Journal 49

Journal exercises are all about reflective thinking. Not sure what that means? Well, reflection is

a form of personal response to experiences, situations, events or new information. Think of it as

a 'processing' phase where thinking and learning take place. College is pretty much a reflection

period because you’re being exposed to new content.

In these assignments you select a prompt and respond. Each of these allows you to focus on a

specific idea or example of art and then write your thoughts and reactions – essentially a

reflection. Why do this? So you can see how your personal ideals and values influence the way

you respond to art – which is the focus of this course.

Choose one of the following prompts:

#1: Everywhere a Photo

Visual information is key in making social networking popular. From digital cameras to cell

phones, taking pictures has become an everyday experience for most of us.

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o How often do you take pictures?

o What device do you usually use to take them?

o How much attention do you devote to composition, lighting or arrangement in

your pictures?

o How do you use the images?

o How do you think you can improve your photos?

#2: Film Study

The film industry is a major part of the economy and - like other artistic mediums - both

reflects and anticipates culture. Although Hollywood arguably has a culture all its own,

nowadays independent films (those made outside of the big Hollywood studios) have a larger

effect on audiences. Because they can examine themes and ideas beyond what the big

studios decide to finance, they can be quite influential in unexpected ways.

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o How often do you see a film?

o Do you view films in a theatre or on other digital media?

o What kind of films do you like; human interest stories, action films, romances,

fantasy or animation?

o What are your thoughts on film’s role to entertain and inform?

o What is your favorite film? Why?

The Task: 1. Identify which prompt you selected. (5 points)

2. Compose a written response to the prompt. Be thorough and address each point or

question in the selection. You can choose to do this as an essay or use a

question/answer format. (15 points)

3. Your response must be at least 150 words. (5 points)

This assignment is worth 25 points.