ASSIGNMENT

Watch the 20-minute short film “ “Plastic Bag.” Click here to read a transcript.

Source: Futures Stes. Plastic Bag by Ramin Bahrani. Retrieved from http://futurestates.tv/episodes/plastic-bag

As you watch, evaluate how the film demonstrates elements from at least two other units in this course. For example, are there mythic elements? How are images used as art? What is the story and can you relate to it? Does the film offer a moral dilemma? How does music function in the film? How are happiness or freedom addressed?

In your response, address the “Plastic Bag” film, and connect the Unit 8 Janaro course text reading material. The reply should explain how the unit concepts are presented in the film and what we can learn from the analysis of film via other Humanities fields. Be specific with your examples of 2 Humanities topics and reading material connections; include APA formatting.

STUDENT 1

The story is about the “life” of a plastic bag commonly found in supermarkets. We follow the plastic bag from beginning in the supermarket to end, when it reaches the Pacific Ocean trash vortex.

The plastic bag documentary uses artistic filing in order to capture the audiences attention. There is symmetrical footage of the bag floating down the middle of a tree-lined road and then down a train track. The beautiful natural light makes the bag appear more appealing than it really is. And then the naturally colored bag gently floats in the air with a red plastic bag. The two move gently like kites against the brilliant blue sky and surrounded by bright green trees. The film is intense realism, which may not appear to be art in the eyes of all. The bag floating gently reminded me of Christo’s “Gates” which were in Central Park back in 2004 – primarily because of the gentle floating of the bag(s).

There is a moral dilemma in this film – we learn quite prominently at the end of the film exactly what it is that we are doing wrong in the profound statement, “I wish you created me so that I could die”. The plastic bag is not biodegradable, it lives on forever in the Pacific Ocean. As humans, we are at fault for polluting our environment and that of the ocean.

Source:
Futures Stes. Plastic Bag by Ramin Bahrani. Retrieved from http://futurestates.tv/episodes/plastic-bag

Janaro, R. P., & Altshuler, T. C. (2012). The art of being human: The humanities as a technique for living (Kaplan University 3rd custom ed.). New York: Pearson Education.

STUDENT 2

There is definitely a moral dilemma in this film. The bag is polluting the earth. The bag wants to be able to breakdown or “die” as it stated in the film. The fish were eating the bag and the seagulls were pecking at it. The way the it was filmed reminded me of an artsy type view. The angles and the scenery offered an artsy feel. The scenery was beautiful (for the most part) which makes the viewer happy but the film itself doesn’t really make one happy. However, the bag itself went through it’s spurts of happiness and feeling free. Once the bag reached the Vortex it was free, swirling around with the other bags.

 

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There is no reading for this unit. Instead, please watch Chapter 2: Emotional Branding from the PBS documentary “The Persuaders.”

Source: Chapter 2: Emotional Branding. “The Persuaders”. PBS Frontline. Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/-shows/persuaders/view/?utm_campaign=viewpage&-utm_medium=grid&utm_source=grid

Also refer to the My Humanities Kit for this unit. For Unit 9, you will review the My Humanities Kit information on pop culture in art, as well as selections from famous speeches.

Final project instructions

Your Final Project for this course will be a virtual time capsule. A time capsule is a grouping of items for future discovery. For our purposes, we will imagine that our time capsule will be buried at the end of the course and opened 100 years later.

The goal of our capsule is to provide an overview of what you believe future generations should remember about the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The project can be composed in Microsoft Word or PowerPoint. It can include multimedia if you wish.

You must include the course materials in your time capsule; incorporate APA formatting (citations and a references section). Word count specifications are described below for each category.

The final project should include the following EIGHT criteria:

Item 1: Letter of introduction: Write a letter, including a minimum of 250 words, describing your current life to a potential reader 100 years in the future.

In your letter, consider the following questions: What is your daily experience? Describe your daily routine, as well as your customs and habits (i.e., holidays, work schedules, etc.). Also describe your perspective on the modern era, and your dreams/ goals for the future.

Item 2: Morality/ Decision Making

Include one specific example of morality and decision-making in current culture. Feel free to reference the course materials, or specific examples of morality. Include at least 100 words for this category.

Item 3: Happiness Include your definition of happiness in 100 words or more. Describe how you reached this view of happiness. Do you believe your definition of happiness corresponds with one of the theories of happiness we studied in our unit on happiness?,

Item 4: Literature In one paragraph, select one specific literary word (poem, short story, play, or novel). Indicate why this literature selection is significant to you. Why is this item worth preserving for readers 100+ years in the future? What does this selection communicate about our culture today?

Item 5: Art and Architecture

In one paragraph, select one piece of architecture or art. Indicate why this art or architecture selection is significant to you. Why is this item worth preserving for readers 100+ years in the future? What does this selection communicate about our culture today?

Item 6: Music

In one paragraph, select one specific song (or group of songs). Focus specifically on the selected song(s) and not the artist / musician for the song(s). Indicate why this song or group of songs is significant to you. Why is this item worth preserving for readers 100+ years in the future? What does this selection communicate about our culture today?

Item 7: Film

In one paragraph, select one film. Indicate the film genre as well as why this film selection is significant to you. Why is this item worth preserving for readers 100+ years in the future? What does this selection communicate about our culture today?

