Unit 1

Renaissance: The Origins of a Western Worldview



Activity


  1. Download the document, Reading/Study Guide Unit 1: Chapter 3, Lesson 2.
    Please save your work to a file on your desktop so you will have a copy to refer back to.

  2. Click on one of the links provided to download the document.


    Read


  3. Read page 65 in your textbook.
      • Answer the following questions in your Reading/Study Guide.

        • Does this kind of giving to the community still exist? 
        • Has a person or a business in your community donated or supported anything for public use?

  1. Read page 67 of your textbook.
      • Answer the following questions in your Reading/Study Guide.

        • Do you have a "Renaissance Man" curriculum in your school? Do you take classes in areas of interest to you, or is everyone expected to learn about all sorts of things, similar to the attitudes of Renaissance men?

        • Do you agree with the choices you have in school subjects? Would learning about many different things have a better effect on you than learning only what you want?

  1. Read "Humanism and Religion" on page 69 of your textbook.
      • Answer the following questions in your Reading/Study Guide.

        • Why did the classical texts not contain references to the Christian religion?
        • How is Erasmus' statement about buying books a reflection of humanist beliefs?

  1. When you are finished, proceed to the next page.


Read the statements by the actor, George Clooney, and by the author, Kurt Vonnegut.


How do these statements reflect a humanist belief?
"I don't believe in heaven and hell. I don't know if I believe in God. All I know is that as an individual, I won't allow this life -  the only thing I know to exist - to be wasted.  George Clooney                   



"Being a Humanist means trying to behave decently without expectation of rewards or punishment after you are dead."           Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1922-2007)