Final Paper and Project – Honors 121

There are two stages to the final project, a paper and an audio-visual presentation.

I suggest that you complete the paper first and hand it in the final day of class (December 12), but since the final review is also due that day and you may have exams to study for, you are allowed to upload your final paper at the same time that you upload your final audio-visual project—that is, no later than 9 AM on December 19.

First, choose two different kinds of works of art that would make a productive pairing.  In other words, your individual works of art must be chosen from two of the following categories: literature (poetry, fiction, or drama), music (opera, classical music, jazz, rock, popular), painting, photography, graphic novel, film.  (Literature is one category; music is one category.)  Your two works should not be so different that a comparison would make no sense.  Productive pairings might include: novel and graphic novel, painting and photography, poetry and music, photography and film, drama and opera.  If you want to include dance (comparing dance and drama, for example), you can do that too.  Example of works that make a good pairing: Stop Forgetting to Remember and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  AT LEAST ONE OF THE WORKS THAT YOU DISCUSS MUST BE FROM THE CLASS ASSIGNMENTS.  IF YOU USE A WORK NOT DISCUSSED IN CLASS, PROVIDE IT OR AT LEAST GIVE A LINK TO IT.  (Don’t choose a film version of one of the works.)

Second, decide what sort of question you want to answer in relation to your works of art.  (Actually, the question that you choose could determine your choice of artworks.)  Choose one of the following:

1. What is art?

2. What is good art?

3. What is a valid (good, meaningful) interpretation?

4.  At its best, what can interpretation and evaluation do?  (What is the purpose of interpretation and evaluation?

(Feel free to develop your own variations on these questions.)

Your paper should be 4–6 pages, in the standard format detailed on our website.  While your paper should be organized around an answer to one of the above questions, most of your paper should be a demonstration of your answer through detailed analysis of the works of art that you have chosen.  You can analyze the works separately, but make sure to include some comparative analysis.  Your conclusion should do more that merely restate your thesis—you should put your answer in perspective.  (If someone were to read your paper and say “So what?”, then your conclusion is not complete.)

If you so choose, your audio-visual presentation of your work can be more personal than your paper.  (For the paper assignment, do not use first-person pronouns when making your argument.  Try to be at least somewhat objective in your tone and manner of argument.)  It is up to you to choose the exact format and length of this assignment—the key idea is that you present your points in an effective audio-visual format.  You can do something similar to what you did for your first audio-visual project or try something new.  Scott will be available to guide you through the technology.  More details in class.

Recommended due date for the paper: December 12, in class.

Last date for paper and audio-visual project: 9 AM, December 19.