This week, we’ve been introduced to the humanities and have taken some time to consider the role of the humanities in establishing socio-cultural values, including how the humanities differ from the sciences in terms of offering unique lenses on the world and our reality. Since one of the greatest rewards of being a human is engaging with different forms of art, we’ve taken some time this week to learn about what it means to identify and respond to a work of art. We’ve learned about the difference between abstract ideas and concrete images and concepts like structure and artistic form. To help you deepen your understanding of these foundational ideas, your Unit 1 assignment will consist of writing an essay addressing using the following criteria:
Essay Requirements:
• 1,000 words or roughly four double-spaced pages.
• Make use of at least three scholarly sources to support and develop your ideas. Our course text may serve as one of these three sources.
• Your essay should demonstrate a thorough understanding of the READ and ATTEND sections.
• Be sure to cite your sources using proper APA format (7th edition). For help with APA, visit the Bethel Library website to explore a plethora of APA-related tutorials, help videos and resources.
Essay Prompt:
• In this essay, you will consider the meaning of art and artistic form by responding to these questions:
o To what extent does Kevin Carter’s Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph (figure 2-5) have artistic form?
o Using what you’ve learned in Chapters 1, 2 and 14 explain if you consider Carter’s photograph a work of art? Be sure to point to specific qualities of the photograph to support/develop your response.
o How do you measure the intensity of your experience in response to Carter’s photograph? What does it make you see/feel/imagine and how does your response/reaction support Carter’s image as a work of art?
