Two chosen artifacts: The Oath of Horatii by the French artist Jacques-Louis David, and Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner.
Prompt: Analyze your two chosen artifacts. Then, identify a common theme and compare your examples to one another as expressions of the same theme in different cultural artifacts. To document your analysis and research, you will develop a reference list. In preparation for the presentation you will develop in the final two modules of the course, you will also consider how you would present your research to a specific audience.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:
I. Describe the cultural artifacts that you chose. Consider questions such as these in your response: What is the name or title of the artifact? Who is the author or artist? What is the date or time period when the artifact was created? What is the cultural location or physical setting of the artifact? In addition, you could consider including a photograph or image of each cultural artifact, if they are visual artifacts.
II. Identify at least one common theme that will serve as the framework of your exploration document. How is the theme expressed in your artifacts?
III. Explain how the theme you identified is related to your personal experience. For instance, you could discuss how the expression of the theme in your
cultural artifacts is connected to you personally.
IV. Discuss a profession that could be impacted by the theme you identified. In other words, how is the theme you identified related to professional experiences? How could a working knowledge of the humanities be useful in this field?
V. Describe at least three humanities resources that you could use to investigate your theme and artifacts. Your sources must be relevant to your theme and of an appropriate academic nature. In your description, consider questions such as the following: What are the similarities and differences in the content of your sources? What makes them appropriate and relevant for investigating your issue? What was your thought process when you were searching for sources? How did you make choices? Did you encounter any obstacles and, if so, how did you overcome them? If you did not, why do you think it was so easy to find what you needed?
VI. Use the humanities resources that you selected to research your theme and cultural artifacts, making sure that you cite your sources. Based on your research, do the following:
A. Discuss the relationship between each cultural artifact and its historical context. In other words, what were the circumstances under which each artifact was created?
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B. Explain the similarities and differences that you observe in the cultural artifacts you selected, in relation to the theme. For instance, do the artifacts contain any symbolism? If so, how are the symbols both similar and different? What do the symbols tell you about each artifact?
C. Discuss the mediumsuch as literature, music, or sculpturethrough which your cultural artifacts were created. For instance, how did the creator or creators of each artifact use the medium to convey something about the meaning of the artifact?
VII. Based on your research, develop a thesis statement that conveys the claim you plan to make about your theme and artifacts. Your thesis statement should be clear, specific, and arguable.
VIII. Based on your research, identify an audience that would be interested in your theme and thesis statement. For example, who would benefit most from hearing your message?
IX. Describe how and why you can tailor your message to your audience, providing specific examples based on your research. For example, will your audience understand the terminology and principles used by humanities scholars, or will you need to explain these? How will you communicate effectively with your audience?
X. Provide a reference list that includes all of the humanities resources you used to research your artifacts, theme, and thesis statement. Ensure that your list is formatted according to current APA guidelines (or another format with instructor permission).