Course Syllabus

Hum 1010 spring 2015 SUCCESS.docx

Dixie State University: Spring/2015

Humanities 1010: Intro to the Humanities

Section ISJ/2SJ: MWF SUCCESS, CRN: 27066/27071

 

INSTRUCTOR: Emily Andrade

Office: Tech/SUCCESS Academy

Office Phone: 435-652-7830

Office Hours: 10am-12pm, 2-3pm

Email: andrade@dixie.edu

 

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: Discovering the Humanities, Henry Sayre, 2^nd ed.

 

Other required readings and videos are posted on Canvas. You will need to read these ahead of time and have access to them in class on the day assigned, either electronically or a printed copy. (Power Points of in class presentations are posted on Canvas.)

 

REQUIRED READING & VIEWING: You will be required to read an ancient work of literature and a film and write a small essay on each by the midterm test and final test.  These works and films are on Pages in Canvas and in Modules.

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course fulfills a General Education Humanities requirement. It can also be taken as an elective or as a background course for majors in English, humanities, philosophies, and scientific developments in Western culture. Through examining such ideas and events, we can see the traditional ways in which humans viewed their relationship with the past, with the future, with God, with nature, with other humans, and with themselves.

 

This may prove to be one of the most challenging courses you have ever attempted. You will be exposed to a great number of ideas, writers, and artists—as well as their works and the civilizations they represent. They may be frightening at first, but when you have completed this all-too-brief excursion into the cultural history of western civilization, you will have a better idea of what a rich cultural legacy has been bequeathed to us.

 

We will be looking at a number of genres, including painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, drama and music. With these genres, we will return again and again to the questions Why do people create? Why does art exist? What does it do? In connection with these questions and their answers, we will be considering a number of themes that seem common to various civilizations throughout history, including the following:

 

1. Codes and Value Systems: What kinds of laws do we need? What kinds of behavior are acceptable?
2. Family Life and Growing Up
3. Love and Marriage: What is love? Is it okay to love? Who should we marry? Why should we marry?
4. The Hero: How does he exemplify a society’s values?
5. Woman’s Nature: Is she human? Good? Evil? Equal?
6. The Good Society: What is the good life?
7. Religion: Who are what is God or the gods?
8. Illusion and Reality: Is what we see real? Are there different ways of seeing?
9. Nature: How is the physical world represented?
10. War and Violence
11. Freedom: What is it? Is it worth fighting for?
12. Beauty: What is beautiful? What is the role of beauty in art and life?

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course focuses on the enduring creative expressions of humans that reflect our experiences, as well as our feelings and ideas about ourselves, other humans, the past, and the universe.

 

The course aims to teach the connection between values and the humanities and encourages students to investigate their own values.

 

The course also provides a basic understanding of the compositional elements of each genre of art under discussion. This knowledge will enable students to venture into interpretations of individual works of art, both in and out of the classroom.  

 

COURSE OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to demonstrate improvement in their ability to:

 

• Understand cultural diversity.
• Think critically about and discuss the interrelatedness of art, philosophy and events during historical periods.
• Recognize that the study of humanities is a study of the creators of ideas, words, and artifacts; the artifacts themselves, and the values those creators held.
• Understand what moves humans to create and how their creations reflect their world views.  
• Understand how famous men and women have analyzed their own culture and, with those ideas, examine, affirm, and challenge the patterns of thought in our own time.
• Understand the relation between current issues and those of other times, places, and cultures.

 

COURSE FOCUS, FORMAT & PHILOSOPHY:

*Our focus will be Early Western Civilization, prehistoric to middle ages. We’ll discover more about our ancestors and predecessors in searching for truth in all its facets, and applying it to our daily lives. We will study history, culture, anthropology, science, philosophy, and art in its many forms.

*Through power points, discussions, group activities, projects, videos and other media we will critically think about the past, our present and future. We will use Canvas frequently.

*Keep up with assignments and participate in class and you will succeed. Be open minded, prepared, polite, focused and deep thinking. This course is your chance to ask questions and challenge yourself and your perceptions.

ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING

In this course we will cover a lot of material very quickly. You will be asked, in the following assignments and tests, to demonstrate both comprehension of the material and your ability to think critically in response to the material. Your overall grade in the course will come from the following assignments and the points associated with them:

 

200         Tests. You will take two tests during the semester, at MIDTERM and FINAL, each covering one or more artistic time periods covered in class. Demonstrate your understanding of the artifacts, time periods and world views we’ve discussed prior to the test. These will be multiple choice, matching and true/false questions as well as essay and short-answer questions. One essay for each test will be on a work of literature and a film you read and watched. More details to come. Study guides and lists of works and films available on Pages in Canvas.

 

100         Analysis Paper. (Comprehensive) All of the arguments we will make about art, both in class discussion, group assignments and blog posts are designed to culminate in an analysis paper at the end of the semester. In this paper you will discuss three different artifacts from this semester’s course that address a similar theme. The assignment sheet for the analysis paper is available on Canvas.

 

200         In Class Prompts- Journals. At the beginning of every class we will have a writing prompt. You will be required write at least a page for the time allotted. These will be in response to your homework and previous class discussions. These will measure your participation, completion of homework, attendance. Points are determined by attendance. (24 prompts worth 10 points each)

 

10           3 Minute Artist Declarations. At the beginning or end of every class a student will present something artistic you love. It can be anything you create, make, admire and so on. From sports to cars, games, painting, music, food, jewelry, hair, etc. We will sign up for these.

 

75          Quizzes. We will have random quizzes once a week.

               

20           Drafting and Peer Review for Analysis Paper.

 

605         Points possible

Grading Scale

A             94-100 %

A-            90-93

B+           87-89

B             84-86

B-            80-83

C+           77-79

C             74-76

C-            70-73

D+           67-69

D             64-66

D-            60-63

F              59 and below

 

COURSE POLICIES

 

Late Work

I do not accept late work. If you feel you may be unable to complete an assignment on time, please talk to me so that I can assist you.

 

Extra Credit

You have the option of attending a cultural event at DSU and writing a review on it. Description available on Modules in Canvas.

 

Absence Policy

The framework of this course—with its emphasis on class discussion and group work—demands that you attend class regularly, on time and for the entire duration. Failure to complete in-class work, such as in-class writing assignments and group work, will result in the lowering of your grade. Students who accumulate more than two weeks of absences over the course of the semester will automatically have their final grades reduced. There will be no exceptions to this policy.

 

If you must miss class for a school-related event, please tell me as soon as possible. Then read and follow Dixie State’s “Policy for Absences Related to College Functions.”

 

Classroom Etiquette

Classrooms are special environments in which students and faculty come together to promote learning and growth. It is essential in these environments that respect for the rights of others seeking to learn, respect for the professionalism of the instructor, and the general goals of academic freedom are maintained. Disruptive behaviors, such as chatting during lectures, arriving late to class, sleeping, texting, web browsing, game playing, reading non-class material, and others listed in the DSC Student Rights and Responsibilities Code, are not permitted and may result in your removal from class. Repetitive or seriously disruptive behavior, such as fighting, using profanity or insults, making personal or physical threats, or damaging property, will be reported to Campus Security. As the instructor, it is my responsibility to determine whether any specific student is disrupting the learning environment. Cell phones and other digital devices may only be used for class purposes, i.e, note-taking or referencing class materials.

 

Other Academic Etiquette Guidelines

General Education courses are expected to require two hours’ worth of work for every hour spent in class. Between the readings, tests and writing assignments, you can expect to stay busy per the expectations for GE courses. You can also expect to encounter difficult material from time to time. Difficulty is essential in learning: it allows students to stretch. Students most likely to succeed in this and any course are those who take responsibility for their own learning. The following guidelines will be useful to you in completing this course:

 

• Please recognize that difficult doesn’t mean impossible. You can get the most out of difficult material by questioning the material and sincerely looking for answers in the works of art themselves. This course isn’t designed to give you all the answers. It’s designed to give you enough answers to let you find the rest. Critical thinking is always rewarded in this class.
• Don’t ask if you missed or will miss anything important during an absence. While I understand these questions are targeting major assignments, quizzes and tests, nothing we do in class is unimportant. If you are absent, you can expect to miss something important. Plan accordingly.
• Act mature and open-minded when presented with material. We will watch, read, and encounter nudity and mature subjects in this class. If it makes you uncomfortable you are invited to leave, but you will be responsible for knowing the material. Any laughing, joking or inappropriate remarks will result in your expulsion from the class.
• Don’t ask for extra credit or for me to bump up your grade. My only concern in assigning your grade is your performance in my class. If you want a good grade in my class, excel at the assignments you’ve already been given and participate regularly in class discussion. Any borderline grades at the end of the semester are decided by class participation.

