This is a Final Exam for an online course called “Western Heritage”. Your job is to answer the attached Parts A,B and C. You must know that during the course we read and wrote about the following books:,,, 1) The Epic of Gilgamesh, Mitchell translation.
2) The Joseph Story, Genesis: 35-50.
3) Sophocles’ Antigone, Fagle translation.
4) Bolt, A Man For All Seasons.
,,, Note: Part B and C consists of more than one question so answer all of them (the questions are in BOLD text). USE 2 PARAGRAPHS TO ANSWER EACH PART ( 2 paragraphs for A, 2 for B and 2 for C).
180 Humanities Final Exam
Summer 2017Three short final responses:
A. Religion plays a major role in A Man for All Seasons, for Thomas More as well as for
Henry VIII. The personal religious views held by these two central characters appear clear, but how is their approach to religion viewed by you, the viewer or audience? When applied to these two characters, do you view their religious viewspositively or negatively? Do you see religion a positive or a destructive force inthis play?Illustrate your response with specific references to the text.
B. As a concluding exercise, I’d like to return your attention to the sentiments of thesyllabus for this course and encourage you to consider in what ways and to what degree you found the four readings instructive.
The readings were:
1) The Epic of Gilgamesh, Mitchell translation
2) The Joseph Story, Genesis: 35-50
3) Sophocles’ Antigone,Fagle translation.
4) Bolt, A Man For All Seasons
In short, how – if at all – have thereadings been worth your while?
I stated in the syllabus that our approach to these works would be to examine the actions and behaviors of their central characters, particularly the ways each addressesthree of Life’s fundamental questions (they can be found in the Syllabus in Course Documents, if you’ve forgotten them). There wasalso a fourth question: “To what extent and in what respects are responses tothese three questions interrelated – for you today, as well as for theindividuals in the works considered?”
Consider your response to this prompt a personal one, and approach it as you see fit.
C. Over the decade or so that I’ve been presenting AUCW 180 (Western Heritage) here in the University, the social structure – as well as the academic structure — of this country, as well as the University, haschanged rapidly and drastically – as it has, I suspect, in most societies of the WesternWorld.
It seems obvious, though it has not yet been openly acknowledged at most universities,what has long been viewed as “traditional classroom instruction” is on its last legsthroughout this country. The question before us is what will replace it. Though onlinecourses will apparently be a key player in the immediate future, will their ubiquitouspresence be an enhancement to student engagement, or a curse?
I’ve posed the question to you already: If everything you need for a course such as this isavailable on the Internet, what becomes of the activities of the traditional class?
As you know this is an online class.
What, if anything, worked for you in a class such as this? What might have better worked for you? What changes would you suggest? What should be
changed before I begin my Summer class in June 2018?