Students select one specific visual representation that was studied in the class and present a written interpretation of the meaning of the visual image.

1. Make sure that you review the “Visual Literacy White Paper” hand-out.

2. Make sure you know the definition of Visual Literacy on bottom of page one (“Visual Literacy White Paper” hand-out)

3. Plan to incorporate questions from page 4 and/or 6(“Visual Literacy White Paper” hand-out). Obviously you do not have to answer all of these questions… but select the most important and answer them in detail.
4. Select a visual image that directly relates to altered states of consciousness.
It could be a painting or a sculpture. It could be a dance or an architectural artifact.
For example cave paintings, Alex Gray’s paintings, Voodoo veve, Huichol yarn paintings, San Rock art, and Peruvian ayahuasca paintings, are all great examples.
5. Make sure you attach the image to your paper, preferably in color.
6. Make sure you address the questions of who was the artist, what were the artist’s intention, what is the message, what would the image mean to the audience, what symbols are utilized, what colors are used.
7. You can use outside sources but make sure that you give credit to ideas that are not your own. I do not require any specific way of doing this.
8. You can also include something that goes beyond expectations. This could be creative such as comparing a visual image from contemporary culture with the image that you have selected, or comparing a second image from the same artist and compare and contrast.

9. Be sure you include a conclusion that has depth to it. It is a good idea to include what you learned from this process.