 

Students with Disabilities

If you suspect or are aware that you have a disability that may affect your success in the course you are strongly encouraged to contact the Disability Resource Center (DRC) located at the North Plaza Building. The disability will be evaluated and eligible students will receive assistance in obtaining reasonable accommodations. Phone # 435-652-7516.

 

Other On-Campus Resources and Important Links

• Disability Resource Center - dixie.edu/drcenter
• IT Student Help Desk - dixie.edu/helpdesk
• Library - library.dixie.edu
• Testing Center - dixie.edu/testing
• Tutoring Center - dixie.edu/tutoring
• Writing Center - dixie.edu/english/dsc_writing_center.php

Plagiarism & Cheating
You must do your own work. Note the following from the Dixie State College of Utah Policies and Procedures Manual: “Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated at Dixie State College, including but not limited to plagiarism on written assignments, submitting other person's work as one's own, and cheating on exams or quizzes. Teachers at Dixie State College may discipline students proven guilty of academic dishonesty by:

34.1.1 Giving a failing grade on the specific assignment where dishonesty occurred,

34.1.2 Failing the student in the entire course,

34.1.3 Immediately dismissing and removing the student from the course, and/or

34.1.4 Referring the student to Student Affairs, a committee which may reprimand, place on probation, suspend, and/or expel the student.

34.2 Disruptive Behavior: Teachers at Dixie State College have the right to manage the classroom environment to ensure a good learning climate. Toward this end, teachers (or college security) may dismiss and remove disruptive students from individual class activities. If a student's behavior continues to disrupt class activities, the teacher may dismiss and cause the removal of disruptive students from their course.

34.3 Student Appeals: Students who believe themselves wrongfully disciplined may appeal those disciplinary actions through the standard grievance procedure.” (Policy 5-35)

Dmail

You are required to frequently check your Dmail account. Important class and university information will be sent to your Dmail account, including DSU bills, financial aid/scholarship notices, notices of cancelled classes, reminders of important dates and deadlines, and other information critical to your success at DSU and in your courses. To access your Dmail account, visit go.dixie.edu/dmail. If you do not know your Dmail username or you have forgotten your PIN, visit go.dixie.edu/mydixie and follow the respective instructions.

 

   

      Humanities 1010 Course Calendar

 

Subject to change at my discretion

 

* Canvas = From time to time I will post changes and announcements on Canvas. It is your responsibility to check Canvas frequently to stay on top of class news.
** DH = Discovering the Humanities, the textbook.

***Check Module Weeks on Canvas for videos

 

