The surrealists’s core philosophy involved the use of automatic writing and other methods to attempt to bypass the conscious mind and tap into the subconscious. Close your eyes and try to clear your mind of all thought, then open your eyes and write a poem, writing down the first thoughts that come into your mind. Write a report on whether or not you think you tapped into your subconscious mind.

Communism has a complex history, involving many countries. Research three important events in the history of communism and write a short paper about these events, explaining how the events came about and what effect they had on communism and the world at large.

The horrible casualties of World War I were due in a large part to the reliance of both sides on trenches at the Western Front. Research the origins of trench warfare, including how and when each side created their respective trenches, and what effect fighting in the trenches had on soldiers. Using this information, write a few sample journal pages from the perspective of a soldier in the trenches.

André Breton was one of many writers and artists captured by the Germans in World War II and interrogated. Eventually he was let go and fled to the United States. Find another writer or artist who was interrogated by German forces during the war and write a one-page biography about him or her.

Surrealism has influenced many other arts since it was founded in the 1920s, including commercial arts like advertising. Find an advertisement from the last decade you feel has a surrealist quality and write a short report explaining why.