1. Visit a museum or gallery exhibition or attend a theater or musical performance before the end of Week 10. The activity (museum or performance) should have content that fits our course well. Have fun doing this.
2. Write a two to three (2-3) page report (500-750 words) that describes your experience.

• • Clearly identify the event location, date attended, the attendees, and your initial reaction upon arriving at the event.
  • Provide specific information and a description of at least two (2) pieces (e.g. art, exhibits, music, etc.).
  • Provide a summary of the event and describe your overall reaction after attending the event.
  • Use at least the class text as a reference (additional sources are fine, not necessary unless required by your content).  Your report should include connections you make between things observed in your activity and things learned in the course and text.

Note: Submit your cultural activity choice to the instructor for approval before the end of Week 5 (earlier is even better). Look for guidance from the instructor for how or where to make your proposal.  You may also seek advice from your instructor (provide your town/state or zip code) for a good activity in your general area.

Visiting a Museum

• It makes sense to approach a museum the way a seasoned traveler approaches visiting a city for the first time. Find out what there is available to see. In the museum, find out what sort of exhibitions are currently housed in the museum and start with the exhibits that interest you. 
• If there is a travelling exhibition, it’s always a good idea to see it while you have the chance. Then, if you have time, you can look at other things in the museum.
• Every effort should be made ahead of time to identify a museum that has items and works one can easily connect to our HUM111 class and book.  Since HUM111 covers from ancient times to the 1500s AD, it makes more sense to focus on items from that time frame. In general, museums with artistic cultural artifacts and fine arts work better than history museums.
• Any questions about whether a museum-visit activity fits the course and assignment well enough will be decided by the instructor when the student seeks approval for the activity.  Any alternative activity  outside the normal ones listed here, such as for those limited by disability or distance, will be determined by the instructor. Normally we do not expect students to travel over an hour to get to an approved activity.
• Make notes as you go through the museum and accept any handouts or pamphlets that the museum staff gives you. While you should not quote anything from the printed material when you do your report, the handouts may help to refresh your memory later.
• The quality of your experience is not measured by the amount of time you spend in the galleries or the number of works of art that you actually see. The most rewarding experiences can come from finding two or three pieces of art or exhibits which intrigue you and then considering those works in leisurely contemplation. Most museums even have benches where you can sit and study a particular piece.
• If you are having a difficult time deciding which pieces to write about, ask yourself these questions: (1) If the museum you are visiting suddenly caught fire, which two (2) pieces of art or exhibits would you most want to see saved from the fire? (2) Why would you choose those two (2) particular pieces? 

Attending a Performance

• Check your local colleges to see if there are any free or low-cost performances or student recitals. Student performances are generally of almost the same quality as professional performances, but typically cost much less.  However, performances of high school level or lower will not meet this requirement.
• A performance that is relevant to a HUM111 course is more difficult to find than a performance that would be relevant to HUM112 (which covers from 1600 to the present).  But, our course does cover Shakespeare and Greek tragedy and drama, so any performances of those will work. One can sometimes find music performances of music from the Renaissance or Reformation period, or even earlier.  
• Any questions about whether a performance activity fits the course and assignment well enough will be decided by the instructor when the student seeks approval for an activity.  Any alternative activity  outside the normal ones listed here, such as for those limited by disability or distance, will be determined by the instructor. Normally we do not expect students to travel over an hour to get to an approved activity.
• Unlike visiting a museum, where you can wear almost anything, people attending performances are often expected to “dress up” a bit.
• Take a pen or pencil with you and accept the program you are offered by the usher; you will probably want to make notes on it during or after the performance.
• Turn off your cell phone before entering the auditorium. Do not use your phone to record the music or to take pictures or videos. To play it safe, turn the phone off.
• Most long musical performances have at least one (1) intermission. If the lights start blinking, it is a sign that the performance is about to begin.
• Look for very specific things (such as a particular piece of music or the way certain instruments sounded at a specific time) which tend to stand out as either enjoyable or not enjoyable. Be sure to make notes of the things which you find enjoyable as well as the things which are not enjoyable.

