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Assignment Instructions: Cultural Analysis Essay

Overview

The Cultural Analysis essay is the first chapter of your larger essay project. In this chapter, you will analyze the culture represented in your chosen piece. To do this, you will use the PERSIA framework (Politics, Economy, Religion, Society & Social Norms, Issues/Intellect, and Artistic Choices), which outlines common cultural characteristics of societies. Additionally, you will identify and discuss real-world influences the artist or director has chosen to articulate in their work.

Objectives

1. Analyze cultural elements in your chosen piece using the PERSIA framework.

2. Explore real-world influences on the piece, proving your analysis through research.

3. Develop visual literacy skills to compare and contrast your source work with real-world elements.

4. Build connections between the piece and broader cultural or historical themes.

Key Questions to Address

• What does this modern art form reveal about how our past influences our present culture?

• How do the cultural elements in the piece reflect or deviate from real-world norms or events?

Instructions

1. Analysis Using PERSIA:

   • Address each category of PERSIA (Politics, Economy, Religion, Society & Social Norms, Issues/Intellect, Artistic Choices) with clear labeling for each section. Use the PERSIA Worksheet to guide your writing.

   • Provide detailed analysis supported by examples from your chosen piece.

2. Real-World Influences:

   • Use your visual literacy skills to analyze what you see in the artwork.

   • Prove the real-world influences on the piece through research.

   • If direct influences are unclear, compare or contrast the piece with known cultural, religious, or societal elements.

     • Example: If the piece reminds you of two cultures or religions, discuss these observations in your analysis.

3. Research Requirements:

   • Include four researched sources from library databases (e.g., books, scholarly journals, periodicals).

   • Ensure all sources directly support your analysis and claims.

4. Visual Analysis:

   • Include 4-6 images to aid your analysis. Two of these must be your "Side-by-Side" image analysis from worksheet 2.

   • Use side-by-side comparisons or contrasts to connect the source work to real-world examples.

   • Provide captions for each image, including a relevant title and APA in-text citation. (I use a table to contain the images and captions and then make the borders white or "remove borders").

5. Formatting:

   • Follow APA formatting for the entire essay, including in-text citations and a References page.

   • Use proper essay structure with an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion.

   • Ensure all PERSIA categories and images are clearly labeled.