Item 8: Pop Culture

In one paragraph, select one specific item from pop culture. Indicate why this item from pop culture is significant to you. Why is this item worth preserving for readers 100+ years in the future? What does this selection communicate about our culture today?

Conclusion / Summary: Summarize your time capsule in a concluding paragraph. What should a reader in the future learn about the current era after reviewing your time capsule?

Please feel free to include examples that you discovered in our studies this term; incorporate the course materials in your time capsule. Challenge yourself to choose items that might be valuable for the future, though they might not necessarily be your favorites. The course materials are required sources for the unit 9 final project; feel free to incorporate additional outside sources as well. Add citations and references for all consulted sources.

Remember to include APA formatting (citations and references); the course materials (including the Janaro and Altshuler course text) must be included.

Part 1: Letter of introduction

In this letter, include a minimum of 250 words.

Address the following questions:

What is your daily experience? Describe your daily routine.

What are your customs and habits? Address holidays, work schedules, etc.

What is your perspective on the modern era?

What are your dreams/ goals for the future?

Part 2: Example of Morality and Decision Making

Include one specific example of morality and decision-making in current culture. Feel free to reference the course materials, or specific examples of morality. Include at least 100 words for this category.

Part 3: Example of Happiness

Include your definition of happiness in 100 words or more. Consider the following questions: Describe how you reached this view of happiness. Do you believe your definition of happiness corresponds with one of the theories of happiness we studied in our unit on happiness?

Part 4: Example of Literature

In at least one paragraph, select one specific literary word (poem, short story, play, or novel). Indicate why this literature selection is significant to you. Why is this item worth preserving for readers 100+ years in the future? What does this selection communicate about our culture today?

Part 5: Example of Art and Architecture

In at least one paragraph, select one piece of architecture or art. Indicate why this art or architecture selection is significant to you. Why is this item worth preserving for readers 100+ years in the future? What does this selection communicate about our culture today?

Part 6: Example of Music

In at least one paragraph, select one specific song (or group of songs). Focus specifically on the selected song(s) and not the artist / musician for the song(s). Indicate why this song or group of songs is significant to you. Why is this item worth preserving for readers 100+ years in the future? What does this selection communicate about our culture today?

Part 7: Example of Film

In at least one paragraph, select one film. Indicate the film genre as well as why this film selection is significant to you. Why is this item worth preserving for readers 100+ years in the future? What does this selection communicate about our culture today?

Part 8: Example of Pop Culture

In at least one paragraph, select one specific item from pop culture. Indicate why this item from pop culture is significant to you. Why is this item worth preserving for readers 100+ years in the future? What does this selection communicate about our culture today?

Conclusion:

Incorporate a concluding paragraph to summarize your time capsule. What should a reader 100+ years in the future learn about the current era after reading your time capsule?

References

The final project requires the incorporation of terminology and ideas from the Janaro and Altshuler course text; as such, you must include citations in the time capsule and a reference entry for The Art of Being Human on the References page of your time capsule.

 

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Popular culture is all around us; in fact, it could be argued that this entire course emphasizes pop culture. You have defined and evaluated the major trends of 20th Century art, music, film, and literature, and you have also explored the figureheads behind theories of freedom, morality, and happiness. All of these contributions have been left behind as artifacts, telling you about the values of the past.

To connect your Unit 8 discussion to cinema, consider the film The Gods Must Be Crazy. This film is a comedy devoted to the premise of discovery and meaning. While flying over a remote corner of Africa, a pilot tosses out a soda bottle. The bottle is discovered by a man who has no idea what it is. Cut off from mass media, he believes it to be a message from the gods. He and his fellow villagers try to figure out what it could possibly mean.

For your response to the Unit 9 Discussion Board, imagine that someone cut off from mass culture finds an artifact from today’s culture, an item from popular culture. In your Discussion, consider the following points:

Popular culture is all around us; in fact, it could be argued that this entire course emphasizes pop culture. You have defined and evaluated the major trends of 20th Century art, music, film, and literature, and you have also explored the figureheads behind theories of freedom, morality, and happiness. All of these contributions have been left behind as artifacts, telling you about the values of the past.

To connect your Unit 8 discussion to cinema, consider the film The Gods Must Be Crazy. This film is a comedy devoted to the premise of discovery and meaning. While flying over a remote corner of Africa, a pilot tosses out a soda bottle. The bottle is discovered by a man who has no idea what it is. Cut off from mass media, he believes it to be a message from the gods. He and his fellow villagers try to figure out what it could possibly mean.

For your response to the Unit 9 Discussion Board, imagine that someone cut off from mass culture finds an artifact from today’s culture, an item from popular culture. In your Discussion, consider the following points:

1. Explain what item you would like this person to find
2. Indicate what you hope this item would signify to them
3. Explain how you imagine this item could be interpreted. What might some of the possible uses for this item?
4. How is this item representative of pop culture?

1. Explain what item you would like this person to find
2. Indicate what you hope this item would signify to them
3. Explain how you imagine this item could be interpreted. What might some of the possible uses for this item?
4. How is this item representative of pop culture?

 

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There are many careers for early childhood professionals and each of these requires the professional to partner with families. What type of early childhood setting would you like to work in (e.g., for-profit childcare center, home childcare center, church-based center, not-for profit center, private school, etc.) and why? What strategies will you use to partner with families? Please give an example of how you would prepare to explain assessment results to a family.

submit a 200-300 word essay answering the Seminar questions listed.

 

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