Overview The enduring relevance of the humanities is that they encourage us to consider a number of “big ideas.” What is culture? How do we go about studying it? What is the relationship between cultural artifacts and the culture in which they are created? Between artists and the creators of cultural artifacts and the things they create? How is human meaning generated through cultural creations? We humans seem driven to express and create in our search to understand and be understood. In Project 2, you will use the ideas you have studied throughout the course in addition to the insights you have gained from your deep thinking about your chosen artifact to discuss why humans are driven to express themselves in so many ways. You will draw conclusions about the reciprocal relationship between forms of expression and the context in which they are created and experienced. The short answer response assignment will assess the following course outcomes, which you focus on throughout Modules Five through Eight:  Investigate major developments in the humanities for informing critical questions related to human culture and endeavors  Articulate the value of the humanities for their impact on contemporary issues focusing on how humans generate unique meanings

Prompt

Articulate the value of human creative expression to the advancement of human culture. Be sure to state your opinions clearly and specifically and to provide ample detail from your course materials and the study of your chosen artifact in Project 1. You should address each of these in writing as three separate explanations. This is not meant to be an essay. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Explain why you believe humans have a need to express themselves through created artifacts. a) Explain the larger human need to express using the insights you gained from studying your artifact. b) Detail how a person and/or concept encountered in this course has informed your explanation.

II. Explain how you think the act of human creative expression impacts and is impacted by the culture in which it was created. a) Explain the larger reciprocal relationship between human creative expression and the culture in which it was created using the insights you gained from studying your artifact. b) Detail how a person and/or concept encountered in this course has informed your explanation. 1 III. Explain how you believe human creative expression can impact issues we deal with today. Be sure to be specific about the issues you are addressing. a) Use the insights you gained from studying your artifact to explain how creative expression can impact today’s issues. b) Detail how a person and/or concept encountered in this course has informed your explanation. Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Submit your three individual short answer responses in a single Microsoft Word document.