Speech balloon with the word commentary

Campus Commentaries

You will be required to write 3 campus commentaries per semester (approximately 500-750 words each). Events should take place on campus or in Charlotte. The goal is to get you to take advantage of the opportunities you have here as a students, which includes getting a sene of what’s available to you in the region. Program trips and required lectures are not eligible for this assignment.

Ideally, you will attend many campus events and cultural opportunities in Charlotte, and will thus be able to select commentaries that connect organically to your portfolio theme. The program will happily reimburse fees for visits to Charlotte. They should represent one each of the following types of events:

  1. An academic lecture
  2. An art exhibit or installation (On-campus or in Charlotte: Davidson College Art Gallery, Mint, Bechtler, etc.)
  3. A performance (On-campus or in Charlotte: Theater, Dance, Music)

Your campus commentaries are meant to be formal writing for a broad audience. Make sure you have polished the writing to the best of your ability.

Your commentary should:

  1. Offer a clear description of the lecture, installation or performance.
  2. Outline what the speaker or artist’s goals might be.
  3. Give us a sense of whether you think they were successful. This isn’t asking for your purely subjective.
  4. Offer your more subjective perspective, grounded in specific and thoughtful commentary. Make sure to acknowledge where your perspective might be expanded or limited by your pre-existing knowledge.

Dates

  • The first campus commentary is due Friday, September 30 by 5pm. Upload it to Moodle.
  • Campus Commentary #2 is due Friday, October 28 by 5pm via Moodle