit the generic features of radio drama.
Chapter 4 examines the stage play The Dumb Waiter and the radio play Family Voices both by Harold Pinter to
elicit the generic features of radio drama. The concluding chapter outlines the
generic features of British Radio Drama and affirms its unique artistic value.
3. Honing Human Rights
In The L2 Classroom : Pedagogical
Possibilities Using
Films- A Project Report submitted in partial
fulfilment of
the requirements of the XXXIst Refresher Course
in English for
University/College teachers to the UGC Academic
Staff College,
University of Kerala, Trivandrum from
9th to
30th April 2007. 34 Pages
Abstract
Developing an
understanding about Human Rights Documents, and an awareness of Human Rights
institutions and mechanisms of protection have become especially significant in
the 21st century. Several classroom strategies have hitherto been
employed to practice and experience
Human Rights behaviour. Usually topics on Human Rights is introduced through
printed materials such as text books. Given the fact that, the present
generation of learners are more
accustomed to watching films to reading, this project attempts to tap
film clippings and sessions in the English classroom to introduce students to Human Rights issues.
It is hoped that such a strategy would make the transaction part of Human Rights Education both interesting
and effective.
4.
Revivifying Communicative English
Materials: Adapting Feature Films
Thesis Submitted to the
Kannur University for the Degree
of Doctor of Philosophy in English
Language and Literature,2009. Supervisors Dr. C.P.Sivadasan (Late) & Prof M. Dasan, 156+196 Pages & CD-ROM
Abstract
English teachers in India are fairly good at using text-based materials
for teaching Communicative English. But experienced teachers know that
text-based materials now being used for
teaching Communicative English lack the
power to fully motivate learners of
English.
Compared to text-based materials,
feature films have several advantages that help in language learning. Further,
the learners of today, we know, are in
the habit of watching films and they
prefer watching films to reading. But the use of feature film material for
teaching continues to be very limited. This study, as the title suggests, aims
at:
·
Identifying appropriate
film clips from select feature films for teaching Communicative English.
·
Evolving an easy-to-use
strategy for adapting feature films for
Communicative Language Teaching.
The introductory chapter
presents the background of the research and makes mention of the significance
of the investigation. The research proceeds on the following hypotheses:
·
Film-based materials are more
interesting than text-based
Communicative English materials.
·
The film has greater scope for eliciting responses
than text-based materials in the Communicative English classroom.
The introductory chapter also spells out the research procedure --
the fifteen stages through which it
achieves its twin objectives of
identifying appropriate film clips for teaching Communicative English and evolving an easy-to-use strategy for adapting
feature film for teaching Communicative English.
Chapter Two is a review of Communicative Language Teaching (CLT). The investigator attempts to place CLT in a proper perspective with reference to its linguistic background,
its goal of communication and its
special pedagogic approach. What emerges from the review is the fact that CLT has a solid linguistic
background especially with reference to communication. It however concludes with the finding that the materials
used for CLT tends to vary from region to region and teachers of CLT have at
their disposal a variety of communicative tasks to be employed depending on the classroom size, learner competence and learning objectives.
In Chapter Three, a
review of related literature is undertaken with special focus on the advantages
of using the film for instruction, language teaching and communication. Several
advantages of the use of film are mentioned, affirming the fact
that, films are richer than most text types and they have the unique advantage
of presenting paralinguistic features
which help reinforce language use. The review also highlights the fact
that, basically films can be
employed for instruction in two ways: First, by manipulation of the technical
aspects of the film and second, through
the film content which includes plot and character. The review also throws
light on a variety of techniques of
using films hitherto attempted by
practising teachers which include among others, prediction, speculation and
tasks to activate the learner’s schemata.
Chapter Four addresses issues
related to adaptation of films for CLT
with special reference to Linguistics, Culture and Semiotics. While the prime
focus has been on editing out film clips for CLT, the fact that
film is a different medium unlike the printed textbook has not been overlooked. So the aspects
related to Linguistics, Culture and Semiotics have been given due
consideration. The criteria hitherto followed
for using films for instruction have been looked into and issues related to adaptation have been
dealt with meticulously. In identifying and editing out appropriate film clips,
the problems likely to arise with reference to language, culture and semiotics
have been squarely dealt with by the investigator. Special care has been taken
by the investigator to choose film
clips which are appropriate in terms of
language use and culture. Care has also been taken to see that
the meaning the film clips convey does not in any way create problems in the performance of the CLT
tasks.
