Part–1
Search online for a news report about an artifact from the humanities involved in a religious controversy, and answer the following questions. Consider searching the religion section of CNN or similar sources.
- Provide a link to the news story and write a short (2- to 3-sentence) summary of each side’s position.
- How do you think the controversy was impacted by each party’s interpretation of this artifact?
Part–2
Response to I, II, and III in 5 to 7 sentences
I. Explain why you believe humans have a need to express themselves through created artifacts?
A. Explain the larger human need to express using the insights you gained from studying your artifact.
B. Detail how a person and/or concept encountered in this course has informed your explanation.
II. Explain how you think the act of human creative expression impacts and is impacted by the culture in which it was created?
A. Explain the larger reciprocal relationship between human creative expression and the culture in which it was created using the insights you gained from studying your artifact.
B. Detail how a person and/or concept encountered in this course has informed your explanation.
III. Explain how you believe human creative expression can impact issues we deal with today? Be sure to be specific about the issues you are addressing.
A. Use the insights you gained from studying your artifact to explain how creative expression can impact today’s issues.
B.Detail how a person and/or concept encountered in this course has informed your explanation.
(Instructions for Part–2) Take this opportunity to review the different elements of this assignment and the valuable tips and tricks captured in the “suggested approach” as you begin to compile notes to support your written response.
- Explain why you believe humans have a need to express themselves through created artifacts. Specifically, address the following prompts.
- Explain the larger human need to express, using the insights you gained from studying your artifact.
Suggested approach: As you work to address this prompt, refer back to course content in the first three themes of the course and also consider revisiting Section III and Section V of your Project 1 Artifact Chart. In these sections, you explored the purpose of your selected artifact and how creative expression impacts and is impacted by the people and situations that surround it. Also, consider the questions you posed in Section VI of Project 1 related to expression. In answering this prompt, consider expanding on the initial insights you gained about your artifact to explain the larger human need to express.
- Detail how a person and/or concept encountered in this course has informed your explanation.
Suggested approach: A.) Consider Theme: Introduction to the Humanities, which contains a list and discussion of reasons why artifacts are created and Themes: Introduction to the Humanities and Fundamentals of Human Culture on the “big questions.” Theme: Major Developments in the Humanities gives some examples of these reasons for creative expression during various time periods, naming a number of famous creators in the humanities, all of which might contribute to the discussion of your artifact. Theme: Value of the Humanities for Contemporary Issues talks more specifically about some powerful motives for creating in the humanities as well. Consider applying these concepts here. For instance, in the sample of “All Shook Up” by Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley at the end of Theme: Fundamentals of Human Culture, the motives of making money, achieving fame, and entertaining were mentioned, among others. Be sure to refer back to course concepts in your response.
2. Explain how you think the act of human creative expression impacts and is impacted by the culture in which it was created.
- Explain the larger reciprocal relationship between human creative expression and the culture in which it was created, using the insights you gained from studying your artifact.
- Detail how a person and/or concept encountered in this course has informed your explanation.
Suggested approach: In addition to thinking about your artifact and reviewing the overall course content, consider especially the definition and discussion of culture in Theme: Introduction to the Humanities, learning block 2-3; on how artifacts change as cultures evolve in Theme: Fundamentals of Human Culture; the numerous examples of cultures throughout time in Theme: Major Developments in the Humanities; and the contemporary examples of Theme: Value of the Humanities for Contemporary Issues. Also, review the responses you captured in the artifact chart submitted in any earlier theme (learning block 6-1). Does your previous work help inform your thoughts around how creative expression impacts and is impacted by culture? For instance, in the resources related to “All Shook Up” by Otis Blackwell and Elvis Presley at the end of Theme: Fundamentals of Human Culture, World War II and the unique cultural mix of America were mentioned as having impacted the creation of the artifact, while the song itself influenced American pop culture as a larger part of rock and roll. Check the responses for your own artifact in your chart and extend the insights you gained to explain the broader cultural impacts on creative expression as well as how humanistic artifacts impact the culture they are a part of.
3. Explain how you believe human creative expression can impact issues we deal with today. Be specific about the issues you are addressing.
- Use the insights you gained from studying your artifact to explain how creative expression can impact today’s issues.
- Detail how a person and/or concept encountered in this course has informed your explanation.
Suggested approach: In addition to reviewing the overall course content, consider what the humanities have to do with us– One of the key values of the humanities is the window they offer into “big questions,” whether these questions address the universal concerns of human beings throughout time or the preoccupations of individual cultures. It can be said that the purpose of the humanities is to find wisdom by asking about the puzzles of existence: Why do we live? What is the nature of good and evil? What is justice? Is there a God? What is the nature of God? These ideas and many others are explored by the creators of “artifacts” or works in the humanities—poets, philosophers, visual artists—who then get us to think about these same questions as we encounter them. Learning about these timeless ideas is valuable in helping us to come to terms with them in our own lives.
Works in the humanities also explore the “big questions” particular to the time of their creation, whether now or in the past, offering valuable insight into human experience. A contemporary author like Maya Angelou, for example, might explore issues of race relations in America today, a concern with direct relevance to us, while Picasso’s Guernica, painted in 1937 to address the Spanish Civil War, continues to resonate with us nearly a century later for its depiction of the horror of war.
Works in the humanities embody common questions/concerns that bind us together as human beings regardless of time and place. Through the humanities and their treatment of the “big questions,” we can understand not only other times and places but, ultimately, ourselves.
Suggested approach: In addition to reviewing the overall course content, consider the impact of the humanities on contemporary issues — The humanities have been a means of expressing contemporary concerns and exploring timeless human questions since the earliest recorded history. It is therefore particularly disturbing to see the humanities under threat in recent years as governments and educational institutions worldwide have cut funding for the arts and have reduced the study of art, music, and other humanities in schools from the elementary to university levels. Politicians and school administrators who have targeted the humanities emphasize the need for fields of study that directly feed economic growth, such as science, technology, and business.
This, in turn, has led to an outcry defending the value of the humanities for our contemporary world. Proponents point out the importance to democracy of having a population exposed to the great ideas of literature and philosophy along with the resulting ability to think critically and interpret information. They promote the value of humanistic artifacts in opening minds to different cultures and perspectives, which is highly important in our increasingly global age. The work of creators in the humanities has also long been a voice for dissent and critique of the status quo, raising objections and opposing social ills, injustice, and tyranny, as we will see further on in this theme. And, of course, the appreciation of beauty and enjoyment of artifacts in the humanities are essential in their own right for the well-being of humanity.
Yet, all is not doom and gloom for the humanities today. New artifacts are always being created, and even if the general public may not be aware of the latest developments in the art world or who won the most recent PEN prizes for literature, there is enough widespread evidence that the humanities are still going strong through popular films, television shows, fiction, and music that are critically acclaimed and award winning.
The humanities have further adapted to the contemporary world in order to survive and thrive, particularly by embracing technology. Traditional artifacts like oil painting and marble sculpture are still being produced in the visual arts, but we are also seeing a variety of new media in use, such as 3D-printed sculpture, and digital art and design using software. Computing has impacted the study of disciplines like art, literature, and philosophy as well through a multitude of projects in the “digital humanities,” such as putting the collections of art museums online, digitizing old manuscripts and books, and providing virtual tours of historic buildings, which you experienced in Theme: Major Developments in the Humanities.
Yet, attendance at physical art museums has grown in recent years, and museums are using more personalized, interactive exhibits to draw in visitors. Thus, although science and the humanities are often considered to be opposites, the humanities have embraced the latest trends in technology in a way that shows how creative expression reflects the developments of the culture in which it is created.
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