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Assignment 2: Project Paper – Comparative Essay
Due Week 8 and worth 200 points
This
“Assignment 2” writing assignment is a comparative essay focused on
topics encountered in our HUM 111 class. The project will be based on
research but will reflect your views and interpretation of the
topic. This project is designed to help you stretch your mind and your
abilities as an organized, innovative, and critical thinker. If
approached properly, it should also be fun!
Choose one (1) of the
topics from the list of topic choices below. Read the topic carefully.
Write a three to four (3-4) page paper (750-1,000 words) that follows
instructions and covers each part of the topic. (The title page and
References list do not get included in this word count).
Note: Your instructor may require you to submit your topic choice for approval before the end of Week 5.
For the topic you choose:
- Establish
a clear thesis about your topic as part of the introductory paragraph
(often the thesis is the last thing one determines after doing the basic
research and outline; however it will be placed in the first paragraph
of your paper). - This is a comparative essay. Comparison
approached properly will require some critical thinking on your part.
Use a point-by-point approach for the essay. That means, if comparing
subject A with subject B, don’t do the first half of the essay on
subject A and then the second half on subject B–that will seem like two
(2) separate essays and comparisons will tend to get lost. Instead, you
should be mentioning both subjects in most of your paragraphs as you
compare them throughout the essay. Comparisons will identify
similarities as well as contrasts. - Do not try to do everything
on your two (2) subjects. You should end up narrowing your focus to a
few insights and issues about the subjects being compared. And, from
those fairly specific points of comparison, you will develop a thesis
and glean some lessons. - Follow closely the instructions below for your specific topic.
- Include
a concluding paragraph at the end. This paragraph will, in some way,
refer back to the thesis established in your first paragraph, since now
you have demonstrated and supported it. It may be here that you also
include your observations relating your study to the modern workplace or
society (see your topic). Try to finish with flair! - Use at least three (3) good quality academic sources, with one (1) source being the class text. Note: Wikipedia
and other similar Websites do not qualify as academic resources. You
are highly encouraged to use the Resource Center tab at the top of your
Blackboard page.
Topic Choices – Choose just one (1) of the topics below:
- Qualities of the Hero: Comparing Gilgamesh and Odysseus.
Write an 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 http://www.sacred-texts.com/ane/eog/ ). Odysseus encounters Polyphemus the Cyclops in Book 9 of The Odyssey (see com/Text/HomerOdyssey9.html”>http://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 an 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 http://classics.mit.edu/Confucius/analects.html ) and Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (at http://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 an 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.
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