Art Criticism Paper Essay - 1100 Words

Art Criticism Paper (Essay Sample) Content: Name:Professor:Course:Date:Art Criticism PaperDenise Ryan of Vancouver Sun in his column- titled Kamloops student's artwork sparks controversy over the portrayal of Muslim dress- reviews the perception of the Muslim society. The student in the artwork is Sooray Graham. This paper, therefore, seeks to illuminate critically the challenges women face with respect to expectations the society embeds in them (Denis Para 1).Sooray Graham is a woman who subscribes to the Muslim faith. In her fourth year project at Thomson Rivers University, she displays a mural photograph depicting a Muslim woman in full Islamic dress holding a bra across the chest. Later, she overhears a woman who also subscribes to her faith say that she had stripped down the display (Denis Para1). Consequently, this sparks a public debate about cultural perception, community representation and modalities of determining if a content is explicit or not (explicit materials require censorship). The resounding differences in opinion ring around every corner of the country as well as other Islamic states concerning the work. To the Muslim faithful the photograph was offensive while to other communities it was otherwise. Stripping down the display leaves more questions than answers. More often, we encounter things we don't like or those that we shall never embrace (Denis Para 3). That does not mean if you don't love something then you do away with it especially if you don't own it. It is uncouth, retrogressive and derogative to act in such a manner. For people to exist in harmony in the society, it is prudent to be tolerant and accommodative to individuals even if their perceptions (convictions) contradict our opinions and beliefs (Abu-Lughod 28).The woman in question who had removed the displayed photograph when approached by Graham was reluctant to give back the photograph. She grudgingly gave it back due to the involvement of the administration. The management of the institution of fin e arts (Thompson Rivers University) analyzed the content of the artwork and found it not to be offensive. The institution resonates with the resonance of freedom expression. Moreover, literature in all forms is used to mirror the societal misgivings and happenings. Graham opted to use her work to bring to light that Muslim women are just like other women despite being vilified. However, one thing that strikingly stands out from the controversial photograph is that individuals with different views, opinion, beliefs and convictions got together to discuss and talk about the controversy. Through these forums, people of varied background get to embrace each other and appreciate cultural differences (Abu-Lughod 28).Muslim religion expects women to carry out themselves with a lot of decorum and sobriety that is a good thing. Ethical standards help in guiding how decisions are made and illuminate the limits on actions. There are those of the opinion that label rules of the Muslim culture as intolerant and suppressive to the girl child. The photograph of Graham can be interpreted in various aspects. For an instant, Graham defends her photograph by asserting that her intentions were geared towards enlightening the society that Muslim women wear undergarment too. Besides, she further suggests that women in the Muslim community are veiled to an extent that alienates the human nature in them (Daniel Para 3). It has to be said in the strongest word possible that there are some cultures that are so retrogressive that in this century should be denounced (Abu-Lughod 28). The world over, there are campaigns for gender equality. Women in most communities have been suppressed far too long, and those that have significantly advocated for the injustices have had their way for too long hence the need to stand tall (Subedi 78). Women ought to be encouraged to embrace feminism. Double standards should not be applicable in the fight for gender equality. When a man commits something that is offensive or uncultured the society tends to be forgiving. On the other hand, when it comes women, they are often judged and condemned using the strongest terms possible in a manner that can take the life out of an individual (Azam 11). For an instant, sections of Saudi community out rightly and outspokenly came to the attack on Graham's photograph without filtering the intended connotations embedded in the photograph on the screen of reality. Many a time's people actions are blinded by the conscious of their beliefs and culture. Anything contrary to social expectations is wished away without using high definition quality glasses to examine critically the situations in questions (Azam Para 11).Women are enemies to themselves. The first person to attack the fine piece of art by Graham is a woman who is driven by her convictions rather than to support Graham since they are the oppressed lot. Furthermore, the fight for gender equality requires different fronts and women are exp ected to be at the forefront. It would have been encouraging if women more so those lenient to Islamic laws would have come out strongly in support of the mural print (Denis para 2).

