Transcript Resources for Unit 3 Reading in Humanities

Reading in the
Humanities
Cynthia Shanahan, UIC
What is reading in the
humanities?

The humanities include:
 Ancient and modern languages
 Literature
 History
 Religion
 Philosophy
 Visual and Performing Arts*
 Anthropology
 Technology
 Communication Studies
 Cultural Studies
 Linguistics

Humanities study the human condition.
Methods are primarily analytical, critical, or
speculative
What are the characteristics
of humanities texts?

Lots of general academic vocabulary

Text can be abstract and philosophical
rather than concrete and practical

Less reliance on overt features of text
structure than science or mathematics text
Example

Immanuel Kant: Of the Distinct objects of
the Feeling of the Beautiful and Sublime
The various feelings of enjoyment or displeasure rest not so
much upon the external things that arouse them as upon
each person’s own disposition to be moved by these to
pleasure or pain. This accounts for the joy of some people
over things that cause aversion in others, or the amorous
passion so often a puzzle to everybody, or the lively
antipathy one person feels toward something that to another
is quite indifferent. The field of observation of these
peculiarities of human nature extends very wide and still
conceals a rich source for discoveries that are just as
pleasurable as they instructive. For the present I shall cast
my gaze upon only a few places that seem particularly
exceptional in this area, and even upon these more with the
eye of an observer than of a philosopher.
Purposes for reading
humanities texts

To understand human endeavors, attitudes,
interactions, etc. (e.g. to understand cultural
mores in middle eastern societies)

To understand and appreciate human
creativity. (e.g. to recognize and enjoy beauty
or conlfict in a piece of art).

To contemplate one’s own humanity (e.g. to
see oneself in a novel)

To critically analyze perspectives about
humankind and human endeavors (e.g. to
analyze a piece of art; to analyze a
philosophical argument

To evaluate the quality of human endeavor
(e.g. to judge the quality of a piece of art)
Why is it important to read the
humanities?

Can add to one’s understanding of him or
herself and others

Can increase the habits of reflective thought
and critical thinking

Part of lifelong reading enjoyment
Why is it important to read the
humanities?

25% of the questions on the ACT are in the
humanities
 Memoirs and personal essays
 Content areas of
 Architecture
 Art
 Dance
 Ethics
 Film
 Language
 Literary Criticism
 Music
 Philosophy
 Radio, television, theatre
Example of ACT humanities
question
The time is overdue to admit that there is something of a vacuum in women’s poetry, and that we abhor it. For a
woman to concede this is not disloyal to her sex; it’s the first step in the
creation of an environment in which women artists will flourish. But what
can be done about the fact that the list of beloved women poets is not
as long as the list of beloved poets who were born male?
The most liberating response to the problem was the one Elizabeth
Bishop chose. As James Merrill writes, “Lowell called her one of the four
best women poets ever—which can hardly have pleased Miss Bishop,
who kept her work from appearing in ‘women’s anthologies.’ Better,
from her point of view, to be one 15 of the forty, or forty thousand, best
poets, and have done with it.”
Example of ACT Question

Which of the following sentences best summarizes the
first paragraph?
 A. It is disloyal to encourage women to write, and to
ask: Why do male poets flourish more readily than
female poets?
 B. We must ask why there are so few women
writers; perhaps asking this question will help create
a women-centered culture.
 C. It can be liberating to ask questions such as:
What can be done about the fact that there are
fewer beloved male poets than female poets?
 D. If we admit that there is not enough quality poetry
written by women, it can make it easier to discover
why this is so, and help us change the situation.
Example of ACT Question

t may reasonably be inferred from lines 10–
17 that James Merrill respected Elizabeth
Bishop’s poetry:

A. and wished that reaction to her poems
had not been complicated by gender
issues.

B. but was disturbed by her refusal to be
included in women’s anthologies.

C. but felt she should be more concerned
with women’s issues.

D. and was glad she was one of the four
best women poets ever.
Why is reading humanities
important?

Part of the Common Core Standards

The humanities embrace literature, history,
and literary non-fiction; d the common core
standards addresses these subjects areas
as well with




Key ideas and details,
Craft and structure
Integration of knowledge and Ideas
Range of Reading and Level of Text
Complexity.
The Lessons

Essential Question


What is art?

What processes do artists use to create
their work?

How does an artist’s past experience
influence their work?
How do we attribute meaning and value to
art?
Vocabulary
Preface
Appall
Fluidity
Harmony
Fleeting
Intuition
Finesse
Deduction
Epoch
Realization
Procuring
Recondite
Supposition
Sovereign
Utility
Utilitarian
Superseding
Expression
Decadence
Subsidiary
Base
Raison d’etre
Manifestation
Pious
Chimera
Dogma
Aesthetic
Transcend
Perspective
Balance
Articulate
Inherent
Symmetry
Composition
Medium
Controversial
Examples of Strategies

Before Reading
 Quickwrites
 Word Sorts
 Surveying the Text
 Title Analysis

During Reading
 Think Alouds
 Triple Entry Vocabulary Journals

After Reading
 Summarizing
 Written Response
Writing Activities

Quickwrites

Written Response

Writing Breaks

Written Reflection (on strategies)

Writing an argument
The Texts

The Preface to Paul Gaultier’s The Meaning of Art: Its Nature,
Role, and Value (Preface by Emile Boutroux);

“How to Judge Art: Five Qualities You Can Critique”
http://emptyeasel.com/2006/11/18/how-to-judge-art-fivequalities-you-can-critique/;

Searching for Beauty and Bone Structure in “The Swan”—Ben
Bloch http://www.identitytheory.com/nonfiction/bloch_swan.php

“One Dollar Art: Laser Cut Money Made Worthless Gained
Artistic Value”

http://www.chilloutpoint.com/featured/one-dollar-art-laser-cutmoney-made-worthless-gained-artistic-value.html

Landi, Ann. ARTnews, November, 2007. Top Ten ARTnews
Stories: Capturing the Artist in Action, Pollock Paints a Picture,
ARTnews, May 1951.
http://artnews.com/issues/article.asp?art_id=2401
Before Reading

Quickwrites: What is Art?

