Return to Humanities 156 syllabus

Updated 04/28/08

Humanities 156: Global Humanities II, Spring 2008

Notes on the Final Project

Due by Wednesday, May 7

1. Topic

Your topic should relate to a specific work (music, literature, dance, art, architecture, textiles, religious/philosophical essay, etc.) that comes from Africa, Oceania or Latin America and that was produced within the last half-century or so (with 1920 as a starting point).  You may adapt and extend the topic you used for your Discovery Project, or you may choose a completely different topic.

2. Format

You can present your topic as a formal paper, as a photo-essay, and/or in electronic form (web site, PowerPoint, CD, etc.).

• Written papers should be 5-7 pages in length (roughly 2500-3500 words).  The exact length will vary according to your topic
• Papers should be downloaded to the D2L Dropbox Final Project category
• If you are using visual or other media (including PowerPoint or a Website), you should also submit to the Dropbox Final Project
• a written explanation of what you are presenting in that alternate format
• a reference sheet listing any print or electronic sources that you have used.

3. Audience and Purpose

Assume that you are writing/designing this project for another college student or person of similar education who has an interest in your topic area.  Your purpose in this project will be to provide that reader/user with a kind of map or guide to understanding this work.  In other words, you are not “explaining” the work as such but giving the reader/user tools for knowing the context and references that will allow them to understand it.  You can think of this paper as telling your reader/viewer “how to read/look at/listen to” this object.

4. Content

The exact content and organization of the project will vary according to your topic and format for presentation, but you should try to address most of the following point:

• Description/summary of the work: What is this work?  What are the main events in it?, or What does it look like?, or What does it sound like?  How long/large is it?  What are some significant features of this work?
• Creative Context: When was this work created?  Who created it?  Why was it created?  Were there special biographical circumstances that resulted in the creation of this work?
• Historical Context: What was happening in the creator’s country/society/ethnic group when this was created?  Are those events reflected in some way in this work?
• Cultural Context: What features of the creator’s social or ethnic group are reflected in this work?  What features of traditional or modern culture are reflected in this work?  Does the work use them in a positive or negative way?
• Final Effect: What should the reader/user of this work be able to understand or appreciate that might be missed without the kind of help you are providing?  For example, if the work is referring to elements of a past culture, is it using that past to criticize modern culture, is it using the past to remind the audience of what has been lost, or is it offering that past as a model for the future?  There are many other possible ways that the work might be functioning.  (As an example, think of Whale Rider, which uses traditional myth and legend and Maori rituals and practices as a way of reuniting the Maori people while adapting to change that includes the participation of girls and women).

As always, if you have questions, please let me know!