By ProfessorStacy
Have you heard about Google’s Art Project? Evidently, Google is “mapping” art museums around the world with their street-view technology (think Google Earth). Visit the site here: http://www.googleartproject.com/ and learn all about the cool things you can do with it here http://www.googleartproject.com/c/faq (including zooming in so far that you can see brush strokes!). Bookmark this site; you might need it for paper 3!
Unit II Exam: It was really obvious as I graded the Unit I exam who had taken advantage of the practice exams and who had found the essay questions here on the blog in advance and prepared for them. So, first, let me just remind you to take the practice exams. They matter. Additional tips can be located at https://hum120.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/five-steps-to-success-exams/. Second, re-read this post on how to write essay exams (size matters) here at https://hum120.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/how-to-write-the-essay-questions-on-the-exams/. And then, what you have probably been waiting for: here are Unit II’s exam questions. Please use these as discussion questions this week!
- Compare and contrast the life of a peasant on a manor with that of a town merchant or artisan.
- Discuss the political, social, and religious changes from 1300 to 1500. How did these changes affect the arts of the period? Use at least two examples from painting, architecture, literature, or sculpture.
A few students with the questions in advance for Unit I still had trouble answering them. The issue is not that the material is not available in your book and PPT/YouTube presentations. The issue is that you have to THINK about the answers. Nowhere does it just say “here’s the differences” or “here’s how religion reflected the political changes,” etc. To successfully answer the essay questions (all semester), you must learn the material and process it. You have to think about it and become a critical thinker. To read about critical thinking, visit these websites:
- http://www.criticalthinking.org/articles/becoming-a-critic.cfm
- http://www.studygs.net/crtthk.htm
- http://www.skepdic.com/essays/haskins.pdf
Unit II Paper: The Unit II paper is about architecture. The description of the assignment is on the course Blackboard site and here at https://hum120.wordpress.com/architecture/. A chapter on architecture is on the Bb site, as well, for extra reading / understanding as needed. A student example of this paper is posted here at https://hum120.wordpress.com/architecture/student-example/.
Unit II Extra Credit: Film options for Unit II are available here at https://hum120.wordpress.com/extra-credit/unit-ii-options/. I have never received a paper on one of these films, so I don’t have a student example to share. Please consider writing one! (I recommend Name of the Rose if you haven’t seen any of these.)
Supplemental Materials: I have been searching Youtube for other interesting videos for this Unit, and I have found the following that you might watch for supplemental assistance.
- Medieval Europe: Castle Life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6Fn2WtXfis&feature=related
- Medieval Castles with Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioGvEA_KNc4
- Medieval Europe: Feudalism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCPp7XWZfHo&feature=related
- Medieval Europe: Design of a Castle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_w4FGgOVsM&feature=related
- Medieval Europe: Religion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra2t3S8jp8w&feature=related
- Inside the Medieval Mind (multiple videos; begin here): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QcQWhqIQfw
(multiple videos; begin here) - The Dark of Ages (multiple videos; begin here): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLNrxajzGCw&feature=related
- Western Civilization: The Middle Ages (multiple videos; begin here): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hEx9-kR5Rs&feature=related
- Medieval Europe: High Middle Ages (multiple videos; begin here): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTYPFNs5LP8&feature=related.
Good Luck finishing up Unit II! You can do it.
PS: I found another series on Netflix (on demand) set in this time period: Pillars of the Earth. Description: “Like the novel on which it is based, the miniseries centers on the construction of a cathedral in the fictitious town of Kingsbridge during a tumultuous period of English history known as The Anarchy in the 12th century.” Evidently, there were 8 episodes last year, and it was nominated for a Golden Globe. You can read more about the book by Ken Follett at http://www.ken-follett.com/bibliography/the_pillars_of_the_earth.html.
HUM 120 Course Blog 
I am so glad that you are giving us a heads up about the essay questions for unit two exam. I was dreading having to do the research on those during the exam, under a time restriction because for unit one it took me about a day to research and write them. Thank you.
Whew! Thanks for ALL the information! Very helpful on preparing for Unit II. I had concerns on writing my paper in Unit I on how to address all the questions needed to write a good descriptive paper. So I will definitely take advantage of Google’s Art Project site to assist with Unit II. The same goes for the essay questions. Thanks!!!!
