Senior Capstone Practicum Proposal Form 2016-17

Student Name: Joey Koenig

Period: 1

Research Topic: The common desensitization in our society, on part of all forms of media, causing a
sharp decline in empathetic humans.
Research Question: What is to blame, within our own sense of judgment, for such a change in our
human to human interaction? (a look at the psychology behind it all)
Thesis Statement: With a clear shift in our perception of violence, how has desensitization to the
media played a clear part in this, and should we go back to our more primitive emotions if possible?
Description of Practicum: My practicum will involve mainly footage that coincides with what topic
Im explaining (whether it be film or medieval Europe), as well as interviews from (hopefully) a
psychology teacher and movie goers. I will also show statistics, as well as collecting my own. I will be
talking about how the media has altered our biological makeup, resulting in less empathetic people
who are not bothered by violence etc. (all the things that make us human fading away). I will be
creating a documentary with interviews from people, asking about movies/tv/media. My
documentary will also consist of going back and explaining how our older ways of the media have
evolved and are all connected, resulting in what we see on tv/film/news today (The past is important
in establishing the future). Looking at the past also helps me to establish a relatively clear starting
point for when we might have begun to change our way of thinking due to it.
How will your research be evident in your practicum?
The research I collected that proved most beneficial was in the statistics and other differing
experiments on aggressive behavior. I will most likely include this data and information in order to
prove certain points throughout my practicum. Another group of research which might prove
helpful is in the number of historical background I collected on the medias growth and change
from, the ancient egyptian times to present day. I will use this information as background when
establishing how the media is involved in my topic.
What steps will you take to begin your practicum and how will you document each and every step
for completing your product (journal, blog, video blog, etc.).

Prepare my questions for all the people I intend to interview (Psych Teacher/Movie goers)
-Questions for teacher being about science behind psychology and questions for
moviegoers being about the type of movies they like/why etc.
Prepare how Im going to section off my documentary
-open with the past history of media or jump around in order of relevance
-overlying theme must tie everything together at beginning and end
Film my interviews
Collect excess footage for background of video
-shots of movie theaters/tv/people/internet
-usage of stock footage of inner workings of the brain/technology/printing/early Europe
Plan of what Im going to say in my voice overs and then eventually record them

How will you display your final practicum in your digital portfolio? (Pictures, videos, screencasts,
etc)
My entire practicum will be shown within a documentary-esque style of filming, showcasing
every important aspect of my topic in order to help the viewer understand the concept.

What do you hope to learn during this process?

During this process I hope to learn more about the main steps toward a desensitized society,
however I feel I already have a diverse knowledge on the subject at hand. Thus my main goal is to
help others learn about such a phenomena, and whether or not we can either chose to remain the
way we are, or grow from what we have learned. Again, although I do know much about this topic, I
would be interested in gaining more insight on the inner workings of film, and how it could play
into our loss of empathy.
Student Signature: Joey Koenig
Date: 16-12-16
Teacher Signature ___Colleen Cunningham_____________ Date ____Dec 21 2016_____
Accepted As-Is ___XX____

Accepted With Modifications ____________