In today’s world, one of the most important ways in which we learn about culture, events and issues across the globe is through news broadcasts. To enhance your understanding of art from outside of the U.S., and to help you engage more deeply in historical inquiry, this assignment uses the news format as a way to investigate cultures of the past through the lens of the present.
From the list below, select a city, country or region you would like to learn more about. Think of yourself as a reporter traveling back in time to create a news report about art and cultural events occurring in that region. Your task is to research the time and place you have selected, and then present a slice or aspect of the art and culture. In your report, you will also compare and contrast the art of your selected area to a cultural object from your own culture and reflect upon what you have learned. Your final news report may take the form of a video, a news article or a PowerPoint or Prezi presentation.
The assignment addresses the global and cultural learning competencies established for ARH 101, as well as MCC’s Cultural and Global Engagement [CG] Institutional Learning Outcomes (Refer to the Course Syllabus for more information about Institutional Learning Outcomes and MCC’s 4Cs).
PLEASE READ THE ASSIGNMENT DETAILS CAREFULLY!
You will be evaluated on the thoroughness and effectiveness of your news reporting, based on the following elements:
Research and Description: 20% of score
Consult at least four reliable sources and use them to inform your audience about art produced in the time and place you have chosen. (E.g., what functions does the art serve in this culture? How does it look? Where is it found? Who makes it?)
Cultural Conditions/Events/Global and Local Forces: 20% of score
Drawing upon the sources you used for Part 1, as well as information learned in class, describe what cultural conditions, events, and global and local forces affect the art being made at this time and place. (E.g., politics, religion, current events, climate, geography, patronage, etc.)
Comparison/Contrast: 20% of score
Choose a cultural object from your own time and place and compare it to the art you are reporting about. How is it similar? How is it different? How do you explain the similarities and differences?
Reflection: 30% of score
What does the art of your chosen region reveal to you about your own assumptions, biases, or understanding of the world? In other words, explain:
–What surprised you about the culture/time period?
–How were your assumptions about art and culture challenged or
supported by what you learned?
–Did your investigation change the way you think about your own
culture? If so, how?
Effectiveness: 10% of score
Your news report should be a video, a 3-5 page article, OR a Powerpoint or Prezi presentation of 12-15 slides.
Include at least three images.
News reports seek to inform, but also to hold the audience’s interest. You are encouraged to think creatively about your presentation and have fun!
List of Places/Times to Report from:
Babylon, Mesopotamia, 18th Century BCE
Thebes, Egypt, New Kingdom 16th-14th Century BCE (not the Greek city of Thebes)
Persepolis,Persia, 6th Century BCE
Palmyra, Syria, 1st Century CE
Arnhem Land, Australia, 1st-3rd Century
Jeruselem, 7th Century
Granada, Spain, 8th Century
Horyuji, Nara, Japan, 8th Century
Xian, China, Tang Dynasty 9-10th Century
Angor Wat, Cambodia, 12th Century
Easter Island (Rapa Nui), 13th Century
Yorubaland, Africa, 14-15th Century
Cuzco, Peru, 15th Century
Chichen Itza, Yucatan, Mexico, 10th Century
