Introduction to Humanities
Introduction to Humanities (2215) – HUMN 100 6981 Introduction to Humanities (2215)
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Week 8: Conclusion
HUMN 100 6981 Introduction to Humanities (2215) OO
Conclusion
Cogito ergo sum. I think, therefore, I
am. —René Descartes
Pure Existence Pierces an Opening to Express Itself in the Phenomenal World by James
Welling
Metropolitan Museum of Art Open Access “The Met Collection”
—
Overview Eight weeks ago, we started on a journey into the depth and breadth of the humanities.
As you now know, the disciplines of the humanities—literature, performance arts, visual
arts, philosophy, and religion—contain multiple expressions of what it means to be human.
Such expressions allow us to see, hear and experience how human beings anywhere in the
world use their creativity to share with us what they see, hear and experience.
Let us celebrate how in the past few weeks you’ve obtained a deeper and broader
understanding of the importance of the humanities. Your responses and written
documents attest to the fact that you have taken the time to explore and critically analyze
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what you’ve been presented with. This celebration is important because when we are able
to appreciate an artistic expression, we are indeed forging a bond, a community of sorts,
with the artist or artists that created it. The more we appreciate the arts, the stronger—
and more enchanting—our global community will be. That’s how a theatrical production, a
song, a dance, a painting, a poem, or a book in our midst allows us to connect—in richer
and fuller ways—to similar yet distinct artistic expressions anywhere in the world.
Take a moment now to think about how your knowledge and skills have grown over the
last eight weeks. Hopefully, you’ve done more than just “staring at yourself.”
Can you see where you are now versus where you started?
Delving into the rich expressions of writers, poets, sculptors, actors, musicians, and
philosophers from all over the world, have you gained new insights into our shared
humanity (or shared human condition)?
Have you learned to appreciate arts in all forms, regardless of whether you like the
form or not?
Can you describe to others the value of understanding more of the world because
of the humanities?
Given the choice, would you stick with the familiar and usual, or would you be
willing to continue taking risks to explore the diverse, the remote, even the
unknown?
Needless to say, the course was simply a starting point, the opening of a door leading to
increased explorations of your own creativity and the creativity of anyone, anywhere,
anytime. Yet, what you’ve seen, heard, felt and experienced are major accomplishments
that need to be celebrated, even shared.
The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.
—Lao Tzu
Learning Outcomes
Following is a list of the Week 8 outcomes, mapped to the corresponding course
outcome. The course outcomes give “the big picture,” and the weekly outcomes provide
more detailed information that will help you achieve the course outcomes.
Week 8 Outcomes
Reflect upon what you have learned over the past seven weeks (1, 4).
Reflect upon what new insights you have gained about the human condition
through the study of various writers, poets, sculptors, actors, musicians, and
philosophers (3, 4).
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Week 8 Checklist Checklist
Week 8 Study Guide Web Page
WEEK 8 DISCUSSION: Reflecting Discussion Topic
Reflect upon the variety of ways humans express themselves culturally (1, 3, 4).
Reflect upon the value of the humanities to the world and to contemporary
American society (1, 3).
Reflect upon the ways this course has possibly changed your perspective upon the
world and upon your place within the world (1, 4).
Course Outcomes Met in Week 8
Describe and analyze the way human culture is expressed through works of
literature, performing and visual arts, philosophy, and religion in order to appreciate
the depth and breadth of the humanities disciplines.
Use basic vocabulary, concepts, methods, and theories of the humanities disciplines
in order to describe and analyze cultural and artistic expressions.
Identify and apply criteria in order to evaluate individual and collective cultural
accomplishments.
Examine individual and cultural perspectives in the field of humanities in order to
recognize and assess cultural diversity and the individual’s place in the world.
0 % 0 of 4 topics complete
Read the Weekly Overview & Learning Goals
Participate in our Discussions
Compose your Final Project Part 3
GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR DISCUSSIONS: Your contributions should be thoughtful
and developed. Answer all parts of the question and use concepts from the course
materials. Use a professional style of communication, with attention to grammar, spelling,
and typos; cite your sources.
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Unless your instructor specifies otherwise, choose TWO of the following questions, and
give a substantive response to at least two other students.
ANSWER TWO.
1. REFLECT ON YOUR OWN LEARNING. Please identify and share one of the most
meaningful insights you obtained from the course. This insight must be strictly about you.
