At the completion of Humanities 106, you will be able to:
1. Demonstrate knowledge of the diversity of world cultures.
2. Draw on the insights of various Humanities and Humanities-related disciplines.
3. Understand and apply cultural theory.
4. Write effective analyses of multiple forms of cultural expression and creativity.
Assignment 1:
Art Museum Paper Assignment
For your Art Museum Paper, I would like you to visit an art museum in the Los Angeles area and find ONE piece of artwork from the 17th or 18th centuries (1600s-1700s) that catches your attention. You ay choose a painting or sculpture. Include the piece's title, artist, date, and museum location. Copy a picture of your piece and a copy of your admission ticket (or parking stub if you are going to the Getty) into your document and upload to Moodle (or email the images to me if you cannot upload
them).
NOTE: You must visit a museum in person. Analyses from Internet sources will not be accepted.
Please analyze your piece by discussing ALL of the following elements:
- Consider the characteristics that can be attributed to the time period of your piece.
- Give a thorough and detailed description of the piece.
- Define the purpose of objects/figures.
- Describe the relative size and placement of objects/figures.
- Describe the use of color, and explain how those colors create mood/tone.
- Describe the use of texture (if any).
- Explain any symbols (people, objects, colors, placement can be symbolic).
- Does your piece convey a social, religious, or political message?
This paper should be written in your own words. Limit the amount of historical or analytical information from other sources to less than 50 words (this includes what is posted in your art gallery/museum and from our textbook). Remember to include an introduction and a conclusion.
The introduction should state the characteristics of the time period represented by your piece.
Please include how you felt about your museum visit/experience in your conclusion.
The Art Museum Paper must be a minimum of 1000 words (4 pages) in length. This assignment constitutes 20% of your final grade. English does count so check your grammar, spelling and punctuation.
Assignment 2:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Humanities 106 Film Analysis Assignment
As with most literary works, there are recurrent universal patterns in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Consider the definition of Mythological Criticism:
A central concept in mythological criticism is the archetype, a symbol, character, situation, or image that evokes a deep universal response. The idea of the archetype came into literary criticism from the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. Jung believed that all individuals share a "collective unconscious," a set of primal memories common to the human race, existing below each person's conscious mind. Critic Joseph Campbell identified archetypal symbols and situations in literary works by demonstrated how similar mythic characters appear in virtually every culture on every continent.
For your 1000 word written analysis, you will track the progress of Harry Potter as a Hero Archetype. Please follow our Hero's Quest Outline and fill in ALL 12 story steps (as listed below). There are no "right" answers to this assignment - follow your instincts and describe what you deem important and necessary! Please view the film on your own and write your analysis prior to our class discussion! You will need to write specific examples of Harry's hero quest, so keep a pen and pad handy as you watch the film. Please refer to specific scenes, characters, events, changes of consciousness and/or circumstance. As you venture through the film, think about what makes Harry a hero:
How does his special world compare to his ordinary world? What actions can be deemed heroic? Who are Harry's teachers and guides? What is his quest? Does his quest change during the course of the film? Who are his allies or enemies? What challenges or conflicts does Harry need to overcome? How does Harry fit the hero archetype? Your grade will be based on the thoroughness of your analysis (if you successfully respond to all 12 story steps!), the strength of your quotes/examples, and your thoughtfulness and openmindedness! You may write more than the 1000 word minimum, but please keep your analysis under 1,500 words! Please write in paragraph form - do not post an outline! To receive maximum credit, please post your analysis via our Turnitin link on our Moodle page PRIOR to our class discussion.