HUM 120: Cultural Studies

Getting Started...Research in Cultural Studies, Art, and Worldviews

This guide is designed to assist student's with research assignments in Dr. Goard's section of HUM 120 (Cultural Studies).

The class will be evaluating various worldviews as expressed in different types of art works (i.e. paintings, sculpture, architecture, etc.). The worldviews that will be assessed include:

Christian Theism  /  Deism  /  Existentialism  /  Islamic Theism
Naturalism  /  New Age  /  Nihilism  /  Pantheism

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First Step...

The first task will be to find a work of art expressing a particular worldview that you will want to evaluate. The best way to do that is to perform a Google Image Search (https://images.google.com) using a search phrase such as:

• [worldview] art   (Example: "Naturalism art")
• [worldview] sculpture   (Example: "Christian theism sculpture")
• [worldview] architecture   (Example: "Islamic theism architecture")

Once you locate a specific work of art that you want to evaluate, look for information that identifies the piece (i.e. artist, title, when created, etc.). This is important because you will want to be able to cite the work of art.

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Second Step...

Now that you have your work of art selected, you can next search for scholarly journal articles that address art (or possibly even your particular work of art if you are working with a famous piece) as expressed by a particular worldview.

Here are some recommended library databases to search for possible journal articles:

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Third Step...

Evaluate how your work of art expresses a particular worldview using what you have learned in class and your personal perceptions. Journal articles that you find can be used to help support your views.

Remember to cite any resources that you use (your work of art, journal articles, etc.).