HUM 145 Introduction to World Humanities I

Fourth Quarter Review

 

Chinese and Japanese Civilizations

China:

Shang Dynasty (1760 - 1100 BCE)
Zhou Dynasty (1100 - 221 BCE)
Confucius
Filial Piety
Aspects of "Deliberate Tradition:"

The 5 Constant Relationships:

Neo-Confucianism
“Right Doing Leads to Right Being”
“Right Being Leads to Right Doing”
Tao
Te as Efficient Power
Yin - Yahng
Wu Wei
Lao Tze
Qin (Chin) Dynasty (221-206 BCE)
Terra cotta tomb warriors
Sung Dynasty (960 - 1279 CE)
Landscape Painting: hanging scrolls and handscrolls

Japan:

Shinto
Kojiki
Heian Period
The Tale of Genji
Mono no aware ("the sadness of things")
Hand Scrolls: emaki-e
Kamakura Period
Samurai
Shogun
The code of Bushido (what it is and what it isn't)
Zen Buddhism
Koan
Satori
 

Early and Late Middle Ages

Germanic
Fealty
Chivalry
Zoomorphic
Feudalism
Illuminated Manuscript
Charlemagne
Carolingian Renaissance
Benedictine Order
Guild
Mystery Play
Chant/Plainsong
Monophonic
Chanson de Geste ("song of heroic deeds," e.g., the Song of Roland)
Courtly Love/Romance (e.g., Lancelot Cycles, The Nightingale)
Romanesque
Pilgrimage church
Relics/Reliquary
Memento Mori

Boccaccio, The Decameron
Gothic (both meanings)
Gothic Arch
Vaults (tunnel, groin, ribbed)
Flying Buttress
Clerestory
Faith-Reason Synthesis:

Cimabue
Devotional Realism:

Italian Renaissance and Mannerism

Renaissance
The Medici family (Cosimo, Lorenzo)
Florence
Devotional Realism
Artistic Patronage
Humanism (studia humanitatis)
L'uomo Universale
Neoplatonism
Fresco
Contrapposto
Chiaroscuro
Sfumato
Linear Perspective
Aerial Perspective
Mannerism

Discussion Question Pool

1. Describe Confucius' concept of the nature and intent of li in human relationships.

2. Describe the predominant subject matter and aesthetic conventions of the Chinese pen/brush/ink scroll art of the Sung (Song) Dynasty of the 10th-11th c. In what way(s) do these conventions reflect the religious consciousness of the Sung Dynasty?

3. Describe the predominant subject matter and aesthetic conventions of the painted Japanese hand scrolls of the Heian Period. In what way(s) do these conventions reflect socio-political conventions of the Heian Period in Japan?

4. How did the Southern European (Roman) and the Northern European (Germanic) cultures combine, influence and shape one another to create what we know as “medieval” European culture? Give examples of the contributions and effects of each on the whole.

5. Describe the development of the Romanesque pilgrimage church, giving attention to its religious significance, socio-economic effects and architectural features.

6. In what ways was the Gothic cathedral style a profound architectural improvement over the that of the Romanesque pilgrimage church? Be specific in terms of both form and function. From a subtextual perspective, how did these architectural improvements enhance the capacity of the church as a theologically expressive form?

7. Name and describe some of the characteristics (in art, literature, religion, etc.) of the 14th century “shift” toward the secular. What ideas or events were influential in this shift?

8. Describe the events (e.g., social, political, economic, religious) that led to the Italian Renaissance.  What was happening in Florence that made this city a particularly fruitful center for this cultural phenomenon?

 

Back to Homepage | HUM 145 Syllabus