Visual Culture 1: Gateways to Art and Culture

1. Select a pair of objects from the list of pairs provided by your instructor.
2. What do you know about these pieces?
3. Develop a formal analysis by providing a thorough and detailed description of each object. (Due Week 5 at the end of Unit 1.)
4. Research each object and develop a thorough contextual analysis by comparing the differing socio-political-economic conditions that are present and impacting culture in the two time periods of these objects. (Due Week 10 at the end of Unit 2.)
5. Select a concept from our class list of key concepts (spirituality/power, materials/technology, difference, gender and the body, the canon). How does this key concept frame interpretations of these objects? (Due at the end of Unit 3.)
6. In your conclusion, discuss new and/or unexpected insights you gained from your research and analysis of your comparison, and possibly about Visual Culture more generally. (Due at the end of Unit 3.)
7. Use MLA format: Cite all images and research sources as in-line citations and on your Works Cited page.
8. Provide annotations for two of your sources. (See below on this page for more information on annotations)
9. Minimum of 1500 words (excluding citations and annotations).

For the iSearch paper, keep a research log throughout the duration of your project. It will help you retrace the steps you took with your research and craft a reflection on your experience.

In your research log, take note of what you knew about your selected artifacts before searching. Then, keep track of the information you discover as you go, making sure to write down their sources. 

Consider questions such as: What knowledge did you go into the project with? What did you learn through your research? How did you find your sources, and why did you use them? 

1. The woman from Willendorf and Michelangelo’s David 
2. Hatshepsut’s Tomb and the Taj Mahal
3. Angkor Wat and Amiens Cathedral
4. Pantheon and Hagia Sophia
5. Qin Dynasty - Terracotta Warriors and Parthenon frieze 
6. Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, Teotihuacan and Great Mosque at Isfahan
7. Augustus Primaporta and Palette of King Narmer
8. Giotto, The Arena Chapel and Buddhist cave shrines at Ajanta
9. The Woman from Willendorf and Christine de Pisan’s The City of Women
10.  Dome of the Rock and Pantheon
11.  Masaccio’s Trinity and Buddhist cave paintings at Ajanta
12.  Parthenon frieze and Mosaics of Justinian and Theodora with court officials and attendants, San Vitale, Ravenna
13.  Sutton Hoo purse lid/fibula and Çatalhöyük (Turkey)
14.  Mosaics of Justinian and Theodora with court officials and attendants, San Vitale, Ravenna and Velasquez, Las Meninas
15.  Coatlicue and Artemisia Gentileschi, Judith Slaying Holophernes
16.  Villa of the Mysteries/Pompeii and Masaccio, Trinity
17.  Dome of the Rock and the Shrine of Ise
18.  Augustus Primaporta and Michelangelo’s David
19.  Leonardo’s Madonna of the Rocks and Bernini, The Cornaro Chapel - Ecstasy of St Teresa
20.  Discobolus and Ife Heads
21.  Christine de Pisan’s The City of Women and Vigeè-Le Brun, Portrait of Marie Antoinette
22.  Laocoon and Bernini, The Cornaro Chapel - Ecstasy of St Teresa
23.  Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, Teotihuacan and Vermeer, The Geographer
24.  Giotto, The Arena Chapel and Tadrart Acacus
25.  Sulawesi Cave/Sutton Hoo purse

The concepts addressed in this course include:

• Spirituality/power
• Materials/technology
• Difference
• Gender and the body
• The canon

Drafting is an important part of good writing. Like any kind of art and design making, no one is really satisfied with their first attempt. Everyone wants good feedback, suggestions for improvement, glaring errors or omissions pointed out. The same is true for writing. Good writers are not born, they are the result of practice, drafting and feedback.

Getting feedback on your drafts will definitely improve the quality of your written communication, critical thinking, and information literacy. Your instructor will use the rubric to grade your drafts (refer to the course Nest page within the "Coursework" dropdown menu), and provide comments. Your revised assignment and annotations are due two weeks after the draft is returned. The due date will be stipulated by your instructor in your email.

*You will write at least two annotations for your iSearch paper. Final Annotations will be submitted with your iSearch paper.*

An annotated bibliography is a precise explanation of the relevance, authority, accuracy and point of view or purpose of your source. This is where you will justify the credibility and value of your source and demonstrate your Information Literacy (your ability to locate, identify, and evaluate information) about the sources that you are using.

You need to evaluate each source in relation to the following categories:

• author credentials
• type of source and the intended audience
• purpose / bias / points of view
• relevance of source to the paper
• currency of the source

See here for examples and more information. Your annotation(s) will be a comprehensive paragraph that demonstrates your ability to identify and evaluate the source that you are using.

Please be sure to review Otis' Revised Plagiarism and AI Policy within the Academic Integrity section of the 2023-24 Otis Student Handbook (pages 86-87).