Visual+Essay

The Visual Essay
The **//visual essay//** is an exploration of a topic that conveys its ideas through visual elements as well as language. Students will experiment with a range of material and techniques to explore various visual strategies. The visual essay must answer a question based on the content of study. For example, during the course of your novel study, you may choose to develop and explore the following question: **//How does a moral person live in a corrupt world?//** You are free to choose from a variety of tools: camera, pen, paint brush, musical instrument, spoken word, or forms of graphics and/or pieces of sculpture or collage. You may wish to work with more than one medium. This is about aesthetic process, so students should not feel constrained about their choice of medium(s). The **//visual essay//** is not in the usual written format but rather in a creative and artistic design. Using the text and other pertinent resources as main focal points, students will select visual representations, items, symbols, characters, settings, etc. that represent one of the major themes that resonate in your novel(s).

Brainstorming Activity (optional)
**__ VISUAL ESSAY ASSIGNMENT __**

As part of the planning stage for your assignment, take some time to frame your assignment around the following questions. 1. List the novel’s three most prominent themes or contemporary issues you are interested in exploring. 2. Why are you interested in these events? 3. Your assignment must contain a focus question that guides your exploration of the topic. Presently, what is your focus question?

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4. I**f you have not determined a topic of interest, how are you going to find a topic of interest over the weekend? Be specific.** Taking a look at the different options you have to demonstrate a response to your focus question, which of the options is most appealing at this time? Why?

6. **What excites you about this assignment? Worries you about this assignment?** __