Essay
Module Exercise 2: A Comparison Essay
Due Monday by 8am Points 125 Submitting a file upload File Types rtf, doc, and docx Available Jun 21 at 8am - Jul 11 at 8am 20 days
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Writing Task:
The examination of identity, both individual and communal, is one that echoes through the history of art. As a contemporary theme in art, however, the idea of identity presents an especially tantalizing and, sometimes, contentious, issue to explore. Perhaps this is because we live in a time in which individual "identity" is increasingly recognized as a complex, multi-layered concept that is shaped, influenced, and constructed from both internal and external influences. Today's artists seek to discover and identify their identities through a variety of means and experiences, which they convey to us through their art. The reading assigned for this module (Chapter 2: Identity in the course textbook) introduces us to many contemporary artists who are exploring identity in ways that are startlingly new and unfamiliar and which introduce audiences to entirely new ways of considering how one can define "identity." This assignment is designed as an exercise in exploring and reflecting on the different ways in which contemporary artists explore "identity" and how artistic expressions can contribute to shaping the identity of viewers.
Assignment Guidelines:
Select a pair of artists from the list below whose work you find to be appealing, intriguing, or which
you find especially provocative with regard to how he or she addresses issues of identity in their work; and
Write an essay in which you discuss how each artist explores "identity" in his/her work by comparing the different formal and conceptual approaches the artists take in creating their art and the purposes they have for it.
You may use additional sources as to support your discussion but you are required to use the course textbook as a primary source of reference for your essay. Be careful to not just reiterate or restate comments made in the text or other sources. Instead, your essay should reflect a thoughtful reflection of and response to the different comments and ideas presented in the textbook about the role of identity in the work of the pair of artists you select.
As you compose your response to this assignment, it's important to consider the fluid nature of identity and the different ethnic, class, gender, cultural, political factors that artists explore and address in their art. A key question for you to reflect on is "How does art and the discussions it introduces to us contribute to the construction of identity."
List of Artist Pairs: Select one pair of artists from the list to use as the focus of your comparative essay:
Nancy Burson and Do Ho Suh
James Luna and Catherine Opie
Shirin Neshat and Carrie Mae Weems
Will Wilson and Kerry James Marshall
Carrie Mae Weems and Lyle Ashton Harris
Ah Xian and Kerry James Marshall
Do Ho Suh and Shirin Neshat
Nancy Burson and Catherine Opie
Hung Liu and Guillermo Gomez-Pena
Successful participation in this module exercise will demonstrate the student's ability to:
Identify and analyze issues and problems relating to contemporary art, artists, and the institutional frameworks in which art is experienced; and
Define, apply, and convey his / her understandings of and opinions about contemporary art in discipline- specific written conventions.
Technical Requirements:
Your response to this assignment must be a minimum 600 and a maximum of 750 words in length (not
including bibliography).
Your response must be conceptually polished and fully edited when submitted as a finished product.
Your response must be submitted to its assigned CANVAS assignment box by the due date and time assigned for this assignment.
All research sources used must be fully and accurately documented using the citation standards of one of the following: American Psychological Association (APA), Modern Language Association (MLA), or the Chicago Manual of Style.
Your response must be formatted in a readable typeface (e. g., Arial or Helvetica) and saved as either a RTF (rich text format) or a DOC/DOCX (Microsoft word) file. No other file formats will be accepted for evaluation.
When submitting your response to the CANVAS assignment box, please identify the submitted file in the following manner "yourlastname. xxx. For example, a Microsoft Word file submitted by "Riley Smith" would be labeled "smith.doc". It may also be helpful for your records if you insert a number after your name to correspond with the exercise number. For example, consider labeling your files in the following manner, using Riley Smith's last name as an example: "smith1.doc" for Module Exercise 1, "smith2.doc" for Module Exercise 2, etc.
Successful participation in this Learning Module Exercise will demonstrate the student's
ability to:
Identify and analyze issues and problems relating to contemporary art, artists, and the institutional frameworks in which art is experienced; and
Define, apply, and convey his / her understandings of and opinions about contemporary art in discipline- specific written conventions.
Late submission of assignments: Papers or projects submitted late (i. e., past their due date and time) are subject to a 20% penalty for every 24 hours or portion thereof that they are submitted late, including weekends and holidays. After three days, no late submissions of any project will be accepted unless extremely unusual circumstances warrant an exception and the student (or his/her authorized agent) has conferred with the instructor. Examples of such exceptions would include a student's hospitalization or a death in a student's immediate family (father, mother, sibling, or grandparent).
