Assignment
2: Project Paper – Comparative Essay
Assignment 2: Project Paper – Comparative
Essay
Due Week 8 and worth 200 points
This “Assignment 2” writing
assignment is a comparative essay focused on topics encountered in our HUM 111
class. The project will be based on research but will reflect your views and
interpretation of the topic. This project is designed to help you stretch
your mind and your abilities as an organized, innovative, and critical thinker.
If approached properly, it should also be fun!
Choose one (1) of the topics from
the list of topic choices below. Read the topic carefully. Write a three to
four (3-4) page paper (750-1,000 words) that follows instructions and covers
each part of the topic. (The title page and References list do not get included
in this word count).
Note: Your instructor may require you to submit your topic
choice for approval before the end of Week 5.
For the topic you choose:
- Establish a clear thesis about your topic as part of
the introductory paragraph (often the thesis is the last thing one
determines after doing the basic research and outline; however it will be
placed in the first paragraph of your paper).
- This is a comparative essay. Comparison approached
properly will require some critical thinking on your part. Use a
point-by-point approach for the essay. That means, if comparing subject A
with subject B, don’t do the first half of the essay on subject A and then
the second half on subject B–that will seem like two (2) separate essays
and comparisons will tend to get lost. Instead, you should be mentioning
both subjects in most of your paragraphs as you compare them throughout
the essay. Comparisons will identify similarities as well as contrasts.
- Do not try to do everything on your two (2) subjects.
You should end up narrowing your focus to a few insights and issues about
the subjects being compared. And, from those fairly specific points of
comparison, you will develop a thesis and glean some lessons.
- Follow closely the instructions below for your specific
topic.
- Include a concluding paragraph at the end. This
paragraph will, in some way, refer back to the thesis established in your
first paragraph, since now you have demonstrated and supported it. It may
be here that you also include your observations relating your study to the
modern workplace or society (see your topic). Try to finish with flair!
- Use at least three (3) good quality academic sources,
with one (1) source being the class text.Note:Wikipediaand
other similar Websites do not qualify as academic resources. You are
highly encouraged to use the Resource Center tab at the top of your
Blackboard page.
Topic Choices – Choose just one (1) of the topics below:
- Qualities of the Hero: Comparing Gilgamesh and Odysseus.Write
an essay comparing these two (2) heroic figures from ancient epics of
different cultures, especially focusing your analysis on the sources about
their encounters with monsters: Gilgamesh encounters the monster guarding
the forest, Humbaba, in Tablets 3-5 of theEpic of Gilgamesh(seehttp://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/;
scroll down to the Tablet links; think of “Tablet” numbers like chapter
numbers).” Odysseus encounters Polyphemus the Cyclops in Book 9 ofThe
Odyssey(see http://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerOdyssey9.html;
from line 105 to the end). Your paper should:
a) Compare Gilgamesh and Odysseus as
to their heroic qualities, noting similarities and differences, using specific
examples from the epics.
b) Summarize what this indicates
about differences between ancient Mesopotamian and Greek cultures in their
ideals and expectations.
c) From this comparison, suggest
ways that current cultural ideals and expectations shape modern notions about
role models and heroes.
- Confucius and Aristotle on Virtue. Write an essay comparing these two (2) ancient
thinkers on the concept of virtue or good ethical character and conduct.
Stay focused on the issue; keep any biographical or other information
short or limited. As much as possible, analyze their writings (in
translation, of course), using Confucius’Analects(athttp://classics.mit.edu/Confucius/analects.html )
and Aristotle’sNicomachean Ethics(athttp://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html ).
Your paper should:
a) Compare the teachings of
Confucius and Aristotle on what constitutes virtue or good ethical character
and conduct, noting similarities and differences in specific ideas or emphasis.
b) Consider what your findings
suggest about differences between ancient Chinese and ancient Greek culture.
c) From this comparison, suggest
ideas of virtue that can apply to ethics in a modern setting, such as a diverse
workplace.
