Extended Essay in French about arts?

[ibcandidate]

If I were to write my extended essay in French subject, (B language HL), then would  I be allowed to write it about art? To be more specific: paintings. If yes, then which conditions would apply?

[voh26]

Hi,

You could write about painting, yes, but must ALWAYS link it somehow with the target culture. And that target culture must be francophone. It seems to me that your EE would fit a category 2B. You would in that case need to have specific cultural artefacts, and that means you should not talk about paintings in general (even if for the target country) but about one or several clearly identifiable paintings. How does this help with your question?

[ibcandidate]

If i chose a few certain paintings of some artist, what would i be permitted to write about them? I mean like, could I just describe the similar techniques used to paint them or...?

[voh26]

Part of your analysis would involve discussing techniques, but this discussion would have a larger aim.

For example, has this artist or technique had some impact on francophone culture or does it reveal some important aspect of contemporary French (or francophone) thought ? You would need to be even more specific, so that you do not simply repeat general knowledge. Narrow it down to a certain class, social order, social group or something equally specific and researchable -- and research-worthy. Remember that your EE has to present an argument on something that has some significance and contributes to our understanding of a movement or culture or social order that is francophone. And it cannot be something that can be easily found in Wikipedia or in an encyclopedia. That is why it is important that you have your own angle and interest and that you are very specific in what you are researching. Does that help a bit more?

[ibcandidate]

yes that helped a lot thank you so much!!!

[voh26]

Quote

 

Great!  I found this from a site, which might also help you. It also has useful examples

 

2B: essays of a general cultural nature based on specific cultural artifacts

This kind of essay should be an analysis of a more general cultural nature but specific to a country or community where the language is spoken. Topics that are too broad and could apply to many cultures (like globalization, the death penalty or eating disorders) will be considered inappropriate by examiners.

Essays of a general cultural nature must be based on specific cultural artifacts. Cultural artifacts can include a wide variety of phenomena, ranging from works of fine art to newspapers, magazines and cartoons, to films, television programmes and popular music.

-Language French
Topic: Social criticism in the songs of MC Solaar
Research question: “What is the nature of MC Solaar’s rap critique of modern French society?”
Approach:  An investigation into the thematic content of MC Solaar’s songs.

-Language Japanese
Topic:  Adverts in the Japanese media
Research question: “How and why do Japanese advertisers use such a high proportion of non-Japanese models in advertising?”
Approach:  An analysis of adverts targeted at the youth market seen over a one-month period, together with an analysis of how these are targeted, and possible reasons why the images used are chosen.

-Language Spanish
Topic:  Representation of women in tango
Research question:  ”Which roles do women play in tango lyrics?”
Approach:  A critical and thematic analysis of a corpus of tango lyrics to reveal female roles.