Discussion Post: Humanity
We will be looking at a set period from our past. Although these are our ancestors, it will seem like we are studying a distant planet, inhabited by people with the strangest of habits. Fortunately, these subjects of our observation give us abundant clues about who they are. Their art, their writing, their technology, the way they do business, the way they govern themselves all feed into a picture we will attempt to paint for ourselves each week. Understanding who they were will help us understand who we are.
Each week you will be given three or four questions pertaining to important topics covered in the materials provided in the question itself, the textbook, the lectures, the other materials provided, and my comments in my Live Session. You choose the one you like and post a response of 125 words or more. You also need to respond to another post from one of your fellow students. This second post should be at least 60 or so words long and should not just agree with or repeat what has been said.
Use an example that has not already been used in the discussion
a) What is Fascism? Is it the logical pattern of government that resulted from the Industrial Revolution? What countries fell to Fascist leaders? Why? How did these leaders use art to show and increase their power?
b) How did the movies become such an important part of American culture during this time? Who were some of the people who made this happen? How did the movies become the huge business it became during this time?
c) After WWII, Western art entered a period in which a new sort of art developed. Called "abstract" this form of art is often puzzling to new viewers, yet it says something about both the people who created it and the culture and world that inspired it. What is "abstract art" and why do you think people chose to express themselves this way in the middle of the 20th century? Use one artist who created abstract art and tell us why you think they did that sort of art.
d) What was the Beat Generation? Using two examples of American writers who were "Beat" artists, tell us what their work says about America in the 1940's and 1950's.
e) The"Blues"is a uniquely American art form. Using the examples in the document below and any examples you find from the same period, choose one blues artist whose work has influenced another artist of your choice from the Rhythm & Blues or Rock and Roll artists of the 50's and 60's. Use one song from each artist and show the influence of the blues artist in the work of the R&B or R&R artist you choose and discuss the influence of the Blues on modern popular music in general.
The response should include a reference list. Using double-space, Times New Roman 12 pnt font, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.