Agenda for week of 2.23.09

2.23.09

• In class: Work on research cards and citation list.

2.24.09

• Due: Hamlet notebooks. Act 1 complete with D.J.s for each scene and class notes.
• In class: Work on research cards and citation list.

2.25.09 (Period 6 only)

• In class: Hamlet, Act 2: Scene 1. Begin D.J. and finish at home.

2.26.09 (Period 7 only)

• In class: Hamlet, Act 2: Scene 1. Begin D.J. and finish at home.

2.27.09 (Meet in the Computer Lab.)

• Due: Hamlet video blog (1 of the 3 posted below) at noon.
• Due: 1 thesis paragraph, 30 research cards, 12 cited sources. (see below for details)
• In class: I will do a mini lesson on how to do an Annotated Bibliography. You will have the rest of the period to work on it.
  

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 4-5

Kenneth Branagh's Hamlet (1996)

You have until Feb 27th @ noon to complete this assignment.

It is worth 100 points and will be graded with the APE Rubric.

Objective: Watch the performance above of a potion of Act 1 Scene 5 and crtique the director's interpretation of the scene.

Your critique of the video must be based on your knowledge and understanding of the passage, so you must provide textual evidence from Hamlet as well as provide descriptions of the video. I can't watch the video and read your post at the same time, so you need to make me see what you see with your words. It will also help you to take notes on the video while you watch it. Pay attention to what you captures your attention. Notice what you notice! (Hint: Watch the video more than once.)

Pay attention to:

• delivery of the lines
• imagery the setting / scenery
• the portrayal of the actor (characterization)
• lighting & camera effects
• sound effects or music
• etc--the list could keep going

You should make sure to develop a sophisticated thesis. Post in the comment stream of the video you choose below. It should be about 1,000 words (use your best judgement in either direction--this is a recommendation, not a requirement. It should be as long as it takes to develop your thesis.)

Edit and put spaces between paragraphs before you post please!

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 3

Michael Almereyda's Hamlet (2000) with Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber & Bill Murray.

You have until Feb 27th @ noon to complete this assignment.

It is worth 100 points and will be graded with the APE Rubric.

Objective: Watch the performance above of a potion of Act 1 Scene 3 and crtique the director's interpretation of the scene.

Your critique of the video must be based on your knowledge and understanding of the passage, so you must provide textual evidence from Hamlet as well as provide descriptions of the video. I can't watch the video and read your post at the same time, so you need to make me see what you see with your words. It will also help you to take notes on the video while you watch it. Pay attention to what you captures your attention. Notice what you notice! (Hint: Watch the video more than once.)

Pay attention to:

• delivery of the lines
• imagery the setting / scenery
• the portrayal of the actor (characterization)
• lighting & camera effects
• sound effects or music
• etc--the list could keep going

You should make sure to develop a sophisticated thesis. Post in the comment stream of the video you choose below. It should be about 1,000 words (use your best judgement in either direction--this is a recommendation, not a requirement. It should be as long as it takes to develop your thesis.)

Edit and put spaces between paragraphs before you post please!

Hamlet Act 1 Scene 2

Kenneth Branagh as Hamlet

Laurence Olivier as Hamlet

You have until Feb 27th @ noon to complete this assignment.

It is worth 100 points and will be graded with the APE Rubric.

Objective: Watch the two performances above of Hamlet's first soliloquy from Act 1 Scene 2 and choose which version is the best interpretation of the lines.

Your critique of the video must be based on your knowledge and understanding of the passage, so you must provide textual evidence from Hamlet as well as provide descriptions of the video. I can't watch the video and read your post at the same time, so you need to make me see what you see with your words. It will also help you to take notes on the video while you watch it. Pay attention to what you captures your attention. Notice what you notice! (Hint: Watch the video more than once.)

