This project has two parts. Benjamin Franklin once said “there are only two things certain in life – death and taxes”. In this first project you will examine these two topics. Taxes First, you will review the first chapter in your textbook that highlights Hammurabi’s code, then watch the video in module related to the code, and finally review some of the ancient code. What do the laws of Hammurabi’s era tell us about the culture in ancient Babylon? How did one’s social status impact the punishment imposed? Do you think there are similarities between the the ancient system of justice and our own? Why or why not? Death The Egyptian civilization embraced life and wanted it to go on for eternity, so they developed an intricate culture around death (especially for their Kings or Pharaohs). The culture involved the belief that the afterlife allowed for a materialistic and physical element and that contributed to the rituals. First, after watching the short film on Egyptian Death Culture and the Mexican film “Hasta Los Huesos” and reading the chapter in the textbook related to ancient Egypt, reflect on the how death is perceived by different cultures and value systems. What do you think the filmmaker in “Hasta” was saying about death? How did the Egyptians view death? Finally, does your family have a death culture? Then, select one of the six academic disciplines we study in Humanities. Art Literature History Religion Philosophy Music Once you pick one of those disciplines, I want you to select a topic that is based in one of those academic disciplines related to death and dying. Do some research on the topic you choose (there are examples below) and present your findings in your project. The topic should be narrow. Examples: Philosophy – pick a specific philosopher and write about his or her philosophy about death. Narrow topic – Nietzche’s view of death Religion – Pick one religion and describe the rituals associated with their death culture. Narrow topic – Jewish burial rituals Literature – Pick a piece of literature (your favorite book for example) that might explore the topic of death. Narrow topic – Themes related to death in the Hunger Games Series Music – Pick a particular piece of music that might reflect some aspect of death and research that music. Narrow topic – Piece of music that reflects themes associated with suicide (Kurt Cobain). Feel free to be creative. Your submission can be created and submitted via a power point, an essay, a video, or poem (or some other creative expression). An essay should not be any longer than three pages. You need to cite your sources for your research. Use the following website to help you properly cite your sources. http://www.easybib.com/reference/guide/mla/website (Links to an external site.) Rubric
