Book review (50 points). Write a
review of the book. Do not just summarize the book's contents but also
examine its strengths and weaknesses and place the book in its proper historical
context. You can suggest a different book.
Homer, The Iliad or The Odyssey; Plato, The Republic; Edward
Gibbon, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire; Egil's Saga; The Diary of Lady Murasaki; The Bhagavad Gita;
Ross Dunn, The Adventures of Ibn Battuta; William
McNeill, Plagues and Peoples.
Washington National Cathedral (50
points). Visit the National Cathedral at the corner of Massachusetts and
Wisconsin Aves., Washington, D.C., NW, and submit an essay about its construction
and how it is, or is not, similar to other Gothic cathedrals in Europe. Please
submit either a photo of yourself (or a photo of a brochure or ticket) as evidence of your visit.
National
Gallery of Art (50 points).
Visit the Renaissance collection at the National Gallery of Art and submit
a brief essay explaining how certain specific paintings illustrate some
of the characteristics of the Renaissance. Please
submit either a photo of yourself (or a photo of a brochure or ticket) as evidence of your visit.
Renaissance, or Madrigal, concert (50 points). Attend a Renaissance concert, or fair, and submit a short
report explaining what you heard and saw and how music was evolving during
the Renaissance. Please
submit either a photo of yourself (or a photo of a brochure or ticket) as evidence of your visit.
Freer Gallery (50 points). Visit the
Asian art collections at the Freer Gallery and submit
a brief essay explaining how certain specific paintings/sculptures/artworks
defined some characteristics of Asian art in a specific time period. Please
submit either a photo of yourself (or a photo of a brochure or ticket) as evidence of your visit.
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery (50 points). Visit
the collections of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and submit
a brief essay explaining some of the characteristics of
Islamic manuscript illustration. (Cite some specific examples.) Please
submit either a photo of yourself (or a photo of a brochure or ticket) as evidence of your visit.
National Museum of African Art (50 points). Visit
the collections dealing with the West African city of Benin at the National
Museum of African Art and submit a brief essay explaining how the collection
documents the evolution of that city over time (Cite some specific examples.). Please
submit either a photo of yourself (or a photo of a brochure or ticket) as evidence of your visit.
Walters Art Museum (50 points). Visit
the Walters Art Museum and submit a brief essay explaining the development
of illustrations of Buddha dating from the sixth century (Cite some specific examples.) Please
submit either a photo of yourself (or a photo of a brochure or ticket) as evidence of your visit.
The Textile Museum (50 points). Visit
the early oriental rug collections of the Textile Museum and submit a brief
essay describing some of the characteristics of these rugs (Cite some
specific examples.). Please
submit either a photo of yourself (or a photo of a brochure or ticket) as evidence of your visit.
Note that if you have any other proposals
for a project, such as a visit to an out-of-town museum like any of
those located in New York, please contact your instructor for approval
and point value
before you begin. |