Image Rankings: I1 = not at all what I
consider art; 5 = This is definitely what I
consider art
What will teachers need to do
to teach the unit?

Decide how to introduce and frame/reframe
the essential questions as they relate to
each of the readings

Help students to write a culminating essay
that answers the questions

Decide before teaching how the strategies
can be used to help students understand the
humanities texts, especially in relation to the
essential questions

Choose strategies that make sense for the
humanities and your students

The teacher provides the glue!
Text: How to Judge Art: Five Qualities
you Can Critique Whether You’re an
Artist or Not
Knowing the difference between good and bad art can be difficult. You can’t always trust the art
experts; many times it’s hard to even understand them. Since I believe that it’s important to make up
your mind about art I decided to write this article to let each and every one of you judge art for
yourself. (It’s a little longer than the other articles so far, so feed the dog or put the kids to bed, and
don’t say I didn’t warn you!), I’ve come up with five characteristics that you can use to determine the
quality of art, ranging from the paintings in your local gallery to the strange contemporary sculpture
your boss added right outside your office. The characteristics I found were beauty, skill, inherent
meaning, uniqueness, and fulfilled intent. I’ll explain each of these throughout the article. I’m
convinced that anyone can use their own fundamental knowledge to compare artwork based on
these five inherent properties. Even if other people have a different opinion than you do about a
particular work of art, this article should help you explain how you came to your conclusion. All right,
so on the basis that all art is not created equal, let’s get to the nitty-gritty and break down these five
characteristics of art.
Beauty in Art. Beauty is, and always will be, in the “eye of the beholder.” Your decision about the
beauty or lack of beauty in a particular work of art is instinctive and natural. In fact, you probably
won’t even have to make that decision, you’ll just either be captivated by a piece of art or you won’t.
People within the same social context often agree on what is beautiful, so you’ll probably find others
close by who will like the same things as you do. Some aspects of art that are generally appealing to
people are:
1. Repeating shapes, patterns, and symmetry.
2. Colors, especially colors that complement or enhance each other.
3. Textures, both visual and physical (like thick, impasto paint).
4. Crops and compositions that focus the eye and keep the viewers’ attention.
5. Movement or flow to guide viewers through the art.
6. Correct or appealing proportions of figures and objects.
7. Presentation and framing.
Before Reading: Title
Analysis

Based upon the title, what can you expect
from this essay?




An introduction and five sections
Ways to judge art
Simple language
Etc.
What should a teacher
consider?

What does this piece say in regards to the
essential questions?

What stylistic features are in this text that your
students should know?

How is this text structured?

Which before, during, and after activities make
most sense for your students?

What does this piece say about the author?
Why did he/she write it? What does he/she
want you to think about visual art? How will
you get your students to pay attention to these
issues?
Essential Questions:

How do we attribute meaning and value to
art?

What processes do artists use to create
their work?

How does an artist’s past experience
influence their work?
During Reading: Annotation

Note questions in the margin





Does art have to be beautiful?
Is everything that is beautiful art?
What is “inherent meaning?”
What if an artist doesn’t use correct or
appealing proportions in order to make a
statement? Isn’t it still art?
Summarize as you read

Everyone has an idea of what is beautiful
or not, and people who have a lot in
common often have the same ideas.
During Reading: Writing
Breaks

Before assigning a reading decide on some
good stopping points for reflection

Have students work in pairs

At stopping points (about 10-12 minutes)

Students write in response to general or
specific questions

After writing, have pairs read each others
and discuss.

Call on two or three to get a quick summary
of the comments
After Reading: Summarizing

GIST
 Write a summary of the Introduction in 30
words or less.
 After student reads the next section, write
a new summary of both, in 30 words or
less.
 Keep doing this until the student has
written a summary of the entire text in 30
words or less.

Example: There are five characteristics
anyone can use to evaluate a work of art
First, art is beautiful if it has symmetry,
proportion, texture, composition, flow, and
framing.
After Reading: Summarizing

Summarization Rules (Marzano)

1. Take out material that is not important
for your understanding.


2. Take out words that repeat information.

4. Find a topic sentence, if you cannot find
a topic sentence, make one up.
3. Replace a list of things with one word
that describes the things in the list (e.g.
use fruit for apples, pear, and grapes).
Example of Summarization

Knowing the difference between good and bad art can be
difficult. You can’t always trust the art experts; many times
it’s hard to even understand them. Since I believe that it’s
important to make up your own mind about art, I decided
to write this article to help each and every one of you
judge art for yourself.

(It’s a little longer than the other articles so far, so feed
the dog or put the kids to bed, and don’t say I didn’t warn
you!)

I’ve come up with five characteristics that you can use to
determine the quality of art, ranging from the paintings in
your local gallery to the strange contemporary sculpture
your boss added right outside your office.
After Reading: Formal
Written Response

Is plastic surgery art? Support your position
by referencing the two texts you read and
discussed in class.

Answering this questions entails looking at
plastic surgery in light of the five
characteristics.
Remember the purpose

To help students think deeply about the
humanities.


THANKS!!!
Cyndie Shanahan

[email protected]