This portfolio compiles work that I completed in the 2023-2024 Humanities course at Davidson College. The course was split into two sections with related themes, which were “The Self and the Future” as well as “Society and the Future”. As humanity hurtles into the future, the relation between the self and society becomes even more important. The is two mutually compose each other, as the individual influences society and society influences the individual. How we experience the world is inherently linked with the way a person interprets the society-self dynamic. In my portfolio, I hope to express how this experience derives from the diverse positions of the self in society, and is reflected in cultural products.
Considering how others perceive the same reality is easier said than done. At the moment, it is impossible to truly experience the same phenomena that another human being does. Unfortunately, this drives gaps between people easily. This inability to feel what another person feels means that things like distance become problematic when considering how power is dispersed throughout society.
My intention when analysing these connections is also to consider the various and diverse perspectives by which we evaluate them. I believe that artefacts or aspects of culture gain different meanings based on the perceptions, but these differences can reconcile with universal similarities. This portfolio considers multiple ways of perceiving facets of humanity, including a mathematical / combinatorial approach, close investigation of the nature of stories, and understanding objectivity through introspection.
Using this approach, one’s understanding of the humanities is advanced by adding depth through connection and asking how we know and make meaning of reality. Further, by having a better grasp on the realities of others, we can better connect to them going into the future.
To close off the preface to my portfolio, I will provide some guiding points that I hope will prove useful when reading.
- In what ways does society affect the self? In what ways does the reverse occur?
- Are there natural power disparities between the two? Can we tell?
- How does understanding one’s own experience relate to another persons, if at all?
- What do our actions reflect?
- How are our stories in conversation with our lived reality (or realities)? Where does the meaning of a story come from?
Acknowledgements
I wish to thank all of the professors involved in the Humanities Department at Davidson College. I would also like to thank the Humanities Assistant Teachers for their continued support and mentorship throughout the year.
I would also like to thank Christopher Brower for his contribution to our collaborative paper,
