Papers/Projects

• 
  

  REQUIRED DISCUSSION POSTS

  There are six required discussion posts. The first must be completed before the second week of class to demonstrate participation. The other assignments may be completed any time prior to 8:00 AM Central on Monday, August 6.The recommended completion dates are one per week.NOTE: If you have not read the plagiarism statement on the left hand menu, stop and do so. When you submit your second discussion assignment you are also acknowledging having read the statement and are responsible for understanding its contents.Instructions: Follow the “Discussions” link on the menu, open and read the appropriate assignment, and post your response by adding a thread.
  Grading: The first discussion is required to show participation during the first week. Each other discussion is worth two points for a total of ten points toward your course grade Full credit will be given to those that are at least 50 words in length, are written with minimal distractions regarding style and grammar, stay on topic, and successfully address the chosen prompt. Keep in mind that these are not intended to be research assignments beyond basic information provided by the textbook. Instead they are exercises in personal reactions to subject matter.

• 
  

  WRITING ASSIGNMENT – 20 POINTS

  Deadline: 8:00 AM Monday, August 6.May be submitted any time prior to the deadline. OverviewThis assignment requires you to identify, describe, and analyze some work of visual art significant to your location or some place you have lived previously. The format of the assignment must be typed and double-spaced, must correspond with the list of questions below, and be submitted through the link below. The length is determined by thoroughly responding to each question. The final word count is not likely to be fewer than 500 words.TopicPick any interesting work of art in the region where you currently live, or some place you have lived in the past. “Region” can be a state, the South, a country, an area where they speak a common language or share a common culture, etc. In other words, it’s fairly broadly defined.The work you choose should be available for the public to see. It can be a work in a museum or gallery, a significant work of architecture, or a public monument. The project must be in your own words. The first part is the only one that invites you to look up information. Everything else should reflect your own thought process."Art" is understood as coming from human imagination and craft. In other words, do not choose natural objects that have no application of human skill.QuestionsYour paper should clearly distinguish your answers. It is best to simply number your responses, and add nothing that does not belong in that section.1. What work have you chosen and where is it? How old is it? Who is responsible for it? Provide relevant details about the medium/materials. Say exactly what sources were used for this information.2. Provide a detailed description of the work. Assume your reader has not seen it, and you are trying to recreate it in their minds as accurately as possible.3. Explain why you were drawn to this work.4. Provide an analysis of the work. This should include a thesis statement and illustration or evidence to support that statement. This should be your longest answer. An analysis can be many things. Sometimes it is looking for some meaning in the work (what is someone trying to say?), but it might also be a process of looking at how parts make up awhole. It might be a matter of looking at the larger context, how the work reflects the culture or historical period it belongs to (or contradicts those). It can also be viewed within the context of an artist’s other works. The voice presentations under Lessons 4 and 8 are intended to provide samples of analytical approaches.If you find it easiest to compare the work to something appropriate, that is often a useful technique for building an analysis.CriteriaThese will be graded on the following:1. Organization – the paper should be logically arranged according to the questions provided, with each section well-structured.2. Development – each section should have sufficient and relevant detail and thought.
  3. Clarity – I look at all elements of writing, so the paper should show attention to details like sentence structure, editing, formatting, punctuation, word choice, and tone.4. Subject Matter – the subject of your paper is up to you within the boundaries described, but its significance and depth will help produce a fully developed paper. TNo credit will be given to plagiarized work. See plagiarism statement.