In class this week, the professor divided us into 6 groups for an advanced discussion with the professor.
I begin by describing the general direction of my thesis：
Through the use of animation, I want to merge the histories and cultures of other nations and peoples.Promoting each nation’s rich cultural heritage is the goal. I think that animation, one of the most well-liked forms of communication among young people, has the power to capture their interest through its quick spread. Teenagers nowadays are negatively impacted by the dry text in books, but when they are exposed to graphics and words that have sound, their attention is intensely concentrated.
After hearing the content of my paper, the panelists made a few suggestions：
1.The thesis’s topic is too wide, therefore I was encouraged to focus on a specific nation or country and do a thorough analysis and study of its history and culture.
2.Many contemporary animated films are inspired by mythological histories from different cultures, including Celtic mythology, Japanese ghost stories, Chinese Liaozhai, and the British King Arthur legend. This is because the ambiguity of mythological history gives creators more room for imagination and speeds up the creative process while avoiding many issues with historical objectivity. They believed that the distinction between legendary history and actual history was the topic I should address in my thesis.
3.Consider Hollywood movies: although heavily referencing the history and culture of other nations in their production, they nonetheless have an overtly American-centric hero-centric storyline that doesn’t precisely fit with the background material. I should consider how to approach this issue in my upcoming exploration.
These three crucial inquiries will be covered by me in the coming weeks. After giving it some thought, I decided to focus my studies in China since I am Chinese and also because the country has a rich history and culture, but there aren’t many animation works there and there’s a lot of potential for growth.