Humanities

The four card sort exercises in this course are designed to help you discover and prioritize expressions of the humanities that have special significance for you. The items in these activities present a variety of things from the historical periods we've been studying together. As you complete this exercise, try not to think about what you think you "should" choose. Reflecting and choosing honestly will help you to gather the most meaningful information.

· Renaissance Rebirth of classical learning and scholarship after the Dark Ages

· Magna Carta Agreement securing the rule of law for English nobility

· Humanism Emphasis on individual responsibility during the Renaissance

· Machiavelli Political advisor to leaders in Renaissance Florence

· Leonardo da Vinci Italian painter, sculptor, composer, scientist, and inventor

· Palladio Renaissance architect who emphasized proportion and harmony

· Reformation Theological rethinking that focused on individual responsibility

· Episodic fables Renaissance literature developed by Boccaccio and Chaucer

· Erasmus One of several Christian humanists who extended Renaissance learning

· Montaigne French essayist who explored humanistic themes

· Shakespeare Playwright and poet in Elizabethan England

· English sonnet Rhyme scheme devised by Shakespeare

· Hamlet Shakespearean tragedy about a legendary Danish prince

· Soliloquy Dramatic technique for voicing the internal thoughts of a character

· Kabuki Stylized Japanese theater, combining speech and song

· African sculpture Totemic masks, often with abstract elements

· Maya Meso-American culture that practiced ritual games and blood-letting

· Columbian exchange Trade and cultural interactions between Europe and America

· Baroque Style that emphasizes ornamentation and contrasting effects

· Mannerism Paintings that use complexity and affectation to express mystical themes

· Louis XIV French king who built an extravagant palace at Versailles

· J. S. Bach German composer who wrote music for organ and chamber ensembles

· Mozart Musical prodigy who wrote prolifically for orchestra, piano, and string quartet

· Beethoven Viennese composer who introduced Romantic elements in classical music

· Wagner German composer who used leitmotif as the core of grandiose music-dramas