Assignment Instructions: "Community" – An Interdisciplinary Perspective.

this assignment will ask you to take an interdisciplinary, broad, perspective and analyze the broader concept of "Community" through another lens, specifically, that of the arts. i.e., Art, Film, and Music.

You are asked to write a critical analysis of a specific piece of art, e.g., a documentary film, a play, or a song, and discuss and analyze how the artist / director / songwriter perceives and presents the concept of "Community" through their particular work.

• For example, as mentioned in your textbook, John Mellencamp, in his song "Small Town", sings about the positive virtues of living in a small town, while Paul Simon, in his song "My Little Town," takes a darker view (Beaulieu and Israel, pg 170). Note, do not use these previous examples for your selected work.

The intent of this paper is to use the critical thinking skills you've developed from writing your Thought Stances and applying them to an analysis of how the artists’ view "Community."

Here are some examples of how to approach and begin this project–these are only suggestions, as you may approach this as you see fit, within the parameters of the guidance below:

1. Google the term artivism. Research a particular art activist, briefly study his or her background and then locate a work that you believe represents their perspective of "Community". Discuss and analyze the work of art from what you've learned about community. Do you agree or disagree with the artist's interpretation? Why or why not?

2. Go to youtube.com. Search for short documentaries using terms such as "rural America", "inner city" or "poor America." View the documentary and then write a critical analysis discussing how the director/writer approaches the topic. Do you agree or disagree with their interpretation or stand? Why or why not?

3. Go to youtube.com and do the same as above, but for a song (any genre). You could also compare two songs or two musical groups and how they approach the idea of "Community." You should keep your focus here on "Community" themes and not analyze a purely "political / protest" song for your paper; although, you could use a political/protest song, IF AND ONLY IF, it has a "Community" theme and you discuss it in this context.

Assignment Assessment Guidance:

I will be looking for creativity in how you approach your selected topic and will also focus my assessment on how well you present your comprehension and application of the course concepts in the analysis of your topic.

Length and Format: 3 – 5 (three-five) double-spaced pages, 12-point font, APA Style Manual. Do not overlook the required use of this established Style Manual for proper grammar, syntax and formatting.