Pay attention to:

• delivery of the lines
• imagery the setting / scenery
• the portrayal of the actor (characterization)
• lighting & camera effects
• sound effects or music
• etc--the list could keep going

You should make sure to develop a sophisticated thesis. Post in the comment stream of the video you choose below. It should be about 1,000 words (use your best judgement in either direction--this is a recommendation, not a requirement. It should be as long as it takes to develop your thesis.)

Edit and put spaces between paragraphs before you post please!

The Library & The Internet (life advice that works)

Library Websites:

Since a majority of your information must come from printed text, you are going to have to visit a library at least once. To save yourself time, search the catalogs to see what is available before you go. Write down the title and call #s. It will save hours if you do this before you go to the Library. Don’t be afraid to ask for help while there--it's an ulterior motive of mine to actually get you to a college library before you, um, go to college. In fact, if you go to MASS Art Library, they will be expecting you!

Your Best Bet for Art Research:

Mass College of Art (Green Line, E train near Northeastern & MFA)
Boston Public Library (Green Line, Copley Square)

I have also had students go to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and be let into the special archives room.
Boston College
Boston University
Or Google any other college library and browse its online catalog before making the trip. You can call them and see their policies. Most are open to the public (except Harvard) but you will probably not be able to check out books.

Some good Art Magazines with websites.

Libraries will often have these archived. But you can see which issues, if any, relate to your artist before you go searching:
Art Forum
Modern Painters
ARTnews
It is also a good idea to Googleyour artist and see what scholarly work and books you can find (there's a function that allows for this on google, just as there is a function that allows you to do image searches.) It is helpful to have a list of title from which to choose to look for before you go to the library. The more time you can save yourself, the more productive you will be.

Better than just "googling" blindly, you can go to newspaper and journal sites (besides the ones listed above.) You can be much more productive if you learn how to search the web. Here are some places you may want to look:

The New York Times
N.E. Journal of Aesthetic Research
NPR
L.A. Times
Washington Post

Obviously the list could go on, and I didn't include any international papers, but you get the idea...or, you can do the leg work yourself!

Or find out where your artist has had a show and search the paper from that city.

Peace. & Good Luck.

Step 6: Research Cards and Citation Cards

Researching:

• More than half of your research should come from books, journals, or magazines--this can include things that were or are in print but are archived online.
  
• The Internet can be helpful for general life and historical information, but make sure the site is reputable. DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA as a source (for the same reason you would not use an encyclopedia for this paper--however, use it for your own general knowledge and follow the links at the bottom of the wiki page.) The web can also be a good place to find interviews with the artist. Read as many of these as you can. There is no better person to explain the purpose or goal of the artwork than the artist who painted it.

Assignment: Due Friday after break, February 27th, 2009:

1. a paragraph that explains your thesis--(this will probably be reworked.)

2. at least 30 Research Cards of information. You will need at least 15 primary source cards & 15 secondary source cards. (This is a minimum--you should have more!) Remember that more than half must come from print sources.

Here's what should be on the (Research Cards):

(Front)

• Topic of information (painting referred to if appropriate)
• “Passage quoted directly” or paraphrased in your own words.
• Include page number.
• A number which corresponds to your citation list (see below).

(Back)

• Your notes on significance, thoughts, etc.

3. You will also need a list of at least 12 sources (make sure you cite correctly the first time):

Here's what should be on your Citation List): Do this every time you reference a book or website, copy down proper citation information. Even if it does not end up in Works Cited, you will put in Works Consulted.

• Proper citation information (See MLA Citation Guide) with a number next to information. This way, you will not have to waste time citing information every time you make a note card. Just write down the number of the citation. Make sure you get info right!
• A brief summary--3-7 sentences summarizing the content of the source.

Developing a Thesis

At some point during your research, preferably sooner than later (but after you feel comfortable with your subject), you want to develop a thesis so that you can focus your research. Otherwise, you are wasting valuable time.

It may help to start with a group of paintings that share a common thread—the dates they were crafted, titles, subject matter, they may be a part of a series, or you may find a interesting thread on your own.

Your thesis must tie the work together (what is in common) as well as argue a theory about the significance of the work. Your research should help prove your thesis.

