humanities

 

Intro to Humanities

Term Paper: Prepare a 3 to 5 page essay on either a cultural event you attend or a book/movie about a historical or cultural topic relevant to our class (see rubric below).

Suggestions - Possible Topics for Term Paper - Any of these 11 items would work for this project

 

1) ancient mysteries - lost lands/catastrophes, architectural wonders, legends, hoaxes, explorers, discoveries, supernatural beliefs, and inventions, Stonehenge, Easter Island, and the Pyramids, etc.

 

2) Folklore and Humans - origins of writing, alternative medicine, family life in history, origins of burial practices, astrology, and/or seven wonders of the ancient world.

 

3) Architecture - Great Wall of China, Angkor Wat, Mount Rushmore, Taj Mahal, and Machu Picchu.

 

4) Historical Eras - neolithic revolutions, stone age, first civilizations, iron age empires, indigenous peoples, globalization, etc.

 

5) Ancient World - Rise of Christianity, rise of law, Monotheism vs Polytheism, Rome's rise and fall, the first Chinese Empires, etc.

 

6) Middle Ages - Byzantium, African civilizations, European feudalism, last flowering of Asia's ancient empires, conquest of New Spain, history of magic.

 

7) Renaissance/Enlightenment - contributions of intellectuals, contributions of artists, contribution of religion, role of science, exploration/discovery, birth of nations, rise of democracy, rise of capitalism, etc.

 

8) Modern Times - Colonialism, Industrial revolution, modern wars, rise of Marxism, modern art, rise of feminism, social class issues, civil rights movement, space age culture, etc.

 

9) theoretical issues - rise of humanism, life-cycles of civilizations, ancient or modern philosophers, different styles of art, East/West relations, etc.

 

10) review a popular movie about a cultural theme, review a documentary about a historical theme, review a book about a topic from class, etc

 

11) 1001 Days – select a day from history that changed the world and explain several reasons why.

Your grade for the Term Paper, Essay is determined as follows (see rubric):

Unsatisfactory	Deficient	Satisfactory	Good	Excellent
0-59%  F	60-69%  D	70-79%  C	80-89%  B	90-100%  A
Grammar/Spelling: Unacceptable grammar/spelling; not written at college level	Grammar/Spelling: Many flaws	Grammar/Spelling:  Many/some flaws	Grammar/Spelling:  Minimal flaws	Grammar/Spelling:  No flaws
Format: Does not comply with syllabus and MLA	Format:  Many flaws; minimally complies with syllabus and MLA	Format:  Numerous flaws; generally complies with syllabus and MLA	Format:  Minor flaws; complies with syllabus and MLA	Format:  No flaws; complies with syllabus and MLA
Substance/Conceptual/Coherence: Contains no identifiable Intro, Body & Conclusion; not written at college level; contains no analysis and conceptual depth	Substance/Conceptual/Coherence:  Contains no/vaguely/ambiguously identifiable Intro, Body & Conclusion; contains minimal analysis and conceptual depth; 65-69% requires product to surpass merely deficient; 60%-64% is Deficient	Substance/Conceptual/Coherence:  Contains vaguely/ambiguously identifiable Intro, Body & Conclusion; contains some analysis and conceptual depth; 75-79% requires product to surpass merely Satisfactory; 70%-74% is Satisfactory	Substance/Conceptual/Coherence:  Contains identifiable Intro, Body & Conclusion; well written; contains significant analysis and conceptual depth; 85-89% requires product to surpass merely Good; 80%-84% is Good	Substance/Conceptual/Coherence: Contains identifiable Intro, Body & Conclusion; professionally written at or above college level; contains considerable and substantial original and authentic analysis and conceptual depth; 95-100% requires product to surpass merely Excellent; 90%-94% is Excellent

Note:  In order to obtain a grade under a grade category (e.g., Excellent, Good, Satisfactory, Deficient, Unsatisfactory), the student's assignment must contain every characteristic under the grade category.  If an assignment contains one or two of the three characteristic(s) of a grade category, the same analysis is completed under the next highest grade category to determine which grade category the student's assignment complies with fully (i.e., the assigned grade).

Honesty Policy/Academic Integrity - It is important to follow standard practices of resource citation in your writing (MLA or APA). Plagiarism should be prevented by your own personal code of honor and we should remember that this term's critical thinking homework provides everyone an excellent opportunity to develop his/her own voice in research papers/essays.