“What does it mean to be human?

 

The discipline of the humanities suggests we can answer this question by examining the cultural production — the art, architecture, music, literature, philosophy and religion — of different civilizations. By studying these cultural products, we discover how human beings understood themselves and their role in the universe at different moments in time.

Every culture has a world-view (or ideology) that allows its members to understand themselves as part of the world in which they live. Even though the cultural production of a society does reflect the dominant ideas and values of the time, we do not assume that those ideas or values are true or false. Instead, in this course, we examine how cultural products reinforce (or undermine) the dominant world view of a particular society at a particular point in time. We also examine how cultural products act as catalysts for change.”

 

The project description is also given in the Syllabus, as follows:

Project (20%): Real or Virtual Museum/Cathedral Visit

You will visit any museum or cathedral in your area (or do an online virtual tour) and write a 1,000—1,500 word paper. The paper should be double-spaced, with a title and header page, to include photographs if possible and references in the MLA format.

Option 1

For the museum visit, you will write about a specific item in the museum (painting, sculpture, artifact, manuscript) of your choosing. Place the item within the context of one of the periods discussed in the text or in one of our conferences and explain how it relates to its particular time frame/period. Describe the object. What is the thematic content? What broad assumptions about human nature does it make? Does the object reinforce the dominant values of the time or undermine them? You are encouraged to do additional research, although you must cite your sources in the MLA format.

For the cathedral visit, you may write about a specific item in the cathedral or about its architectural style in general. Place the item or the cathedral as a whole within its historical context. What ideas and values does the cathedral evoke? How is the cathedral similar or different to other cathedrals built around the same time? You are encouraged to use additional research, although you must cite your sources in the MLA format.

Option 2

If you do not or cannot visit a real museum or cathedral, you may do an online tour of a museum or cathedral. In the Course Content section you will find links to an assortment of virtual tours of famous museums and cathedrals where you might find something of interest to you. There are some additional links also in the Webliography. Proceed as for the live visit, above.

Option 3

I understand also that some of you have limited options for accessing such sites and perhaps not enough time to examine materials carefully enough to come up with a detailed essay. So, I am proposing a third option, which requires a bit more creativity on your part. Using the resources you have available (texts, internet, etc), imagine that you are an extra-terrestrial explorer, on a scouting mission to determine the status of the planet Earth and its inhabitants. You have no previous experience of what a human being is and are prohibited by your orders from making direct contact with the living population. What can you determine from your observations of the planet about the nature of humankind? Give examples from aspects of culture that we have been discussing in the course, such as art, architecture, music, writing, etc, and submit an evaluation to your superior with your analysis.

 

 

ORDER THIS ESSAY HERE NOW AND GET A DISCOUNT !!!

 

You can place an order similar to this with us. You are assured of an authentic custom paper delivered within the given deadline besides our 24/7 customer support all through.

 

[order_calculator]