CANADA SHANDONG SECONDARY SCHOOL

Tai’an City, Shandong Province, PR China

COMPARATIVE CULTURES 12
(Holiday Homework)

Overview: "Mesopotamia: Bridging the Past and Present"

This student project about Mesopotamia aims to explore and compare various aspects of
Mesopotamian culture with other ancient or contemporary cultures. It invites students to delve into the
rich history and culture of Mesopotamia while drawing comparisons with a selected contemporary
culture. It encourages critical thinking and analysis of how ancient civilizations have influenced
modern societies.

Tasks:

1. Research Mesopotamia:
• Begin by researching the history, geography, social structure, and major achievements of
Mesopotamia. Consider using a variety of sources such as books, articles, documentaries, and
academic databases.

Select a Contemporary Culture:

• Choose a contemporary culture or society that you believe has been influenced by or shares
similarities with Mesopotamia in certain aspects. For example, you could select a culture from
the Middle East, such as modern Iraq, or explore influences in Western culture.

Compare Key Aspects:

• Identify key aspects of Mesopotamian culture and compare them with your chosen
contemporary culture. Some aspects to consider include:
✓ Economy: How did Mesopotamians organize their economy, and how does it compare
with the contemporary culture?
✓ Social Structure: Analyze the social classes, roles of women, and hierarchies in both
cultures.
✓ Religion: Explore Mesopotamian beliefs and compare them with contemporary religious
practices or beliefs.
✓ Innovations: Discuss Mesopotamian innovations (e.g., writing, agriculture, architecture)
and their influence on the contemporary culture.
✓ Art and Architecture: Compare the artistic styles and architectural achievements of both
cultures.
✓ Government and Laws: Examine the governance systems and legal codes of
Mesopotamia and their echoes in the contemporary culture.
✓ Visual Presentation: Create a visual presentation that effectively communicates your
findings. You can use slides, infographics, or other visual aids to illustrate your points.
✓ Written Analysis: Accompany your presentation with a written analysis that provides
detailed explanations of the comparisons you've made and the historical context.
✓ Discussion and Reflection: Engage in a class discussion or peer review where you can
share your findings and insights with classmates, as well as receive feedback on your
project.
✓ Assessment Criteria: Consider using a rubric to assess the project, including criteria such
as research depth, critical analysis, clarity of presentation, and the ability to draw
meaningful comparisons.

Presentation Options (Choose ONE):

✓ Multimedia Presentation: Create a PowerPoint or Google Slides presentation with visuals, text,
and narration.
✓ Poster Presentation: Design an informative poster that summarizes your findings and
comparisons.
✓ Video Presentation: Record a video presentation where you discuss your project findings,
showcasing visuals and multimedia elements.
 CANADA SHANDONG SECONDARY SCHOOL
Tai’an City, Shandong Province, PR China

Rubric:
"Mesopotamia: Bridging the Past and Present"

Criteria Exemplary (4) Proficient (3) Basic (2) Limited (1)

Research - Thoroughly researched - Conducted substantial - Conducted basic - Research on
Depth Mesopotamian culture, research on research on Mesopotamian culture is
providing a Mesopotamian culture, Mesopotamian culture, minimal and lacks depth.
comprehensive covering most key but may lack depth in - Inadequate research on
understanding of key aspects. - Conducted some areas. - Limited the chosen
aspects. - Demonstrated adequate research on research on the chosen contemporary culture.
extensive research on the chosen contemporary culture.
the chosen contemporary culture.
contemporary culture.
Comparisons - Presented detailed and - Presented clear and - Presented basic - Presented limited or
insightful comparisons well-supported comparisons between unclear comparisons
between Mesopotamian comparisons between Mesopotamian culture between Mesopotamian
culture and the Mesopotamian culture and the contemporary culture and the
contemporary culture. - and the contemporary culture. - Demonstrated contemporary culture. -
Demonstrated a deep culture. - Demonstrated some understanding of Demonstrated a lack of
understanding of the a good understanding of historical and cultural understanding of
historical and cultural historical and cultural influences. historical and cultural
influences. influences. influences.
Presentation - The presentation is - The presentation is - The presentation is - The presentation lacks
Quality highly engaging, visually engaging and well- somewhat engaging and engagement and
appealing, and organized, with good use organized, with limited organization. Minimal
effectively organized. - of visuals and use of visuals and use of visuals and
Used multimedia multimedia. - Clear multimedia. - Adequate multimedia. - Limited
elements effectively. - presentation skills. presentation skills. presentation skills.
Clear and articulate
presentation skills.
Critical - Demonstrated - Demonstrated strong - Demonstrated basic - Demonstrated limited
Thinking exceptional critical critical thinking skills, critical thinking skills but or unclear critical
thinking skills by drawing drawing meaningful may lack depth in thinking skills. -
insightful conclusions conclusions from conclusions. - Presented Conclusions lack depth
from comparisons. - comparisons. - limited insights. and clarity.
Offered a unique Presented thoughtful
perspective. insights.
Written - The written analysis is - The written analysis is - The written analysis is - The written analysis is
Analysis exceptionally clear, well- clear, well-structured, basic, with some clarity unclear, lacks structure,
structured, and provides and provides and structure in and explanations of
in-depth explanations of explanations of explanations of comparisons are
comparisons. - Excellent comparisons. - Strong comparisons. - Adequate minimal. - Poor writing
writing mechanics. writing mechanics. writing mechanics. mechanics.
Discussion - Engaged actively in - Engaged in class - Participated in class - Minimally engaged in
and class discussion, sharing discussion, sharing discussion to some class discussion and
Reflection insightful findings and findings and reflections. extent but lacked depth lacked depth in findings
reflections. - Actively - Participated in peer in findings and and reflections. -
participated in peer review, offering reflections. - Participated Provided little to no
review, providing constructive feedback. in peer review, offering feedback in peer review.
constructive feedback. limited feedback.
Total Points 16-20 11-15 6-10 1-5
(out of 20)

This project not only deepens students' understanding of Mesopotamia but also fosters critical thinking,
research skills, and an appreciation for how ancient cultures continue to influence contemporary societies.
It encourages students to see the connections between the past and the present, which is a fundamental
aspect of the Comparative Cultures course.