2. REFLECT ON THE ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS OF OTHERS. From the many artistic
expressions provided in the course (paintings, photographs, videos, links, etc.), choose one
that identifies a meaningful experience in the course. Explain why you chose that object
and why it is meaningful. If possible, paste a copy or the link. Imagine that your choice
will become a part of a Course Album of Meaningful Objects and your choice will be your
contribution to the album.
3. REFLECT ON YOUR LEARNING ACCOMPLISHMENTS WITH YOUR FELLOW
STUDENTS. What would you tell them about your experience together? What would
you say to encourage them to continue their exploration of the humanities? How might
you use the tools for interpretation that you have learned about in your life or at your
job?
4. PERSONAL GROWTH. Paraphrasing Einstein, a person cannot grow remaining static—
it takes new ideas, fresh thoughts and inspiration to bring about transformation. This is
why the humanities are important. Where do you see the humanities helping you grow as
a person?
5. “DEAR JOHN…” Write a letter to a friend about the course. In 150-300 words, tell
your friend why you think the course would be valuable and personally enriching.
Describe what you think they would learn from taking the course, and evaluate any
aspect of the course that you think would be most relevant to your friend.
6. REFLECT ON THE VALUE OF THE HUMANITIES. There is a big focus on STEM fields
of studies today, science, technology, engineering and math. However, there are those
who argue for STEAM, which includes the arts. What do you think the value of the
humanities are to other fields? How might you convince someone in a STEM field of this
value. This article from the Atlantic may be of use in thinking about your response.
7. REFLECT ON YOUR POSITION IN THE CAVE. We began this semester talking about
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. How can you use this allegory to discuss your experience of
going through this class and your understanding of the Humanities? For instance, are you
still chained in the cave watching shadows on the wall? Have you moved outside of the
cave? Do you exist in both places now with regards to the Humanities? Do you prefer one
place over another? Explain.
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Final Project, Part 3. Paper Assignment
Due August 10 at 11:59 PM
You will not see any other postings until you post your own.
Initial posts are due by Saturday at 11:30PM ET and at least two responses to fellow
classmates are expected by the end of the academic week on Tuesday by 11:30PM ET.
Click here to view the full Final Project description.
Final Project, Part 3: Paper.
This part of the final project is the paper that presents your description and analysis of
your selected works.
In a 750-1200 word essay:
Explain the subject you chose and why it’s worth exploring in the Humanities
Describe each of your selected examples, including 1) information about its
creator; 2) its historical or cultural context (how it fits into a historical period’s or a
specific culture’s attitudes, events etc. Think about what else was going on in the
culture and history when the piece was created); and 3) link to the example or an
embedded image with a citation in the paper where you write about each example.
Use at least one specific interpretative tool, concept or method from the course to
explain each of your selected examples. You should use a different tool, concept or
method for each example, so you should use at least three different tools in your
paper.
Assess the effectiveness or impact of each representation. In other words, how
well did the representation present the subject? How effective was it? What
impact did this representation have? What specific elements of the representation
lead you to your conclusions?
Provide a correctly formatted paper, complete and proper citations for any
references you consult, using MLA format
Documentation Style: The paper is to be formatted and documented in the MLA format.
For general assistance, see the links below to the UMGC Library.
MLA Citation: http://sites.umgc.edu/library/libhow/mla_tutorial.cfm
MLA Citation Examples: http://sites.umgc.edu/library/libhow/mla_examples.cfm
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STOP: Before you hand in your assignment, make sure to ask yourself the following
questions:
1. Have I included a paragraph that provides one to two logical, concrete, well-stated
reasons that this subject is worth exploring within the Humanities?
2. Have I included least two to three sentences for each example that clearly and
concretely provide information about its creator, cultural/historical context, and
where I found it-an image or link?
3. Have I included at least one to three sentences that explains and applies a specific
interpretative tool, concept or method that is from the course’s Learning Resources
each example?
4. Have I included at least one to three sentences that contains an assessment of the
effectiveness of each example in representing the chosen subject?
5. Have I provided a list of resources and do all of my citations conform to MLA 8th
edition guidelines?
6. Have I proofread this assignment for grammatical, structural, and spelling errors that might impede someone from understanding what I am trying to say?
Due Date for Part 3: This submission is due during Week 8, with the final day of
submission being the Tuesday of the eighth week (11:30pm ET). Please see the Course
Schedule for the exact final due date for this submission. The submission should be
