Journal Assignment Choices for the Year

Assignment: Read the assignments listed below and choose one assignment to be completed each semester in your journal. Your response to the assignments you choose should be at least 10 sentences long.

1. You are Beautiful: Tell 5-10 people they are beautiful and most importantly, tell them why they are beautiful. Be specific and don’t give repeat reasonings for multiple people. Document your findings in your journal including:

• Name and visual representation of each person (photo, sketch, or a symbolic memento)
• How did that person react?
• Additional thoughts, stories, conclusions about the activity?

     2. Don’t Be Hatin’: In our post-ironic world, it is easier than ever to say all manner of nasty and judgmental things without even thinking.  Outside of class, you will act as a sociologist and listen to the people around you to take note of just how much, how often and how extreme the language flows around you.  

OBSERVE:

Take about 3 listening blocks (about 5 minutes each) in a variety of settings e.g. cafeteria, hallways, sports events, work, home etc. to take note of hate speech - hateful language, insults, obscenity, racial epithets, or any other manner of speech that demeans others. ( A few examples can be greeting each other with senseless cursing, describing things as "gay" or "retarded", thinking it's "okay" to drop a racial slur because "you're friends" with that person.)

RECORD:

1) Where did you do the listening? Write it down! OR Sketch the place!

2) For each location, jot down some of the words, phrases, sentences that you noticed.  Add check marks next to the repeats so that you can provide some quantitative data (that's information with numbers)

for example:

                                  LOCATION 1                          LOCATION 2                         LOCATION 3

                                  phrase                                      word                                        phrase

and so on....

REFLECT:

After you have done your observing and collecting, think about:

Select a minimum of THREE questions to answer in your journal:

• How do you feel about this speech?
• Has your awareness changed?
• Do you have a reaction?  Does this surprise, sadden, sicken, or stimulate you in any way?
• Can you figure out why the person is using that word?
• Is it to make themselves feel bigger? To fit in, to show off? Because they are racist?
• Are you doing a disservice to humanity by not confronting people for casually using terms that are racist, misogynist, and just overall intolerant of others?
• Is there a reason why we do this? (You don’t need to know the answer to this question.)
• How does your observation and recording activity inform or compare with your own use of hate speech?

3. Cutting the Cord: Go an entire day without the use of electronics. This means you cannot touch or look at a phone, tablet, TV, computer, or any piece of technology! Answer 3 of the following questions in your journal:

• Was abstaining from the use of technology hard or easy for you? Explain why.
• Was there any point in time throughout the day that you felt overcome by the urge to use technology? Be specific and describe this instance.
• Did you take notice to things happening around you that you might not have noticed otherwise if you had access to your technology?
• After going a day without using electronics, what was the first electronic item you picked up after completing this assignment? Would you say this electronic item is your most cherished? Explain why or why not.
• After going a day without using electronics, do you feel like you missed out on anything major? Like a breaking news story, an important status update, a funny snap story, etc.?
• Read this New Yorker article: “The Pointlessness of Unplugging”

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-pointlessness-of-unplugging

“This is why it’s strange to think of these unplugging events as anything like detox: the goal isn’t really abstinence but a return to these technologies with a renewed appreciation of how to use them. Few who unplug really want to surrender their citizenship in the land of technology; they simply want to travel outside it on temporary visas.”

Does unplugging from technology for a day give you a newfound appreciation for it?  Explain why or why not. Is it hard for you to imagine that hand-held technology like we have today was at one time not nearly as ubiquitous?

4. Try A Different Cuisine: Consider a type of cuisine that you have never tried before or perhaps a kind of cuisine that you were always too afraid to try. Go to a restaurant or to your local grocery store and try something new! Document it in your journal with pictures, mementos, maybe even a menu! Answer the following questions below:

• Did you enjoy it?
• Would you eat it again?
• How would you describe this cuisine to someone who hasn’t tried it before?
• Was it difficult to find a type of food to try?  Or to choose a dish to try?
• Why do you think you have never tried cuisine like this before?

5. Stranger In A Strange Land: Attend a religious service not of your own faith, sit at a different lunch table for a week, or find another way to immerse yourself in another culture (eating a different cuisine doesn’t count for this entry - unless it is part of a larger submersion).