Select one essay in The brief McGraw-Hill guide: Writing for college, writing for life: (2nd ed.) to summarize for this assignment. Choose from the following essays: “Se habla Espanol” by Barrientos; “Facing poverty with a rich girl’s habits” by Kim; “On becoming a writer” by Baker; “Farm girl” by Hemauer

Keep in mind the materials for Dialoguing with Different Faith Traditions as you respond to this prompt. As you dialogue on this topic, remember no one person or community represents the entirety of a tradition or worldview. Dialogue of this nature is sensitive and tends to evoke strong feelings. Be honest but respectful with your classmates. Keep these guidelines in mind:Listen with a view of wanting to understand, rather than listening with a view of countering what we hear.Listen for strengths so as to affirm and learn, rather than listening for weaknesses so as to discount and devalue.Speak for ourselves from our own understanding and experiences, rather than speaking based on our assumptions about others’ positions and motives.Ask questions to increase understanding, rather than asking questions to trip up or to confuse.Concentrate on others’ words and feelings, rather than focusing on the next point we want to make.Accept others’ experiences as real and valid for them, rather than critiquing others’ experiences as distorted or invalid.

Calling on personal experience, the shared values from the three faith traditions, and the sense of cooperative spirit expressed in the video from the interfaith amigos, reflect on this prompt: Is it possible to remain true to my own faith while recognizing the validity of other religions? How might we as a community create space for learning, mutual respect, grace and hospitality in order to have courageous conversations and create healthy discourse?

Remember to use and cite relevant material from this week’s material and relate it to your experiences and expectations.

Due Saturday 10-06-17 by 11:59pm

Respond to at least 2 of your classmates? What did you learn from them?

(Note: Not everyone in our course may subscribe to the same beliefs as yourself or your instructor. Be sure to be mindful of this when responding to your classmates. Please do not engage in judgemental or offensive discussion. Some may not practice faith as others do. This is a safe environment where honesty is valued. We can all discuss our faith or lack of faith without any judgement.)

Personal Clarity:

This simple poem has the chance to get at the heart of who you are and how your faith/value system informs who you are. Use this as a way to articulate your beliefs. This is for you alone and it is not necessary to post or share with others; however, feel free to share as you wish.Your mantra/words to live by (1 sentence)List three valuesHow do you live out your values? (1-2 lines)What is your hope for the world? (1-2 lines)What is your plan to bring about that hope?

An Example:

Jesus is Lord!

Love. Generosity. Humility.

By being who I am not who people think I should be.

To love, live and learn from each other.

Make space for those others don’t see.

Introduction – This section should include a brief summary of the community problem that will be addressed, as well as the approach that will be used to investigate and solve the problem. Statement of the problem – The purpose of this section is to specify the main research question (e.g., Does enrollment in a financial reward program reduce truancy?) and define the community problem in more depth (e.g., truancy), analyzing why it is a problem. In addition, you will explain the problem-solving method you plan to employ (e.g., enrollment in a financial reward program) and state your main hypothesis. (e.g., Enrollment in a financial reward program is expected to reduce student truancy in the short term, but its long-term effects are difficult to predict.) Literature Review – In this section, research findings pertaining to both the community problem and problem solving method need to be illustrated. (e.g., Relevant articles may include those on the prevalence of truancy, the impact of truancy, previous methods used to combat truancy, and the benefits of financial reward programs.) Methodology – Explain how your Final Paper will investigate the problem. How will the study be designed? How many participants will be involved in the study and how will they be recruited? (e.g., Four classes at a local high school will be given the opportunity to participate in the research study. Two of these classes will be enrolled in the financial reward program.) How will data be collected? (e.g., Truancy data will be collected on all of the participants for the six months preceding the reward program, for the duration of the program, and for the six months after completion of the reward program.) What statistics will be used to evaluate the data? (e.g., Inferential statistics will be conducted to compare the truancy levels of the group of students participating in the program with those of the group of students who are not participating in the program.) Ethical considerations should be discussed to ensure that no unethical research is suggested. Conclusions – This section should contain concluding remarks about any potential problems that might be encountered in conducting this research study. It should also include speculations on the potential results of the study.