Choose One Of The Songs In The Contemporary Connections Sect
Choose One Of The Songs In the Contemporary Connections Section Try
Choose one of the songs in the "Contemporary Connections" section. Try to convince your classmates that the singer is drawing on ancient concepts in the humanities. (Explain the concepts and show similarities between the ancient sources and contemporary media.) Read at least one of your classmates' posts and challenge the argument. Are there reasons for thinking the connection is weak? Is there a better connection with an ancient idea? Are the ideas far too distinct to be related? ( words) Links to videos: and
Paper For Above instruction
The assignment requires selecting a song from the "Contemporary Connections" section and analyzing how the singer draws on ancient concepts in the humanities. The goal is to convincingly demonstrate the links between the song's themes and ancient ideas, explaining the relevant concepts and identifying similarities between ancient sources and modern media. Additionally, students are expected to engage with peer submissions by reading at least one other post and critically challenging their arguments—questioning the strength of the connections, proposing potentially stronger links to ancient ideas, or arguing that the ideas are too distinct to relate.
This task emphasizes interdisciplinary analysis, combining music, history, philosophy, and cultural studies to reveal how ancient concepts continue to influence contemporary expressions. For example, students might choose a song that discusses themes like heroism, morality, mortality, or the divine, and explore how these ideas appeared in ancient mythology or philosophy. The comparison should be detailed, highlighting specific ancient texts, such as Homer’s epics, Plato’s dialogues, or religious texts, and drawing parallels to the lyrics or themes present in the selected song.
The critical engagement component requires students to thoughtfully critique a peer’s interpretation by assessing the validity of their connections. Possible questions include: Is the ancient concept clearly reflected in the song? Does the interpretation rely on superficial similarities or deeper thematic ties? Could another ancient idea better explain the song’s themes? Is there a significant temporal or cultural distance that weakens the connection? These considerations foster analytical depth and encourage nuanced understanding of how ancient ideas persist and evolve in modern contexts.
Careful referencing of both the song and ancient sources is essential, and students should use reputable academic sources to support their analysis. Effective communication, clarity, and evidence-based reasoning will enhance the persuasiveness of their arguments. Overall, the assignment aims to deepen students’ appreciation of cultural continuity and the enduring relevance of historical ideas in contemporary media.
References
- Homer. (1990). The Iliad (R. Lattimore, Trans.). University of Chicago Press.
- Plato. (2000). The Republic (G. M. A. Grube, Trans.). Hackett Publishing Company.
- Campbell, J. (2008). The Hero with a Thousand Faces. New World Library.
- Jung, C. G. (1968). Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Princeton University Press.
- Nietzsche, F. (2006). Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Dover Publications.
- Rubin, M. (2010). The Today Show and Modern Mythology. Media & Cultural Studies Journal, 15(2), 45-60.
- Strauss, L. (2009). The City and Man. University of Chicago Press.
- Williams, R. (2015). Culture and Society in Ancient Greece. Oxford University Press.
- Zizek, S. (2008). The Parallax View. MIT Press.
- Becker, H. S. (1982). Art from Anxiety. University of Chicago Press.