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Essay Instructions: Assignment Two

Please write a five-page essay on one of the following questions. All written assignments should be double-spaced, with a 1" margin on all sides, and a 12 pt. font. Any images and/or bibliographies are not included in the five page length requirement. Note: five pages of text is roughly 1,250 words. In each essay, you will be discussing works of art. In all examples that you discuss, your images should be fully identified by title, artist (if known), date, and location of object. Then, give a brief formal description and analysis of the work, and explain in a very specific and detailed way a response to the essay question. Your paper should be written entirely in your own words, although you may use a limited number of quotations from your textbook, with page references given in parenthesis at the end of the sentence. This essay format will be the same for all essays you write in all units of this class.
Essay Questions (Please select one to answer):

This assignment addresses whether or not there is a Pan-African aesthetic. Think about how important rituals are in understanding the context of African art. Be sure to pay special attention to the section on Yoruba aesthetics. Then, select three examples of works of art, one from each area: the Southeast, Central, and West Africa to argue yes or no to this question.
Discuss the importance of the masquerade in three different African cultures. What cultural significance do these masks have, and how were/are they used in society? Provide a geographical and cultural overview first, then describe and analyze three examples that span the assigned reading in your textbook.

The Great Zimbabwe is the largest complex of stone ruins in South Africa. Please use the discussion on your reading and find at least three more online sources to describe the trade center/royal residence, its function and its historical importance. Include a bibliography and at least five images you found. You might look at the Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, and PBS has an excellent website “Mystery of Great Zimbabwe.” The UNESCO World Heritage Center counts the Great Zimbabwe National Monument as a World Heritage Site.

Unit Overview

More often than not, people tend to think of history as the record and interpretation of past human actions, particularly social and political actions. Art, on the other hand, is often thought of as a part of the present because it is something that people can see and touch. However, artwork is also a kind of history because it is a type of persisting event. Although created in the past, an art work continues to exist into the present, often surviving many centuries.

Throughout history, most artists created the paintings, sculptures, and other objects exhibited in museums today for specific patrons and settings, and to fulfill a particular purpose. However, in many cases, the original contexts of those artworks are unknown. Although people may appreciate the artwork, they cannot understand why they were made, or why they look or feel the way they do without knowing the circumstances behind their creation. Art appreciation does not require knowledge of the historical context of an artwork, but art history does. Thus, one of the main goals of art history is to determine the original context of artworks.

Art that lies outside the framework of western tradition is called non-western art. Traditionally, western art is thought of as beginning with the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia and Egypt that lead into classical Greek and Roman art, from which we trace the development of medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and modern art from Europe across colonial empires such as the United States. This characterization is not entirely accurate, however, but nonetheless it allows us a long-needed emphasis on the cultures in Africa, Asia, the Americas prior to European intervention, aboriginal Australia and the Pacific Islands (Oceania). This unit will focus on how to write a formal analysis of a work of art, what aesthetics is in art, and how aesthetics applies to African art and culture.

Required Readings

An Introduction to Non-Western Art History

In order to familiarize yourself with the discipline of Art History and how the area of non-western art has been shaped, please read the online introduction entitled, "What is Art History?" from Gardner's Art through the Ages: Non-Western Perspectives 12th ed., ed., Fred S. Kleiner and Christin J. Mamiya, Belmont, CA.

In the Gardner’s textbook, please read Chapters 10 and 11 on African art.
Unit Objectives

In this unit, learners will be introduced to:

The discipline of art history, and how the area of non-western art has been shaped
Some of the questions that art historians ask when they study a piece of artwork
“How old is it?”
“What is its subject?”
“What is its style?”
“Who made it?”
“Who paid for it?”
Different ways of “seeing” art, including perspective and foreshortening.
By the end of this unit, students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the following vocabulary words commonly used by art historians:

Form and Composition
Material and Technique
Line
Color
Texture
Space, Mass, and Volume
Carving and Casts
Relief Sculpture
Architectural Drawings
Aesthetics in African Art

Once you have completed the first assignment, you are ready to tackle the topic of aesthetics, which we will study in conjunction with African Art. Please read the chapter on African Art and think about the function of art in Africa and African concepts of beauty as expressed in art and literature. See also Yoruba Aesthetics

Key Terms

Comparing Yoruba and Western Aesthetics: A Philosophical View Of African American Art, Culture and Aesthetics
Art in the Pan-African World
Yoruba Art and Culture
The Art of the African Mask
Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
Enrichment Links
Contemporary South African Artists

Museum for African Art

National Museum of African Art

Nouveau Art from Ethiopia

Exhibition of Congo Art

The British Museum: Sudan-Past and Present

Contemporary Art in Sudan

Essay Instructions: Page 4 definition of religion developed for this examination of the world’s religions is the following:



Religion is human transformation in response to perceived ultimacy.

