Assignment 1: Childhood and Adolescence

Assignment Overview

Some of the photographs we’ve studied this week that deal with issues of the body have been seen as controversial. Lewis Carroll and Sally Mann created contentious images that sparked debate among viewers and critics. Some viewers believe that Mann and Carroll were innovators and visionaries who handled the difficult themes of childhood and adolescence with maturity, whereas others criticize their works as child exploitation.

Assignment Description

Perform a web search to view images by Mann, especially her Family Pictures series, and Carroll.

In this assignment, you will identify changing social influences and offer your studied opinions on photographs that deal with issues of the body. This assignment offers a platform to discuss contemporary issues in photography, including censorship, public funding of the arts, and artistic freedoms. You will evaluate events on a personal level, explain major political and social influences on the genre, and illustrate how they shaped the development of photographic imagery.

Use a Microsoft Word document to create a report (1,000 words minimum); support your statements with appropriate references whenever necessary. Follow current MLA guidelines for writing style, grammar, spelling, and citation of sources.

Assignment Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Create an outline for your research paper.
2. Make notes in your own words while researching. Keep track of quotations and sources so that you can reference the information later.
3. Compose a written paper (750 words minimum) that starts by detailing the backgrounds of Mann and Carroll.
4. Compare and contrast the works of the two artists. How are their stylistic approaches, choices of media, and techniques the same? Where are they different? What were some of the artistic, political, social, economic, and cultural influences on each of their works?
5. Do you think the works of Carroll were innovative or exploitative? What about Mann? Support your answer by directly referencing two examples by Mann and two examples by Carroll.
6. Connect the works of Mann and Carroll to their times. How did Mann build on Carroll’s works? Where did she diverge?
7. Add a works-cited page to your Microsoft Word document that lists all the sources you used in your research. Follow MLA conventions.