Final Paper

Dr. Martin

Final Assignment:  A Collage of Reflection with Sources, Writing, and Art

This assignment should embody not only your experiences with expressive arts in the class, but also the ideas from the assigned readings, from your research, and from any other art forms that have helped to shape your point of view.  The structure of this assignment should be created by a logic you develop as your process for discovering connections and conclusions develops. 

What kind of writing should be included: relevant sections from your journal, your observations of  the development the performance project  and the performance itself, your observations of the workshops you participated in outside of class, your responses to the assigned readings, responses and analysis of outside sources for this final assignment, and argumentative writing about the effectiveness of expressive arts in a women's prison. So, you may include narrative writing, observational writing, poetical writing, and argumentative writing. Again, the over-all structure will depend on the logic you establish.  You may also include visuals, songs (written out), etc.

You must include 2-3 sources that discuss the validity of expressive arts in a prison setting. Please include copies of the sources when turning in this assignment.

Length:  4-5 pages, MLA formatted, plus a Works Cited page.

Suggestions:

Reflecting about the experiences, readings, and research in this class is the purpose for this assignment.  Discovering your own logic that threads through all the different modes of expression is what I'm asking you to do.  How are you going to connect the different kinds of writing?  You may choose to use a metaphor to connect your ideas; use of repetition of key ideas or phrases is another way to connect.  For example, the image of washing or not washing hair can become a metaphor for a kind of transformation that can be applied to the experience of expressive arts and rehabilitation, and could be incorporated into the different arenas of the class.  This "collage"  should be developed from a deep thinking space, and not just a thrown together place. Your grade will depend on finding meaningful connections that make the reader think about the issues addressed in class.  Think of the following question as the central focus for this assignment:  Are the expressive arts a viable tool for rehabilitation in the prisons, especially women prisons?  Consider your own experience with writing, movement and music in the class and how these arts impacted your understanding of confinement.