Humanities 112: The Modern World / Spring 2020 Final Presentation Projects 10 points for presentation proposal; 100 points for presentation Final assignment: As indicated in your syllabus, your final class assignment consists of a group presentation on some modern artistic work related to the class. This is your opportunity to demonstrate something you’ve learned about the way art expresses meaning through elements of form

and content, the different role of art and how you can analyze art in a comparative manner. This is not a research assignment as much as an assignment in artistic analysis; you and your group members are to analyze a work or works of art in terms of stylistic traits, form, meaning, the role of art and how it relates to at least one other example examined in class.

Though you will work with other class members, each of you will also be graded for your individual work and contributions to the presentation. Each of you will document in writing your own analysis of your topic and will submit this partly in your proposal and in the summary analysis submitted the final day of class. Your chosen work of art should not be something that has already been examined in class, but it should be a work that relates to something we have addressed in class. If you are uncertain as to what to analyze, you may choose from a set of suggested options (check blog or Canvas site).

Though you will work with other class members, you will primarily be graded for your individual work and contributions to the final analysis and presentation. Students will document in writing their own analysis of their topic and will submit this the final day of class. Below are deadlines pertaining to different components of this assignment: Deadline for broad topic preferences: Thursday, April 9th (not graded) Deadline for specific topic proposal: Tuesday, April 21st *

(10 points) * This is the deadline for your proposal, but earlier submissions are encouraged. The sooner your topic is approved, the sooner you and group can move forward with your project. Broad topic preference / due April 9th You are first asked to submit a request indicating your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice of art form for this assignment by no later than Thursday, April 9th. Review the options below. Note that for your topic preferences due Thursday the 9th, you only need to indicate your broad topic preference; you do not need to specify what specific work of art you wish to analyze by this date. Email your 1st, 2nd and 3rd topic preferences from the following options by April 9th:

Modern music Modern visual arts (painting, printmaking, photography, sculpture, installation, etc.) Modern Architecture Modern literature – poetry* Film

* should be based on a short enough work that can be read to / shared with the class on the day of the presentations. Specific topic proposal / due April 21st Once you have been assigned to a broad topic with other classmates, you should begin communicating (through Canvas’ student groups or discussion feature) and make a decision as to what specific example of modern art you will analyze. Take a group vote to determine what example will be the basis of your final presentation. Note: do not attempt to give a broad overview of an entire genre or art form or movement; choose a very specific work to analyze / interpret to analyze in terms of style, meaning, the role of art or the artist. For example, under the category of modern music, you may research a modern form such as Jazz or Blues and within that select a specific work / song to analyze in terms of form, meaning and role of art. All group members will be graded individually for their topic proposal (10 points), but ideally you will have come to a group decision as to what that topic will be. A topic proposal must be approved before work proceeds. The presentation topics should address Modern artistic forms (not works from the Ancient, Medieval or Renaissance periods). Your proposal should also include some preliminary interpretive observations about the art form’s form, content, and how it relates to an artwork or thematic idea from the class. It is expected that your proposals will be similar in nature since you will have discussed some ideas about your topic, but you should write your proposal in your own words. The proposal should specify the title of the art form, the date, and the name of artist / author. You are encouraged to consult with me on your proposal contents before the due date. Note: if for some reason you and your group mates do not settle on one topic for your final presentation, your proposal should be based on your preferred topic. If you and your group mates submit multiple possible topics, I will decide which topic will be your final topic (your proposal grade will not be negatively impacted by the inability to decide on one topic, and similarly your grade will not be negatively impacted if a group member does not submit their proposal). Your topic proposal should be emailed as a pdf or Microsoft Word attachment, and it should indicate your name in the upper right-hand corner and the names of your other group members in parentheses. Your proposal will be graded, and must be approved before you proceed with your presentation plans. Feel free to consult with me in advance of your proposal due date. Presentation form: Students should prepare an analytical, tightly organized 10-minute oral presentation with accompanying slides to present to the class on our final day May 21st. The presentations will be presented through our Zoom-based class session. The presentations should be educational, and they should relate to ideas or subjects we have addressed in class or have been addressed in the texts. Note: do not attempt to give a broad overview of an entire genre or art form or movement; analyze a very specific work in terms of style, meaning, the role of art or the artist. It is expected that you will spend time outside of class to analyze your chosen subject and structure the presentation with your group members. All presentations should include slides demonstrating the art form you analyzed and highlighting your main points about the art form. Getting Started: first steps

