The classes I took this semester a lot had connections to each other. The classes that I chose to analyze this semester were two academic courses: English Composition and Digital Media for the Artist (DMA); while the other two courses were dance related: Dance Perspectives, and Dance Composition. The New Media theme was a prevalent theme between all of my four classes. I found that even though the connections were all circular, without taking DMA I would not have known about the New Media that helped me with assignments in other classes. The way I conducted the connections between each classes were by analyzing and reviewing what I had conquered in each class separately.

            My two academic classes, English Composition and DMA were similar in the way that I researched assignments and wrote a lot of reflections about themes. In both of these classes I found a connection through New Media. In my Composition class I read a book called But Is It Art  by Cynthia Freeland. In Freeland’s book, there are a lot of references about art that I was able to connect to DMA. One big connection that I learned about was Running Fences. It was mentioned in Freeland’s book and I watched the excerpt on Blackboard provided by the DMA course.

            Next DMA also provided a connection between my Dance Composition. In dance composition I learned more about myself as a dancer and I learned about free range in movement that I could create myself. In DMA I created my own projects based of off themes and posted them in Facebook for my class to see. While in Dance Composition I choreographed a piece to a theme and at the end of the course there was a big comp showing where the whole class presented for everyone to watch.

            Dance Composition related to my other dance class Dance Composition. In Dance Perspectives the dance faculty talked about themselves as a dancer growing up and their careers. I was able to ask questions and learn valuable advice and knowledge from my teachers. The questions I asked and my classmates asked were questions we face every day as growing dancers and artists. Both of these classes related because I learned and had freedom to explore myself as a growing artist.

            Dance Perspectives and DMA associated in the way that I learned and analyzed the both the dance world and the technological world. I was also able to infuse my knowledge of New Media into one of my Dance Perspectives class assignments. For the last assignment I had to create a family tree and show how the dance world is all interconnected. The way that I executed this assignment was that I created my tree on the computer through Microsoft Word with the application called SmartArt. Therefore, I was able to appropriately incorporated both the dance world and technological world into my life.

            My Dance Perspectives and English Composition class were also related through New Media. In English Composition I read the book A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan and in her second to last chapter she communicates the story through a PowerPoint. In both classes I had assignments that used the PowerPoint media which makes a connection through using new media.

            Lastly, my English Composition class and Dance Composition class are connected in the way that I both composed and recorded art through assignments. I was able to express myself through dancing and through writing on paper. Sometimes the process of creating or choreographing a dance can be improved through writing ideas down on paper.

            In conclusion, through all of my classes dance related and academic wise, I learned about myself as a growing artist and as an improving dancer. Without the guidance and assignments from my teachers I would not have improved or come thus far. Reflecting back on all my classes this semester, it was beneficial to me that they all were connected in some way and I look forward to next semester to see the connections between my future courses.

I researched the topic of the popular arts in contemporary Islamic culture: the role of graffiti and/or street-art during the 2010-2012 Arab uprisings and ongoing. From the research I conducted I chose my theme to be self-expression. The Arab uprisings influenced the explosion of street art and human expression. The graffiti that was produced was a symbol that represented the citizen’s freedom of speech. In the revolution, the Arab graffiti was also a way of self expression and a means for the youth to be heard. Self expression is a universal human need and everybody does it but it can be demonstrated in different ways. Many different countries such as Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain, Tunisia, Syria, and Libya all have used graffiti as a means of communication as well as compensating for their anger by painting and painting all over the walls. The citizen’s vision for the present and future are plastered for all to see. Different countries with people speaking different languages are all trying to communicate the same message and somehow they are united by doing the same thing and using graffiti. My piece represents this by a mixture of all different graffiti art from different countries but they are unified by coming and blending together on one page. I am satisfied by the way my project came out and I learned a lot in the process especially the researching aspect. Enjoy!

Unit 4: Service Week 3

1.) From this new unit-of-study I have learned about how new media is affecting international countries and bringing people together for a common cause; such as what happened in the Tunisian Revolution. The social media had prevented chaos by connecting the citizens together. I have also learned and thought about empowerment more deeply and that the internet supplies empowerment to an extent. Social media can allow the Tunisian’s to grow and develop as a country which is empowering for the citizens. Also, the internet gives society many opportunities to learn and gain knowledge which is also empowering the way people take advantage of it. In addition, I have learned about the Arab uprisings and how the citizens expressed themselves and communicated through graffiti. In Egypt the internet and mobile connections were shut off so the confrontation of rage exploded through graffiti. Through the Islamic graffiti, it transformed and unified cities and also empowered citizens through their artistic self-expression.

2.) Basic academic learning centered on real world problems is a very practical idea, especially for college and higher education such as college and professional degrees. This concept would not work very well for elementary school learning, but high school students may benefit from an introduction.

‘Experience is a great teacher’ is an old cliché that applies well to this concept. I would imagine that many students have known someone who was “book smart” but could not apply their intelligence to real-world situations. Those students who were trained with practical skills have a fund of knowledge that can be applied to everyday tasks. I believe it is good to learn theory and some history by reading from books, however business, arts, health care and many other disciplines learn best by facing real world problems.