The Dropbox Paper Response Journal should:

• be typed in MLA Format (12 point font: Times New Roman or Ariel, double-spaced)
  
• contain a minimum of 10-pages of written text (you will select 5 topics from the list below to respond to and each topic response should be at least 2-pages in length)
• compile all 5 topic responses into 1 overall Response Journal paper
• contain topic numbers and titles to visually separate the 5 responses within the overall Journal
• contain a Works Cited page (in addition to the 10-pages of text)
• be submitted to the Dropbox early enough to receive and review the TurnItIn Originality Report
• be revised (if necessary) based on the TurnItIn Originality Report results
• be submitted to the Dropbox for final grading by the listed deadline

Please see the Course Work > Rubrics link to “preview” the evaluation guide used to grade the Dropbox Paper.

Choose 5 of the following topics for your Dropbox Paper: Response Journal assignment. (Each topic response should be 2-pages in length – the overall, combined Response Journal paper should be 10-pages in length.)

************************************************************************

TOPIC CHOICE #1: The Ingredients of an Artwork (2-pages)

Just as a good cook assembles the perfect ingredients for a delicious recipe, an artist assembles the right elements for a successful artwork. Select any artwork from the textbook and write a recipe (including ingredients, directions, and critique) of the composition. For example, Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the Peoplecontains implied lines, organic shape, range of values, primary color scheme, and depth in space. This topic requires you to “think like an artist” as you deconstruct the composition, as well as “respond like an art critic” as you evaluate the technique and theory.

TOPIC CHOICE #2: Writing about Space (2-pages)

Select an ancient and a modern work of art, and write a response that describes the similar and disparate uses of space, identifying the spatial strategies employed by the artists.

TOPIC CHOICE #3: Color Facts (2-pages)

How is color interpreted in different cultures? Do colors affect our behavior? What are some of the scientific aspects of color? For this response, please relate the information you gather to your own experiences with color.

TOPIC CHOICE #4: The Time and Motion of Jackson Pollock (2-pages)

Jackson Pollock’s paintings were described by Pollock himself as “energy and motion/made visible.” This response should compare and contrast Pollock’s work with another artwork of your choice – make sure to include the visual, physical, and media used.

TOPIC CHOICE #5: Just What Is Postmodernism? (2-pages)

Contemporary artists (such as Elizabeth Murray) and architects (Robert Venturi or Frank Gehry) have begun to explore the notion of a new set of principles, based upon the eclectic sum of our modern, complex, visual world of neon signs and fast sound bites. This sense of disjunction, that the parts can never form a unified whole, is what we have come to identify as Postmodernism. In his book, Learning from Las Vegas, Robert Venturi asserts that the collision of signs, styles, and symbols that mark the “American Strip,” in particular Las Vegas, could be seen as a new form of unity. “Disorder,” Venturi writes “[is] an order we cannot see….” This response should define Postmodernism and provide examples of where you have seen this union of eclectic designs.

TOPIC CHOICE #6: Mesopotamian Civilizations (2-pages)

This response should address the early civilizations of the Mesopotamian region. It should provide a summary of each group (Sumerians, Babylonians, Assyrians, and Persians) that lived in this region along with their major contributions, especially their artistic contributions.

TOPIC CHOICE #7: Cathedral vs. Temple (2-pages)

This response should compare imagery on the exterior of Chartres Cathedral in France to the imagery on the exterior of the Kandariya Mahadeva Temple in India. How do the images represent the philosophy of each religion?

TOPIC CHOICE #8: African Art (2-pages)

How did museums and individuals outside Africa come to possess such large collections of African art? This response should address how this came to be, the history of imperialism in Africa, and what efforts are being made to return these works.

TOPIC CHOICE #9: Write a Letter to Vincent van Gogh (2-pages)

This response requires you to read one of Vincent van Gogh’s letters (from Letters to Theo) and then respond in letter form to Vincent as if he were still living and painting in the South of France.

TOPIC CHOICE #10: Dada Dialogue (2-pages)

Write a dialogue between Marcel Duchamp and Jackson Pollock to reveal their theories or thoughts about the nature and uses of art.

*****************************************

REMEMBER: There is also an online Response Journal Discussion available for this writing assignment. There you can post any assignment or topic questions, interact with your classmates, and share your online resources to earn extra credit points. (For the Online Resources: You can post any relevant and interesting online resources that would help other students complete the Response Journal assignment. You may post websites, videos, documents, photos, personal comments, etc.)

Please see the Communication Tools > Discussions > Response Journal link.