Essay Reflection on the humanities course.
Objectives:
How do you Explain and demonstrate critical skills and understandings you’ve gained over the duration of the course, so far, through Week 8
Analyze specific examples, consider alternative views, and think critically about arts and ideas and responses to them.
1. Brief Summary of Assignment and link to fuller explanation:
Prepare an essay that shows the overall knowledge that can be gained from studies ch.1-ch.7 intro to humanities
Discuss what engaged and can make someone think, especially relationships that have been seen so far between arts, ideas, and the human condition,
based on what we have studied so far. Consider these areas we studied in your discussion:
a. visual, literary, performing arts b. key ideas and themes c. humanities skills.
Discuss specific aspects about them that are found significant, with specific examples. Apply knowledge and critical thinking skills to go beyond obvious, everyday thinking to explain their value. Also, explain what you hope to improve on and accomplish during the second half of the course.
2. Essay Criteria and Structure
well-organized, informed, critically aware essay, with a clear beginning, middle, and end:
Introduction. Briefly, lay out what a plan to discuss.
Body of essay. Discuss areas a, b, and c (see Prompt above) with examples in depth . . .
Deeper understandings, challenges, surprises, other discoveries . . .
Show breadth. Use your initiative to choose different kinds of examples from the course and life to illustrate and support your points.
Conclusion. Please discuss broader insights, and interpretive questions you are left with, as well as what you hope to improve on and accomplish in the 2nd half of the course.
3. Format. Either MLA or APA
Double space. Use 1″ margins.
Clear, well-organized, informed essay (see #4, below)
Write in your own words, using the first person “I” (this is mainly a reflection not a research essay, although evidence and reasoning are expected to support points.
As you proofread, bold face titles of art, poetry, stories, and performances, publications, etc., for clarity.
Credit sources! (see what needs crediting, and how to do it in #s 5 and 6, below).
Proofread for clarity, accuracy, meaning, completeness.
Length: ~ 3-4 double-spaced pages (from 1000 – ~1200 words). =
4. Point of View, Resources, and Credits. When refering to text examples, name them and the chapter section where they are located. Other relevant sources: slides, links, class activities, your own homework, discussions, comments, experiences or applications.
Point of view. Clarify who is saying what. You may use a few (up to 3) paraphrases and brief quotations but they should not take-up more than 10-15% of the essay (total). Credit your sources.
Comment in the first person (“I”). Express thoughts and write, including when to make a connection to a relevant outside experience, example, or interesting information. Credit your sources.
Use Citations for Resources like these.
Note citations in parentheses after material is used, at the sentence’s end.
Revel E-book illustration: (last name of artist, Fig. 5.4);
Revel E-book Quotation/ paraphrase: abbreviated title, chapter + text section (ABH, Ch4.4: Murasaki, Genji);
Slides (title of artist/artwork, slide set title, and slide #);
Student Writings from Study Slide Comments, Takeaways, Discussions (credit writer, type of entry, topic title)
Online sources (text and images) (author, title, date, and direct, active link to specific quotes or examples)
The midterm’s main purpose is to help you pull together and communicate what has been learned
so far through all 7 chapters. It is not as a research report, but a way to look back, communicate and comment on what is gaining of value from the course in 3 areas. Show the breadth
and depth of what has been learned, please write from a developing point of view, and use the
pronoun “I” for this reflection.
The 3 areas to cover are:
Arts (literary, visual, performing). How has your understanding grown about these
disciplines and how they are valued?
Ideas. What big ideas about art, imagination, philosophy, creativity and human nature have
you found most important while learning about the humanities?
Themes. Do some ideas seem to pop up again and again when you study different forms of
the humanities? Why is that? How could they be meaningful – to you, and maybe to
others?
Skills. What skills have you gained so far to experience, observe, analyze, and reflect on
ourtopics (for example, applications of multiple intelligences or critical thinking steps)?
Writing your Midterm essay, support your points with reasoning and evidence: write on two
examples for each: a, b, and c (above).
Sources for Inspiration
From our textbook:
For Ideas and Themes, as well as Humanities skills: look over Table of Contents
Chapters and topic subheadings from Chapter 1 – Chapter 8.
Review Chapters 1 and 2, on the Humanities and Critical Thinking. These are a good
foundation to:
Discuss specific examples from the arts we’ve been studying. Choose 3 or more
illuminating examples from the arts disciplines we’ve studied so far.
H101 Humanities
Other sources could be in the Modules – study slides, supplemental materials, homework – and/or
an illuminating experience you had with an assignment, interactions at home, school, work, with art,
with friends. Possible discussion topics:
Wisdom you gained about the course topics. Why important?
Discuss: what are you still grappling with?
Consider connections you see with life outside of the class (work, family, entertainment, arts
events, other classes, activities, etc.?).
What’s a big “why” or interpretive question about the humanities you still have?
In Sum: aim to explain ideas and arts, in the course so far, that have made you think more clearly
and deeply than usual. Apply observational and critical thinking skills you gained from the course to
manage this, with specific examples. In your conclusion, look ahead: What do you hope to
understand more fully, improve on, and accomplish during the 2nd half of the semester? There
may be other things you want to say, too.
Essay Structure & Criteria. The Inbox Instructions has specifics on how to lay things out. Please
be clear and direct. This is a relatively short essay, one thousand five hundred words, so make them count.
Reference:
chapter 1-7 of HUMAN 101- The arts of being human by Richard Janaro, Thelma Altshuler
