SYLLABUS: Humanities 110, Foundations of Western Culture

PRIVATE SYLLABUS: Humanities= 110, Foundations of Western Culture

Term: &nbs= p; &= nbsp; <= /b>Fall 2010

Instructor:&nbs= p;       =           Ginger G. Rodriguez

E-mail: &nb= sp;                 &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;   grodriguez@ccsj.edu =

Phone:             =             &nb= sp;           219 473-4273

Office Hours:            = Room 520, = Monday and Wednesday 1:30 – 3; Wednesday 6 – 7;

&nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;          by appointment

Course Time:             = Mondays and Wednesdays, 8:30 –= 10

=

Course Description: This course introduces students to the intellectual foundations of Western Civilization and the study of the humanities. It surveys the major ideas th= at dominate Western Civilization from the ancient to the modern world, providi= ng students with an outline of major historical movements of thought and an encounter with some of the principal works of philosophy, religion, literat= ure, arts, and history that form the Western intellectual tradition. It provides students with the concepts needed to succeed in the courses that make up the humanities portion of general education core curriculum.<= /p>

Learning Outcomes/ Competencies:

= 1.      Students will know the main tenets or central ideas of the intellectual movements central to the Western tradition: Judeo-Christianity, Greco-Roman Classicis= m, Roman Catholicism, Renaissance Humanism, Protestant Christianity, Enlighten= ment Rationalism, Romantic Individualism and Modernism in all its varieties.

= 2.      Students will understand the ways in which these ideas are expressed in individual w= orks of philosophy, literature, art, music, and history.

= 3.      Students will analyze particular humanistic works of philosophy, religion, literatur= e, arts, and history, and start to develop the intellectual tools needed to appreciate these works.

= 4.      Students will apply the insights learned from these works to an understanding of the= ir personal and social lives.

= 5.      Students will synthesize their understanding of the history of ideas in the West thr= ough a comparative historical essay on a particular subject of interest.

Textbook:       Philip E. Bishop, Adventures in the Human Spirit, 6th ed.

&nbs= p;                   =      Additional readings on the Blackboard online learning platform        &= nbsp;

Learning Strategies:

Reflection: Students will write a one-pa= ge personal statement at the beginning of the course that covers their percept= ions of the humanities, what they hope to gain from the class, what appeals to t= hem, and what they think may be intimidating, boring, or difficult. In the last class, students will revisit their initial statement and restate what they think about the humanities, what they gained from the class, what they liked and disliked, and what didn’t work.

= ;

Summaries: Students will write one-page summaries of major literary works discussed in class.

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Reaction papers: Analysis s= tarts in a personal reaction to a work of art. Following textbook reading assignments, students will explain their reactions to one of the works depi= cted in the textbook (paintings, architecture, sculpture, mosaics, stained glass, tapestry, and so on) in a clear one-page essay. Your essay should make a po= int in the introduction, support it in body paragraphs, then sum up your reacti= on in a conclusion. A standard five-paragraph essay works very well for this assignment.

Qui= zzes: <= span style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt'>The textbook provides = the context for classroom discussion. One to two chapters are assigned for each Monday. A quiz each Monday will test student mastery.

Class Participation: In each c= lass, the instructor will first provide a context for the intellectual movements central to Western civilization. Close study of a particular trend in literature, history, philosophy, theater, architecture, philosophy, politic= al theory, art, and film will follow. Students cannot earn an A in this class without participating in this classroom analysis as follows:

·      =    Students must be on time, stay for the whole class, and speak up in= a way that shows they have done the homework.

·      =    Absence equals zero points, which cannot be made up. This class will follow the English department standard of 9 hours of excused absences for appropriate athletic, personal, or documented medical reasons, after which = the instructor will use the administrative withdrawal procedure to remove the student from the class. See the instructor for an excused absence.

Discussion involves

·      =    Being able to identify what the text in question says (using text in the broad sense of any of = the sources we will study: a building, a poem, an image, a sculpture, a decorat= ive item such as a pot or a tapestry, an essay, a philosophical text, and so on= ).

·      =    Backing up claims with direct references to the text.

·      =    Being able to explain the text in your own words.=

·      =    Evaluating the ideas: do you agree or disagree? Is this text helpful in assessing = life and culture? Why or why not?<= o:p>

·      =    Listening attentively and respectfully to the ideas of others and responding appropriately.

Exams: Midterm and final exams will assess understanding of some of the major concepts covered in the course. Both exa= ms will be short answer tests.