Day	Subject	Readings,  Discussions & Due Dates	Videos
WEEK 1
Mon. 1/12	Introduction to the course Sign up for 3 Minute Presentations	Classwork Starts DH: pp. 1-13
Wed. 1/14	The Beginning of Culture Neolithic/Paleolithic		Neolithic Agricultural Revolution The Agricultural Revolution:
Fri. 1/16	The Role of Myth		Crash Course World History #1
WEEK 2
Mon. 1/19	Mesopotamian art & Literature: The Epic of Gilgamesh	DH: pp. 13-26	Crash Course Mesopotamia
Wed. 1/21	Sumer- Enheduanna		Mystery cults and the mother goddess
Fri. 1/23	Mesopotamia- The Code of Hammurabi
WEEK 3	ANCIENT GREECE
Mon. 1/26	Bronze Age Greece: Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean Cultures
Wed. 1/28	Homer: The Iliad and The Odyssey	DH: pp. 46-55; Canvas: Excerpt from The Odyssey
Fri. 1/30	The Persians	DH: pp. 57-64; 69-72; 75-76	The Persians & Greeks: Crash Course World History # 5
WEEK 4
Mon. 2/2	Golden Age Culture and Architecture	DH: pp. 57-64; 69-72; 75-76
Wed. 2/4	Greek Sculpture: Golden Age through Hellenistic Era	DH: pp. 39-46
Fri. 2/6	Greek Philosophy: Golden Age	DH: pp. 64-69; 72-73
WEEK 5
Mon. 2/9	SAGE ESSAY TESTING
Wed. 2/11	SAGE
Fri. 2/13	SAGE
WEEK 6
2/16 NO CLASS	PRESIDENT’S DAY
Wed. 2/18	SAGE
Fri. 2/20	SAGE		Alexander the Great and the Situation…the Great? Crash Course
WEEK 7
Mon. 2/23	Golden Age poetry and literature, Golden Age Theatre,  Sappho	DH: pp. 69-77	Greek Theatre- Tragedy and Comedy
Wed. 2/25	Alexander the Great Hellenistic Art, Philosophy		Alexander the Great and the Situation…the Great? Crash Course
Fri. 2/27	Catch up Day
		Take MIDTERM in testing center this week. Open Tuesday to Saturday.
WEEK 8	ANCIENT ROME
Mon. 3/2	Etruscan life and art Republican Rome Imperial Rome, art	DH: 81-88	The Roman Empire. Or republic. Or…which was it? Crash Course
Wed. 3/5	Virgil, Roman Theatre Augustus and Literary Rome: Ovid, Horace	Canvas: Excerpt from The Aeneid: “The Passion of the Queen” DH: p. 89	Art of the Western world- ep.2
Fri. 3/7	Roman Architecture & Public Works Roman Philosophy- Epictetus	DH: pp. 90-97 DH: pp. 117-122	Secrets of Archaeology: Roman Imprint on the west Christianity from Judaism to Constantine: Crash Course
WEEK 9	SPRING BREAK
Mon. 3/9-13
WEEK 10	BYZANTINE & WESTERN, EASTERN ROMAN EMPIRE
Mon. 3/16	Rome	DH: pp. 123-131	Fall of the Roman Empire…in the 15th Century: Crash Course
Wed. 3/18	Eastern vs Western Roman Empire Byzantine Art	DH: pp. 123-131
Fri. 3/20	Intro to Middle Ages		The Dark Ages…How Dark were they, really? Crash Course
WEEK 11	THE MEDIEVAL WORLD
Mon. 3/23	Anglo-Saxon Culture and Art	DH: pp. 145-150
Wed. 3/25	Beowulf The Vikings	Canvas: Excerpt from Beowulf
Fri. 3/27	Carmina Burana and Carolingian Art and literature	DH: pp. 150-153 Canvas: Excerpt from Carmina Burana
WEEK 12
Mon. 3/30	Romanesque Church Architecture	DH: pp. 160-164	The Dark Ages…How Dark were they, really? Crash Course
Wed. 4/1	The Culture of Romance-	DH: pp. 164-169	Art of the western world-ep. 3
Fri. 4/3	Eleanor of Aquitaine, Christine de Pizan, The Crusades		The Crusades- Pilgrimage or Holy War? Crash Course
WEEK 13
4/6-10	Medieval Music, Hildegard of Bingen, The Medieval University and the Rise of Scholasticism	Cimabue and Giotto: The Rise of Naturalism in Italy	Gothic Church Architecture
WEEK 14
Mon. 4/13	Middle Ages Literature, Dante’s Divine Comedy Boccaccio’s Decameron, Chaucer Petrarch and the sonnet	DH: pp. 197; 202 Read excerpt from the Decameron posted on Canvas	The Decameron 9th day, 6th story
Wed. Fri. 4/15- 4/17	SAGE ELA	SAGE
WEEK 15
Mon. 4/21	SAGE ELA	SAGE
Wed. 4/22	Middle Ages literature, theatre, recreation
Fri. 4/24	Summing up Middle Ages	Read Comprehensive Analysis Paper Assignment Sheet	How to Write comprehensive paper  PP
WEEK 16
Mon. 4/27	In-Class drafting workshop for Final Paper Review and Reflections on Art and Culture	Draft of Comprehensive Analysis Paper due in class for peer review; drafts MUST be at least 3 pages to count as a draft.
Wed. 4/29	Final Review Day
WEEK 17	FINALS WEEK
AM Cohort PM Cohort	9am-11am. Wed. May 6 12-2pm.  Friday May 1.	Final test in class Analysis Paper DUE