Popular Culture and the Humanities

Final Project for this course will be a virtual time capsule. A time capsule is a grouping of items for future discovery. Imagine that your time capsule will be buried at the end of the course and opened 100 years later.

The goal of the capsule is to provide an overview of what you believe future generations should remember about the 20th and early 21st 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, including 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. 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 you studied in the unit on happiness?

 

Item 4: Literature

In one paragraph, select one specific literary work (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 film 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 your 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. Complete the project using the Microsoft Word template in Doc Sharing.

APA formatting:

Incorporate APA citations throughout the time capsule as well as a references section at the end of the time capsule.