Short Papers:
Two short papers (3-4 pages) on banned or censored works of art—one on a piece of visual art or music, one on work of banned theatre or film.
For each paper you will provide:
(a) Brief description of the work and where, when, and by whom the work was banned/censored. This section should be concise—not more than two or three paragraphs for this section.
(b) Reconstruction and analysis of the argument used to justify the ban or censoring. Remember that not all arguments are detailed or laid out carefully—your job is to determine the reasons that were used and to identify what presuppositions might be embedded in those reasons, what assumptions might have been made, etc. Then reconstruct the argument by setting out the assumptions, presuppositions, and reasons in a way that presents as coherent and clear an argument as you think can be based on what you have found.
(c) Evaluation of the argument that was used to justify the action. Here you take the argument you have reconstructed and provide an evaluation –what do you find acceptable and unacceptable and why? True or false and why? Coherent, incoherent and why? Was the ban/censoring justified or not and why?
Short papers due at the beginning of class as follows: September 27; October 29.
Final Paper:
A final research paper (8-10 pages) on a work of art that was banned or censored in the Commonwealth of Virginia or in your home state or country. Your paper will analyze the arguments used to ban or censor and provide an evaluation for those arguments, drawing from your own theory about the nature and value of art. Your paper should follow the outline we discussed in class: brief description of the work and where/when/by whom it was banned or censored; reconstruction and analysis of the argument(s) to ban/censor; your evaluation of that argument.
If you choose to submit a draft, you must do so by November 24. The final paper is due 12 noon, Friday December 4.
If you have any questions about the assignment or the topic of your papers, please discuss with me.
All papers should be 12 point type, double spaced, 1 inch margins. All papers must follow standard guidelines for citing all sources that you use. Any paper that does not properly cite sources will receive an F. If you need additional help with properly citing sources, please do not hesitate to ask me.
Information is also available on the Simpson Library website Guide to Citing Resources. Pay particular attention to the section for citing non-print resources if you are using the web to support your research.