Outside Event Papers

Purpose

This assignment is intended to do a couple of things. First, it is intended to give you a reason to attend a cultural event that you may not have otherwise. Many college students have never been to a live play, the symphony, the opera, or to an art gallery, so as a way to experience first hand what we discuss in class, the instructors of this course have made the outside experience one of the required aspects. 

 

Second, the outside experience is intended to get you to slow down and consider the experience from a little more active perspective. In this case, it means you will need to analyze what your experience entailed and in the end it means that you will have to render some kind of intelligent statement about the work or performance supported by details of the work that support that statement.

 

The Events

For HUMS 101, you will attend two outside events and a field trip and write a short paper analyzing each experience. The selection of events becomes a bit subjective, but I want to be a part of it. The primary consideration is that you attend a quality venue, and a secondary consideration deals with you stretching so you are witnessing something new to you. Any musical event sponsored by North Idaho College is fair game.

 

We will read The Diviners, so I am strongly encouraging you to attend a performance of the play. In addition to the play, there are various scheduled music events, such as the opera, the Spokane symphony, and the Coeur d’ Alene symphony. You may also want to consider going to one of two galleries, Art Spirit in downtown Coeur d’Alene or the Corner Gallery in Boswell Hall. When you do go to either a gallery or a performance, use common courtesy and remember, especially if you go to Art Spirit, that you are a guest.

 

I am also always open to other outside events. If you have a trip planned or an activity scheduled that you think might fit, ask me. Don’t though expect me to say yes after the fact.

 

Requirements for the Papers

For each paper, you should consider either what the work communicates or why it was created—purpose;  or how the work impacts its audience -- effect. Create a heading at the top of the page titled either, Purpose or Effect. Below that heading write a clear, concise thesis statement about the work and a couple of sentences or short paragraph explaining the statement.  

 

As you are watching the event or when you go to a gallery, consider how the work comes together to communicate ideas. How do the pieces contribute to a message or to a couple of messages? This is a subjective comment; your analysis though becomes more valid as you connect evidence (your comment on details of the work) back to your statement. So, in a second section of the paper, I want you to think and consider the evidence that you can provide to support your statement at the top of the page.

 

Create a second heading titled, Elements. Below this heading, identify how at least three elements from the inquiry sheet for the appropriate genre support your thesis statement—about a paragraph for each element. Use the proper terminology in the right context here.

 

Finally, I would like you to consider a third section titled: Unifying Principle. For this section, write a paragraph explaining how one aspect of the show seems to control it or stand out to you and how it is tied in some way to the statement you made about effect of purpose.

 

The paper should be 400-500 words, should be double-spaced and should follow MLA guidelines for format—the NIC Writing Center has several good links on their web page regarding format, and they are also willing to help with drafts if you drop in or schedule an appointment.  http://www.nic.edu/writingcenter/

 

Grading

75 points for each paper (225 total or 22.5% of your course grade)