HUM 145 Syllabus

HUM 145 Introduction to World Humanities I
MWF 10:00AM - 10:50AM GEB 342
Dr. Timothy Hoare, CC 342, ext. 4526
Homepage: http://staff.jccc.edu/thoare

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This course will acquaint students with the arts and ideas of the world's major civilizations, from antiquity to the period of world exploration during the Renaissance. The approach will be interdisciplinary, covering the artistic values embodied in painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, theatre, music and dance as they have emerged out of their historical contexts. In addition to providing the fundamental principles, generalizations and theories used in the study of the humanities, the course aims to enhance the student's understanding of the contemporary world. Credit hours: 3. Contact hours: 3. Lecture: 3. Lab: 0. Course type: Transfer. Most recent date revised: Fall 2000. Fees/supplies: None.

REQUIRED TEXT

Benton, J. and DiYanni, R. Arts and Culture: An Introduction to the Humanities.
Vol. 1, 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall, 2005. Adoption date: Spring 2005, ISBN 0-13-189914-7.
(additional readings will be distributed periodically as supplements to primary text)

COURSE OBJECTIVES

After completing this course, the student should be able to:

1. Compare in writing (250 words or more) the humanistic values of selected western and non-western civilizations as revealed through the artistic and literary record.

2. Identify, describe and note the artistic, cultural and historical importance of selected works of art within their various cultural milieux.

3. Recognize and knowledgeably discuss the cultural values that these works communicate.

4. Describe in a 300-word or longer critical essay the function, composition and elements of selected works of art.

5. Apply the methodologies of historical and genre criticism for studying the humanities.

GRADING AND EVALUATION

1. All assigned readings are to be read, which implies critical reflection, analysis and preparation for discussion. This further implies that your in-class participation can well make the difference between one grade and another.

2. The necessity for regular attendance should go without saying. As Woody Allen put it, "Eighty percent of success is showing up." More details about this below.

3. Twelve weekly quizzes.

4. Four quarterly examinations will be both objective and subjective in content.

5. A critical analysis paper of three-to-five pages on a visual artform that is on exhibit in the area and that you therefore have seen first hand (e.g., Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kemper, Spencer, JCCC gallery/permanent collection). Specific criteria and guidelines for this paper are available online at this website.

6. Grading will be based upon the following point distributions:

Attendance/ participation in discussions: 25 points. I will allow a maximum of 3 "no questions asked" absences; I will deduct 2 points for each absence beyond this.
Visual arts analysis paper: 50 points.
12 weekly quizzes @ 10 points each = 120 points
Four quarterly exams @ 65 points each = 260 points.
Total: 455 points.
If the student deems it necessary, he/she may submit an extra credit visual arts analysis paper for a maximum of 25 points-- due by the last day of class PRIOR to Finals Week.

TENTATIVE WEEKLY SCHEDULE

(page numbers refer to required text for this course)
(except for WEEK 1, dates in parentheses refer to the Monday of the given week)

WEEK 1 (Wed 1/17): Introduction to course; "Starter Kit," p. xx-xxix ; stylistic exercise

WEEK 2 (1/22): The Dawn of Culture, p. 3-23

WEEK 3 (1/29): Quiz over Ch. 1 (Dawn of Culture); Ancient Egypt, p. 25-53

WEEK 4 (2/5): Quiz over Ch. 2 (Egypt); Review; FIRST QUARTER EXAM

WEEK 5 (2/12): Aegean Culture and Early Greece, p. 55-91

WEEK 6 (2/19): Quiz over Ch. 3 (Aegean); Classical and Hellenistic Greece, p. 93-151

WEEK 7 (2/26): Quiz over Ch. 4 (Greece); Roman Civilization, p. 153-201

WEEK 8 (3/5): Quiz over Ch. 5 (Roman); Review; MIDTERM EXAM

WEEK 9 (3/12): Judaism, Early Christianity, and Byzantine Civilization, p. 203-253

WEEK 10 (3/19): SPRING BREAK WEEK

WEEK 11 (3/26): Quiz over Ch. 6 (Judaism...); Islamic Civilizations, p. 255-275;
FRIDAY: VISUAL ARTS ANALYSIS PAPER DUE

WEEK 12 (4/2): Quiz over Ch. 7 (Islam); Indian Civilization, p. 277-305

WEEK 13 (4/9): Quiz over Ch. 8 (India); Review; THIRD QUARTER EXAM

WEEK 14 (4/16): Early Chinese and Japanese Civilizations, p. 307-335

WEEK 15 (4/23): Quiz over Ch. 9 (China and Japan); Early Middle Ages and Romanesque, p. 367-393

WEEK 16 (4/30): Quiz over Ch. 11(Early Middle...); Gothic and Late Middle Ages, p. 395-453

WEEK 17 (5/7): Quiz over Ch. 12 (Late Middle...); Review for Final Exam

WEEK 18 (5/14): FINAL EXAM WEEK
EXAM TIME FOR THIS CLASS IS: FRIDAY, MAY 11 @ 10:00 AM

SOME ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES

1. All JCCC students are issued a college e-mail account that is accessed through MyJCCC. This account is used by the college to communicate course, grade, financial aid, enrollment and other important college information. It is your responsibility to check your JCCC e-mail account regularly for important information.

2. I am a strong proponent of the liberal arts. I approach material in a holistic and interdisciplinary manner. In this Humanities course, religion, philosophy, ethics, art, literature, theatre, psychology, the media, history, political science, et al. will inevitably come into conversation with one another. Education is about gaining proficiency with the tools to discern and explore these interrelationships, to interpret and evaluate them critically, and to continue to do so throughout your lives. In short, there's a world of people, places, ideas and books out there; after you graduate, you have to be able to go to a dinner party and talk competently about something besides your job!

3. I am not simply a lecturer who loves the sound of his own voice. Expect me to ask questions of you and to generate discussion with you. While I most certainly want you to understand my ideas and opinions on the material, I value your efforts, your opinions, your input and your reflections as well.

4. I am a gracious host who likes gracious guests. It's not enough simply to arrive, sign the register and then sit in an out-of-the-way corner. Be prepared to take part in the class.

5. We all have doctor appointments, childcare concerns, or "just one of those things" that come up now and again. If you have to leave a session early, please inform me before the class begins. It is simply the courteous thing to do.

6. I care about the ambience in which I teach and in which students learn. I expect you to be attentive, to turn off your cell phones, and to treat one another with respect while you are here, and to pick up after yourselves when you depart (papers, soft drink cans, etc.).

7. Last but not least, academic dishonesty, i.e., cheating on exams, intentional plagiarism on written assignments, will not be tolerated. A first offense will result in an "F" on the exam, paper, etc. concerned. A second offense will result in an "F" for the course.