Analyzing Group Roles, Dynamics, Communication & Conflict - 1100 Words

Analyzing Group Roles, Dynamics, Communication, and Conflict Resolution (Essay Sample) Content: Analyzing Group Roles, dynamics, communication, and conflict resolutionA group performs effectively when each group member is allocated clear responsibilities, and every role is performed efficiently to achieve the groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s goal. In spite of the clear roles and responsibilities, a group can still fall short of its maximum potential. This happens due to some reasons such as uncooperative group members, reduced flexibility among group members, and conflict and disagreements in the group. According to Belbin 2014, group members tend to assume different roles. He defines group role as a tendency to interrelate, contribute, and behave with others in a particularly unique way. If all members portray similar functions and style of behavior, members are more likely to conflict, creating an imbalanced group. However, when members understand their roles, they can develop their strengths and manage their weaknesses as individuals, as well as improve how they contribute to group work.The group included a chairperson, a minute taker, and a report writer. The Chairperson assumed the role of a group leader. He ensured that the group is balanced where members have defined roles. The group leader monitored, and evaluated the progress of each member. It is paramount to have a monitor evaluator in the group to analyze and evaluate the ideas that members contribute to their effectiveness in the set goal. A group leader is a problem solver. In our case, he stepped to help resolve conflict and kept pushing us when we felt like quitting. The second member was the report writer who was more of an implementer who made all efforts to ensure that things are done in time. Most people who assume this role convert the groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s concepts and ideas into practical actions and working plans. Unfortunately, the minute taker as the implementer was conservative and reluctant to embrace changes when members proposed changes. The minute taker was I and assumed the coordination role as I took the groupà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s minutes. I also saw that all members were participating in the group work and maintained order during group work.People assume different personalities, which, together with the roles allocated form dynamics. The group included several individual dynamic such as a motivator (the chairperson), an innovator (the report writer), and implementer (the minute taker), and an evaluator (the chairperson) among other positive dynamics. Some of the dynamic that were eliminated include a joker, a nagator, a withdrawer, and the aggressor (Veer, 2015). This is because negative dynamic such as bullying can reduce the groupsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬ effectiveness. The group adapted to an open communication policy where all members communicated clearly. All forms of communication such as email, shared documents, and meetings were used, and ambiguity avoided. Negotiations were the conflict resolving strategies used. This included bringing together multiple pa rties to discuss problems and find solutions. The dialogue was used to come up with the most appropriate resolution (Long, 2013).The group brought in diverse cultural-related aspects such as attitudes, norms, and behaviors. The group members come from different cultural backgrounds. Each culture had a different stance, norms, and practices that affected (positively or negatively) the functioning of the group. Culture is defined as a learned or acquired set of assumptions that shapes peopleà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬s perceptions of the world around them, and of appropriate norms, attitudes, values, and behaviors (Wade, 2004). Fairness was a typical value for the Chinese member, who was the minute taker. The Chinese culture value fairness and equal treatment of all without preferential treatment to some people, despite their social or economic class. However, the other cultures in the group reported that certain individuals or groups should receive better treatment at the expense of others. The tw o members from North America stated that competition was an important aspect of achieving better performance. Nevertheless, my Chinese background believes that competition is unhealthy and lead to disharmony.More so, Americans belief in individualism and that is why they prefer defined roles assigned to individual group members. On the other hand, I as a member from the China that relied on group work/ group consensus for decision-making. The American and North American in the group were quiet when working, but I found silence disturbing and preferred talking and humming to get work done. Cultural identity is very crucial in the group, and people are encouraged to bring in their dynamic cultural behaviors, values, and attitude in the group. However, some cultural norms, attitudes, and behaviors vary across cultures, which can lead to conflict. For instance, people from different cultures misunderstand most non-verbal communication. In our group, we frequently disagreed and misunde rstood some of the verbal/nonverbal cues from each other, which made us argue a lot. Conflict in the group paralyzes operations, and it becomes difficult to achieve group goals within the required time.A negotiation is an important communication process where multiple parties discuss emerging problems and attempt to find solutions using dialogue to reach a resolution (Magrane, 2015). In this case, the negotiation format that was used was a principled negotiation. This form is also known as integrative negotiation, in which parties collaborate to come up with a value-creating agreement that leaves everyone happy with the result as well as with the status of the relationship. In other words, the negation process aimed at working on shared interest, trust, and understanding each other to develop mutually beneficial solutions. Preparation is crucial in reaching an optimal agreement. The preparation stage included knowing the personal needs and limits, understanding the needs of the oth er party as well as anticipating their limits, and developing creative solutions. In the preparation and planning stage, seven elements were included; interests, options, alternatives, legitimacy, relationship, communication, and commitment (Magrane ,2015).First, the plan considered the benefit of both parties. Common interests were highlighted to create mutual understanding and create a peaceful foundation for agreement. Second, the plan brainstormed options for agreement. The option...