• Create google slide doc: Google docs is likely the best option for creating and collaborating on slides for your final project. It does not require that all group members have a gmail account, and it is likely the most accessible way for everyone to work on slides that will be used in your final presentation. One person in the group should initiate the google doc and then invite in others through the “Share” option. Go to slides.google.com, choose the blank template, click on the “Share” , name your project (give it a name based on the title(s) of your film / fiction example), then enter the email addresses of your group members while making sure that you are permitting the to edit the google doc. To enable your group members’ editing access, click on the pencil/ (edit) icon, and scroll and click on “can edit.” You should include your instructor in your group in order to obtain feedback on this important graded assignment: include the email rmiller@dvc.edu Developing the presentation This final assignment should showcase your ability to develop interpretive observations and arguments based on close analysis of a work’s form and content. Your artistic interpretation can not simply be whatever you want to say. Your interpretations must be supported by specific evidence of the works’ form and content, and you should think comparatively about your chosen work and relate its form, content, and / or role of art to something noted in our readings or discussions in class. Furthermore, you should employ vocabulary learned from class in your analysis. Your written analysis and your final presentations will involve formal description, analysis and interpretation; description is vital, but you should not simply describe the works (description is not the same as interpretation). Furthermore, these are NOT research projects in the sense that you are not assigned to scrutinize and synthesize the ideas of art critics about these works (if that were the case a bibliography would be required and you would be instructed in proper source citing methods). Your presentations and writing should be informed primarily by your own analysis of form and content. The oral presentations should be rehearsed and should not exceed 10 minutes in length. The structure should be organized in the following manner: • Introduction to subject • Thesis (interpretive argument) • Body (evidence supporting your thesis):

– Formal analysis – interpretation of stylistic traits, form – Content Analysis – interpretation of meaning, ideas, role of art – Comparison to one theme or other art form from class; comparison can be based on

the role of art, the subject matter, the ideas expressed, the style / form, etc. – Explanation as to what makes the work modern;

• Conclusion

Brainstorming Writing Process • Strong, clear interpretive writing and presentations usually begin in a rather messy manner; drafts can be produced through a “brainstorming” process in which you write down observations about a work’s form, content and the role of art it fulfills. • You will be submitting a written summary and analysis of your example of art (each of you submits this individually via email due the day before the final presentations). This writing assignment should assert a thesis statement about the artwork’s form and content, what makes the work modern, and how it relates to something from class. Though the written work should be relatively brief (2-3 pages), it should be the result of an extensive analytical process. Writing is not simply a matter of having something to say and saying it. Rather, it is often a process through which you discover something to say about a topic through the process of writing a draft. Thus, your first steps should consist of simply describing the subject and asking yourself questions about it as a means of discovering what you ultimately want to say about it (your thesis). Ultimately, you want to develop your description into interpretation. Your analysis should be written as an essay and not simply an exhaustive and disconnected series of descriptions and observations about your topic. However, in the beginning stages of writing your draft, it is useful to list and outline the description and points you want to make. Timing Presentations should be rehearsed to run 10 minutes in length. Rehearse this by individually practicing reciting your final presentation as if you were presenting this to an audience and time it. You should not have to speed read. You should speak at a reasonable pace to allow your audience to follow along, and you should consider any points at which you might want to point something out in a slide (like a film still / technique). Final written requirements and slides: interpretive analysis / thesis, self-evaluation, group evaluation, and presentation slides Each of you must submit an individually written, typed summary of your presentation (1-3 pages) and a self and group evaluation (1-2 paragraphs). This is not the same thing as any notes you may use during your presentation. This typed summary should state something about the form and content of your presentation topic. The summary should also note the way in which you have compared your example to another work from class. • The self and group evaluation should indicate what you contributed and what others contributed to assignment. Be specific. It is not sufficient to say “everyone contributed something.” Name each group member and indicate what they contributed specifically. • Group communications (through e-mail, group texts, google docs, or other online means) should ideally be confirmed by including your Instructor in all communications. If you opt not to do this, you must provide evidence of your online communications as part of your “written work” and this will be submitted the day of the final. This will be reviewed in relation to your group participation grade. • Work must be typed, use 12-point font, multiple pages must be stapled. Indicate your name and the class on your work. Email all work to rmiller@dvc.edu

