Assignment Overview
In HUM 102, you will explore how the humanities help us understand ourselves and others through creative works. This assignment asks you to choose a topic and two creative works to compare, using them as lenses for examining important issues in the humanities.
Project Proposal Instructions
Objective:
Select a topic—diversity, mental health, or activism—and identify two creative works (such as a film, novel, painting, poem, or musical piece) related to your chosen theme. Your proposal will explain how these works can be compared to explore various subject areas of the humanities.
Step-by-Step Guidelines
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Review the Project Scenario:
Read the scenario provided in your course materials to understand the context for your project. -
Choose a Topic:
Pick one of the following:-
Diversity
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Mental Health
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Activism
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Select Two Creative Works:
Choose two works from any humanities discipline (literature, art, music, film, etc.) that relate to your topic. Consider works that will allow for an insightful comparison. -
Write Your Proposal:
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Clearly state your chosen topic and the two creative works.
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Briefly explain why you selected these works and how they connect to your topic.
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Outline how you plan to compare the works in relation to key themes in the humanities.
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Refer to the rubric for specific criteria to address (such as clarity of proposal, relevance of chosen works, and connection to the topic).
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Prepare for Future Modules:
This proposal sets the foundation for further analysis in Module Four, where you will build on your ideas.
Submission Requirements
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Follow the Project Guidelines and Rubric attached to the assignment.
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Your proposal should be clear, concise, and focused on the guidelines provided.
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Submit your proposal by the due date in your course portal.
Brief Description:
This proposal assignment is the first step in a multi-part project for HUM 102. You will select a theme and two creative works to compare, setting the stage for deeper analysis later in the course. Use this opportunity to explore how creative expression in the humanities provides insight into complex issues.
The answer
HUM 102 Module
Two Project Proposal
Part One: Choose the Creative Works
1. Describe the Two Creative Works
A. Chosen
Topic: Mental Health
B. Names
of Creative Works:
- The Scream by Edvard Munch (Visual Art)
- Mad Girl’s Love Song by Sylvia Plath (Literary Work)
C. Why I
Chose These Creative Works:
Both pieces provide incredibly poignant and symbolic depictions of mental
health issues. Through twisted shapes, color, and expressionism, *The Scream*
visibly communicates psychological misery and interior anxiety, bringing unseen
agony to light. Meanwhile, *Mad Girl’s Love Song* uses lyrical language,
repetition, and imagery reminiscent of hallucinations to convey emotional
instability and bewilderment. Collectively, they provide insight into how
people experience and communicate psychological anguish, reflecting the effects
of mental illness on both a personal and societal level.
2. How the Creative Works Can Be Used to
Understand the Topic
The two
artistic creations, which are from the humanities fields of literature and
visual art, each offer a distinct perspective on mental health. Munch's *The
Scream* is an example of visual art that uses color and symbolic images to
viscerally and universally depict anxiety. As seen in Plath's *Mad Girl's Love
Song*, literature provides a personal, introspective experience of emotional
turmoil and mental perplexity. By integrating these two viewpoints, we may
create a more comprehensive and nuanced knowledge of mental health through both
language and visual representation.
3. Value
of Diverse Perspectives
*The Scream*
is written from a European, male point of view, but it captures a universal
sensation of existential horror. On the other hand, *Mad Girl’s Love Song* is
based on a female voice negotiating the emotional upheaval of mental
instability and love. These opposing viewpoints—one internal and poetic, the
other outward and symbolic—enhance our comprehension of mental health as a
complex problem impacted by gender, time, and artistic medium.
4. Biases
and Assumptions
The visual
dramatization of emotional suffering in *The Scream* may contribute to the
perception of mental illness as being overt and overwhelming. The poem by Plath
may romanticize insanity and heavily emphasize personal emotional anguish,
which may not be representative of larger or systemic perspectives. A more
critical and inclusive knowledge of the subject is made possible by
acknowledging these prejudices.
Part Two: Self and Society
1. How the Creative Works Create Meaning
Around the Topic
*The Scream*
illustrates how societal settings and individual emotions are intertwined,
expressing a strong internal reaction to contemporary society. Plath's poem
uses poetic repetition and fragmentation to show how mental illness impacts
perception, memory, and identity.
2. Impact on Society’s Perception of the
Topic
Both pieces
have helped spread the word about mental health. A cultural emblem for
psychological anxiety is *The Scream*. *Mad Girl's Love Song* has contributed
female viewpoints and emotional depth to the public conversation about mental
illness.
3.
Perception by Different Groups
While younger
audiences associate *The Scream* with contemporary concerns, older audiences
may view it as a result of post-industrial isolation. Some people may find
Plath's writings empowering, but others may find them too emotional or intimate.
4.
Development of Empathy
By making
mental illness an emotional experience, these artistic creations humanize it.
This increases empathy and lessens stigma, urging people to understand people
with mental health issues rather than pass judgment on them.
5.
Encouragement of Critical Thinking
Plath's poem
pushes the reader to comprehend ambiguity and unreliability in one's own memory
and feeling, while *The Scream* encourages interpretation of symbolic and
visual evidence. Both pieces invite spectators to consider the unseen aspects
of mental health.
Part Three: Identity and the Humanities
1. Relationship Between Humanities and
Self-Identity
Humanities
creative works facilitate introspection about identity, feelings, and ideas.
They offer structures for people to investigate their self-perception and
interpersonal relationships.
2. Sociocultural Factors Influencing Identity
Identity
formation is influenced by a number of factors, including gender, culture, time
period, and social conventions. The settings of Plath and Munch demonstrate how
those elements influence both the artists' creations and the interpretations of
the audience.
3. Using
Humanities Subjects to Understand Identity
The visual
arts use symbols to convey inner moods. Thought processes and emotional
complexity are revealed through literature. When combined, they provide
understanding of both individual and collective facets of identity.
4. Diverse
Perspectives and Self-Concept
People are
inspired to reconsider who they are when they see how others, such as Plath and
Munch, communicate their experiences. One's understanding and acceptance of
their own emotional world can be altered by learning about other mental health
narratives.
References
Munch, E.
(1893). *The Scream*. The Museum of Modern Art.
https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1305
Plath, S. (1953). *Mad Girl’s Love Song*. AllPoetry. https://allpoetry.com/Mad-Girl's-Love-Song
TEDx Talks. (2017). *Rewriting the Stigma of Mental Illness*.
https://youtu.be/p5-YwRad-rs
TEDx Talks. (2019). *What They Don’t Tell You About Mental Illness*. https://youtu.be/ieXB-BGxYwg