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FINAL
ESSAY INSTRUCTIONS
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THE
THESIS
PROFESSIONALIZED
FORMS of ART and ARTISTIC FIELDS had to come from SOMEWHERE...
professional
fields develop sometimes over hundreds of years, sometimes
much faster.
Where do they come from?
What are the CANONS that developed a professional artistic field?
Where
do you think this field is going in the FUTURE?
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Students will write a paper
of no less than 2500 words, double spaced, 1" borders, (2500
words, not including citations, times or new roman,
12pt font)
Use the framework of the critical
essays and discussions of artistic canons to analyze three primary
works encountered in your research. Choose three canonical works
that relate to a professional field of interest.
Your essay should talk about
the relationships between three works and work toward a conclusion
of how you feel through your research, that these works have clearly
defined the field. Overall, your essay should use the critical persuasion
and research of these canons to create a compelling view of what
may become the future of this field.
It is your responsibility
to make a compelling essay and create your outline
to plan your writing.
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THE
TOPIC
DEFINING
the HISTORICAL and CONTEMPORARY CANONS of ___________.
(examples)
This
will be your title; but you must fill in the blank above with
a field of your choice
THEN,
IN THE ESSAY, YOU MUST....
(1)
DEFINE what a CANON is in
the context of your paper (dictionary
definition)
(a)
-in this context: a CANON is an essential
work in the formation and development of a particular artistic
field, ie: what Pixar to computer animation, what Swan
Lake is to ballet dance, what Miles Davis to contemporary
jazz music, etc. What Walt Whitman is to poetry. Be as specific
as you can in defining the field. It should be a field you are
interested. For example, the field could be something related
to your major.
examples
(2)
Write about at least THREE WORKS that are CANONS in a field of your
interest.
(A)-ONE
Canon should be argued to be HISTORICAL in what
you think helped ORGINATE the field. You will need to argue and
persuade why you think this particular canon should be considered
the GREATEST example of causing the beginning of the field:
For
Example, imagine your chosen topic is Rock and Roll
Elvis
or his music could be argued as the originating Canon of Rock
and Roll. You can also argue that a specific song is a Canon,
like "Hound Dog"
Chuck
Berry, or an American blues/roots musician might also be
considered as an originating Canon of Rock and Roll.
Provide
a persuasive argument that is supported by your facts, and citations
on why you feel one or the other is the greatest originating
canon. You will need to critically argue your choice.
(B)-ONE
Canon should be argued to be at the MEDIAN
or has MAINTAINED the vibrancy of this field
Again,
for the topic Rock and Roll, Jimmy Hendrix
could be argued as the artistic Canon that Maintained the field
of Rock and Roll. Or you could argue "Purple Haze"
is the Canonical song. You must argue why you think this particular
canon represents an essential midpoint between now and your
historical origins of the field.
(C)-ONE
Canon should be argued to be CONTEMPORARY
Again,
for the topic Rock and Roll, U2 could
be described as a contemporary example. Perhaps you can find
a more recent band or canon, but you would have to argue why
this choice is essentially influential to the entire field of
Rock and Roll.
"contemporary"
for our purposes will be defined as EXISTING TODAY, OR beginning
no longer than 25 years ago.
Provide
a persuasive argument that is supported by your research on
why you feel your choice of the contemporary Canon is the most
influential in maintaining the field TODAY
Be
sure to carefully choose and distinguish between "median"
and "contemporary" Canons. This time span can be VERY
DIFFERENT from one field to another. For example, Video
Games versus Japanese Poetry (Haiku)
(3)
Write about what you feel is the FUTURE of this field (Conclusion)
Again,
for the topic Rock and Roll, you could argue that Rock and Roll
is dead. You could find references that support this argument.
You could cite another work that you feel signaled the death
of Rock and Roll. It could be Disco, or it could be Coldplay
or Justin Bieber. This conclusion will have to carefully correspond
to the argument that you have been constructing.
You
also could argue that Rock and Roll and a Professional artistic
field is very much still alive and will thrive in the future.
You could use examples (which are not Canons yet) . Like the
plethora of independent Rock bands, the amount of self-label
Indies bands on the internet.
What
will this field look like in 50 years from now?
Will
it change? will it end? Will it give rise to something else?
Will
it thrive and grow?
No
one knows for sure, but this is the part of your essay where
you will use your creativity, critical thinking and imagination
to speculate on an answer.
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