Cultural Event free essay sample

As a way of experiencing the Humanities beyond your classroom, computer, and textbook, you are asked to do a certain type of â€Å"cultural activity† that fits well with our course and then report on your experience. Your instructor will require you to propose an activity and get instructor approval before you do it and report on it (students should look for any instructions in that respect). Every effort should be made to ensure that this is a hands-on experience (not a virtual one), that this activity fits the HUM 111 class well, and that the activity is of sufficient quality for this university course. The two key types of activities are a museum visit or a performance. This is to be a report on an activity you do DURING our 11-week HUM111 course. Note: This must not be a report on the same activity (and certainly not the same report) as done for another class, like HUM 112. For instance, one might go to the same museum as done for HUM 112, but this HUM 111 report will focus on entirely different works and displays. 1. Visit a museum or gallery exhibition or attend a theater or musical performance before the end of Week 10. The activity (museum or performance) should have content that fits our course well. Make your proposed activity known to the instructor before doing it, and get his approval before doing it. Have fun doing this. 2. Write a two to three (2-3) page report (500-750 words) that describes your experience. Clearly identify the activity location, date attended, the attendees, and your initial reaction upon arriving at there. Provide specific information and a description of at least two pieces (e. g. , art, exhibits, music, etc. ). Provide a summary of the event and describe your overall reaction after attending the event. Use at least the class text as a reference (additional sources are fine, not necessary unless required by your content). Your report should include connections you make between things observed in your activity and things learned in the course and text. Note: Submit your cultural event choice to the instructor for approval before the end of Week 5 (earlier is even better). Look for guidance from the instructor for how or where to make your proposal. You may also seek advice from your instructor (provide your town/state or zip code) for a good activity in your general area. FirstSubmit your cultural event choice to the instructor for approval before the end of Week 5 (earlier is better). Submit your topic choice to the discussion area designated for this called Assignment_3_Event_Choices; the link for this is near the bottom of the Student Center in our course shell; email is ok in some cases. Submit your topic choice by the Monday starting week 6 (by Monday, February 10). The earlier you get approval, the more time you have to plan and schedule doing the event or activity. The report itself is due by 9am ET on March 17. NOTE: If you are unsure of what museum or other event to propose to the instructor, ask him for helpask by email or the Private Questions tool or in the discussion area designated for this topic; identify your town and state when you do so. Your instructor has a lot of experience helping people come up with reasonable activities that are not too distant and fit the class material well. Broaden your horizons—do something you would not normally do. In general, it is expected that an effort will be made to do an event that fits well with the subject matter and time periods of our course (which covers from ancient times to about AD 1550); though in some cases this is not possible. Also, keep in mind that our focus is on the arts and literature, not so much political or military history. Your instructor can assist—ask if you need help finding an activity. SOURCES: This is more experience than book or online research. Part of the instruction requires the report to include specific dates and information about the event and location, and a report on a personal experience is based mainly on your observation, but that is included in the body of the report. Every report should be using at least the class text as one source for which they have a reference and one or more in-text citations. The need for referencing is limited in most cases to the class text, but certain types of activities can very well lead to needing to cite more sources. . An excellent report would make connections to things in the class text, and so would use in-text citing to specific things in the class text—and a reference to it at the end. Also, you can cite some background information that you find at other sources in print or online. Whatever sources you do use should be cited in the APA style with both in-text citations and a References) list at the end. But, keep in mind, most of your report is on what you see and hear doing this. There are events that might be exceptions, but this is the general approach here. Visiting a Museum It makes sense to approach a museum the way a seasoned traveler approaches visiting a city for the first time. Find out what there is available to see. In the museum, find out what sort of exhibitions are currently housed in the museum and start with the exhibits that interest you. If there is a travelling exhibition, it’s always a good idea to see it while you have the chance. Then, if you have time, you can look at other things in the museum. Every effort should be made ahead of time to identify a museum that has items and works one can easily connect to our HUM 111 class and book. Since HUM 111 covers from ancient times to the 1500s AD, it makes more sense to focus on items from that time frame. In general, museums with artistic cultural artifacts and fine arts work better than history museums. Any questions about whether a museum-visit activity fits the course and assignment well enough will be decided by the instructor when the student seeks approval for the activity. Any alternative activity outside the normal ones listed here, such as for those limited by disability or distance, will be determined by the instructor. Normally we do not expect students to travel over an hour to get to an approved activity. Make notes as you go through the museum and accept any handouts or pamphlets that the museum staff gives you. While you should not quote anything from the printed material when you do your report, the handouts may help to refresh your memory later. The quality of your experience is not measured by the amount of time you spend in the galleries or the number of works of art that you actually see. The most rewarding experiences can come from finding two (2) or three (3) pieces of art or exhibits which intrigue you and then considering those works in leisurely contemplation. Most museums even have benches where you can sit and study a particular piece. If you are having a difficult time deciding which pieces to write about, ask yourself these questions: (1) If the museum you are visiting suddenly caught fire, which two (2) pieces of art or exhibits would you most want to see saved from the fire? (2) Why would you choose those two (2) particular pieces? Attending a Performance Check your local colleges to see if there are any free or low-cost performances or student recitals. Student performances are generally of almost the same quality as professional performances, but typically cost much less. However, performances of high school level or lower will not meet this requirement. A performance that is relevant to a HUM 111 course is more difficult to find than a performance that would be relevant to HUM 112 (which covers from 1600 to the present). However, our course does cover Shakespeare and Greek tragedy and drama, so any performances of those will work. One can sometimes find music performances of music from the Renaissance or Reformation period, or even earlier. Any questions about whether a performance activity fits the course and assignment well enough will be decided by the instructor when the student seeks approval for an activity. Any alternative activity outside the normal ones listed here, such as for those limited by disability or distance, will be determined by the instructor. Normally we do not expect students to travel over an hour to get to an approved activity. Unlike visiting a museum, where you can wear almost anything, people attending performances are often expected to â€Å"dress up† a bit. Take a pen or pencil with you and accept the program you are offered by the usher; you will probably want to make notes on it during or after the performance. Turn off your cell phone before entering the auditorium. Do not use your phone to record the music or to take pictures or videos. To play it safe, turn the phone off. Most long musical performances have at least one (1) intermission. If the lights start blinking, it is a sign that the performance is about to begin. Look for very specific things (such as a particular piece of music or the way certain instruments sounded at a specific time) which tend to stand out as either enjoyable or not enjoyable. Be sure to make notes of the things which you find enjoyable as well as the things which are not enjoyable. If a student is unable to attend a cultural event in person due to circumstances beyond the student’s control, then the instructor will recommend an alternate event/activity for the student to â€Å"attend† online. The â€Å"virtual† event/activity is usually only for students who, due to their physical location or physical disability, cannot possibly attend an event/activity in person; typically, these students are stationed overseas or have no means of transportation. If you believe that you have a legitimate reason for attending a â€Å"virtual† activity, you must contact the instructor no later than Week 5 for your request to be considered. This happens, but it is rare. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements: Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides. For any sources used, use in-text citations in the APA format, and also have a References list in the APA format for those sources. Check with your professor for any additional instructions specific to the selected topic. Use paragraphing, and have the first line of each paragraph indented in 5 spaces. Do not do an abstract or abstract page for this paper; otherwise APA style is the guide. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name (H. Stansbury), the course title (HUM111), and the date. The cover page and the reference(s) page are not included in the calculation of the papers length. The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are: Explain the importance of situating a society’s cultural and artistic expressions within a historical context. Examine the influences of intellectual, religious, political, and socio-economic forces on social, cultural, and artistic expressions Use technology and information resources to research issues in the study of world cultures. Write clearly and concisely about world cultures using proper writing mechanics. Grading for this assignment will be based on the papers quality in terms of content, following of instructions, logic/organization, and language and writing skills; the grading will do this using the following university-designed rubric. The actual rubric will be a clickable rubrican electronic rubric with points. A link to a scored clickable rubric will appear as part of your gradebook feedback. Points: 100 Assignment 3: Cultural Activity Report Criteria Unacceptable Below 60% F Meets Minimum Expectations 60-69% D Fair 70-79% C Proficient 80-89% B Exemplary 90-100% A 1. Clearly identify the event location, date attended, the attendees, and your initial reaction upon arriving at the event. Weight: 15% Did not submit or incompletely identified the event location, date attended, the attendees, and your initial reaction upon arriving at the event. Insufficiently identified the event location, date attended, the attendees, and your initial reaction upon arriving at the event. Partially identified the event location, date attended, the attendees, and your initial reaction upon arriving at the event. Satisfactorily identified the event location, date attended, the attendees, and your initial reaction upon arriving at the event. Thoroughly identified the event location, date attended, the attendees, and your initial reaction upon arriving at the event. 2. Provide specific information and a description of at least two (2) pieces (e. g. , art, exhibits, music, etc. ). Weight: 25% Did not submit or incompletely provided specific information and a description of at least two (2) pieces (e. g. , art, exhibits, music, etc. ). Insufficiently provided specific information and a description of at least two (2) pieces (e. g. , art, exhibits, music, etc. ). Partially provided specific information and a description of at least two (2) pieces (e. g. , art, exhibits, music, etc. ). Satisfactorily provided specific information and a description of at least two (2) pieces (e. g. , art, exhibits, music, etc. ). Thoroughly provided specific information and a description of at least two (2) pieces (e. g. , art, exhibits, music, etc. ). 3. Provide a summary of the event and describe your overall reaction after attending the event. Weight: 40% Did not submit or incompletely provided a summary of the event. Did not submit or incompletely described your overall reaction after attending the event. Insufficiently provided a summary of the event. Insufficiently described your overall reaction after attending the event. Partially provided a summary of the event. Partially described your overall reaction after attending the event. Satisfactorily provided a summary of the event. Satisfactorily described your overall reaction after attending the event. Thoroughly provided a summary of the event. Thoroughly described your overall reaction after attending the event. 4. Clarity, writing mechanics, referencing, and formatting requirements. Weight: 20%