ASSIGNMENT
Option 1 – a standard, college level research paper.
Some possible topics for Option 1:
- A focus on a specific culture, i.e. nineteenth century impressionism in art, literature and music
- A focus on a specific indicator of culture, i.e. architecture and how it reveals the culture of the mid twentieth century
. A comparison of two cultures to reveal how each is an adaptation to and a reflection of its attitudes, environment, etc. For example, the Renaissance vs the 18th Century:
How the Cultural Artifacts of the Two Periods Reveal the Attitudes of their Populations.
Option 2 – a less standard possibility – a first person, possibly a narrative account:
You have discovered an artifact (it may be any painting, sculpture, literary text, musical composition, or building discussed in the textbook from one of the cultures we have studied). In your essay you surmise what kind of culture created this artifact. What does it tell You about its creators? Consider values, religion, history, level of technical expertise, political structure… Be imaginative. You do not need to refer to the actual culture that did create the artifact. Your surmises could, in fact, be completely wrong. If they are based in the artifact, then your interpretation is valid.
For example, you find a Word War 2 propaganda poster from Japan. You have no knowledge of Japan or World War 2. What can you learn from studying that artifact? What kind of culture would create it and why would they create it? What does it tell you about its creators” attitude toward themselves and the world?
Make sure that the majority of the essay is a discussion of the artifact, not the story of how you got there.
Whether you decide to write the formal, academic essay or the informal, creative essay, your final product should include information from at least 8 sources, be interesting, well-written, and reflective of considerable thought.