Yes, I have to agree with you both!! This blog has really helped me and is really helpful on all of our assignments. Giving us the questions for the essays helps out a lot especially the test being timed. THANK YOU!!! Now I don’t have to rush through the test, while thinking about the essay questions when I have them answered already. I really am liking this blog, its been so helpful in all of our assignments and work. I unfortunately already submitted my paper for unit 2 but the Google’s art project site seemed really helpful after viewing it. Thanks again for all the helpful tips Professor Stacy.
1. Compare and Contrast the life of a peasant on a manor with that of a town merchant or artisan
When looking at the lives of a peasant on a manor and a town merchant or artisan, you have to break down that time period. This was the High Middle Ages; a lot of growth was occurring. People were given the opportunity to expand. The ability to go to school was now presenting itself to more than just the rich and the royal. People were coming upon the ability to better themselves and their loves and peasants and merchants were no exception to this. But while more change was occurring, both lived very different lives.
A peasant, like a serf, had a life of set expectations and regulations. It was lower than the working class life yet their lives were consumed with work in order to survive. They lived in small huts and spent all of their time working the land. When they were able to have free time, such as at night, they were busy raising their families. Typically, the peasant worked for a lord to do their tasks and chores. Being a time change, many innovations were made in the field of architecture. These innovations such as plows or machinery compatible with animals, allowed the peasants to become more efficient. Because of this, the lords were able to make more money. Peasants began being able to trade services and labor for money directly. So as were being a peasant was by no means ideal, times were getting better. If you were to take a step up, you would run into merchants or artisans.
The town merchants or artisans were what we would know as the “working class.” While they still worked, they did not have the work a peasant did. Life was a little more enjoyable for these folks. During this time, the population grew a lot. Trade and such was another huge form of support for the economy. One ability this class had the luxury of was a form of say in their lives. Together, artisans and merchants joined groups, essentially like unions, that would regulate how businesses ran and people were treated. This was because merchants fueled the economy directly. I guess you could peasants lived to work and worked to live while merchants and artisans worked to push the economy.
2. Discuss the political, social, and religious changes from 1300 to 1500. How did these changes affect the arts of the period? Use at least two examples from painting, architecture, literature, or sculpture
The time period of 1300 to 1500 is known as the Renaissance; French for rebirth. This is a time of growth yet the past was still be reflected. The church still remained a powerful, driven force. However, religion did start to experience some indiscretions of its own. Regardless, art and intellectual life began to sky rocket in the strides that were mad. By combining innovation of the new ideas and keeping the stability of the old, the humanities were changing fast.
Painting, just like always, was a huge form of expression. Painting was a good way of depicting religion, which of course, was still the primary area highlighted in the humanities. One of the biggest contributions to painting was the invention of the linear and aerial perspectives. This allowed the a 2 dimensional surface to have depth. By using a central point and a grid, the artist was now about to bring an image to life. Another technique to achieve this was in atmospheric perspective. In this technique the artist used color and the blurring of objects to create the illusion of more depth. So essentially, painting became in advance with more mathematical and scientific techniques. For example of science, Leonardo de Vinci secretly studied cadavers to gain a deeper truth of the human body. This, in turn made his work the more realistic then ever seen before. But painting isn’t the only humanity affected.
Literature also had a huge jump during this time. Literature’s reputation had been growing for some time. One of the problems holding literature back from erupting before was not a lot of people could read. As schooling became more accessible, literature began to increase in value and circulation. Humanistic studies began to develop. This could be the study of history, poetry, philosophy, etc. Literature did struggle with combing new perspective and classic ideas. In their new perspectives, humanists wanted to push the boundaries in their work and what they contributed as authors. Some wrote about toleration while other pushed for each individual to not be concerned with social conformity. Areas that had not be explore or published before. The idea of individual became a driving force of this time. Questions were finally being explored and answered. Now literature was a form of expression in all new ways and this was showing how the world was growing.
Humanities are always going to be changing and innovations will always be made. But now, when see these huge changes being made or see how far all the areas have come, we can look back at this time of growth and appreciate what the 1300 to 1500 meant.
