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Assignment:AlternativetotheMuseumVisitation
If you decide you do not want to go to an Art Museum due to COVID 19, please choose ONE
OPTION from the assignments below instead. Please do NOT complete all of them.
Essay Directions (Read all directions carefully before you start.)
1. Your essay should follow the guidelines stated under the Written Assignments section of your syllabus.
Your paper must be typed in a 10 – 12-point font, double-spaced with margins that are no more than 1
inch.
2. No matter which of the three options you choose below, your reportshould be at least 700 words.
3. If you don’t have Microsoft Word, you can click here to download Microsoft Office for free as an MDC
student.
4. Don’t forget to title your document.
5. Please upload your paperto the Museum Paper dropbox by clicking on the Visitation link in the side
menu of Blackboard.
6. Then, read your Turnitin originality report. If your paper is above 5% copied (excluding quotes) make
the necessary changes before re-submitting it into the dropbox. You can re-submit your paper only
up until the due date, so please upload early to have enough time to edit your paper if necessary.
For more information click: Using the Turnitin dropboxes in Blackboard and understanding originality
reports.
7. Please make sure to turn in your own work. Use your own words, not summaries or descriptions
written by someone else about a film, song, or video. See the syllabus link – Academic Honesty for
more information on paraphrasing, using quotes, and summarizing. Make sure to cite your sources
where necessary.
8. This report is an individual project. It should not be done with other students.
9. Any papers that are plagiarized will be turned back to the student and not graded. A grade of zero
will be assigned.
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OPTION ONE- TikTok: Creativity, Collaboration, and the Art of Effecting
Change
Blogger Eugene Wei astutely states that TikTok relies on a network effect of creativity, meaning “…that every
additional user on TikTok makes every other user more creative.”
TikTok has a strong form of this type of network effect. They explicitly lower the barrier to the literal
remixing ofeveryone else’s content. In their app, they have a wealth of features that make it dead simple
to grab any element from another TikTok and incorporate it into a new TikTok. (Wei, “American Idle.”)
Please write a five-paragraph essay on the topics below. Please make sure your essay is at least 700 words:
1. Paragraph One: “Innovation compounds as more ideas from more people collide.” (Wei, American
Idle.”) Describe a series of videos on TikTok that are a collaboration between three or more people.
Discuss the ‘network effect of creativity’ as explained above. Explain why the collaboration works.
Some things to think about:
a. Are the creators using the duet feature to create collaboration?
b. Are the creators collaborating by reacting to each other or reacting to feedback from the TikTok
community? If so, how?
c. Is the collaboration original content or a reproduction/remix/update of already existing content
or an already existing meme or trend?
d. Does music play a part in the collaboration?
e. Include links to the videos you discuss.
2. Paragraph Two: Describe a series of videos on TikTok that tell a story. Discuss why the story was
meaningful to you. Include links to the videos you discuss.
3. Paragraph Three: Many of the videos on TikTok are ‘explainer’ videos that are trying to change the
world for the better. Analyze a video or series of videos on TikTok that created change, raised
awareness of a social issue, or made the world a better place, (or at least tried to create change.)
Identify the issue and how the creator attempted to create awareness. Include link(s) to the video you
discuss.
4. Paragraph Four: How many truly original ideas are there? Analyze a video on TikTok you think is
creative, original, or innovative and discuss how/why it is different or unique. Some things to think
about:
a. Did the creator use a video filter or the duet feature in a creative or innovative way?
b. Is the idea in the video unique in of itself or is it the way the idea is presented?
c. Is the material being presented original or a creative/unique take on already existing material (a
remix, and update, or reinvention)?
d. Include a link to the video you discuss.
5. Paragraph Five: Conclude by describing what TikTok means to you and then analyze your favorite
TikTok video and discuss why it is your favorite. Include a link to the video you discuss.
(Wei, Eugene. “American Idle.” Remains of the Day, 26 Mar. 2020,
https://www.eugenewei.com/blog/2021/2/15/american-idle. Accessed 24 Oct. 2021.)
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Option Two – Film: Transformation
Step One: Please start by watching BOTH videos: Tragedy Lessons from Aristotle and A Character Has 4
Pivotal Moments To Change In A Movie
Step Two: Then, please write a four-paragraph essay about one movie–preferably your favorite–that
you watched and learned from the transformation of the main character (whether the hero or villain).
Please do not use a Disney movie for this essay. Please make sure your essay is at least 700 words:
1. In the first paragraph:
Provide the title, date, and director of the film, as well as a brief summary of the film in your own
words.
2. In the second paragraph:
Choose one character. Describe the character before his/her/their transformation.
3. In the third paragraph:
• Describe the exact scene or scenes when the character transforms him, her, themselves.
• Describe the obstacles he/she/they overcome.
• Is there a recognition or reversal as described by Aristotle? If so, describe.
• What were the lessons learned by the character?
5. In the fourth paragraph:
• Does the observer experience a catharsis, as described by Aristotle when watching this film?
• What can an observer learn about the character and the transformation? Provide examples
using scenes in the film.
• Did the character’s transformation relate to your own life? If so, how?
• Can you apply any of the lessons learned to your own life? If so, how?
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OPTION THREE – Music: Doctrine of Ethos
Both Plato and Aristotle believed that music should be used in such ways to better oneself, whether it
is to build character and promote virtuous behavior (Plato) or by imitating human action for
pleasurable or practical ends (Aristotle).
Step One: Please start by watching BOTH videos: The Greatest Theater and Music and Creativity in
Ancient Greece
Step Two: Do some more research online on Aristotle and Plato’s ideas about music as briefly
discussed above.
Step Three: Find a song in which the lyrics portray either or both philosophers’ ideas
Step Four: Write a five-paragraph essay on the song you chose. Please make sure your essay is at least
700 words:
1. In the first paragraph:
Provide the musician’s name, title of song, and genre. Provide the URL to a video or website
containing the song with its lyrics.
2. In the second paragraph:
Explain how your song leans more toward a Platonian (Plato) or an Aristotelian (Aristotle) type of
song.
3. In the third through the fifth paragraphs:
Quote specific lyrics from the song to explain how the song inspires one to transform one’s
character and behavior to become a better person. You must use part of the lyrics–a minimum of
three–to show how the song influences one to become a better person. Each quote must be
followed by a full paragraph of detailed explanation. Three quotes; three paragraphs.

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