Record: Document your experience with writing, drawings, and/or photos.
Reflect:  What was the overall experience like?
Did you feel uncomfortable? If so, why do you think you did? Did it pass?
What did you learn?
How does this compare to your normal experiences?
Did you make any new friends?

What will you take away from this experience?

6. Right Where You Are Sitting: Write ten sentences describing where you are sitting right now. Maybe these are things you hadn’t noticed when you first sat down. Use your senses. What do you see? What does it smell like where you are? What do you hear? Consider what you know about where you are sitting. Who else has sat where you are sitting? Do not censor anything that you write. When you complete this, draw one object that you can see in the room where you are sitting.

7. Small Thoughts: Make a list of 15 placid small thoughts you have throughout the week. For instance, what were you thinking just now? What thoughts have you had about school, your family, your friends, the food you ate, a dream you had, an interaction you had with a stranger, etc. Record these thoughts in your journal.

8. Dream Diary: Keep a record of at least five dreams that you can remember in your journal. Try to be as specific as you can. Please use illustrations, comic strips, and/or pictures along with your writing to document what happened in your slumber-time. For each dream, analyze what you believe occurred and why. It isn’t essential to believe that your dream has a hidden meaning, but at least explore why you think certain images, people, situations and storylines were structured the way they were.

Tips on Remembering Dreams:

To dream, you have to sleep. So sleep.

Try to purposely change when you sleep and when you wake up. Setting your alarm clock to an earlier time, even by five minutes, can interrupt a dream-state and make it easier to remember.

Put pen to paper as soon as you wake. Keep a notebook by your nightstand and scribble notes about what you can recall. Don't assume that you will continue to hold on to a dream while you get ready for school. The longer you wait - even a few minutes - the less you will actually remember.

Met Scavenger Hunt

Directions: Use your smartphone to hunt for objects as you enjoy the museum. The partners who take pictures of all of the images described below will win a prize! Submit your entries by creating a GoogleSlides presentation and sharing it with rrazza@ebnet.org. Please identify which photograph goes with each label. 

Scavenger Hunt Photos:

1.) Find an object that relates to one of the three units studied thus far: Beauty / Self / Diversity
Explain how this object relates to the theme in your presentation.

2.) Photograph a mosaic piece

3.) Photograph a piece made between 8000 - 2000 B.C.

4.) Photograph a plate from Vienna

5.) Photograph a statue of a Buddha

6.) Photograph one of Rembrandt's portraits (extra points if you find his self-portrait!!)

7.) Photograph a Russian statue

8.) Photograph a piece created between 1900 - the present

9.) Photograph a painting that you think is aesthetically pleasing

10.) Photograph a piece by artist Georgia O'Keeffe

11.) Photograph The Temple of Dendur

12.) Amedeo Modigliani's "Reclining Nude"

13.) Photograph YOUR LUNCH!!

HAVE FUN AND GOOD LUCK!!!

Art Requirements for Museum of Me

Remember, for the Museum of Me assignment you must include a total of 10 art images. For each image you use in your presentation, you must include the name of the artist and the title of the artwork. Listed below are the requirements for the art images:

• 2 images from the MET website: Link: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works/
• 2 images from Humanities Library: books are located on my desk
• 6 images from anywhere (art websites, tumblr, stumbleupon, etc.)

Check out these websites listed below to find some unique contemporary artwork that might interest you!

• http://hyperallergic.com/
• http://www.artform.com/
• http://globalstreetart.com/
• http://www.artnewsblog.com/
• http://www.blouinartinfo.com/
• http://we-make-money-not-art.com/
• http://artfcity.com/
• http://animalnewyork.com/
• http://flavorwire.com/category/visual-arts
• http://blog.art21.org/
• http://www.contemporaryartdaily.com/
• http://myloveforyou.typepad.com/
• http://galleryoftheabsurd.typepad.com/

"Museum of Me" Assignment

This assignment involves creating a museum as a way of showcasing aspects of yourself and your personality. Your museum must be all about YOU!

Your Museum must have 3 of the 4 following components:

(If you include all 4 components you get EXTRA CREDIT!)

