Topic Choices - Choose just one (1) of the topics below:
Qualities of the Hero: Comparing Gilgamesh and Odysseus. Write essay comparing these two (2) heroic figures from ancient epics of different cultures, especially focusing your analysis on the sources about their encounters with monsters: Gilgamesh encounters the monster guarding the forest, Humbaba, in Tablets 3-5 of the Epic of Gilgamesh (see https://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/; scroll down to the Tablet links; think of "Tablet" numbers like chapter numbers)." Odysseus encounters Polyphemus the Cyclops in Book 9 of The Odyssey (see https://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerOdyssey9.html; from line 105 to the end). Your paper should:
a) Compare Gilgamesh and Odysseus as to their heroic qualities, noting similarities and differences, using specific examples from the epics.
b) Summarize what this indicates about differences between ancient Mesopotamian and Greek cultures in their ideals and expectations.
c) From this comparison, suggest ways that current cultural ideals and expectations shape modern notions about role models and heroes.
Confucius and Aristotle on Virtue. Write essay comparing these two (2) ancient thinkers on the concept of virtue or good ethical character and conduct. Stay focused on the issue; keep any biographical or other information short or limited. As much as possible, analyze their writings (in translation, of course), using Confucius' Analects(at https://classics.mit.edu/Confucius/analects.html ) and Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics (at https://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html ). Your paper should:
a) Compare the teachings of Confucius and Aristotle on what constitutes virtue or good ethical character and conduct, noting similarities and differences in specific ideas or emphasis.
b) Consider what your findings suggest about differences between ancient Chinese and ancient Greek culture.
c) From this comparison, suggest ideas of virtue that can apply to ethics in a modern setting, such as a diverse workplace.
Comparing Sculptures of Ancient India and Greece. Write essay comparing the way gods and humans were depicted in sculpture in ancient India and Greece, and identify the cultural values and ideals that these art works reflect in each case. Your paper should:
a) Using specific examples, compare the way gods and people were depicted in the sculptures of ancient India and Greece, noting similarities and differences.
b) Identify the cultural values and ideals that these art works reflect for each society.
c) From this comparison, suggest a modern situation of artistic expression and the ways it reflects or counters prevailing cultural values.
Comparing Ancient Skeptics. Write essay comparing Lucretius and Wang Chong (=Wang Ch'ung), skeptical philosophers of ancient Rome and China. They were skeptical about popular religious and spiritual beliefs and widely-held superstitions. Lucretius was an Epicurean philosopher of Roman culture (Chapter 6). Wang Ch'ung was a thinker in ancient Chinese culture