12/14/2009
A. What was the importance (or infamy) of Bunce Island? Bunce Island was one of many slave castles built during the Atlantic Slave Trade by Europeans along the West coast of Africa. It provided most of the slaves used to produce corn in South Carolina and Georgia in the 1700s. Many times, it was attacked by pirates and became an ideal target for war times.
B. Who was Edward Hopper and why was he important? Edward Hopper, the creator of one of my favorite pieces in the Chicago Art Institute, Nighthawks, is a famous American artist focusing in painting and printmaking. His work is revered throughout the world and is influential in pop culture in various cartoons and even on That 70s Show.
C. Who was Telemann? Telemann was the composer for one of the pieces our class had the opportunity to hear at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He was named the most prolific composer of all time by the Guinness Book of World Records.
D. What was India's Great Kumbha Mela Pilgrimage? It is a mass Hindu pilgrimage which takes place four times every twelve years to one of four locations. The locations rotate by year. The main event is a ritual bath, but there are also feasts, songs, and assemblies. Millions of people attend this pilgrimage in one day.
E. What is the Great Rift? It is a 6,000 kilometer long trench located in Northeast Africa. The term refers to a rift of tectonic plates along Africa's coast which is splitting the African Plate in two.
F. What's a savanna? A savanna is a type of ecosystem in which trees are scattered and separated. It has one rainy season and is usually located between a forest and desert.
G. What is Porte de L'Afrique? Porte de L'Afrique is a port from France into Africa of which Roger Broders created a famous poster.
H. Identify 3 ingenius innovations of the people of MesoAmerica. 1. Agriculture - corn, tiering, canals2. Governing structure3. Creation of roadways
Discuss in correct grammatical prose two of the following: 1. Anthropologists, cultural historians, geographers, and archeologists often look to the arts and mores of countries as a clue to the behavior, beliefs and practice of a people. Use your first-hand experience these four days to discuss. Example: Buddhist/Hindu art/sculpture as reflective of society - religion, culture, etc. 2. How do you think art is a reflection of a society's fundamental beliefs and actions? Reference your experience at the Art Institute, the Islamic Center, the Spertus Museum and the DuSable Museum? 3. What has to happen in Africa ala environment, political stability, agriculture, wildlife, etc. To (think globally) begin solving some of the problems of the world community. Reference the work of Wangari Maathai, the scientists referenced at the Field Museum, the Great Rift Valley, Nelson Mandela, etc. 4. What "thoughts" have you had from the remarks of Reza Aslan and his description of the complexity of working with Islamic/Muslim/Arab nations? How are the "pressure groups" different ala Aslan and what conclusions have you made about the Middle East situation ala Aslan? "What does it mean to you?"
1. One of the most helpful things anyone said to our group throughout our trip came from my least favorite docent. At the DuSable Museum of African American History, in the art gallery area, our docent taught us how to view art objectively and subjectively. He said to: (1) look at the artist's name; (2) look at the year it was created; and (3) look at the artwork. I wish we had heard this piece of advice prior to our visits to the Art Institute and Spertus Museum - possibly even the Chicago Symphony. The most prominent works that come to mind in which we analyzed are the many by the same artist at the Spertus Museum. Watching the trends in his work from after the Holocaust brings the viewer to understand how the entire Jewish community felt at that time.
4. I almost completely agreed with Reza Aslan, our enthusiastic speaker for the evening at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs lecture series. His ideas for working towards a better relationship with Islamic nations was enthralling. He believes that, on the issue of Palestine, "Obama gets an F because he set the bar too high and now Israel wears the pants in its relationship with America." We need to allow third world Muslim countires to take part in politics on their own so they have the opportunity to fail. America can't keep helping them. The terms Aslan used repeatedly were nationalists, transnationalists, and jihadists. These terms can be defined as follows:
Nationalists: groups working toward a national structureTransnationalists: groups working toward destroying all governmental structure to create a New World OrderJihadists: transnationalist groups using brutal, ususual force to destroy their opposition
His definitions, although they clashed with Dr. Ali's and Dr. Abbott's, were helpful during his speech. I have come to the conclusion that the United States needs to pull out of the Middle East situtation at a decent rate and allow those countries to come up with their own structure that works for them. If they do fail, assist the country by not allowing the transnationalists and jihadists to take over and throw away all of the work accomplished.
Posted at 12:01 PM by Sam Kheim