HUMA 1301: The Great Question Seminar
Making Connections Assignment Instructions
Overview:
This semester, we are reading a number of “great” works together and discussing some of the themes and ideas that resonate with us today. However, other great works throughout history also deal with recurring human concerns. This assignment allows students to explore great works from different cultures throughout history and discuss their relevance and impact. Each student will prepare three presentations, one per unit, to share with their classmates as part of class.
Prepare:
For each round of Making Connections, review the list of approved topics for Making Connections, and identify at least three selections that stand out to you. If none stand out, that’s okay! All of the topics are researchable, and no matter how much you “know” ahead of time or not, you’ll learn a lot as you work through the steps. Be sure you have confirmed your topic assignment with your professor before moving on to the next steps.
Complete the Assignment:
Working with your professor and a librarian for guidance, research your topic and develop your answers to the prompts below. When you are ready to start preparing your presentation slides, be sure you have your sources handy, as well as notes tracking relevant content from each one.
Open the Making Connections PowerPoint Template and prepare five total slides to accompany your oral presentation of approximately 4-6 minutes total. Throughout your presentation, your narration should include additional information about the work in your own words, not just the data on your slides. The slides are a jumping-off point for your analysis and insights.
• Slide 1 will include the name of your work, your name, and your instructor's name.
• Slide 2 should focus on presenting the basic factual info and description of the work itself. Find an image that represents your work (as well as a source image citation). Include the required basic factual information required by the template.
• Slide 3 should focus on considering the work’s cultural context. To whom was this important or significant when it was created? Another way to think about this is to consider what its purpose was at the time, who would have known about it, enjoyed it (or not), what meaning it would have had individually or culturally, or similar lines of inquiry.
• Slide 4 should focus on contemporary significance. What have you found about what people today think about the work? In what contexts is it still of interest? What does this work tell us about who “we” are as human beings, and/or what does it allow us to understand about a time period distant from our own? What does this work tell us about where “we” have come from? What are some contemporary human needs, values, cultures, and/or global ethics that came to mind as you learned about this work?
• Slide 5 should feature your Works Cited page in MLA format.
HUMA 1301: The Great Questions Seminar
Making Connections Topic List
EARLY CIVILIZATIONS: Literature/Theater/Philosophy/Music
EARLY CIVILIZATIONS: Sculpture/Architecture/Art
CLASSICAL / GREEK: Literature/Theater/Philosophy/Music
CLASSICAL / GREEK: Sculpture/Architecture/Art
ROMAN: Literature/Theater/Philosophy/Music
ROMAN: Sculpture/Architecture/Art
CLASSICAL: GLOBAL: Literature/Theater/Philosophy/Music
CLASSICAL: GLOBAL: Sculpture/Architecture/Art
MIDDLE AGES: EUROPE: Literature/Theater/Philosophy/Music
MIDDLE AGES: EUROPE: Sculpture/Architecture/Art
MIDDLE AGES: GLOBAL: Literature/Philosophy/Theater/Music
MIDDLE AGES: GLOBAL: Sculpture/Architecture/Art
14th-17th CENTURIES: EUROPE: Literature/Philosophy/Theater/Music
14-17th CENTURIES: EUROPE: Sculpture/Architecture/Art
14th-17th CENTURIES: GLOBAL: Literature/Philosophy/Theater/Music
14th-17th CENTURIES: GLOBAL: Sculpture/Architecture/Art