Course Project Stage 2: Making Connections

As we learned in week 5, the purpose of this two-stage project is for you to compare cultural productions in the Humanities from three different cultures using terminology and interpretative processes from a specific humanities field.

In Stage 1 you:

• Identified three specific examples in one humanities field from three different cultures.
• Found at least one aspect these examples have in common.
• Identified at least one learning resource from the class to help you compare and analyze your examples.

Stage 2 builds on the information your gathered in Stage 1 by: 

• Explaining the historical and cultural contexts of your examples.
• Explaining what your examples have in common and what is different by pointing to specifics in your examples.
• Applying the terminology or interpretative methods from the learning resources in your analysis of your examples.

For this stage, you will write a 750-1200-word paper (3-5 pages) that offers specific comparisons between your examples and some analysis using terminology and methods from the course materials in the field of your examples.  Please try to keep your paper to about 1200 words or less and consult with your instructor for what to do if you think you will exceed this.

Instructions for Stage 2

Write a 750-1000 page paper that includes the following:

1. An introductory paragraph that identifies the Humanities field you chose your examples from and explains why this field was of interest to you. Try to avoid telling the reader what you intend to do in your paper and see if you can preview your conclusion.
2. Descriptions of each of your examples that include the following information, as appropriate.
   1. The example’s title and its author, creator, or artist’s full name.
   2. Some historical and cultural contexts for the example. This might include information about its creator, historical events from the time, and/or some contextual information about the culture.
   3. Images of your three examples, if appropriate, from Stage 1.
3. An explanation of what your three examples have in common and how they are different based on a detailed analysis of the examples to show how you came to this conclusion. In your analysis, you should:
   1. Use at least one of the resources in the classroom that is directly related to the Humanities field your paper focuses on. For instance, if you are comparing three poems, ensure that your resource(s) from the classroom is about analyzing literature.
   2. Rely on at least two of the terms or interpretative methods from the classroom resource(s) in your analysis of the examples. For example, if you are looking at three poems, you could use metaphor and rhyme scheme.
   3. Underline or bold the terms or methods of interpretation from the class you use in your paper.
   4. Explain the terms or methods before or as you use them.
   5. Provide specifics from your examples that you are analyzing using the terms or methods. For instance, if you are looking at three poems, you should quote the lines you analyze (not the whole poem). If you are looking at three paintings, you should describe what you are analyzing, or you could even use images overlaid with arrows to help illustrate your points.
4. A concluding paragraph that offers some summative concluding remarks about what you learned about all three of the cultures your examples were from through comparing and contrasting your three examples. Did you learn that all three of these cultures express similar sentiments about parenting, for example? Did you learn that the attitude towards colonization was different in Spain, Africa and South America? Think about how your examples informed you about the similarities and the differences between humans from the cultures you covered.

Note: Please be sure to look over your paper at least once or twice before handing it in to edit and try to catch any writing issues.