ART HIST 2A03 / CMST 2I03 (Visual Literacy): Course Assignment

Please find below the instructions and guidelines for the Visual Literacy course assignment due on November 6, 2013.

School of the Arts                                 McMaster University

VISUAL LITERACY

ART HIST 2A03 / CMST 2I03, Term II, 2013

Course Instructor: Greg Davies

COMPARATIVE  VISUAL ANALYSIS ASSIGNMENT: Course value: 35%,

Note that assignments must be submitted in class (in hardcopy only) to the instructor NO LATER THAN November 6, 2013. Late papers will be deducted at the rate of 5% per day. Papers submitted by email or any format other than hardcopy will not be accepted. Late papers resulting from illness must be accompanied by a doctor’s note. Please also note that papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers.

INSTRUCTIONS: 

Select any current picture from the public domain dating within the past twelve months. Ideally the picture should be one of widespread public interest. Consider the image in terms of its visual messages. What ideas are projected through the picture? How and why does it project these ideas? Once you have drawn some conclusions about this picture begin a search for a second, comparative image that reflects, in your estimation, a shared set of ideas or principles. This second image can be taken from any period in history, culture, or context (art galleries, museums, magazines, internet, etc.). Note that it does not need to ‘look’ like the first selected picture (in fact, it will likely appear very different). It may share a set of ideas with the first picture or it may not. You will need to determine this for yourself.

Once you have selected a second image write a short paper (see below) clarifying your thoughts on the comparative relationship between the two pictures. Your discussion should clarify and convince the reader of the connections between the two images as you understand them. Utilize the visual information available within the images to support your comments and reference sources, if necessary, to strengthen your argument.

FORMAT:

Your paper will be 5 full written pages in length with an accompanying title page (noting the title of your essay, your name and student number, due date, instructor’s name and course name and number). You must include images of both pictures discussed and present this on separate pages, with identification of the source (artist, photographer, publication, site), title (if any) and date immediately after the body of the text. This should be followed by endnotes (unless you have used footnotes) and, finally, a bibliography. Your pages should be printed using 12-point type, double-spaced with the first line of each paragraph indented. Quotes, if included, should be used sparingly. Long quotes (of two full lines or more) should be fully indented and single-spaced. For citations and bibliographic format you must follow the Chicago Style guidelines.