Music Video as Back Art – Final Project
Final Project 30 Points
The goal of the final project is to demonstrate your understanding of the learning objectives for
the course:
Articulate the distinction between blackness as an embodied and disembodied concept
Identify lineages of visual artists that have emerged from this music video movement
Identify the main theoretical challenges music video as black art has presented to both
mainstream music video and art
Be able to closely analyze a music video clip in relation to issues of the aesthetics of
blackness
This project is the opportunity to be creative and self-determining in how you accomplish this
task. At the same time, it is understood that some guidelines or expectations will be helpful in
focusing your many possibilities into a tangible project. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Find your subject: In other words, what are you going to look at further? For example,
are you going to look at black visual intonation, black intentionality, disembodied
blackness, anti-blackness, afro-futurism, legibility/illegibility of black expression,
basically any of the topics weve covered in class.
Find an object: This is the thing you will study. It can be a music video, film,
commercial, publication, etc. It can be an original work (creative project) or the work of
another (research paper) so long as you can provide a copy of it to be seen.
Find your research: Using at least two in-class readings and one outside source, justify
your point of view.
Because of the challenges presented by learning at a distance, group final projects will no
longer be accepted.
Doing your own creative project will still require a small written component where you provide
one paragraph on each of the following:
When and why was this project made?
What is this project studying and how? (refer to Find your subject and Find your
research above) this should cite related readings as detailed above
Talk about the process choices made to create this work (creative, production) and
how those choices relate to the course material.
If applicable, mention how the current pandemic adapted your planned project.
If you choose the work of another, you are essentially choosing the paper option:
As you compose your paper, please follow these guidelines carefully:
1. Complete using a 12-point Times New Roman font.
2. Please begin your paper by placing your name, the course title, and the
date in the upper left-hand corner as follows:
Your Name
FLME 4780
Date
3. Give your paper a title, centered, bold and underlined.
4. Indent the beginning of all sentences that begin paragraphs. Please make sure you use
paragraphs. A paragraph should not take up a whole page or more.
5. Double-space all text within your paper (including the identifying information you
place in the upper left-hand corner of the first page).
6. You must formally cite at least two readings from class and one outside source
throughout.
7. The whole paper should be between 1000 and 1200 words (between 5-6 pages)
