Dissertation proposal

DHTP Dissertation Proposal Part 1



We have produced a template for your dissertation proposal, a copy of which is reproduced below. The sections relate closely to the work you did in Level 2 where you investigated a topic by doing a literature search, and using primary research methods such as observations and experiments.


Submission deadline for the final proposal: 5 pm Wed 1 December 2010 - submit via email to your supervisor and to Safe Assignment on the VLE


Please download this form from the VLE.


Please save as a word.doc and change the title to your full name, e.g.: John Smith.doc - do not email the proposal without changing the file name.


Sample template


Student Name Sun yi nan


Course Textile design


Supervisor name Andrew Milligan


Email address Y.W.Sun@dundee.ac.uk


Date 26/11/2010


Using the template


Enter your personal details in the box above. The email address will be used by your tutor and others to contact you. You must check this regularly for news on tutorial dates.


Read each heading carefully and type into the text box below.


Email your proposal to your supervisor and load it up on Safe Assignment of the VLE


Total word count: between 250-500 words (excluding bibliography).


Working title (max 25 words)


This should give an outline of your research topic. If appropriate use a title and a subtitle. You don’t have to be too specific at first and you don’t have to word it like a question - but you can if you want.


An exploration of Chinese traditional clothes like Cheongsam and their impact on modern fashion


Summary (max 250 words)


Here you should indicate what you already know about the topic. You should already have done some reading around it. Summarise this reading with regards to the research topic and describe the research area.


Through investigating literature sources intent to exam fabric, culture and Chinese textile design and Its impact on modern fashion. This will include Chinese traditional cultural crafts such as Paper-cutting, painting, calligraphy, music, dance, drama, arts and crafts, cloth and fashion. I will also investigate the characteristics of eastern and western textile design, and globalization to explore their affect on each other and how Chinese traditional dress affect modern fashion. I understand that Culture is broad and complex area can be defined as groups (can be a State, or national, corporate, family), formation of thoughts, ideas, practices, customs and traditions, personalities, and representatives behaviours. And I know fashion is both public and private, material and symbolic, always caught within the lived experience and providing an incredible tool to study culture and history. The most important information in these book is dressing to express national and cultural identity. Different factors can affect the culture of different countries. This is also reflected in the textile design. Such as Indian Antonioni’s films. China has long history and traditional arts heritage. Each age has its own different cultural identities. Local people have a different geographical, ethnic and religious culture that accumulate over thousands. Cheongsam is the representative costume applied in the textile design. Cheongsam also has a great inspiration on Western fashion design. Many Western fashion designer's works have joined the Cheongsam elements. Like Dior.


(Continued over)


Aims: Why are you doing this? (max 100 words)


These are a general statement on the intent or direction for the research – why are you doing this? Refer to theoretical aims and practical ones where relevant. For example: How might this improve your design practice? How does it contribute to the discourses within your discipline? Who else might benefit from your research? Is it aimed at an academic or a wider audience? What do you hope your research will achieve? State your aims concisely.


I want to research this topic because I am very interested in colth and fashion. I am also like Cultural practices in various countries . And it also closely linked with my course. I feel if I can understand it deeply it will improve later design work. When in practice I can learn more about different material and cultural influences through fashion. I think that studying interior design students, product design students and graphic design students can benefit from its colour, pattern, material, skill and so on. My research will target an academic or public audience.


Objectives: What will you produce? (max 100 words)


Objectives are the things you will produce in doing the dissertation, e.g. a review of the relevant literature, a collection and discussion of people’s experiences/opinions, an assessment of a debate or collection of work etc.


Like your aims, these will help your tutor (and you) assess your success. They may change over time but aims and objectives are useful to keep you focussed. Again be concise here – you may want to use bullet points.


I want to let everyone know about a comprehensive review of Chinese traditional costumes . and focusing in a particular type Cheongsam. I will examine the features of Chinese traditional costume and see how it inherits and develops over time and how it affects contemporary fashion. I think that traditional things and modern things have important comparative qualities that will allow me to understand how these interact. I find this research area very interesting.






Keywords (min 5 and max 10)


This should be a list of key terms that help us see if you are aware of where your research ‘sits’. For example, if you are writing on depictions of women in advertising your list might include ‘gender, feminism, representation, advertising, semiotics’. Keywords will help you when doing electronic searched for research materials.


Chinese traditional dress, Culture, fabric,western fashion, Globalization, textile design,






Annotated Bibliography (min of 12 books, articles, websites)


Place here alphabetically a list of materials which you intent to use for you dissertation. Format these according to the Harvard Method!


Please make sure you have critically assessed these as being appropriate for your topic and write a short paragraph for each one summarising the content and its relevance to your research area.


Agins, T(1999) The end of fashion. New York. HarperCollins. It told us how marketing changed the clothing business forever.






Clark, H (1999) The Cheongsam. England. Penguin Group. This book talk about Chinese Cheongsam during Qing dynasty.






Clark, J (1994) The face of Fashion. England. Milton Park. It is mentioned something about modern fashion.






Craik,J(1994) The face of fashion. London and New York. Routledge. It is talk about Cultural studies in fashion.






Clark,H(2000) Modernisy at large. London. University of Minnesota Press. Cultural demensions of globalization.






Eugenia,P(2009) and Hazel C(2009) The Fabric of Cultures. USA. Routledge. This book in 11 chapter talk about the fashioning China style in the 21s century. It is really helpful for my research.






Gao, H (1992) Chinese textile design. London. Penguin group. It is talk about history of Chinese textile design, like skills.






Goodrum, A (2005) The national fabric. Oxford. Berg. This book talk about fashion and globalization.






In the mood for love, 2000,[Film] Directed by Kar Wai Wong， China. The film shows different beauty about women when they wearing Cheongsam.






Scheffer,Y.M.(1994) The changing map of European textile. It is talk about production and sourcing of textile and clothing.






Shanghai website, 2002,New York’s shanghai Tang will do for all things Chinese What Ralph Lauren’s clothing and accessories did for Americans. http://www.goodnewsbroadcast.com/shanghaiTang.html ( accessed November 22, 2002)






Steele,V, and Haas,K(1995) China Chic. London. Yale University Press. This book talk about East meets West.