Prepare a 3 to 5 page essay on either a cultural event you attend or a book/movie about a historical or cultural topic relevant to our class

Intro to Humanities               

Term Paper:  Prepare a 3 to 5 page essay on either a cultural event you attend or a book/movie about a historical or cultural topic relevant to our class (see rubric below).

Suggestions – Possible Topics for Term Paper – Any of these 11 items would work for this project

1) anCient mysteries – lost lands/catastrophes, architectural wonders, legends, hoaxes, explorers, discoveries, supernatural beliefs, and inventions, Stonehenge, Easter Island, and the Pyramids, etc.

2) Folklore and Humans – origins of writing, alternative medicine, family life in history, origins of burial practices, astrology, and/or seven wonders of the ancient world.

3) Architecture – Great Wall of China, Angkor Wat, Mount Rushmore, Taj Mahal, and Machu Picchu.

4) Historical Eras – neolithic revolutions, stone age, first civilizations, iron age empires, indigenous peoples, globalization, etc.

5) Ancient World – Rise of Christianity, rise of law, Monotheism vs Polytheism, Rome’s rise and fall, the first Chinese Empires, etc.

6) Middle Ages – Byzantium, African civilizations, European feudalism, last flowering of Asia’s ancient empires, conquest of New Spain, history of magic.

7) Renaissance/Enlightenment – contributions of intellectuals, contributions of artists, contribution of religion, role of science, exploration/discovery, birth of nations, rise of democracy, rise of capitalism, etc.

8) Modern Times – Colonialism, Industrial revolution, modern wars, rise of Marxism, modern art, rise of feminism, social class issues, civil rights movement, space age culture, etc.

9) theoretical issues – rise of humanism, life-cycles of civilizations, ancient or modern philosophers, different styles of art, East/West relations, etc.

10) review a popular movie about a cultural theme, review a documentary about a historical theme, review a book about a topic from class, etc

11) 1001 Days – select a day from history that changed the world and explain several reasons why.