Assignment 1:
Field Work & Analytical Review

For this assignment, I ask that you attend one event within the city which draws on the fine, performing, and/or new media arts from the list distributed in class 07/09/06. The event you attend will be the subject of your analytical review.

Assignment Objectives

The objectives of the assignment are threefold:

  • To provide you with an opportunity to experience an arts event in first-hand. Consider this an opportunity for sensory stimulation.
  • To encourage you to articulate through the written word, the form and content of this experience and to consider the degree to which the event may or may not be considered interdisciplinary. This will require you to employ both the descriptive and analytical skills introduced in the lecture titled FORM AND CONTENT: READING REPRESENTATION (14/09/06).
  • To have you recognize that an event is created from two sides--that of the artist(s) and that of the spectator(s) — by considering the role(s) and reaction(s) of the audience in relation to the event you select.

Note: Each event on the list engages an artistic form, content, and/or a concept that I will return to at some point during the course.

Preparation

Because we are still coming to terms with the meanings and possibilities of interdisciplinarity at this early stage of the course, it is important to keep this aspect in the forefront in your mind as you develop your review and to be open-minded as you engage with the work. To that end, you might consider the following questions:

  • What does the event represent?
  • What happens during the course of the event and what, if any, is your role within it?
  • What sensations do you experience? What do you see, hear, smell, taste, and/or touch during the course of the event — either literally or figuratively?
  • Which disciplines are called upon in this event? Or does this event blur the boundaries between disciplines so that they can no longer be distinguished in traditional terms?
  • If various disciplines can be distinguished, are they synthetically integrated or does one merely serve another?
  • Is the event the product of one artist or is the event a collaborative project? What are the implications of this for your assessment of the event in terms of interdisciplinarity?
  • How do you interpret the event? What perspectives and/or methodologies do you bring to your interpretation?
  • How does the audience appear to respond to the event? (You may wish to interview briefly a few individuals in attendance.)

Presentation Format

Your review should be typed (10- or 12-point font) and double-spaced on 8.5x11" paper with 1" margins on all four sides. Aim for a review which is about 750 to 1000 words or 3 to 4 pages in length. Feel free to use “I” wherever it seems appropriate; your tutorial leader and I want to find your voice within the review.

Each submission should include a title page (with the course name and number, my name, your name and student number, your tutor’s name, and your section and tutorial number.) All pages following the title page must be numbered. You are welcome to submit complementary materials--drawings photographs, or audio cassettes, for example--with your review. However, they must be cleanly presented and clearly labelled. Their source (where you accessed the materials from) must also be documented.

Your submission should also be proofed for grammar and spelling, preferably by someone other than you, so that you submit error-free and polished work. Do not simply rely on the spell-check feature on your computer!

Note: Please ensure that you keep a copy of the assignment; it is your responsibility to replace it in the unlikely circumstance that your submission goes astray.

Grading

Your grade for this assignment will be based on the quality of both the form of your review (how you write) and its content (what you write in response to at least some of the questions posed above).

With respect to form, I expect:

  • An interest-catching opening in which you introduce the event you attended, outline your aims in writing the review, and create a context for what follows in the body of your text.
  • A well organized and coherently written body. Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence and that topic should be explored fully before you move on to the next. You can make this easier on yourself by producing a rough outline indicating the basic issues you intend to discuss and the order you want to discuss them in before you begin writing your review.
  • A conclusion which packs a punch. It should have some relation to the content of your introduction and, in addition, must remind your reader of the distance you’ve travelled in the body of your text. Try for something more interesting than just a simple reiteration of your basic points.

With respect to content, I will be looking for:

  • Evidence of thoughtful and careful consideration of the issues. Aim for depth as well as breadth of insight.

Important Notes on Writing

This assignment has been designed with the expectation that all students are able to read and write English at the standard first-year university level. If you know that your writing skills are lacking or you want to work on improving already decent writing skills, consider the following options:

  • Register to work with a writing tutor at York’s Centre for Academic Writing (329 South Ross, 416.736.5134). To work with a tutor, you must make an appointment about two weeks ahead of time. This service is free for York students.
  • Visit your tutorial leader during her office hour, preferably with an outline or draft of your assignment in hand.
  • Contact me to make an appointment on your behalf with the Computer-Assisted Writing Centre.

Due Date

This assignment is due in tutorial on 26/10/06. Please review the limited circumstances under which late submissions will be accepted. These are indicated on the syllabus under “Assignment Due Dates” and on the FACS 1900 homepage; go to the “Quick Links” box and click on “Submitting Work.”