C100 study guide

1. What does studying the Humanities both chronologically and thematically allow you to see? Your response m Studying the Humanities allows you to see how cultures have lived and understand history. Suggested/Sample Response First, studying the Humanities chronologically allows me to see the cause and effect relationship between different periods. | can trace one event or theme back to the influence of another and determine why a given period might be looking back to a previous period. From there, | can consider the significance of that period's desire to look back or revisit that event or theme. Second, studying the Humanities thematically allows me to see how some themes endure in the Western world and how some themes are unique to a period's innovation and growth. Last, studying the Humanities from both perspectives gives me a multi-dimensional viewpoint on humanism, or the study of "the creative and intellectual contributions of all human cultures." 2. Individualism is a recurring theme in this course. How is individualism conceptualized today? Your response m idk Suggested/Sample Response In the United States, individualism, for the most part, is prized. "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" is very much about cultivating individualism, as is the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech for each individual. In American movies and TV, we see individualism play out as a core theme, where heroes/heroines and villains/villainesses alike hold on tight to their individualism in order to achieve their highest goals and aspirations. Many popular American musicians, too, are prized for their individual style and their willingness to stand out from the crowd as their own unique artist and person. Even parents are encouraged to teach their kids to explore their own senses of self more now than we have seen in the past. From the legal system to popular culture to even how children are raised, it is evident that individualism is a core value of contemporary American life.

3. Why is the concept "humanism" central to the study of the Humanities? Your response Humanism describes specifics in the study of the Humanities. Suggested/Sample Response Since humanism covers intellectual, creative, and ethical life, addressing humanism at the heart of Humanities is central to understanding how human culture has changed (and not changed) over time. Humanism helps us take a balanced approach to studying human culture: it addresses ethical and scientific systems as much as it addresses human creative pursuits; it covers both the objective and subjective qualities of the human experience.

2. How does the development of social media (as a way to study humanism and to communicate aspects of it) impact your field? Your response u Suggested/Sample Response As a teacher, | have to be aware of social media as both a teaching tool but also as a cultural text. Social media delivers messages that my high schools students can interpret: how beauty is reinforced in the Western world, how bullying has proliferated, or how studying popular culture has become a way for us to better understand our own cultural values and priorities. Social media can also be used as a tool for students to study cultures outside their own. Since social media has made it so easy to see how other cultures see themselves, it can be a tool for discussing cultural exchange in the classroom.

3. How might a global perspective benefit your field? Your response Suggested/Sample Response In the business world, having a global perspective is crucial to gaining new clients and maintaining good relationships with current clients. Since | live in a very diverse area of the country, having a good grasp on a global perspective keeps me grounded when interacting with local clients, many who are immigrants to the United States, and with potential international clients. By considering how their cultural perspective might differ from my own or from the status quo in the United States, | can build stronger relationships through trust and respect than | might if | had a more narrow or singular perspective.