I greatly appreciate all the helpful hints and reminders for this Unit. I can honestly say that going into Unit One exam, I was extremely overwhelmed, even though I took the practice exams. I think most of what I was overwhelmed about was how many chapters the first exam was over. Honestly, as I was preparing for the exam, I did not look at the blog once. I do not know why the blog didn’t cross my mind as a study tool. I saw all of the things that were posted for Unit One and found those to be very helpful. Needless to say, I will not forget it this time around. Something I found helpful while studying for the first exam was to print out the practice tests and study those as well as the chapters in the book. The practice tests on blackboard really helped me understand some of the concepts better and see how the test questions were going to be laid out. I also appreciate you reminding us to take a look at the older blog post, 5 steps to success on exams. I am so happy that you have given us the short answer questions in advance because I was very stressed out when I realized I was running out of time but hadn’t answered the discussion questions yet. Thank you for allowing extra time to prepare for those! I know that I had difficulty answering the discussion questions but I also know I will do better knowing that I have them in advance. I am glad you reminded us about critical thinking. During the exam, I am looking for an answer; I don’t think about it much, especially since they are timed. I know that information such as this has to be processed and interpreted but I sometimes get so wrapped up in finding the answer, I don’t stop to really think about them.
I have already finished the architecture paper but am still proofreading it and researching to make sure I have answered everything. I am trying very hard to get a perfect score on this paper simply by following the listed criteria. I think I am going to do exceptionally well in this class because you lay everything out on the table for us and say exactly what you want to see. I am glad you are not one of those teachers that try to manipulate questions to confuse their students. I was hesitant to say how I felt about this class before I finished the first unit but I am pleasantly surprised at the outcome so far. The information in the book isn’t the most exciting information but when I think about it then I feel like this is very interesting history.
Also, thank you for posting the links to the you-tube pages to help us with the unit information. Learning the same thing in different ways is appealing to different learning styles and also helps review the already received information.
The Google Art Project you discussed at the beginning of this blog is incredibly neat. I definitely have saved the website to my computer so I can use that as a reference for the next paper, as you recommended.
Thanks for all the information it seems to be really helpful i have been watching the you tube links also. I am trying to prepare really well for unit 2 exam. Last time i forgot all about the practice test but this time around i am going to take the practice exam because i need all the help i can get because i freak out over the timed exams so i am going to make sure i really know this unit well.
Thanks for the tips and all the helpful information. At the beginning of this coarse I was feeling very overwhelmed and like I was going to have a hard time completing everything. All of this info is a great way for me to ease that feeling of anxiety so I can get everything done the right way.
I think it is great that you can go on to Google Art project and view the museums. As a child I always wanted to go visit museums, and to this day I still haven’t been to any. The good thing about the art project, you can take a virtual tour of museums from the comfort of your own home. Practice Exams are my best friend in this course, I must say. Being able to gauge what the professor is looking for as far as the exams are concerned is great. It gives me an idea of how much information I learned from the material I read. I usually go through 2-3 practice exams per unit. I did struggle with the unit essay questions because I was under the impression that they were samples and not going to actually be on the exam. So I didn’t study those particular questions. I love how this unit’s discussion questions will be the actual questions on the exam, so that way I can study and prepare in advance. I look forward to Unit II videos they seem like they will be interesting, watching videos like this helps to reinforce the reading.
My blog response is over your post on “tips and reminders for unit two”. The practice exams that are available on blackboard to prepare us for the actual exams are a lifesaver. If a student watches all the presentations, takes the practice exams and actually reads the material in our text books it is impossible not to get a great score on the exams. Writing the short papers is what I find myself having a problem with. I’m glad that you include posts on how to write essay exams and other papers because; every teacher seems to expect different things out of their writing assignments. Being able to think critically and the ability to process broad subjects are important qualities when taking classes such as this one. Most of the questions that are asked in this course are based more on our own interpretations of the material rather than memorization of facts. So, it is important for the student to really comprehend the material being covered in class. I didn’t do so well on my previous short paper on the sculpture, so I am hoping to take the critique and apply it towards my next paper for a better grade.
I’d planned on doing extra credit on the film paper for unit one however, I didn’t manage my time well enough and I didn’t get to it. I intend on following through and finishing a movie assignment for unit two. Hopefully those extra credit points will help balance my low score on my unit one short paper. My mom has seen the Netflix series you recommended for this time period “Pillars of the Earth”. She says it’s something I’d probably get into which would make writing a paper on it that much easier. You provide a link that leads to a list of museums and information about their location and what they offer. I’ve been to a few museums and art galleries but, never really found much that caught my eye or that I’d consider memorable. Most of the movies you recommend or deem acceptable for the assignment are saved on my Netflix.
