Assignment 2 requires students to write a comparative essay based on topics from the HUM 111 class, emphasizing their viewpoints and critical thinking. Students must choose one topic from a provided list, develop a clear thesis, and include at least three academic sources following APA guidelines, while adhering to specific formatting requirements. The essay should explore similarities and differences between the subjects, relating insights to modern cultural ideals and the workplace.

1. Assignment 2: Project Paper
–
Comparative Essay
Due Week 4 and worth 200 points
This “Assignment 2” writing assignment is a comparative essay
focused on topics encountered in our HUM 111 class. The
project will be based on research but will reflect your views and
interpretation of the topic. This project is designed to help you
stretch your mind and your abilities as an organized, innovative,
and critical thinker. If approached properly, it should also be
fun!
Choose one (1) of the topics from the list of topic choices
below. Read the topic carefully. Write a three to four (3-4) page
paper (750-1,000 words) that follows instructions and covers
each part of the topic. (The title page and References list do not
get included in this word count).
Note:
Your instructor may require you to submit your topic choice for
approval before the end of Week 5.
For the topic you choose:
Establish a clear thesis about your topic as part of the
introductory paragraph (often the thesis is the last thing one
determines after doing the basic research and outline; however
it will be placed in the first paragraph of your paper).
This is a comparative essay. Comparison approached properly
will require some critical thinking on your part. Use a point-by-
point approach for the essay. That means, if comparing subject
A with subject B, don't do the first half of the essay on subject
A and then the second half on subject B--that will seem like two
(2) separate essays and comparisons will tend to get lost.
Instead, you should be mentioning both subjects in most of your
paragraphs as you compare them throughout the essay.
Comparisons will identify similarities as well as contrasts.
Do not try to do everything on your two (2) subjects. You
should end up narrowing your focus to a few insights and issues

2. about the subjects being compared. And, from those fairly
specific points of comparison, you will develop a thesis and
glean some lessons.
Follow closely the instructions below for your specific topic.
Include a concluding paragraph at the end. This paragraph will,
in some way, refer back to the thesis established in your first
paragraph, since now you have demonstrated and supported it. It
may be here that you also include your observations relating
your study to the modern workplace or society (see your topic).
Try to finish with flair!
Use at least three (3) good quality academic sources, with one
(1) source being the class text.
Note:
Wikipedia
and other similar Websites do not qualify as academic
resources. You are highly encouraged to use the Resource
Center tab at the top of your Blackboard page.
Topic Choices
–
Choose just one (1) of the topics below:
Qualities of the Hero: Comparing Gilgamesh and Odysseus
.
Write an essay comparing these two (2) heroic figures from
ancient epics of different cultures, especially focusing your
analysis on the sources about their encounters with monsters:
Gilgamesh encounters the monster guarding the forest,
Humbaba, in Tablets 3-5 of the
Epic of Gilgamesh
(see
http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/mesopotamian/gilgamesh/
; scroll down to the Tablet links; think of "Tablet" numbers like
chapter numbers)." Odysseus encounters Polyphemus the
Cyclops in Book 9 of
The Odyssey

3. (see
http://www.theoi.com/Text/HomerOdyssey9.html
; from line 105 to the end). Your paper should:
a) Compare Gilgamesh and Odysseus as to their heroic qualities,
noting similarities and differences, using specific examples
from the epics.
b) Summarize what this indicates about differences between
ancient Mesopotamian and Greek cultures in their ideals and
expectations.
c) From this comparison, suggest ways that current cultural
ideals and expectations shape modern notions about role models
and heroes.
Confucius and Aristotle on Virtue
. Write an essay comparing these two (2) ancient thinkers on the
concept of virtue or good ethical character and conduct. Stay
focused on the issue; keep any biographical or other information
short or limited. As much as possible, analyze their writings (in
translation, of course), using Confucius'
Analects
(at
http://classics.mit.edu/Confucius/analects.html
) and Aristotle's
Nicomachean Ethics
(at
http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html
). Your paper should:
a) Compare the teachings of Confucius and Aristotle on what
constitutes virtue or good ethical character and conduct, noting
similarities and differences in specific ideas or emphasis.
b) Consider what your findings suggest about differences
between ancient Chinese and ancient Greek culture.
c) From this comparison, suggest ideas of virtue that can apply
to ethics in a modern setting, such as a diverse workplace.
Comparing Sculptures of Ancient India and Greece.