Humanities Experience: This requirement asks students to encounter publ= ic art in the community and analyze their experience in a 3- to 5-page paper t= hat answers these questions using standard academic form: What is the purpose of the artworks? What do the artworks say about community feelings? Are the wo= rks successful in transmitting their message?&= nbsp;

Humanities Project: Students will synthesi= ze their understanding of the history of ideas in the West through an essay of= at least five pages on a particular subject of interest. They will choose an a= rea of interest in the humanities, then trace that interest across each of the major cultural periods introduced in class. Then, they will discuss the cur= rent status of their subject and why it matters in their lives. The paper will reflect academic standards of writing.
Assessment<= /span>

10 quizzes      =             &nb= sp;            200 points (20 points each)

3 summaries     &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;         15 points (5 points each)

5 reaction papers    &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;   25 points (5 points each)

Humanities Experience     &nb= sp;            =       25

Humanities Project      =              25        &= nbsp;

        &= nbsp;   Draft        &= nbsp;       10

        &= nbsp;   Final Paper         15

Reflection papers      &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; 10 (5 points each)

Class participation     =             &nb= sp; 50

Final exam      &nb= sp;            =             5= 0

        &= nbsp;   TOTAL        &= nbsp;           =    400

Class Policy for Assignments:=
Grading Scale:

Grade

Points

A

380 – 400

A-

360 – 379

B+

345 – 359

B

330 – 344

B-

315 – 329

C+

300 – 314

C

285 – 299

C-

270 – 284

D+

255 – 269

D

240 – 254

D-

225 – 239

F

224 and below

Class Policy on Attendance:

      = Introductions

b.      American inaugural poe= try – how are the arts related to society?

Week 2 – Sept. 13/15. Ancient Greece – A good life in a civilized community

Assignments: Read Chapters 1 and 2; Sept. 13: Quiz, Reflection paper

Classroom Discussions:=

a.      = Civilizations

b.      Intro to the ancient w= orld

c.      = Ancient Greek epic literature: The Iliad

        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;

Week 3 – Sept. 20/22. Ancient Greece – A good life in a civilized community, conti= nued

Assignments: Read Chapter 3; Sept. = 20: Quiz

Sept. 22: SUMMARY 1 – Thucydides

Classroom Discussions:=

a.      = Herodotus, Thucydides,= and history

b.      Greek theater and Euri= pides

c.      = Plato: The death of So= crates =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;

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Week 4 – Sept. 27/29. Ancient Rome – Empire

Assignments: Read Chapter 4; Sept. = 27: Quiz

Sept. 29: REACTION PAPER 1 – one of the pieces of art or architecture pictu= red in Chapter 4

Classroom Discussions:=

a. Architecture as political propaganda &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;          =

b. Literature as political propaganda

            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =          <= /i>

Week 5 – Oct. 4/6. The Spirit of Monotheism – A new unity

Assignments: Read Chapter 5; Oct. 6= : Quiz

Oct. 6: REACTION PAPER 2 – one of the pieces of art or architecture pictur= ed in Chapter 5

BRING “The Bible” to class

Classroom Discussions:=

Monotheism: The Old Testament and the New

Week 6 – Oct. 11/13. The Middle Ages: The sacred and the profane

Assignments: Read Chapters 6 and 7:=

Classroom Discussions:=

The clash of the ideals of classical Rome with the Germanic north and the Muslim Mediterranean      = ;            &n= bsp;                 &= nbsp;

Week 7 – Oct. 18/20. The Renaissance – What it means to be human

Assignments: Read Chapter 8; Oct. 1= 8: Quiz

Oct. 20: SUMMARY 2 – Machiavelli

BRING “MACHIAVELLI” TO CLASS

Classroom Discussions:=

a.      = Machiavelli=

b.      Renaissance humanism: = art

c.      = The Renaissance man and woman

d.      Three Davids

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Week 8 – Oct. 25/27. The Reformation – The individual’s relationship to God=

Assignments: Read Chapter 9

Oct. 27: Quiz

Turn in your Humanities Project topic and your choices for the Humanities Experi= ence

BRING SHAKESPEARE SONNETS AND SPEECHES TO CLASS

Classroom Discussions:=

a. The Northern Renaissance

b. Shakespeare: sonnets and speeches

c. A Shakespeare play

Week 9 – Nov. 1/3. The Baroque – Developing national character

Assignments: Read Chapter 10; Nov. = 1: Quiz

Nov. 3: REACTION PAPER 4 – One of the pieces of art or architecture pictur= ed in Chapter 10

a.      = Bernini and Velazquez<= o:p>

b.      Opera, Vivaldi, and It= alian Baroque music     =             &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =

Week 10 – Nov. 8/10. The Enlightenment – The question of science and society=

Assignments: Read Chapter 11; Nov. = 8: Quiz

Nov. 10: SUMMARY 3 – The Declaration of Independence

BRING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AND THE DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF MAN TO CLASS

Classroom Discussions:=

a.      = Science

b.      Social revolutions: The Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of the Rights of Man

Week 11 – Nov. 15/17. Revolution and romant= icism – The question of emotion in a scientific world

Assignments: Read Chapter 12; Nov. = 15: Quiz

Nov. 17: REACTION PAPER 5 – One of the pieces of art or architecture pictu= red in Chapter 12

BRING “ROMANTIC POETS” TO CLASS

Class Discussions:

a.      = The romantic reaction:= poets

b.      The romantic reaction: painters – Delacroix and the Byronic hero; Goya and Spain<= /span>

c.      = The romantic reaction: classical music: Bach and Handel to Beethoven and Berlioz=

Week 12 – Nov. 22/24. The industrial age: materialism – What does progress mean?