The essay questions for Exam two are available on your blog as well. I found that question two was a lot easier to answer than the first question and I had a lot more to discuss for the essay. I’m glad you place the essay questions on your site in advance so that I can have the time I need to get my point across. Since the exam is timed, having my essays already written out gives me a lot more time to take the multiple choice section of the exam. The googleartproject.com link was pretty interesting; the first artwork shown on the site is one of my favorites “Starry Night” by Vincent Van Gogh. The zooming app that lets you see the art so close that you can see the brush strokes is pretty impressive. I have the “Starry Night” in a picture frame hanging in my room; I bought it from a hole in the wall shop in the highlands.
In the beginning of our class I was surprised on the fact that an online class was by no means easier than a attending to a classroom. Why did I think this ? Maybe because I never had one online class before or maybe because lack of information. However this blog has been given me all the information I need to stay on track and not be thinking about how hard it can be because all I need is on this blog. So, I would like professor for all your help. The essay questions examples that you have been posted here are extremely helpful. Visiting the blog and going over all this before taking the final test gives me a lot of confidence. Another very helpful tool are all the links that you shared with us. Te most amazing finding I did was the Google Art Project, it is such as amazing program, it makes possible the desire to know, to visit, and not having enough time. All the information for this unit have been very helpful and at the same time fun, thanks you. I wish good luck to you all on this class, and that you do well on this exam, this time I think I will do better.
Even tough Peasants, merchants, and artisans were part of a social class that in some how boosted the economy of the High Middle Ages their contribution and even their way of life were a contrast. Peasant are known as those how worked. The meaning of this adjustment is that they were the ones working women and men in collaboration on their tiny plots of land. Living in wooden huts and having to work on the fields to subsist their life only relief from duty was found on holy days given by Churches. But When it comes to how did they actually helped the economy of this period time there is necessary to mention a farming innovation that made it possible. This advance in their farming techniques was the “ three crop rotation”, it improved plows at the same time that brought economic benefices. Their contribution was directly to better the lords economy, meaning a life improvement for them. Some times working on farms and others on special duties paid by the lord they contributions were on the small scale of small self improvements in life but most of it was directed to the lords. On the other hand were merchants and artisans that were the rest of “ those who worked.” They were also a class of workers. But on a contrast they impact on Europe economy was most significant. Living on the crowed cities their skills gave place to create all new commerce routes. Differing from pleasant they had formed associations called guilds that help them ensure their jobs and their special interests. Another difference is that they even joined hands against church and nobility. However what really set a contrast in their contribution of economy but most important in their life was that a merchants and artisans were free skilled men with the chance to manage and improve their lives. Although Pleasants were free too their freedom and life prosperity looked to be a fake free man title used by lords to benefits from them.
Thank you for clarifying everything that needs to be done and all of the many sources we have to use. I believe the blog comes to great help if you actually utilize what you have in front of you. The only thing I don’t like about the blog is that some of the information that is posted on here from other students seems to confuse me because I believe I have a grasp on the concepts until a peer posts something, that I don’t see is right at all. Will you post back if you see comment written my other that isn’t true. Or is it our job to weed through the false comments?
I believe that the practice test does help with a lot and I try to even review those for a quick moment before I begin to take the final exam. But on the contrary I don’t like how the test question is posted till close to the dead line because then you want to wait to see the question before you take the test to better prepare.
Nicole Durbin
I really appreciate the questions in advance, but like Professor Stacy mentioned above, some people still struggled with answering the essay questions. I would be one of those people. I am very good at memorizing facts, but not really good at critical thinking. Even in grade school I struggled with anything that pertained to our history. I can read it over and over and none of the information was retained. I am really struggling a lot more than I thought. I will once again give Unit ll my best effort, hopefully this time it will pay off. It is very frustrating to put forth so much effort, and then get a grade that doesn’t show the hard hard work that I contributed.
Nurseashlie, you are not alone, I have never been really good at critical thinking and actually even worse at essay writing. I can tell you what happened, when, where and how all of it in one sentence, but it is very hard for me to make it a couple pages. One of my struggle so far has been to have enough things to write. Also when I read something I have a hard time putting it into my own words and makes me worry that it will come out as plagiarism. I am so glad that we get the essay questions ahead of time and I hope that we will for the rest of the class because it always takes me about a day to find the information I need and to write it in my own words. I had a harder time for the essay questions of this unit then I had for the last one, I hope my grade doesn’t suffer from it. Good luck for the rest of the class.