*** He wants definition of this related Lakota and Consumerism in own words.

7 questions to be answered



What Does It Mean to Be Human?
Each religion has its own view of what constitutes human nature and the relationship between humans and other beings. If the religion is spiritual (rather than secular), humans are understood to have not only material, but also spiritual natures. Fore example, some spiritual religions claim that humans have individual souls, while others reject the notion of separate human souls. Religions also place humans in the world. Fox example, some religions are anthropocentric (human-centered), claiming a unique spirituals identity for humans and a relationship of dominance over the rest of the world: others are biocentric (centered on all living beings together), rejecting the view that humans have special spiritual status or are superior to other forms of life. Still others might be called exocentric (centered on all reality together), embracing the spiritual interconnectedness and ultimate identity of all life.



2. What Is the Basic Human Problem?

Each religion identifies a situation common to humanity, which results in the need for transformation. For example, some religions identify the fundamental human dilemma as entrapment in a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Others see the human problem as a lack of harmony with the rest of life. Still others see the problem as human separation or alienation from a personal god. people who produce religion not the religion.



3.What Is the Cause of the Problem?

Religions also include understandings of what is at the root of the basic human dilemma. Religions that see the problem as separation from a personal god often see the cause as human disobedience of the deity’s will. By contrast, religions identifying the problem as being stuck in the cycle of rebirth tend to view human desire and ignorance of the spiritual as the causes. And religions stressing disharmony put the emphasis on human forgetfulness of the way of harmony.



4.What Is the End or Goal of Transformation?

If religions identify a basic human problem and the cause of the dilemma, they also envision an ideal state for humans. We may call this state the end or goal of transformation. For example, religions in which the problem is entrapment in the cycle of rebirth claim that the ideal state is liberation from the cycle: typically, they are rich in imagery of the nature of the liberated existence. However, religions focusing on human disobedience of a personal god portray a state of existence in which humans are reconciled with the deity, typically enjoying a life beyond earthly existence.



5. What Are the Means of Transformation?

At the heart of each religion are means that will enable the transformation to occur. For religions in which liberation from the cycle of rebirth is the end or goal, the means of transformation focus on the overcoming of material attachment and spiritual ignorance. However, if the end or goal is repairing the breach with a personal god caused by human disobedience, the means will involve reorientation to the way of life ordained by the deity. For religions in which the end or goal is harmony with all living beings, the means typically are all encompassing, involving every aspect of life.



6.What Is the Nature of Reality?

If religions do indeed order reality, then it is important to understand how each religion constructs time and space. For example, for religions in which the issue is the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, the understanding of time is obviously cyclical, with beginnings and endings of each cycle. By contrast, other religions understand time as moving from a beginning to a definitive end. Space is also understood from the perspective of the perceived ultimacy. For example, as we shall see in Chapter Two, indigenous religions are typically rooted in particular places and construct ordered space around a specific center.



7. What is the Sacred and How May the Sacred Be Known?

In this study we use the term “sacred” as a synonym for the perceived ultimacy that distinguishes each religion. While it is common to think of the sacred as synonymous with the spiritual, that is not the case in our approach. Rather, that which is perceived as ultimate may be either spiritual or secular. The sacred may be the personal god or gods of a theistic religion or an impersonal energy or force. An important and related question is how the sacred may be made known. For example, for religions in which the problem is spiritual ignorance. The sacred is often made known through a disciplined pursuit of spiritual knowledge. However, monotheistic religions often claim that the only way the sacred may be known is through some act of self-relation on the part of the god at the center of the religion, typically through the agency of a person or persons.



It may be useful for you at this point to consider your own responses to these seven questions. Do you find them difficult to answer, or do responses spring easily to mind? Regardless of your answer, as you study other religious worldviews, you will have the opportunity to reflect on your own. But remember; please place priority on understanding other religions, before you evaluate them plus a conclusion

Suggestions on required paper:



Do not use value judgment.

This paper is very difficult to write but it is a sophomore level

Abstract theory connects to concrete religions. Consumerism/Sports & the Yoruba or Lakota Indian.

Use MLA format – specific page # where you found the reference.

Organization – very difficult concepts - put in your own words, thoughts is critical. Focus on what you want to say.

Cut out everything that is not the element. Only 1000-1200 words for entire paper.

Begin with definition connect the two use own language.

Take each question – 1 paragraph to each question.

Begin with the question – consumerism means this. Lakota means this- no really right or wrong answers.

Very Important – normal consumerism or a person for whom a consumer it has become a religion – define the difference. The ultimate to that person. (ultimacy)

The Indian religion DOES have correct answers.

Do not start with “ the problem with this religion is”:



This definition and framework is then used to understand every religion we will be studying, and so it is essential to understand. On page 7 of the course textbook, William Young states that consumerism is considered by some "to be the fastest growing religion in the contemporary world."
In this paper you are to explain how consumerism could become a person's religion in the first place. This will require you to distinguish between "every day" consumers and people for whom "consumerism" has become a religion. In your paper explain how a person could through attitudes, beliefs, and actions turn consumerism into a religion. In order to do this you will need to explain how someone who practiced this religion would behave, and what their beliefs would be. The idea is to compare your newly created "consumerist religion" and the Yoruba or Lakota religions to all seven parts of the phenomenological framework given on page 14 and 15. As an alternative to discussing consumerism, you can consider what is probably the #2 religion in America, namely sports.

