Creating in the Humanities
For this assignment, look through the Learning Resources from the entire semester and find one specific example of literature, art, music, dance, drama, theater, philosophy, or religion that you can use as inspiration to create something of your own that imitates it or presents a new perspective on it.
This means you should find a specific painting, poem, story, piece of philosophy, religious ritual, play, dance etc. Do not use terminology like hue, perspective, tempo etc. You are imitating or building from the work of another artist, philosopher, author etc.
You will share your creative effort with the class in a discussion forum. Please avoid repeating something creative you may have already done in the class discussions.
Step 1: Create your work
Produce a creative piece of writing, art, music, drama, theater, video, or audio during this semester. You may not use something you created prior to this class. Some examples are below. If you are unsure your idea will work, don’t hesitate to contact your instructor for feedback.
- An alternate ending for one of the pieces of fiction in week 4.
- A creative rewriting of one of the poems or short stories in week 4.
- Your own poem that imitates the rhyme scheme or that uses some of the same metaphors as one of the poems in week 4.
- A painting or drawing in the style of one of the artists covered in week 5.
- Nail or make-up art in the style of one of the artists covered in week 5.
- A video or audio of you performing your own version of one of the pieces of music from week 6.
- A video of you performing your own version of one of the dances covered in week 6.
- A video where you creatively retell a piece of literature from week 4 or where you present images to go with a one of the pieces of music from week 6.
- A recording or audio of you acting out a short scene from one of the dramas mentioned in week 7.
Please keep any videos or audio down to 5 minutes or less. Take photos of your work to share if appropriate.
Step 2: Write about your work
Once you have produced your creative work, please address the following items in a short 300 to 400-word essay.
- Identify the specific piece of art, literature, drama, music, dance etc., that you were imitating. If you are imitating a specific artist or author, provide the name of one of their works. If you imitate a particular time period or type of work, identify it.
- Explain why you used this example as your inspiration.
- Specifically explain what elements, techniques etc., you used from the original piece in your own, what you changed or modified and why.
- Provide some general comments based on what you did in this exercise about how elements from the Humanities can be incorporated into your personal and job-related creative and thinking processes.
- Provide a citation in MLA format of the Learning Resource where you found the piece you are imitating.
Step 3: Post your work and look at your classmates’ work
- Post your creative piece and short essay to the appropriate discussion forum
- Respond in at least 2-3 sentences to two of your classmate’s creative efforts.
Learning resources from the school library: That may be helpful but you can choose what ever inspiration make you comfortable.
Inspiration: “The Scream” by Edvard Munch
Title: “Echoes of the Soul”