When developing a thesis, think of big questions: How do these paintings explain a perception of the universe? How is the artist’s own life or philosophy portrayed in the paintings? How does the artist ask his or her audience to view the paintings (or the universe)?

Reminder of how to hyperlink in the comment stream:

Say you want to make a link like this.

1. All you have to do is type the following into the comment box:
<"a href=http://www.google.com">"this"<"/a">

2. Then replace the html with where the image is, then replace the "this" with the title of the piece of art:
<"a href=http://muze.sabanciuniv.edu/ssm/userfiles/Image/SSM/english/exhibitions/2008/salvador_dali/exhibition">"Surrealist composition with invisible figures"<"/a">

3. Then, get rid of the quotation marks.

When you publish it, it will look like:
Surrealist composition with invisible figures

Remember that the Preview button is your friend.

The Research Paper, Step 4

© Salvador Dali, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Vegap, Figueres 2007

Step 4:

Choose 1 – 2 paintings and try to describe them to the best of your ability. Paint a replica of the image with your own words. Can you make your reader “see” what you are seeing.

Assignment:

• Post your description of 1-2 pieces on the blog in this comment stream.
• Make the title a hyperlink to the image on which you are writing.
• You will be graded on your ability to hyperlink the image and your ability to write 1,000 words. Late posts will lose a letter grade a day.
• Due 8:00 a.m. Tuesday Feb 10th.

This is an important step in the process of writing this research paper for a few reasons:

• First, you will need this descriptive writing in your essay to aid your analysis.


• Second, you will learn things about the piece of art by forcing yourself to stare at it with the attention needed to describe it.


• Last, what you see may be different from what others do, not just the abstract work, but what are your eyes drawn to first? You will never be able to get this moment back--what your eyes noticed when you were first drawn to the painting / or piece of art.

You will need this writing when you start to compile your formal research paper.

“Helpful Hints” to enhance your descriptive powers:

• Spend as much time as possible “free writing” about the image prior to doing any research. You can always edit this down if you feel that the writing is stale or redundant. Free writing is best done with fresh eyes as a first response, and can be edited after you know the image well. This can be tedious if you are in the middle of trying to arrange your argument and realize your paper is just not long enough.


• When describing colors, expand your vocabulary. There is no such thing as pure yellow. Maybe you mean lemon yellow or canary yellow or cadmium yellow or saffron. Check out these colors for ideas, but stick to colors that your audience will be able to visualize. For example, I can’t picture alice blue, but I can picture aqua and royal blue.


• If the image is particularly abstract, focus on the emotions that the artist is trying to express. Do the lines create a sense of movement? Does the painting seem to speed up time, or slow it down? Ask your self creative questions and answer them.

Research Paper, The Proposal Letter

"Apparation of the Aphrodite of Cnidus
© Salvador Dali, Fundació Gala-Salvador Dalí, Vegap, Figueres 2007"

By now, you should have your artist picked and posted in the previous comment stream.

Step 3:


Spend the next ½ hour or so familiarizing your self with the artist you chose and his or her work. For now, choose 1-3 paintings on which to turn your focus. Then, start to gather a list of websites (which includes links to books and magazines, where a majority of your research must come.)



Due Thursday, Feb. 5th by class time, you are to submit a typed, 'formal' proposal letter. You will be scored on the Long Composition Rubric, which will subtract substantially from your score if you make careless errors.



Your proposal letter should follow the proper format of a formal letter: (You may need to do some research on the Internet to find this.)

Letters submitted without proper formatting will not be accepted.
Letters submitted late will lose a letter grade a day.



Fit the following information on one page of your typed letter; write a short paragraph about each topic:

• Who is your artist and what pieces of his / her art interest you. (Briefly describe why.)


• What have you found in your initial research that makes him / her an interesting artist to research.


• List at least ten places where information can be found about your artist in a paragraph.


• Conclude letter with some ideas for your thesis. (These will obviously evolve and change, but I want you to begin thinking about these things before you even begin serious research.