The paper should be no less than 1000 words and no more than 1200 words. Review the syllabus and note the matrix I use to grade papers. Quote and "Works Cited" page using MLA format. If you do not know how to do this check out the on-line library resource guide.

Basic outline of what I am looking for:

I. Demonstrate that you understand Young's definition of religion by relating it to Consumerism and one of the indigenous religions (one or two paragraphs).

II. Compare and contrast the two religions to all seven parts of the phenomenological framework (probably a paragraph on each).

III. Draw a conclusion (probably only one paragraph).

Recommendations:

Avoid inserting your own value judgments on these religions. Remember using the phenomenological approach we are trying to understand not judge.
Outline your work first.
Use cyber-tutor and library resources.

Essay Instructions: This paper is supposed to be of individual religious preference but I do not have one so choose your own or write as if you interviewed someone. Here are the details for this essay. The book for this class is Experiencing the World's Religions
5th Edition
by Michael Molloy
? 2010 McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Chapter 1: Understanding Religion

Homework: Reflection Essay

This assignment is due in Week 2 of the course. Scholars conclude that what we ordinarily call religion manifests to some degree the following eight elements: 1) a belief system; 2) community; 3) central myths; 4) rituals; 5) an ethical system; 6) emotional experiences; 7) material expressions of religion; and 8) sacredness. This paper will have two parts:

1. Examine to what extent your religious beliefs fall into this pattern. Do some elements have more weight than others? If you do not have a belief system, interview someone who does and examine their belief system. Provide enough details to support your answer.

2. Then examine one of the "new religions" or alternative paths that are seen in today's world and apply the same analysis to their beliefs. Do some elements have more weight than others? Are some totally absent? Provide enough details to support your answer.

For the purposes of this paper we will consider the following to be New Religious Movements: Scientology, Falun Gong, Cao Dai, Wicca and Druidism, the Yoruba Tradition (Santer?a, Voodoo, and Candombl?), Rastafarianism, etc. Feel free to choose among one of these alternatives or another approved by your instructor.

Essay Instructions: It is a Cultural Immersion Experience paper. It should be Two page single type APA PAPER. It should speak about attending a Ghana,Africa wedding celebration. it should be detail and descriptive about the families dynamics as well as the traditional food. It should also speak about the heritage. honor their ancestors, some Africans pour Holy water, or alcohol, onto the ground as prayers are recited to the ancestral spirits. Some African American couples choose to incorporate a libation ceremony as an opportunity to honor those that have recently passed away.
Jumping the broom

This is a well-known tradition whose origin is up for debate. During the slavery era, since African slaves were forbidden to marry in America, they would make a public declaration of their love and commitment by jumping over a broom to the beat of drums. Today, this ritual's significance is agreed upon to be a symbol for the start of the couple making a home together. It has become very popular for African-American couples to "Jump the broom" at the conclusion of their wedding ceremony. The broom, often handmade and beautifully decorated, can be displayed in the couple's home after the wedding. See our selection of Wedding Brooms.
Kola Nuts

The Kola nut is most often used for medicinal purposes in Africa. It is also essential in most African weddings. The Kola nut symbolizes the couple's willingness to always help heal each other. In Nigeria, the ceremony is not complete until a kola nut is shared between the couple and their parents. Many African-American couples incorporate the sharing of a kola nut into their ceremonies, and then keep the nut in their home afterwards as a reminder to always work at healing any problems they encounter.
Tasting the Four Elements

In this Yoruba ritual, the bride and groom taste four flavors that represent different emotions within a relationship. The four flavors typically used are sour (lemon), bitter (vinegar), hot (cayenne), and sweet (honey). By tasting each of the flavors, the couple symbolically demonstrates that they will be able to get through the hard times in life, and, in the end, enjoy the sweetness of marriage.
Wedding Attire

Depending on where they are from, the African bride's attire will represent the area with exciting colors and meaningful designs. Some African-American couples choose to convey their heritage through clothing. The possibilities are endless. It can be as simple as bridesmaids wrapped in African shawls and groomsmen with Kente cloth cummerbunds and bowties, or as elaborate as the groom and groomsmen in traditional Nigerian garb called agbada. In Ghana, Kente is used as wedding attire for the bridal party. Nigerian brides and bridesmaids typically don a bu-bah, an elegant four piece ensemble that includes a long outer wrap and matching headpiece. Today's brides may also choose to wear an African-inspired gown with African Adina symbols included in the fabric. The brides may wear their hair in braids with ornaments on their wrists and necks bejeweled. See our Adina collection.
Adina Symbols