HUM 102 Module Five Project Draft Template 2025
Updated Solutions
Complete this template by replacing the bracketed text with the relevant information.
Part One: Choose the Creative Works
Already drafted in Modules Two and Four
Part Two: Self and Society
Already drafted in Module Four
Part Three: Identity and the Humanities
1. Describe the relationship between the humanities and self-identity.
The humanities, specifically the literary, visual, and performing arts and the writing around them
preserve and question the human experience. Self-identity is the unfolding story each person tells about
who they are, and why they matter. When I meet a creative work, it gives me images, sounds, or phrases
I can weave into that story. Paramore’s “Fake Happy” overlays bright pop with blunt confession, exposing
my own habit of smiling through pain; Frida Kahlo’s Henry Ford Hospital paints suffering I once kept
silent. Adopting shared symbols, such as these, helps me find my private feelings in a collective cultural
story, which in turn clarifies how I belong in the wider community, and ultimately, humanity as a whole.
After the work changes me, I revisit it and find new layers, so influence flows both ways like a feedback
loop. *art changes viewer* -> *viewer re-reads the art*.
2. Describe sociocultural factors that influence identity construction.
Identity forms when multiple forces intersect, which is something known as intersectionality. As a queer,
genderfluid, neurodivergent Iranian Iraqi Muslim raised in post-9/11 California, I often find myself
balancing belonging with “otherness”. My Muslim childhood still guides my ethics, though my belief is
non-existent. My queerness shapes how I dress, speak, and look for safe spaces, which also alienates me
from the Iraqi people. Some folks cheer my rainbow pins, while others glare. I never conformed to gender
roles, and phrases such as “Boys don’t cry”, or "Lipstick is only for girls" jammed my identity and
replaced it with a social mask for years until music and therapy cracked it again. Additionally, I switch
between Arabic, English, Persian, and German on a daily basis, while juggling 3 jobs and a bachelor’s
degree all while being 16 years old, revealing my privilege gaps as a low income immigrant who does not
receive enough financial aid, nor will receive help from family members due to tensions surrounding
who I am, versus who I am expected to be, with a great focus on my queerness. This fuels my ambition
and tenacity as an individual. I come from a culture where mental health issues are surrounded by
stigma and a perception of violent behavior, as mentioned in page 44 of the textbook, which is why
hearing “Fake Happy” hits me harder than others. I find that Kahlo’s Mexican roots, illness, and Catholic
symbols likely indicate a similar level of complexity to my identity, which I have not even figured out yet.
3. Explain how different humanities subject areas can be used to understand one's identity.
Paintings slow me down. Staring at the tubes and blood in Henry Ford Hospital drags buried memories to
the surface. Each object in that painting feels like it could be a diary on its own. Singing along to “Fake
Happy” reveals the precise moment an upbeat hook clashes with my mood, exposing the social mask I
wear and have subconsciously developed over the years. Literary art seems to provide the exact
Updated Solutions
Complete this template by replacing the bracketed text with the relevant information.
Part One: Choose the Creative Works
Already drafted in Modules Two and Four
Part Two: Self and Society
Already drafted in Module Four
Part Three: Identity and the Humanities
1. Describe the relationship between the humanities and self-identity.
The humanities, specifically the literary, visual, and performing arts and the writing around them
preserve and question the human experience. Self-identity is the unfolding story each person tells about
who they are, and why they matter. When I meet a creative work, it gives me images, sounds, or phrases
I can weave into that story. Paramore’s “Fake Happy” overlays bright pop with blunt confession, exposing
my own habit of smiling through pain; Frida Kahlo’s Henry Ford Hospital paints suffering I once kept
silent. Adopting shared symbols, such as these, helps me find my private feelings in a collective cultural
story, which in turn clarifies how I belong in the wider community, and ultimately, humanity as a whole.
After the work changes me, I revisit it and find new layers, so influence flows both ways like a feedback
loop. *art changes viewer* -> *viewer re-reads the art*.
2. Describe sociocultural factors that influence identity construction.
Identity forms when multiple forces intersect, which is something known as intersectionality. As a queer,
genderfluid, neurodivergent Iranian Iraqi Muslim raised in post-9/11 California, I often find myself
balancing belonging with “otherness”. My Muslim childhood still guides my ethics, though my belief is
non-existent. My queerness shapes how I dress, speak, and look for safe spaces, which also alienates me
from the Iraqi people. Some folks cheer my rainbow pins, while others glare. I never conformed to gender
roles, and phrases such as “Boys don’t cry”, or "Lipstick is only for girls" jammed my identity and
replaced it with a social mask for years until music and therapy cracked it again. Additionally, I switch
between Arabic, English, Persian, and German on a daily basis, while juggling 3 jobs and a bachelor’s
degree all while being 16 years old, revealing my privilege gaps as a low income immigrant who does not
receive enough financial aid, nor will receive help from family members due to tensions surrounding
who I am, versus who I am expected to be, with a great focus on my queerness. This fuels my ambition
and tenacity as an individual. I come from a culture where mental health issues are surrounded by
stigma and a perception of violent behavior, as mentioned in page 44 of the textbook, which is why
hearing “Fake Happy” hits me harder than others. I find that Kahlo’s Mexican roots, illness, and Catholic
symbols likely indicate a similar level of complexity to my identity, which I have not even figured out yet.
3. Explain how different humanities subject areas can be used to understand one's identity.
Paintings slow me down. Staring at the tubes and blood in Henry Ford Hospital drags buried memories to
the surface. Each object in that painting feels like it could be a diary on its own. Singing along to “Fake
Happy” reveals the precise moment an upbeat hook clashes with my mood, exposing the social mask I
wear and have subconsciously developed over the years. Literary art seems to provide the exact
