· Oral Report (15%)

1. Draw a topic from the envelope provided in class. Write down in your calendar the date of your presentation. If you have any scheduling conflict, contact Prof. Dominguez immediately.

2. Write down your name in the list of topics maintained by your TA, Catherine Reed.

3. Conduct preliminary research on your theme, starting with the Oxford Companion to World Mythology and/or the list of online resources and reference books given in your syllabus. Keep in mind how your particular topic relates to the general theme to be discussed in class during the week of your presentation. Read also the corresponding chapter in your textbook (Nigel Spivey’s How art made the world).

4. Using your textbooks or the image databases listed in your syllabus, choose ONE image closely related to you topic.

· You are completely free in your choice of image: you can pick an object or picture that comes from the particular culture that ‘created’ that figure or story; you can choose an appropriation of that particular theme made by a different culture and/or at a different time; you can select an image that alters the original meaning and/or shape of that theme (cartoon, satiric images, comics, etc.); etc.

· Make sure to gather all the available information about that particular image (when, where, and why was this image made? By whom, and for whom?)

· Let Prof. Dominguez know your choice and give her a digital copy (via email, USB pen drive, or in a CD).

5. Analyze how this particular image embodies, promotes or transgress the crucial features of the myth, or religious figure/story you are studying:

· What iconographic elements are found in this image (attributes that render the subject recognizable)? In which texts are those elements described (written sources such as the Bible, oral traditions, etc.)? What kind of symbolic or narrative aspects do they stress?

· What role do formal elements (size, media, materials, colors, composition, etc.) play in this representation? How do they express, reinforce or downplay the iconographic features you have already identified?

· If you need help understanding how to analyze an image, you may consult:

- “Introduction” in Fred S. Kleiner and Christin J. Mamiya’s Gardner’s Art through the Ages. A Concise History (Thomson Wadsworth, 2006), pp. 1-13.

- “Chapter 2” of Sylvan Barnet’s A Short Guide to Writing About Art (Pearson Longman, 2005), pp. 41-119 (There is a copy at the Reference Room of Morris Library).

6. Prepare a 5-10 min. oral report accompanied with a PowerPoint presentation. There are not prescribed rules on the specific format to use during your oral report – you may choose to read a written essay, or to give a more informal talk based on a few notes. Make sure, however, you feel comfortable with the format you are choosing, and that your report is presented in a coherent manner. Do not give for granted your audience knows what you mean – try to present your points as clear as possible. You may also think of particular questions and/or strategies to boost the discussion. Creativity is always welcome!

· Short Paper (15%): This is a written essay, based on the materials gathered for your oral presentation. As any academic paper, your essay should present your materials in an orderly fashion, developing a central argument or thesis stated in the opening paragraph.

Due Date: The paper can be submitted any time BEFORE or ON December 5, 2006. Penalty for late papers is 1% per day. I reserve the right of not accepting papers after one week of lateness. Extensions will only be granted to students who present a doctor’s note explaining a physical inability to complete the work on time.

Format: 5 – 7 pages (about 1500 words), double-spaced, 12-point characters, with margins of at least ¾”. This count does not include the cover page, which should be placed at the beginning of your paper displaying the paper’s title and your name.

· Successful papers will exhibit evidence of keen critical thinking supported by bibliographic research. The paper should not be an exercise in pure description, nor should it present a discussion based solely upon conjecture or supposition. Although personal interpretations are encouraged, you must gather enough bibliographic materials to support your reading.

· The paper should be presented according to The Chicago Manual of Style guidelines for academic writing in the humanities. All ideas and passages that are not your own should be accordingly cited or referenced in footnotes or endnotes. Please note that plagiarism is a serious academic offense, and I will apply academic sanctions to papers with plagiarized materials.

· All bibliographic sources consulted should be appropriately listed in a bibliography placed at the end of your paper. To ensure the academic level of your paper use only internet resources published and/or endorsed by universities and museums.

· You should include illustrations of all the artworks that you mention in your paper, indicating its source.

· You can find useful guidelines on how to write an effective art essay in Sylvan Barnet, A Short Guide to Writing About Art (1989), which is at the reserve room at the Morris Library.