Cultural Artifact of the Rugged Individualism

PART I:

Artifacts of our own cultures surround us from art and music to architecture and literature, from philosophy and religion to laws and economics; we live between cultural artifacts which have deep roots.

Choose the single cultural artifact which you believe best represents the culture in which you live nowadays. Present a detailed explanation of the artifact, and examine in detail how the artifact associates to the values, beliefs of the culture. Investigate and assess the deep cultural roots of your artifact. What historical roots permitted your artifact to come into being? Which cultural periods might have affected its eventual growth? How do you anticipate this artifact being passed to the future generations? What types of evolutions might it undergo as culture changes? Craft an essay which addresses such points from the viewpoint of someone trained in the Humanities.

PART 2:

Details: How can better understanding our collective cultural heritage and shared humanity across the time and geographic place help us to be better stewards of the global future? What role or roles do you believe understanding cultural differences across the time and throughout the world plays outside academia, if any? Support your response with particular illustrations or details.