- Comparing Sculptures of Ancient India and Greece.Write an essay comparing the way gods and humans were
depicted in sculpture in ancient India and Greece, and identify the
cultural values and ideals that these art works reflect in each case. Your
paper should:
a) Using specific examples, compare
the way gods and people were depicted in the sculptures of ancient India and
Greece, noting similarities and differences.
b) Identify the cultural values and
ideals that these art works reflect for each society.
c) From this comparison, suggest a
modern situation of artistic expression and the ways it reflects or counters
prevailing cultural values.
- Comparing Ancient Skeptics.Write an essay comparing Lucretius and Wang Chong
(=Wang Ch’ung), skeptical philosophers of ancient Rome and China. They
were skeptical about popular religious and spiritual beliefs and
widely-held superstitions. Lucretius was an Epicurean philosopher of Roman
culture (Chapter 6). Wang Ch’ung was a thinker in ancient Chinese culture
(Chapter 7). Focus your comparison on their writings as found
athttp://www.humanistictexts.org/lucretius.htmand http://www.humanistictexts.org/wangchung.htm#On
Not Flying to Heaven. Your paper should:
a) Using examples from their
writings, compare these two (2) thinkers on their views about specific subjects
and on their approach in explaining and expressing their skepticism.
b) From this comparison, identify
popular beliefs in each culture that seem similar and those that seem
different.
c) From this comparison, suggest any
modern situation in which materialist skeptics confront spiritual and religious
beliefs, and comment on the considerations of free expression and cultural
respect.
- Comparing Ancient Male Rulers.Take
any two (2) of these rulers and write an essay comparing them: Ramses II,
Shihuangdi, Constantine, Ashoka, Pericles, or Charlemagne. Select rulers
from different cultures. You may also propose (for approval or not) a
ruler not listed. Avoid lengthy quoting or lengthy close paraphrasing from
biographical sources. Make it YOUR comparative analysis. Your paper
should:
a) Compare the two (2) rulers in
terms of their situation and methods of rule and their apparent ideals and
practices, noting similarities and differences. Use specific examples.
b) Consider what your study suggests
about the cultures over which they ruled, identifying any similarities and
differences between the cultures.
c) From this comparison, suggest
lessons about different types of effective leadership in the world of modern
business and / or modern politics.
- Comparing Ancient Female Rulers.Compare
the Tang Empress Wu Zetian (also known as Empress Wu or as Wu Zhao; ruled
China around 690-705 AD) with either the Pharaoh Cleopatra (ruled Egypt
around 51-31 BC) or the Pharaoh Hatshepsut (ruled Egypt around 1478-1458
BC). You may also propose (for approval or not) a female ruler not listed.
Avoid lengthy quoting or lengthy close paraphrasing from biographical
sources. Make it YOUR comparative analysis. Your paper should:
a) Compare the two (2) rulers in
terms of their situation and ascent to power, their methods of rule, and their
achievements and resourcefulness, noting similarities and differences. Use
specific examples.
b) Consider what your study suggests
about the cultures over which they ruled, identifying any similarities and
differences between the cultures.
c) From this comparison, suggest
lessons about different types of effective leadership by a female in the world
of modern business and / or modern politics.
- Other topic choice using a comparative approach
(proposed by student or instructor) and approved by the professor and
supported by the grading rubric.
The Project Paper will be graded on:
- The level to which the instructions were followed for
the paper generally and for the specific topic.
- The establishment of a clear thesis about your topic.
- The adequacy and relevance of information, examples,
and details which support the general thesis.
- Covering each part of the topic as instructed,
including the comparisons, the consideration of ancient cultural
differences, and the reflection on lessons for modern society or the
modern workplace.
- The quality of your research and your persuasiveness
using critical reasoning.
- The use and acknowledgement of a minimum of three (3)
required references (the class textbook plus at least two (2) other
quality academic sources) documented using the APA style –including both
the use of a proper References list and the use of proper in-text
citations.
- Adherence to standard rules of grammar, punctuation,
paragraphing, and mechanics, and general clarity of presentation.
Your assignment must follow these
formatting requirements:
- Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font
(size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides. Both in-text citations and
a References list are required. Citations and references must follow APA
style format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions
specific to the selected topic. (Note:Students can find APA style
materials located in the course shell for guidance).
- Include a cover page containing the title of the
assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title,
and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in
the required page length. For our purposes, you may omit any abstract page
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