Instructions
Please do not use any essay writing AI-tools. Everything must be in your own words. Must
cite all sources of direct quotations and borrowed ideas. A citation consists of two parts and
must be in APA format: 1. An in-text citation (either a footnote or brief information in
brackets) to indicate that an outside source is being cited. 2. A list of References or Works
Cited, containing complete information about all of your sources
.
It's a course in visual studies, so what's visible is always our primary concern.
Write a short informal essay (approximately 1000 words) on the following
topic. Be sure that you are presenting the concepts in your own words and that
you include current information. (You may use "I" when it seems appropriate.)
Follow conventional format for preparing your essay and citing sources. Check
with your Open Learning Faculty Member regarding preferred documentation
style (i.e., APA, MLA, Chicago Manual of Style).
If you have any questions about the assignment, consult your course Open
Learning Faculty Member. When you have completed the assignment, submit it
to your Open Learning Faculty Member for comments and evaluation.
Note:
Keep a copy of your assignment before submitting it to your Open Learning
Faculty Member for evaluation. That way, you have a copy to refer to during a
telephone conversation or email conference with your Open Learning Faculty
Member. Also, in the unlikely event that your assignment is lost, you will have
an extra copy of your work. Today, many student writing manuals suggest that
students keep copies of all early drafts of their work as well, to protect
themselves against mistaken charges of plagiarism.
Essay Topic
Both of the works below can be seen as examples of appropriation and re-
contextualization. In either case, virtually everything in the print and the
sculpture was "lifted" from somewhere else. For many, if not most, viewers,
those elements may be said to "carry" certain meanings with them and acquire
others when placed in a new context. Pick one and examine it carefully. Isolate
the constituent parts of Untitled or Michael Jackson and Bubbles and consider
where they might have originated. In the silkscreen, some examples of what/nhas been appropriated are an "old" black and white photograph of a hand, a
red rectangular object held in its fingers, a text made up of five words printed
on that surface, etc. In the second three-dimensional and figurative work,
appropriations include poses, costumes, colours, materials, and scale. Bear in
mind that many other things besides subjects and motifs (eg, compositional
and graphic design techniques (framing, colour combinations, fonts, and
recognizable hues), period styles, historical references, allusions to different
media, etc.) can be appropriated. Where could each component have been
taken from? What associations does it conjure up for you? Describe these
"borrowings" and discuss what you see as the differences between the "old"
connotations of particular elements in each piece and the "new"
interpretations that recombining or recontextualizing have activated. Do you
believe the creation you have chosen to write about is oppositional? In other
words, in your view, does it challenge or critique some aspect or aspects of
dominant culture? Why or why not?
shop
I am
therefore
Barbara Kruger Untitled ("I shop therefore I am") 111" by 113" photographic
silkscreen/vinyl 1987 Courtesy of Mary Boone Gallery, New York. Reproduced
with permission./nMichael Jackson and Bubbles 1988 Porcelain 42 x 70 1/2 x 32 1/2" © Jeff Koons
The Broad Art Foundation, Santa Monica. Reproduced with permission.
Criteria for Evaluating Essay Assignments
Here is a set of criteria that will form the basis for evaluating essay assignments.
Substance (75 per cent)
• The essay provides evidence of critical thinking and presents an
informed and thoughtful discussion.
Research sources are relevant, current, and credible. They are clearly
documented in the paper.
The introduction explains the purpose of the paper and the issue or
issues you will address. This can take the form of a question or
questions.
The body develops your enquiry by providing explanations /information
and organizing ideas and examples as clearly and directly as possible.
• The conclusion summarizes the learning that has taken place through
writing the paper; it also presents a (tentative) position statement
and/or suggests direction for future research. Again, queries might be
more suitable here than assertions.
Writing Style and Format (25 per cent)
Paragraphs are coherent, with transitions between ideas.
L/nL
Sentences are grammatically correct; words are chosen for accuracy
and impact.
• The writing follows the conventions of spelling and mechanics
(punctuation, etc.).
•
The format follows the documentation style (ie, APA, MLA, Chicago
Manual of Style) accurately and consistently.
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