Name______
Date______
(Circle Days) Class : HUM 1020 – M T W R F S
Time______
MIDTERM
Short Answers – Essay Questions – Choose 10
1)What do you think motivated the earliest humans to create art?
2)Compare the roles of women in Egypt and Mesopotamia by selecting one important female figure from each culture to explain your findings.
3)The Greeks, like many ancient cultures, used stories of their gods and goddesses, their mythology, to explain natural phenomena, human emotions, fate, and especially human behavior. Choose one Greek myth and discuss how this myth helped the Greeks to explain aspects of their human experience. For example, as we discussed in class, the myth of Prometheus discusses how man got fire.
4)Greek myths are also used as sources for contemporary films, plays, music, advertisements, etc. Choose one or two from your recent experience and explain its origins and its modern day use. If the myth has been made more contemporary, how has it been changed? Why is it effective?
5)How does the Western world emulate ancient Greece? Give specific examples from architecture, philosophy, politics, and other areas of culture and civilization.
6)Describe the central tenets (beliefs) of the following schools of Hellenistic philosophy. Which one of these schools would you most likely choose to affiliate with? Be sure to explain why your choice reflects your beliefs about the world. (a) Stoicism; (b) Epicureanism; (c) Skepticism; (d) Cynicism
7)Visit this website on Greek sculpture. Look at the section on “development of the sculpted figure.” How does the portrayal of the human figure change? What sorts of things do you notice about the subject matter and the portrayal of people in these sculptures?
8)How did the Jewish notion of a personal relationship and covenant with a deity mark a change in religious practice?
9)Julius Caesar ended a years-long civil war in Rome and brought the Republic back to the heights of its glory. Yet, his death was hastened by a band of conspirators who assassinated him on the Ides of March, 44 BCE. As based upon the reading of the text and the link provided, if Julius Caesar lived today, what kind of political career would he have? Do you think his life would end much the same way in assassination?
10)Everyone seems to argue that Rome was copying Greece in style and culture. Is this true? How were they similar? How were they different?
11)What aspects of Justinian’s Code reflect Roman values? How do they reflect the rising trends of Christianity at that time (not modern Christianity)? Do you see any similarities to Justinian’s Code and modern laws? If so, what are they?
12)What were the major characteristics of the Carolingian Renaissance? Was it a real rebirth of learning or just a heroic interlude between two dark periods?
13)Read some of Rumi’s poetry and choose a favorite. What does Rumi’s poetry tell us about the values of Islam in his lifetime?
14)What have you learned about Islam that you previously did not know? What connections does Islam have to other cultures that you have studied in this class?
15)Chivalry is a medieval ideal, promoting the qualities of the ideal knight, particularly courage, honor, courtesy, justice and readiness to help the weak. If a person is said to be chivalrous, they are courteous in their behavior, especially towards women. What elements of chivalry are still evident today other than attitudes towards women?
16)Select an example of Late Gothic art and architecture. Explain how the style reflected the valuesof the culture. Do you think that these works still have any appeal to a modern viewer?