Chapter Five is devoted to illustrating one of the objectives of the study viz; evolving an
easy-to-use strategy for adapting feature films. It states how the film-based
materials have been chosen and how they have been graded. The rationale for
using Response Sheets, the procedure for using films, the role of learners and
the teacher are also mentioned. The chapter also provides information about the
special features of the edited film clips --
its quality, its duration, the nature of its content, the type of
Communicative task and the proposed strategy for testing each of the six edited out
film clips.
Chapter Six deals with the tryout
of the film clips and analysis of the student responses and feedback received
from both the students and the teachers. Information about the participants of
the study, the tools employed, the
nature of CLT tasks, its rationale and the procedure for conducting the study
is dealt with in detail. The chapter mentions how the film clips were tested
initially through a Pilot Study which was recorded on video. It states how the satisfactory performance
of the learners in the Pilot Study prompted the testing of the materials on the
two levels of learners--Higher Secondary and Under Graduate. Details about the
procedure followed for testing the effect of the film clips on performance of
the communicative tasks by pairs of learners of two levels are also furnished.
A major part of the chapter dwells on the criteria followed for
evaluation of the responses, interpretation of the scores and statistical
analysis of the results which helped the investigator to arrive at conclusions.
Sample responses for different CLT tasks are also included to provide an idea
about the nature of the student response.
Chapter Seven, the concluding chapter, presents the results of the study,
the pedagogical implications and the
precautions to be followed by teachers who wish to use film clips for
developing the communicative competence of learners. The last part of the chapter deals with the
limitations of the study and provides suggestions for further research.
Six film clips with an
element of interest and sufficient contextual clues have been identified and its use shows that it has greater scope for language
learning than ordinary textbooks in the Communicative English classroom. The
study has also shown that film clips can be interesting than text-based
materials and that they have the potential for eliciting responses and serve as palpable motivators for
language use in the CLT classroom.
This research project has achieved its objective of identifying
appropriate film clips and has also
suggested an easy-to-use strategy for adapting feature films. Above all, it has
opened up a number of areas on which research related to film-based materials
can be conducted.
5. Shockvertising-A
Minor Reception Study
A Project Report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Special Summer School for
University/College teachers to the
UGC
Academic Staff College,
University of Kerala, Trivandrum in July-August 2014. 24 Pages
Abstract
Most
of us are familiar with humourous advertisements that attract our attention.
But often we stumble upon another type of advertisement that disturbs or shocks
us. ‘Schockvertising’ is the technical term used to refer to
advertisements that are designed to shock and create controversy. But for leading advertisement firms, use of such audacious method is nothing new or uncommon.
How
do people, particularly youngsters
perceive such advertisements? Do people in the West and in our own
State, Kerala, God’s Own Country,
perceive them the same way? What kind of impressions do such shocking
advertisements leave on the minds of viewers? The data related to these
questions were collected by the author from two sources : a Survey on randomly selected students who have
completed their Post Graduation and an analysis of impressions recorded on a
website by viewers.
This Project will provide information on
advertisements and also give a
detailed description of Print versions of different kinds of shocking
advertisements now available on the Internet.
Based on the impressions recorded
by viewers, conclusions are drawn
followed by an analysis. It is hoped that the study would
sensitize us to the changing values and
perception of our own society.
6. AN
APPRECIATION OF BERNARD ROSE’S ADAPTATION OF ANNA KARENINA- submitted in partial
fulfillment of the requirements of the Seven Day International Workshop
on Film Appreciation organized by the School of Distance Education, University
of Kerala, 19-25 February 2018.
Abstract
Adapting the story of one of the greatest heroine’s in
Literature can be a challenge
even for the smartest film
director. Yet many film makers
have willingly accepted the challenge and have created
visual narratives of
Leo Tolstoy’s master piece, ANNA KARENINA
which continues to be perceived as one
of the finest love stories ever written.
This study is an appreciation of the 1997 US film directed
by Bernard Rose with Sophie Marceau in
the role of Anna Karenina. In appreciating the film, the investigator examines how Bernard Rose has exploited mise-en-scene viz; actors, lighting, décor, props, costume, music
etc. and used film techniques like montage to create symbolism and evoke
impressions which helps transform a film
into a work of art.
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