Assignments: Read Chapter 13; Nov. = 22: Quiz

Nov. 24: Turn in the first draft of your Humanities Project

Class Discussions:

a.      = The impact of technolo= gy in American life – Emerson to Frank Norris

Class will not meet on= Nov. 24. Discussion will be held on Blackboard and recapped in class.=

Week 13 – Nov. 29/Dec. 1. Modernism and contemporary society – Where can certainty be found when the “Grand Narratives” break down?=

Assignments: Read Chapter 14 and 15= ; Nov. 29: Quiz

Dec. 1: Turn in your Humanities Experience paper

BRING HARLEM RENAISSANCE TO CLASS

Class Discussions:

a.      = The modern spirit

b.      The arts and social pr= otest: The Harlem Renaissance

c.      = The arts and social pr= otest: Protest music of the 60s

Week 14 – Dec. 6/8. Postmodernism – New foundations?

Assignments:

Dec. 6: Submit the final draft of your Humanities Project

Dec. 8: Submit your final reflection paper.&nbs= p;

Class Discussions:

a.      = Postmodernism

b.      Reprise: The function = of art – Discussion based upon your projects

c.      = Course review – = the arc of Western history.

Humanities Experience

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1. Locate and view the following pieces of public art/architecture in Hammond, Whiting, and Munster:

·      =    The Steel Cross, Alumni Park, Calumet College of St. Joseph

·      =    Lost Marsh Clubhouse, 901 129th St., Hammond

·      =    The Rotunda, by David Black. SE corner of Hohman Ave. and Rimbach, Hammond

·      =    “Man of Steel,&= #8221; Hermann Gurfinkel, Harrison Park, Hammond

·      =    “Evolution of Industry and Growth in Northwest Indiana,” mural on the west wall of = the Northern Indiana Arts Association satellite center, 435 Fayette, Hammond

·      =    “The Hugging Wall,” mural on the east wall of the North= ern Indiana Arts Association satellite center, 435 Fayette, Hammond<= /span>

·      =    “Fallen Firefighters,” Central Fire Station, 6110 Calum= et Ave., Hammond

·      =    Relief sculpture by Loredo Taft, above the doors to the City of Ham= mond Administrative Office Building, 649 Conkey St., Hammond
·      =    “Summertime Along Indiana Dunes,” LeRoy Neiman, Mercant= ile National Bank, 5243 Hohman, Hammond

·      =    Mural, The Environmental Education Center, 2405 Calumet Ave., Hammo= nd

·      =    “Progress,” Indianapolis and Clark, Whiting<= /span>

·      =    “Swan,” Chris Diersen, New York Ave. and 119th St., Whi= ting

·      =    Worker’s Sculpture, Holly Ores, 1976, Ridge Rd. and Columbia,= Munster

2. Find another building or piece of public art that is not on this list. Photograph it.

3. Choose four of the pieces listed above and consider the following questions= for each of them and for the building or artwork that you identify:<= /span>

·      =    What is the purpose of the building or artwork?
·      =    What message does each building or piece convey?<= /p>
·      =    What emotions does each building or piece elicit?=

·      =    How is that message conveyed or emotions invoked? Consider material= s, texture, and relation to the site.

·      =    Does the building or artwork achieve its purpose?

4. Write a 3- to 5-page paper that considers all five works you have analyzed = to suggest a purpose or purposes for public art.

Humanities Project Guidelines

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1.      Choose one example of = the humanities that grabs your attention: a poem, a novel, a film, a play, a painting, any piece of music, a dance, a building or other architectural wo= rk, a sculpture, a history, a memoir, a decorative art (such as tapestry, stain= ed glass, doors), a piece of jewelry, etc.

2.      Describe your personal reaction to the work.

3.      Trace the relationship= of that example of the humanities to each of the major cultural periods we have discussed in class. In other words, did the period in question influence the work you have chosen? Did the work you chose influence the period? Was that type of expression recognized, accepted, applauded, reviled?

a.      = Greco-Roman Classicism=

b.      Judeo-Christianity

c.      = The Roman Catholic Mid= dle Ages

d.      Renaissance Humanism

e.      = Protestant Christianit= y

f.      = Enlightenment Rational= ism

g.      = Romantic Individualism=

h.      Modernism

4.      Discuss how the exampl= e of the humanities you have chosen fits into contemporary culture. <= /span>

5.      Explain why you are interested in it.

Humanities 110 – Assignments

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Every week: Read 1 – 2 chapters (see course outline for specifics)

Quiz every Wednesday on the chapter reading=

Writing assignment (summary or reflection paper) due every Wednesday from September 22 through November 17, except for October 27

October 27: Your = choice of artworks for the Humanities Experience assignment and your topic for your Humanities Project due

November 24: First draft of your Humanities Project due

December 1: Human= ities Experience paper due

December 6: Human= ities Project final paper due

December 8: Refle= ction paper 2 due

Final exam to be scheduled during the exam week of December 13 – 18

Submit all work as hard copies in class on the date due.

Grade	Points
A	380 – 400
A-	360 – 379
B+	345 – 359
B	330 – 344
B-	315 – 329
C+	300 – 314
C	285 – 299
C-	270 – 284
D+	255 – 269
D	240 – 254
D-	225 – 239
F	224 and below