Humanities 110

Paper Topics | Fall 2014 | Paper 2

Due Saturday, October 11th, 5 p.m., in your conference leader's Eliot Hall mailbox.
Maximum length: 1,500 words

Choose one of the following questions:

1. How does the God of either Genesis or Exodus conform to or deviate from the models of kingship put forward in either Mesopotamian (Gilgamesh, Hammurabi's code) or Egyptian sources (Hymn to Osiris, Pyramid and Coffin texts, Horus and Seth, the Tale of Sinuhe)?

2. Using Plate 10 (Catalog 16) from the Treasures of Tutankhamun exhibit, do a formal analysis of the sculpture and use that analysis to argue for how the object represents the imperial order of New Kingdom Egypt. A formal analysis is, in effect, a "close reading" of a visual or material object. It takes into account specific visual or material details of the work, including color, line, shape, and light, as well as how the parts of the object relate to one another. You might also consider the object's function and the materials used to make it and compare its figural and abstract elements.

3. Compare the representation of love in one of the Egyptian love lyrics and the golden shrine of Nekhbet (Plate 9, Catalog 13) OR the wooden chest (Plates 32-33).

4. Compare the role of the flood scene in the story of Genesis and the epic of Gilgamesh.

In addition to consulting with your conference leader, you can get help with all stages of the writing process from peer tutors at the Writing Center. You can find links to the Writing Center hours on the Drop-in Tutoring Schedule website. Extra tutoring help will be available in the week leading up to paper due dates.