Assignment Overview
The HUM2020 Cultural Awareness Essay is designed to evaluate your understanding of Florida Gateway College’s Cultural Awareness General Learning Outcome: Students will explain how aspects of culture relate to the human experience.
As we have discussed throughout this course:
- All art disciplines express the human experience, with each doing so in its own unique way. Of the art disciplines that we have studied in this course, painting, literature, and music are the most fundamental.
- The arts are unique among the humanities in their ability to reveal values, which are an important aspect of the human experience. In this course, we have considered how numerous works of art reveal values.
- There are three primary types of art criticism: descriptive, interpretive, and evaluative. Our emphasis in this course has been on the proper use of these types of criticism through an examination of artistic form.
Prompt
Use descriptive criticism and interpretive criticism to analyze three provided works of art—a painting, a poem, and a piece of music—in order to determine using evaluative criticism which work you believe best expresses values
Instructions
After choosing ONE painting, ONE poem, and ONE piece of music from the works provided above, write a 1250- to 1500-word essay, structured in five distinct paragraphs, as follows:
- PARAGRAPH ONE—DESCRIPTIVE CRITICISM [250-300 words]: State the purpose of your essay (just one sentence) and describe your three chosen works of art (one painting, one poem, and one piece). Your description of each work must include its identifying information (artist, title, and year) and a succinct discussion of its subject matter and form. Remember that descriptive criticism should not include any interpretation or evaluation.
- What are you attempting to accomplish/explain in this essay?
- Which three works of art (which painting, which poem, and which piece) have you chosen?
- What is the basic subject matter of your chosen painting and how is it depicted through form?
- What is the basic subject matter of your chosen poem and how is it depicted through form?
- What is the basic subject matter of your chosen piece and how is it depicted through form?
- PARAGRAPH TWO—INTERPRETIVE CRITICISM [250-300 words]: Explain how your chosen painting expresses one or more specific values based on its content. Your interpretation must consider how the work’s subject matter is transformed into content through its form, with a detailed analysis focused on at least two relevant aspects of form. Remember that interpretive criticism should not include any evaluation.
- What is this painting’s possible content?
- How is this painting’s content revealed through its form?
- What value(s) does this painting express based on its content?
- PARAGRAPH THREE—INTERPRETIVE CRITICISM [250-300 words]: Explain how your chosen poem expresses one or more specific values based on its content. Your interpretation must consider how the work’s subject matter is transformed into content through its form, with a detailed analysis focused on at least two relevant aspects of form. Remember that interpretive criticism should not include any evaluation.
- What is this poem’s possible content?
- How is this poem’s content revealed through its form?
- What value(s) does this poem express based on its content?
- PARAGRAPH FOUR—INTERPRETIVE CRITICISM [250-300 words]: Explain how your chosen piece expresses one or more specific values based on its content. Your interpretation must consider how the work’s subject matter is transformed into content through its form, with a detailed analysis focused on at least two relevant aspects of form. Remember that interpretive criticism should not include any evaluation.
- What is this piece’s possible content?
- How is this piece’s content revealed through its form?
- What value(s) does this piece express based on its content?
- PARAGRAPH FIVE—EVALUATIVE CRITICISM (250-300 words): Explain which ONE of your three chosen works best expresses its respective value(s) through perfection, insight, and inexhaustibility. Your evaluation should be based on your previous description and interpretation of the work, including your analysis of its form. You may also state your opinion about the quality and personal significance of the work.
- Which of your three chosen works do you believe best expresses its value(s)?
- How does this work express its value(s) through the perfection of its form?
- How does this work express its value(s) through the insight into its subject matter?
- How does this work express its value(s) through the inexhaustibility of its content?
- Why is this work and the value(s) it expresses important in your human experience?
***Before beginning work on this culminating course essay, you are encouraged to review the previous writing assignments in this course—including their instructions, grading rubrics, and my comments about your submissions—in order to be as successful as possible on this assignment.***
Requirements
- Your essay must be based completely on YOUR analysis of the works, without any outside research or use of AI. Obvious or suspected academic dishonesty may result in failure of this assignment and the course.
- After first stating a work’s information in your essay, using proper punctuation, you should simply refer to it as “the work” or “Shakespeare’s play” (for example) for the remainder of your discussion of the work.
- Format your essay as a “print-ready” document (one-inch margins, double-spacing, indented paragraphs, page numbers, and a standard 12-point black font), with your name, date, and course/section at the top.
- Compare your completed essay to the below rubric before submitting it. Also, carefully proofread your essay for writing quality, including for grammar and mechanics (spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc.).
- Submit your completed essay as a PDF file via the provided submission link by the posted due date. Late essay will not be accepted for any reason, except significant documented medical and/or personal issues.
Reminders
***After submitting your response via the “Submit Assignment” button, Turnitin will generate an originality report about it (this may take a few minutes). You should review your originality report in order to avoid any possibility of plagiarism or use of AI in your response. If necessary to remove any possible plagiarism or use of AI, you may revise and resubmit your response before the due date—with your final submission being the one that is graded—without penalty.***
***If you have any questions or concerns about any aspect of this assignment, please do not hesitate to contact me via the Canvas Inbox at least 24 hours before it is due!***
Rubric
Cultural Awareness Essay [Fall 2023]
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIntroduction |
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5 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDescriptive Criticism |
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15 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeInterpretive Criticism (W1) |
|
15 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeInterpretive Criticism (W2) |
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15 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeInterpretive Criticism (W3) |
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15 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeEvaluative Criticism |
|
15 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWriting Quality |
|
10 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeWork Information |
|
5 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeFormatting |
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5 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeA. Aspects of Culture4pts – Detailed and accurate analysis of all required aspects of culture. 3pts – Fairly detailed and/or accurate analysis of most required aspects of culture. 2pts – Minimal and/or inaccurate analysis of most required aspects of culture. 1pt – No analysis of aspects of culture. threshold: 3.0 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeB. Human Experience4pts – Original and relevant description of the human experience. 3pts – Somewhat original and/or relevant description of the human experience. 2pts – General and/or irrelevant description of the human experience. 1pt – No description of the human experience. threshold: 3.0 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeC. Relationship of A to B4pts – Developed and logical explanation of the relationship between required aspects of culture and the human experience. 3pts – Partially developed explanation of the relationship between most required aspects of culture and the human experience. 2pts – Vaguely developed explanation of the relationship between most required aspects of culture and the human experience. 1pt – No explanation of the relationship between aspects of culture and the human experience. threshold: 3.0 pts |
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Total Points: 100 |
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