Humanities Today Paper Assignment Week 1
Fernando Gutierrez
HUM/102
June 17, 2015
Instructor: Dr. Murawski

Why is it important to analyze or compare movements in time that have shaped our modern society? They would argue; because it’s important to know what has helped society progress, and what has been counterproductive. Humanities helps us research and analyze movements in several areas of our life. Examples are: art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature. The information gathered is based more on the culture and values expressed during the specific time periods. The emphasis is on how people communicate, how they express themselves, and what religious beliefs they practiced, their mind set if you will. It’s not as statistical as let’s say a scientific approach. Social sciences on the other hand approach things from another angle. Social Science is based more on how society interacts with one another and how relationships play a part in our development of society. Take modern art today as an example. If we were to look back in the times of Ancient Egypt it would have been more common for artists to depict their gods. As part of a more modern society now we still see religious images, but time has paved the way for the birth of numerous styles of art like surrealism and abstract forms. This is how our society interprets art now and it will continue to change going forward based on our culture and beliefs. Art is also spread via more modern media like the internet and mobile devices are used to create art. A more tangible type of humanities for all we can agree is music. Music has changed so much in the last few decades. From bluegrass, jazz, swing and rock and roll just to name a few; these were all a direct reflection of what was going on in our culture during the times in which those music styles where surfacing. Rock and roll gave way to the age where youth (teens) began to be viewed as rebellious for standing by the music they were growing to love when society (parents) “believed that this music was simply noise that had a negative influence on impressionable teens” (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame + Museum 2009-2015). Architecture in today’s society paints a very vivid picture as to where people have come to from previous centuries. From the times of the pyramids to the times of the re-used shipping containers! Modern architecture has had to change to adjust to the times we live in today. This is an extreme, but I feel it gives a good example of the diversity of our society. The economy in which we live in fluctuates a lot, and people must conform. Where large homes and status where once the most important, society now gives different priorities to those elements. There are areas of the country where companies are building homes where the main component are shipping containers. This drives down cost and is very practical, and those are very important elements in our society today. Practicality shows up in our society in other forms as well. Literature in today’s age has