For Tuesday, October 19th: Essay Topics Brainstorming

For October 19th: Select a political work of art or a culturally-based activist act. It should be a specific text or act – a song or album, a poem, a short story or a book, a play or a movie, a painting or mural, or a culturally-based act of protest – not the whole career of an artist or activist, and not a whole social movement.

You can use a text that’s in our reader, one that’s mentioned in Reed’s texts, or that you’ve come across through your own experiences and interests. It can be related to the Civil Rights movement, or another movement described in Reed, or another social movement (from any country or time period) that interests you. If you’re having a hard time finding a topic, do some brainstorming about the kinds of texts and the social movements that interest you. Post your thoughts on the blog and your classmates and I will respond with suggestions, so be sure you’re also checking your classmates’ blogs.

Begin by looking at/reading/listening to the text itself. On your blog, post a description of the text/act and the issue(s) you think it addresses of at least 300 words. Talk about your own responses: what does the work of art or act make you think about, make you feel? What do you want to find out about it? You can do a little poking around online for names and dates, but hold off on research: focus on your own reactions. If you can, include a link to the text or post an image or embed a video. Due Tuesday, October 19^th.