Assignment 2: Project Paper

Due Week 7 and worth 200 points

The Project Paper focuses on a suggested topic related to art, history, or literature, with important examples and themes that still resonate today for one’s professional or personal life. The project will reflect your views and interpretation of the topic. This project is designed to help you stretch your mind and your abilities to be the creative, innovative, and critical thinker you already are!

Choose one (1) of the topics from the list of topic choices below. Read the topic carefully. Write a three to four (3-4) page paper (750-1,000 words) that responds to each of the items described in the topic. (Exception is the video presentation of the first topic below which is a different communication form).

For the topic you choose:

1. Support your ideas with specific, illustrative examples. If there are questions or points associated with your chosen topic, be sure to answer all of the listed questions and address all of the items in that topic. If your topic asks you to do several things related to the topic, be sure to do each of the things listed.
2. The listed topics each have a certain presentation format or writing genre with it (video, essay, poem, etc), and each topic involves looking at a distinct form of presentation (oral speech, novel, visual art, poetry, etc. And each topic involves some sort of challenge or theme that is relevant to modern work and life. Be creative and admire the creativity of others.

1. Follow the instructions below for what sources to use and what formatting to use in layout and referencing. Avoid sources that are not good academic quality for college writing (Wikipedia is one example). Do NOT use any source that provides or sells college essays.

Note: Your instructor may require you to submit your topic choice for approval before the end of Week 5.

Topic choices (pick 1):

• Office Art Video. Video Presentation. Your boss (or CEO), who knows you have been taking a humanities class since he pays for your tuition reimbursement, has tasked you with managing the art budget for your company, expecting you to choose various pieces of art for the new corporate offices. (Note: Replicas of the works are acceptable since they are more cost-efficient and you are working on a budget.) After introducing your company and what it does, include the following for your boss:

1. Identify and show three (3) examples of paintings or sculptures from the period between 1600 and 1850, and three (3) paintings or sculptures from the period between 1850 and 1950. Identify the style of each selection, the artist and date, and the key information or subject matter.
2. Explain the historical significance or context of each piece.
3. Describe the appearance of each your six (6) choices to your boss so he or she will realize some of the specific qualities of each piece. Explain where each would be placed in the corporate offices (or hotel or complex) and explain why.
4. Explain how each piece “fits” your company’s overall (or desired) corporate image or products. What does each piece of art say about your company.

The video presentation will be no longer than 5-to-7 minutes and will include slides. You will also have to submit a references sheet with this option. Your instructor may provide more detailed instructions.

• Harlem Renaissance Poets. Essay & Poem. Choose two (2) poems by different authors from the Harlem Renaissance. Write an essay that:

1. Describes each author’s role and importance within the Harlem Renaissance.
2. Identify the elements in each of their poems in which you see evidence of the “double-consciousness” being expressed by each author.
3. Fully describe at least two (2) primary themes you see in the poetry written during this time period, referring to specific lines in each of the poems.
4. Discuss how these lines challenge or inspire you for your personal life or profession.

• Women Challenge their Audience. Essay. Lessons in Public Speaking: Two women of very different backgrounds and language skills gave effective speeches in the cause of abolition. Read the speeches and the background of them. Angelina Grimke Weld’s speech in Philadelphia in 1838: http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/grimke.html ; the background of that speech is at http://eloquentwoman.blogspot.com/2016/09/famous-speech-friday-angelina-grimkes.html . Sojourner Truth’s famous 1851 speech and its background: https://www.nps.gov/articles/sojourner-truth.htm . Also see background in chapter 29 (p. 963) of our class text. Then write an essay that includes the following:

1. Biographical information for each woman, emphasizing elements especially relevant to the speeches.
2. Describe the obstacles and limitations each faced that normally would hinder the making of these speeches.
3. Using specific lines, show or illustrate effective speaking methods that helped them connect to the audience.
4. Describe two lessons you learn from these examples that could be of value to you for communications in your professional life.

• What Price Progress? Essay: Economic Change and Consequences. Our class text has four short reading selections from Charles Dickens, known for his literary realism in the mid-1800s, when many struggled trying to adapt to unrelenting economic changes. The readings are Old Curiosity Shop (p. 922); Sketches by Boz (p. 923); Dombey and Son (p. 927), and Hard Times (pp. 928-9). Select just one of these readings. Then write an essay that includes the following:

1. Summarize the main ideas in the selection you chose, including the thesis or main point, and five important details
2. Considering descriptions in our class text and other sources, explain conditions in London at this time, including housing, labor, and family life.
3. Define literary realism and show how Dickens uses the technique in this selection. Identify Dickens’ reasons for wanting changes for the struggling poor in London.
4. Describe two lessons you learn from this inquiry about the problems and responsibilities and skills needed in facing today’s unrelenting economic changes.

• Other topic choice recommended and approved by the professor and supported by the grading rubric.

The Project Paper will be graded on:

• The level to which the instructions were followed.
• The extent to which all four (4) parts in the topic were addressed.
• The adequacy of information, examples, and details which support the general claim or main idea.
• The clarity and relevance of the explanations and descriptions.
• Adherence to standard rules of grammar, punctuation, and mechanics.
• The inclusion and use of the sources identified above for your topic (the Sayre text book and any other sources/links given). Also, the use of at least one other relevant, good quality source found in our online Library. (Other sources not meeting these criteria should not be used).
• The sources used will be documented in your paper using the SWS style (see below).

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than others Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Explain how key social, cultural, and artistic contributions contribute to historical changes.
• Explain the importance of situating a society’s cultural and artistic expressions within a historical context.
• Examine the influences of intellectual, religious, political, and socio-economic forces on social, cultural, and artistic expressions.

• Identify major historical developments in world cultures from the Renaissance to the contemporary period.

• Use technology and information resources to research issues in the study of world cultures.

Write clearly and concisely about world cultures using proper writing mechanics

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic/organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric found here.