WONDERS OF THE WORLD ASSIGNMENT:

WARNING…AVOID ANCIENT ALIENS INFORMATION...

FIRST, CHOOSE ONE OF THE ANCIENT WONDERS OF THE WORLD:

1. Pyramid of Giza near Caïro in Egypt;

2. Old City (Jerusalem);

3. Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa;

4. Chichén Itzá;

5. Hagia Sophia;

6. Great Wall of China;

7. Colossus at the port of Rhodes in Greece;

8. Hanging gardens of Babylon in Iraq;

9. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus in Turkey;

10. The Lighthouse at Alexandria near the coast of Egypt;

11. The Statue of Zeus in Greece at Olympia;

12. Temple of Artemis at Efeze in Turkey;

13. The Coliseum of Rome;

SECOND, WRITE A DESCRIPTION OF YOUR WONDER (LABELED “PART ONE”)(2 pages):

Who built it? When, where, and why was it built? How was it built and out of what? For whom was it built? Who are the important scholars who have written about it? Was it destroyed, covered, uncovered, discovered at any time, and if so, how, when?

THIRD, WRITE YOUR ANALYSIS OF THIS WONDER (LABELED “ANALYSIS”)(2-3 pages):

The key part of this assignment, your own original analysis of this ancient wonder will allow you the opportunity to think broadly and critically. We have been practicing this in class each week—dig deeply into the meaning of the wonder. In essence, wonder about the wonder. Your analysis should have an angle—is your analysis based on identity, class, race, gender, social status, or something else? This section is your chance to take an original approach to the wonder.

You do not have to follow any of the questions below. You may use an idea from another class, or you may simply want to examine the art in your own way. You may, however, find one or more of the following questions helpful in starting your thinking:

Why create such a massive public project? Is this art a public good?

Did the art improve psychological well-being of those around it?

Did it increase devotion to a leader or reliance on the state?

Did it remind viewers of the social division? Did it provide a mental concept of the world order?

Did this art replace social isolation or offer a profound public?

Did this art have an impact on community norms? How did it function in that community?

What was required in terms of social and political development to create this project? (careful!)

Which dynamic cultural, social, or political forces contributed to the experience of this lived space?

FOURTH, WRITE A CONCLUSION BASED ON THE FOLLOWING QUESTION (about 1 page):

Why should we study this wonder or care about preserving ancient wonders?

Here is some basic information that may help you:

The assignment is due to turnitin.com on February 24^th; (instructions given in class)

As you see above, the length is about 5 pages, typed, double-spaced. The number and type of sources is up to you, but I would strongly recommend using print and online sources;

If you look at the syllabus, this assignment fits into nearly every Student Learning Outcome;

The most important component of this assignment is part 3, the analysis. I value your original ideas more than anything. In addition, however, you should not have any simple editing or writing errors. Please come see me for help with this.