Thanks this information this will help me a lot. last unit a was last.
I was looking at “the art project” by google that you have linked and I find it amazing! It was the first time that I had heard about it and I hope that the word gets around because the more museums learn about it the better this project will be. When doing our sculpture essay in Unit I, I had a hard time finding what I was looking for on the museum website, If that museum had been part of this project it would have been a great help. While art is much better seen in person, being able to look at such magnificient art pieces from all over the world in the comfort of my house is pretty neat! Thank you for sharing.
Essay One:
Peasants, merchants, and artisans from the middle ages were similar because they were all part of what we would consider a working class. They all had to actually work to provide for themselves and their families, unlike royalty who didn’t do any type of physical labor.
The main difference between the peasants and merchants/ artisans was that the peasants were practically owned by the lord who owned the land that they worked. They did hard physical labor for the owner and only received minimal pay. Most worked the land, but some had others duties appointed by the lord. The work that the peasants did was essential to the lives of royalty because peasants provided the food for them. Peasants also had stricter laws and regulations set upon them than merchants and artisans did. They were considered as nearly the lowest class in middle age society.
Merchants and artisans were considered the working class of this time and held a higher place in society than peasants did. This group was essentially the backbone of the economy. Merchants and artisans had more say in their lives than peasants did and could even get an education if they could afford to. Although they had rules and regulations to follow, they weren’t as harsh as the ones placed on peasants. They also formed guilds to ensure that they were paid and to make sure businesses treated their workers well.
A peasant was a person who’s life consisted of living in woodern huts, going to church, and raising their children. These peasants, in other words slaves, worked the fields for their Lord. Through the three field crop system these was improvement of the crops which led to peasants earning more money or land because of the Lords incease in profit.
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An artisan was someone who could also be thought of as the town leader. An artisans duties included monitoring working conditions and helping setup apprenticeship programs and setting wages.
A merchant was a person who set up new businesses. Other duties of a merchant included supervising trade contracts. Both merchants and artisans needed people working for them and buyers to purchase their products.
Dominating the early 1300s was the bubonic plage (Black Death), this plague was an animal to human illness. Along with the bubonic plague famine and the Hundred Years War, between France and England dominated this time period. Due to these three events occurring the economy struggled and hard times feel upon the people leading to deaths and a decrease in population. People did not believe in the overall leadership of the churches or the papal monarchy. Therefore causing religion to struggle. The Gothic style was still dominant in architecture. However, the thirteenth century unified, balances high Gothic style now consisted of ornate effects of the late Gothic style. With the rise of the ballade and rondeau new secular formas, muchmoved from sacred to secular. The dominant composing style continued to be polyphony. However composers were now writing new are, which was secular polyphone pieces.
Typo-*music moved from sacred to secular. Sorry!
The google art project is really amazing. I just briefly looked around at a few pieces, and messed around a little, but plan on going back and exploring more later.
I have to say that unit two seemed to go by a lot smoother than the first unit. I made an effort to be better prepared this time around, and use my resources more wisely. The practice test are the best study guides ever! As far as the essay goes I believe that drafting and organizing is critical as with any piece of writing. The essays being posted on the blog in advance really helps out as well. I hope everyone did good on this unit, I’m looking forward to the rest of this semester as well!
I agree with everyone’s comments the blog is so helpful. I greatly appreciate the heads up on the essay questions. I am stressed enough trying to figure out the multiple choice much less a critical thinking essay question. I am with you Nicole on the whole confusion but others write, I go into an answer thinking yay I got this then I look up and see others and I’m like uh oh I better go back and rethink that. I am always unsure of myself. For Unit one I must say I was not prepared and did not use my resources like I should have. This time around for Unit Two I took all the practice exams and read the chapters. I found the practice exams to be very helpful, reading is just too overwhelming for me, that is a lot of information to take in! I feel for next time I will take the practice exams more than once and try to do a double take on my reading to help me prepare more for the exam and short paper assignment. It is great that we have this blog as a resource, thanks so much. I see everyone is talking about this Google Art project, I’m going to have to check it out, if only I can find the time. I really enjoy all the arts in the time periods and love learning about our history. I hope everyone is having a great semester, talk to you soon!