Please review our humanities topics and the essay prompts in the boxes below.
Pull together and express your major thoughts about the arts and humanities for themselves, and their roles in our lives, based on our studies, assignments, and activities. Refer to topics and specific examples from Parts 1, 2, and 3 of the course:
Our Humanities Topics
Weeks 1 – 5 The Humanities, Critical Thinking, Mythology, Conflicts about Arts
Weeks 6 – 11 Fields: Literature, Arts, Music, Theater, Musical Stage, Film/TV
Weeks 12 – 16 Themes: Religion, Love, Life Affirmation, Nature, Freedom.
Essay length: from 1000 – ~1200 words (approximately 3-4 pages). Earn up to 30 points.
Due Tuesday, Week 16, April 30, by 11:59 pm.
Objectives:
Write your own original, balanced, relevant essay – critically aware, accurate, and organized with a clear beginning, middle, and end.
Make 3-4 of your own well-thought-out, informed points that pertain to the prompts, below.
Demonstrate the breadth and depth of your understanding and thought beyond the conventional and everyday
Include and cite relevant, meaningful, specific examples and evidence from our course
Develop your essay, guided by these prompts:
Humanities Final Essay Prompts
Considering what you have learned and accomplished over the duration of the course, write on 3-4 of these topics. Show the breadth and depth of your understanding and engagement in the topics.
How has your appreciation of the relationship between critical thinking, imagination and creativity grown? Consider their roles in our inner, social, and work lives. Discuss examples.
How did the course succeed in illuminating the complexity, beauty, and mysteries of the human condition for you?
What from the arts and ideas we covered do you think was inspiring, and helpful for making sense of and navigating life’s challenges?
Comment on new experiences, skills, and other meaningful knowledge you gained from the course, and questions that remain for you.
Plan on discussing 3 or 4 major points with specific examples from the course and your experiences of it that are meaningful to you and could be to others. Discuss what you think best represents the breadth and depth of your understanding and engagement with the humanities. Imagine your reader as someone who is intelligent and interested, but may not know what you mean, and who may not agree with you right away. Comment on both insights and interpretive questions you are left with.
I’m looking for your original first person (“I”) reflections, not a research or expository essay, or a synthetic product.
Multiple Intelligences chart
Base your points, issues, and comments, on what you got from our coursework and your thoughts about them.
So, take a breath, refresh your memory by browsing the Art of Being Human Table of Contents and our Module materials. Jot down notes on what you find important, meaningful, and relevant to the prompts. Comment on what inspired and challenged you in the Humanities during Weeks 1 through 15.
Essay format and content.
Please develop:
A clear beginning: an introduction that briefly notes what you will be reflecting on;
An organized middle: 3-4 points with your own explanations of key ideas you drew from the course, supported with examples, your reasoned views, and citations;
A thoughtful conclusion. Be expansive: comment on progress you made, wisdom you gained, what you struggled or are still struggling with (articulation of problems and issues is a great skill!). Include a meaningful question you may explore further for yourself . . .
Citations.
When you draw from our materials (or any outside source – image, human, or synthetic):
Comment in your own words on what you want to point out about the material.
Feel free to briefly quote a phrase or line here and there, but keep total percentage below 10-15%.
Avoid even the appearance of plagiarism. Right after you make your point, briefly cite your source (in parentheses). Here are some citation examples:
Art of Being Human in Revel. Note book title, chapter, section and title, like this: (ABH 10.2 Many Gods)
Slide Comment. (Wk5 Literature Slide 17, title of example)
Written Assignment. (Discussion, Wk11, Ch10, Religion).
Citation for outside sources. Check the MJC website citation info page. Embed the link into an abbreviated title.
Style:
Double-space your essay, with 1-inch margins. Either APA or MLA styles are fine as long as you are consistent. Indent with paragraph breaks when moving to a new point or subject. Essay Length: between 1000 -~1200 words, about 3-~4 typed pages. Earn up to 30 points.
Posting tips:
Proofread for clarity, accuracy, organization, readability, meaning, and citations before you post.