1.) A Floorplan! You may either draw your floorplan by hand or you may use a website called www.gliffy.com to make a floorplan on the computer. If you choose to use gliffy.com, I would suggest making an account to save your progress so that you can access it later. For inspiration, take a look at the floorplan of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

2.) Artwork! Feature a minimum of 10 pieces of visual artwork (painting, sculpture, photography, video) in your museum exhibition.

At least two of the pieces should come from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History (CLICK HERE to access timeline)(Link: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works/)

At least two of the pieces should come from the HUMANITIES LIBRARY.

The other pieces can be any form of visual art as long as you can identify the artist by name.

3.) Soundtrack! Feature a mix of at least 10 pieces of music in your museum exhibition.

You must be able to identify the artist by name.

You can use these websites to compile your soundtracks:

Soundcloud

Everyones Mixtape

Grooveshark
Youtube

4.) Gift Shop! On the way out of your museum, guests will want to stop by the gift shop to buy mementos to remember you. Fill your gift shop with at least 10 objects that would make someone think of you. These can be as serious or as goofy as you'd like. (Examples: a picture of you / your favorite t-shirt/ your favorite candy/ your favorite movie )

******* IMPORTANT REMINDER ********

Sometime in the near future your museum will be going on display!!!! In order to display your museum, you must create a slide presentation. Each piece of artwork as well as each item in your gift shop must be on a single slide. Links to your playlist and/or floorplan must also be included in the slide presentation. Make sure your playlist is public so anyone can listen to it!

Museum of Razza
Music!

Princeton Cemetery Scavenger Hunt Challenge!

Established in 1757, the Princeton Cemetery is owned and operated by the Nassau Presbyterian Church (formerly First Presbyterian Church) and is located near the center of town.  As you walk through the cemetery, see if you can find the graves or landmarks which solve the puzzles listed below. Take a picture of the correct answers and tweet them to @EBHSHumanities. Solve all of the puzzles and your group can win a prize!!

1. According to Douglas Sutphen, the current superintendent of the cemetery, there are people who travel from all over the country just to see the headstone of the man who was the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. That man was: ______________________________ (Find his grave!)
2. William H. Hahn, Jr. (1905 - 1980) wants you to know that he wasn’t feeling well. What is the inscription on his gravestone? ___________________________
3. A man whose first name is Paul has a street named after him in Princeton. While most of the gravestones in Princeton Cemetery face east, the statue marking his grave faces north with its back to Nassau Hall. This man’s name is:________________________ (Take a picture of his statue!)
4. This man was known for being the founder of Princeton University and was the President of the university from 1747 - 1757. This man’s name is: _________________________________
5. This man was an American politician. He was the 3rd Vice President of the United States (1801 - 1805), serving during President Thomas Jefferson’s first term. He was the son of the man from question #4. People often leave things on this grave like piles of stones, a few odd bills and other trinkets. This man’s name is: _________________________________
6. This woman was a longtime personal assistant of Albert Einstein. She was also Einstein’s archivist, and co-trustee of his papers after his death. Her first name, to reference Greek mythology, is the same as the daughter of Zeus. This woman’s name is: ____________________________________
7. This woman was known for founding Shakespeare & Company, a Paris bookshop which became a focus for struggling expatriate writers. In 1922 she published James Joyce’s Ulysses when others considered it obscene. Her last name is another word for “seashore”. This woman’s name is: ___________________________
8. This man was a famous architect known for his postmodern architecture. He died last year at the age of 80 in Princeton, NJ. His name is: ________________________________
9. This man (known by many as Jimmy) was a runaway slave employed by Princeton University where he became a friend of all university students by selling candy, fruit and peanuts. His identity was recognized in 1843 after only 4 years of freedom and at this time he was ordered to return to his owner. However, Theodora Prevost, a descendent of John Witherspoon, interceded and bought his freedom for $550.00. This man’s name is: ______________________________________
10. Barbara Boggs Sigmund’s gravestone lies in a stretch of ground that runs parallel to Witherspoon Street. Her gravestone has a phrase on it taken from one of her poems. That phrase is: “a passion for ______________________ and _________________________”

*Feel free to look up the answers online, and then find the headstone! Your pictures of the headstones are your proof!*

NYC Trip Photos