• Your written work should be your own; do not duplicate one summary per group. While it is understood your analysis and thesis may be similar to that of your group members because you have developed your ideas as a group, all written assignments should be written in your own words. Do not duplicate one copy; duplicates count as plagiarism and will receive a failed grade. All written work must be submitted via email and all is due the evening before our final class no later than 11 pm Wednesday, May 20th. Email your typed work (please attach a pdf) and send to rmiller@dvc.edu . Work must be turned in on time to receive credit – NO LATE WORK. • Work must be typed (not a photograph of handwritten work), use 12-point font, multiple pages should be numbered, and you should include your name and the class name (Humanities 105) on the first page of the typed work. It is preferable that you save your work as a pdf before attaching it to the email. Let me know if you need help with this.

Final class attendance: • Attendance by means of our Zoom-based class session is mandatory for the entire class our final day of class, Thursday May 21st. While you may not be one of the presentation “speakers,” your attendance the day of final presentations is required.

Technical Presentation Requirements & Guidelines: • Presentations should be rehearsed and should run 10 minutes in length. • Do not use the Zoom chat feature or other means of communication while your classmates or other members of your group are presenting. • Decide in advance who will say what. Speakers should speak at a reasonable pace and in a somewhat conversational manner. Avoid reading directly from a script. This encourages a rather monosyllabic, fast-paced and meaningless delivery, and it makes it hard for the audience to understand what you’re saying. • Email the presentation slides (either the slides alone or the link to your google doc) to rmiller@dvc.edu by no later than 11pm Wednesday, May 20th. This deadline is critical. I need to organize the slides / groups in advance of our final class session; I will not have time to do so the morning of our class. • Create bullet point type notes (rather than a script) to remind yourself of the key ideas you want to mention. Have an actual set of notes / note cards to look off of (do not rely solely on your slides projected through the screen) for anything you plan to read. Your slides should not contain too much text. • It is highly recommended that you use visual and / or aural aids that highlight your main interpretive points and show the class what your subject looks like. If your subject is a work of visual art, you should show us the artwork you analyzed and highlight aspects of its form and content throughout the presentation.

• If your subject is a film, it is a good idea to feature film stills that relate to your analysis. You can incorporate film stills into your slides to show the class the film’s main characters, some of the scene compositions, camera angles, lighting, colors, etc. You may also plan to use a brief video clip, but note that it must be brief and it must meaningfully contribute to your analysis. • Your slides can be used to underscore relevant illustrations for your presentation, but don’t overdo it with too many words. Too many slides or overly wordy slides will make the presentation ineffective and will negatively impact your grade. Word-filled slides become distracting rather than informative. Use visual aids to illustrate your point. We want to hear your interpretation and see your work of art, but we do not have time to read your presentations. The presentations will only be 10 minutes in length, so don’t overload a number of slides with reading material. Please consult with me regarding the slides you plan to use. • In order to be legible any text in your powerpoint should be at minimum 20 font. • Make sure your powerpoint is clear and legible when projected. For example, white font on pale gray background does not make for very legible text. Use simple and sharply contrasting font / background (black font on white or pale background). • Speak at a reasonable pace and in a somewhat conversational manner. Avoid reading directly from a script. This encourages a rather monosyllabic, fast-paced and meaningless delivery, and it makes it hard for the audience to understand what you’re saying. • Create bullet point type notes (rather than a script) to remind yourself of the key ideas you want to mention. Have an actual set of notes / note cards to look off of (do not rely on your powerpoint for anything you plan to read; you will probably not have control over what slide is shown in our class when, so you should have your own notes to remind you of what you want to say. • Note: If you use googledocs to create your slides, please download these slides and email the downloaded presentation (do not simply send the googledocs link) to rmiller@dvc.edu FINAL CLASS TIMELINE AND PUNCTUALITY • Everyone should show up on time, and everyone is expected to be present for the duration of class.