Cultural Event Project

As part of this course, you are required to attend a presentation, performance or visual arts exhibition of your choice and write a 4-page paper about the experience. You must attend the event during this semester. Previously attended events do not qualify for this assignment. Specific criteria for this assignment follow.

Cultural Event Opportunities

For the purposes of this class, a cultural event is defined as a visit to a museum or gallery or attendance at a play, a concert, or a poetry reading. If you would like to use an event that does not conform to these general categories, consult me prior to attending. Videos, movies at a movie theater, and sporting events are not applicable for this project.
Statement of Intent: Prior to writing your paper , you must submit a Statement of Intent for approval. Because pre-planning is important, I expect you to select an event soon and let me know what it is and your vision for your project.
I said I was going to attend a concert of The Band Perry at The Show Me Center in Cape Girardeau, and tell how the audience relates to the lyrics of the band. This is what the teacher told me:
Approved. I encourage you to seek other resources to help you support your look at the relationship between lyrics and audience.

The Band Perry is country, right? You may want to focus on the new country audience and how bands like Perry have attracted in audience members from across the listening spectrum.

Musical artists and song writers do create messages using lyrics and tunes. Successful artists are those whose songs resonate with a broad audience. We can also see music as a populist call for various values such as patriotism, anti-war, environmental causes.

You may want to go to the data bases at the library and read up on country music, country music audiences, music and populism, or music and activism.

After your Statement of Intent is approved , you will attend the event and write a 4-page typed paper that includes the following elements:

1. A summary & description of the event. A summary states the main point, idea, genre, period and/or style of the event/artistic experience and briefly relates 2-3 main ideas, parts, or sections from the event that stand in support of this main concept. The summary should be no more than ½ – one full page of your paper. If you attend a concert or visit a museum, please select specific pieces of music or art that grabbed your attention and discuss how they reflect the aesthetics of the larger event.

2. A thesis focusing on the work/event’s connection to culture. Show how aspects of the work reflect cultural ideas and attitudes of the time in which it was created or show how the work connects with contemporary ideas, values, and beliefs. For instance, a student who attended Escanaba in da Moonlight, Jeff Daniel’s comedy playing at Detroit’s Gem Theater, explored the elements of comedy & how Daniel’s uses them to turn an evening in a yooper deer camp into a sidesplitting theatrical evening for mid-western audiences. Another student attended a Blink-182 concert and focused on the lyrics of Adam’s Song, discussing why they and other Blink—182 songs resonate with so many youths. Students who attend the symphony, a dance concert, or a museum investigate the artist’s vision as it reflects or influences the culture in which it was created OR why it continues to resonate with 21st century audiences.

3. Additional information about the event. This is the research component of your cultural event project. Research must support your thesis. The most effective thesis will be one that offers an interpretation of how the work connects to culture. Research may also offer additional information about your subject in terms of style or artist—however, you are cautioned not to rely too heavily on source material that offers standard critical commentary on a work of art.

· Your research should include at least three academically sound sources. Encyclopedias such as Wikipedia and Encarta may not be used as primary resources.

· Research the work of art, not the artist’s life. Biographies will not be graded.

· Apply Modern Language Association rules for citation and documentation. This means I expect properly formatted parenthetical citations for paraphrased and quoted material and a complete Works Cited page.

· Be sure to connect your critical analysis of an artistic style to the culture in which it was created or to our current culture. Use critical commentary and biographical information to develop your thesis.

4. Your response to the aesthetic qualities and your evaluation of the event. Discuss why you feel as you do about your chosen event and its connection to culture. Please consult your text’s Preface for ways of discussing the arts.

The Cultural Event paper may be submitted any time after approval of your statement of intent; it must be submitted prior to the final due date on the course calendar.