Evaluation Criteria:
You may review the Evaluation Rubric for this assignment here. Please note that this assignment will be submitted by the instructor for review to Turnitin.com for instances of plagiarism or possible misuse of research information and sources. Evidence of such actions may result in the student receiving a failing grade and referral for additional academic sanctions.
Module Exercises
Criteria Ratings Pts
25.0 pts
50.0 pts
30.0 pts
Structure : • Organization • Flow / Transitions
25.0 pts Exceeds Expectations: • Paper is organized in a logical manner that is easily followed from beginning to conclusion. • Introduction and/or conclusion summarize the main points of the paper. • Consistent use of smooth and logical transitions.
21.0 pts Meets Expectations: • Paper has a clear organization with only a few ambiguities or digressions. • Introduction and/or conclusion summarize the main points of the paper. • Consistent use of basic transitions
19.0 pts Needs Improvement: • There is some evidence of organization but paper contains digressions or ambiguities that disrupt flow of thought. • The paper demonstrates very little sense of introduction and/or conclusion. • Transitions are ineffective.
15.0 pts Inadequate: • Scant or no evidence of organization to the paper. • No introduction or conclusion. • Flow of discussion is difficult to follow • No transitions between sentences and/or paragraphs.
Content: • Clarity of purpose • Critical and original thought • Supporting details
50.0 pts Exceeds Expectations: • Paper addresses the writing task in a clear manner with a richly detailed and insightful development of main issues. • Response demonstrates an exceptional level of original discussion and ideas throughout the paper. • Content is presented in a thoughtful and reflective manner with vivid and specific supporting details and information.
44.0 pts Meets Expectations: • Paper addresses the writing task in a clear manner with adequately detailed and insightful development of main issues. • Content is presented in a thoughtful manner with identified supporting details and information. • Response demonstrates original discussion and ideas.
39.0 pts Needs Improvement: • Paper addresses the writing task in a vague manner that lacks clear clarity of purpose. • Content demonstrates some critical thought with some general supporting details and information. • Response demonstrates some original discussion.
34.0 pts Inadequate: • Paper has no central idea and is completely lacking in purpose. • Scant or no evidence of critical thinking or careful thought. • Few if any supporting details and/or examples • If present, supporting details or examples are irrelevant to the purpose of the assignment.
Grammar / Mechanics / Language: • Sentence structure • Punctuation/mechanics • Vocabulary
30.0 pts Exceeds Expectations: • No punctuation or mechanical errors • Uses complex sentences for excellent effect and impact • Uses sophisticated vocabulary in a correct
26.0 pts Meets Expectations: • Very few punctuation or mechanical errors. • Uses complex sentences. • Vocabulary is varied, and appropriate to the context of the assignment.
23.0 pts Needs Improvement: • Excessive punctuation and/or mechanical errors. • Uses compound sentences intermingled with simple sentences. • Vocabulary is used properly but may be simple
20.0 pts Inadequate: • Punctuation and/or mechanical errors render the paper incomprehensible • Uses only simple sentences. • Vocabulary is very simple and may be used inappropriately.
Citations / Bibliography/Image: • Acknowledgement of supporting sources of information • In-text
20.0 pts Exceeds Expectations: • Multiple and varied
18.0 pts Meets Expectations: • Several supporting
16.0 pts Needs Improvement: • Sole supporting source is course
13.0 pts Inadequate: • Citations are inappropriately identified. • In-
Total Points: 125.0
20.0 pts
manner. and without much variation.
citations • Bibliography • Image/URL
supporting sources of information. • Citations formatted correctly and consistently using standard methods of citation. • In-text citations properly noted and formatted. • Bibliography is complete and properly formatted. • Image and/or functional URL included in paper.
sources but primary source is course textbook. • Citations formatted correctly and consistently using standard methods of citation. • In-text citations properly noted and formatted. • Bibliography is complete and properly formatted. • Image and/or functional URL included in paper.
textbook. • Citations are not formatted in a consistent manner and/or exhibit errors in format. • In-text citations are not always properly noted and identified. • Bibliography is incomplete and/or not properly formatted. • Image and/or functional URL not included in paper.
text citations are consistently missing and/or improperly identified. • Bibliography is missing. • Image and/or functional URL not included in paper.