Cultural Heritage and the Humanities
The Monuments Men gained popularity with the release of the 2014 movie of the same name. This movie was a fictionalized account of real people who risked their lives to save the tangible cultural heritage of Europe during WWII. They did not do this as an independent group; they were recruited and ordered by the United States Government. This tells us something about the importance of their mission and how works of art are valued as a representation of human culture and history, worthy of preserving and protecting, even in times of great danger. As Irina Bokova, former Director General of UNESCO once said, “There is no choice between protecting human lives and safeguarding the dignity of a people through its culture. Both must be protected, as the one and same thing—there is no culture without people and no society without culture.” Before you begin this assignment, read and review these pages: Historical Perspective: The Rape of Europa: https://www.pbs.org/therapeofeuropa/about/ (Links to an external site.) The True Story of the Monuments Men: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-story-monuments-men-180949569/ (Links to an external site.) The Fate of Cultural Property in Wartime: Why it Matters and What Should Be Done: https://www.carnegiecouncil.org/publications/ethics_online/0085 (Links to an external site.) Once you have finished, answer the following questions by listing them on a document and thoroughly answering them in paragraph format. You must include at least one resource in addition to the assignment readings. Cite all resources used and include internal citations and a reference list per APA requirements. See the APA LibGuide for more information about APA documentation. Based on the assignment readings, define tangible cultural heritage (i.e. cultural property) and write a brief summary of why saving tangible cultural heritage matters. Explain what the true Monuments Men were tasked with doing and provide one specific example of an artifact they are known to have reclaimed. What was it? Where was it originally from? Why did it matter? Read through the List of World Heritage in Danger at http://whc.unesco.org/en/danger/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.and choose one contemporary example of a tangible cultural heritage in danger. (Note: You must choose a tangible cultural heritage site. To do this, look for a red diamond next to the area on the list as seen on the Legend). State what you have chosen and briefly explain its cultural significance. Based on what you have learned, why is it important to protect it? I have attached the rubric. please follow directions as instructed