4. Write an essay comparing the way gods and humans were
depicted in sculpture in ancient India and Greece, and identify
the cultural values and ideals that these art works reflect in each
case. Your paper should:
a) Using specific examples, compare the way gods and people
were depicted in the sculptures of ancient India and Greece,
noting similarities and differences.
b) Identify the cultural values and ideals that these art works
reflect for each society.
c) From this comparison, suggest a modern situation of artistic
expression and the ways it reflects or counters prevailing
cultural values.
Comparing Ancient Skeptics.
Write an essay comparing Lucretius and Wang Chong (=Wang
Ch'ung), skeptical philosophers of ancient Rome and China.
They were skeptical about popular religious and spiritual beliefs
and widely-held superstitions. Lucretius was an Epicurean
philosopher of Roman culture (Chapter 6). Wang Ch'ung was a
thinker in ancient Chinese culture (Chapter 7). Focus your
comparison on their writings as found at
http://www.humanistictexts.org/lucretius.htm
and
http://www.humanistictexts.org/wangchung.htm#On Not Flying
to Heaven
. Your paper should:
a) Using examples from their writings, compare these two (2)
thinkers on their views about specific subjects and on their
approach in explaining and expressing their skepticism.
b) From this comparison, identify popular beliefs in each
culture that seem similar and those that seem different.
c) From this comparison, suggest any modern situation in which
materialist skeptics confront spiritual and religious beliefs, and
comment on the considerations of free expression and cultural
respect.

5. Comparing Ancient Male Rulers
.
Take any two (2) of these rulers and write an essay comparing
them: Ramses II, Shihuangdi, Constantine, Ashoka, Pericles, or
Charlemagne. Select rulers from different cultures. You may
also propose (for approval or not) a ruler not listed. Avoid
lengthy quoting or lengthy close paraphrasing from biographical
sources. Make it YOUR comparative analysis. Your paper
should:
a) Compare the two (2) rulers in terms of their situation and
methods of rule and their apparent ideals and practices, noting
similarities and differences. Use specific examples.
b) Consider what your study suggests about the cultures over
which they ruled, identifying any similarities and differences
between the cultures.
c) From this comparison, suggest lessons about different types
of effective leadership in the world of modern business and / or
modern politics.
Comparing Ancient Female Rulers
.
Compare the Tang Empress Wu Zetian (also known as Empress
Wu or as Wu Zhao; ruled China around 690-705 AD) with either
the Pharaoh Cleopatra (ruled Egypt around 51-31 BC) or the
Pharaoh Hatshepsut (ruled Egypt around 1478-1458 BC). You
may also propose (for approval or not) a female ruler not listed.
Avoid lengthy quoting or lengthy close paraphrasing from
biographical sources. Make it YOUR comparative analysis.
Your paper should:
a) Compare the two (2) rulers in terms of their situation and
ascent to power, their methods of rule, and their achievements
and resourcefulness, noting similarities and differences. Use
specific examples.
b) Consider what your study suggests about the cultures over
which they ruled, identifying any similarities and differences
between the cultures.

6. c) From this comparison, suggest lessons about different types
of effective leadership by a female in the world of modern
business and / or modern politics.
Other topic choice using a comparative approach (proposed by
student or instructor) and approved by the professor and
supported by the grading rubric.
The Project Paper will be graded on:
The level to which the instructions were followed for the paper
generally and for the specific topic.
The establishment of a clear thesis about your topic.
The adequacy and relevance of information, examples, and
details which support the general thesis.
Covering each part of the topic as instructed, including the
comparisons, the consideration of ancient cultural differences,
and the reflection on lessons for modern society or the modern
workplace.
The quality of your research and your persuasiveness using
critical reasoning.
The use and acknowledgement of a minimum of three (3)
required references (the class textbook plus at least two (2)
other quality academic sources) documented using the APA
style –including both the use of a proper References list and the
use of proper in-text citations.
Adherence to standard rules of grammar, punctuation,
paragraphing, and mechanics, and general clarity of
presentation.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size
12), with one-inch margins on all sides. Both in-text citations
and a References list are required. Citations and references must
follow APA style format. Check with your professor for any
additional instructions specific to the selected topic. (
Note:
Students can find APA style materials located in the course

7. shell for guidance).
Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the
student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the
date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in
the required page length. For our purposes, you may omit any
abstract page.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this
assignment are:
Explain how key social, cultural, and artistic contributions
contribute to historical changes.
Explain the importance of situating a society’s cultural and
artistic expressions within a historical context.
Examine the influences of intellectual, religious, political, and
socio-economic forces on social, cultural, and artistic
expressions.
Identify major historical developments in world cultures during
the eras of antiquity to the Renaissance.
Use technology and information resources to research issues in
the study of world cultures.
Write clearly and concisely about world cultures using proper
writing mechanics.
Click
here
to view the grading rubric.