Student Writing Skills: Changes and Translations

Awarded an honorable mention for the James F. Slevin Assignment Sequence Prize, this sequence originates from History of Art and Visual Studies 1127, African Personal Adornment: Changes and Translations. With the goal of providing prompts that will enable students to develop critical analytical and versatile writing skills that they can later apply in their chosen fields, the sequence presents six assignments for the semester, each of which introduces students to a new genre, audience, and purpose for writings. Assignments therefore range from formal description of an object of adornment; to a letter refusing or accepting an invitation to curate a show at a gallery; to writing a didactic label for an object in a museum (an assignment requiring research); to applying for a fictional research grant to study African dress and adornment. Handouts for a variety of preparatory activities, such as taking notes on research, are included. 19 page pd