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Transcript of Backus - Humanities 110 Syllabus 2 - CCSJ · PDF fileMicrosoft Word - Backus - Humanities 110...
2400 NEW YORK AVE. ! WHITING, IN 46394 ! TEL. 219-473-7770 ! 773-721-0202 ! FAX 219-473-4259
COURSE SYLLABUS Term: Fall 2015
Humanities 110B – 10:15am – 11:45am (Room 268)
Instructor Information: Instructor Name Neil Backus Office Number: #181 or the Tutoring Lab Email: [email protected] Hours Available: Hours in the Tutoring Lab: Tuesday, 1pm – 4pm; Wednesday, 10am – 2pm Instructor Background: I was born and raised on Long Island, NY before moving to Charlotte, NC. I attended Central Piedmont Community College for two years before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Philosophy in 2011. After taking off a year from school to find meaningful employment, and failing, I decided to pursue a master’s degree in the humanities at the University of Chicago, which I completed in 2013. My areas of specialization are mostly ethics and political theory (especially the Greeks) but I also dabble a bit in history and religious studies. In my spare time, I like to play video games, listen to music (much of which is metal), discuss exigent political and ethical questions, and play guitar.
Course Information:
Course Time: 10:15 – 11:45 TR Classroom: 268 Prerequisites: None Required Books and Materials:
Foundations of Western Culture textbook; Xeroxed selections of great works on Blackboard
Learning Outcomes/ Competencies: 1. Students will know the periods in the history of Western civilization, and the names and works of representative writers, artists, philosophers and religious teachers from those periods. 2. Students will understand the key intellectual, philosophic, artistic and religious movements and concepts that have the humanities throughout the history of Western culture. 3. Students will learn how to read philosophy and literature, look at works of art and listen to music with greater sensitivity and insight. 4. Students will learn to appreciate the humanities and the role they can play in the creation of the self and in understanding society and humanity. 5. Students will know the cultural opportunities afforded by the Chicagoland area, including the Art Institute, the Lyric Opera, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and a variety of Chicagoland theaters.
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Course Description: This course is an introduction to the humanities – the subjects that explore what it means to be human: philosophy, literature, painting, architecture, music and religion. We will study the great cultural achievements of Western civilization and how they have developed, from the Ancient Greeks to the modern world. We will look at great paintings, read classic stories and poems, debate philosophical issues, reflect on sacred texts, and listen to groundbreaking works of classical music – all in the hope of gaining greater insight into what it means to be alive. A field experience of one or more cultural events is required to pass this course. Learning Strategies: 1. Read regularly and carefully. Much of what we will be reading in this class will be works that have shaped the course of Western culture. It is imperative that you come to class ready to discuss these works, but we cannot have a good discussion if no one does the reading. While it is more work, reading texts for your next class period more than once is a good habit to get into. 2. Take good notes. My lectures are designed to introduce key concepts or figures, and to aid you in your understanding of the weekly readings. Listen closely, take legible, accurate, well-‐organized notes and study them regularly. Don’t try to write down everything that is said in class. 3. Ask and answer questions. Come to class prepared to ask questions or to share your observations. Don’t be afraid to appear stupid if you don’t understand something; school is the one place you are allowed to ask any sincere question and it must be taken seriously. 4. Participate in discussion. Part of our class period will be spent just trying to understand the material. But the fun part begins after we have understood, and we all get to share our responses, voice our opinions, and test our ideas against one another. Jump into the conversation. Participating in class teaches you to express yourself clearly and respond intelligently and productively to others. Do you really want to sit in a class where I’m the only one talking? Well, neither do I! Experiential Learning Opportunities: Writing is a skill that must be used in order to be honed and perfected; because of this, we will be utilizing a number of project-‐based and research-‐based activities and projects in class to supplement the major assignments. Linked Classes: EWPC 103D Assessments:
Major Assignments:
1. Weekly Quizzes -‐ 100 pts 2. Course Essay -‐ 100 pts 3. Art Response Paper -‐ 100 pts 4. Unit Exams -‐ 300 pts Total Points = 600
Signature Assignments
This General Education class will help you prepare for CCSJ's Signature Assignments, a common written and oral assignment that students complete in Introduction to Social Justice as freshmen, Religious Studies as sophomores, and Philosophy as juniors. Signature Assignments are assessed for written communications, oral communications, and critical thinking. You must meet required scores in Religious Studies to move ahead to Philosophy, and in Philosophy to complete your General Education program.
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Course Schedule: Tues Thurs 9/1
Introduction to Syllabus, Humanities (and Ancient Greece, if we have time)
9/3 Ancient Greece and the background of the Trojan War; read The Iliad, Book 1 (pgs. 1-‐16)
9/8 Workshop on Taking Notes from a Lecture; Diomedes aristeia, and Achilles’ rage; read The Iliad, Book 5 (pgs. 52-‐59) and Book 9 (pgs. 92-‐98)
9/10 Greek theater, comedy and tragedy; read Antigone (pgs. 161-‐172)
9/15 Workshop on Active Reading; Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War; read The Melian Dialogue (pgs. 400-‐408)
9/17 Plato, the Allegory of the Cave and the Theory of Forms; read The Republic, pgs. (208-‐211)
9/22 Workshop on Preparing for a Test; Ancient Rome and Stoicism; read Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 2 and 3
9/24 Judeo-‐Christianity and the Creation Stories; read Genesis 1, 2 and 3; 12; 22
9/29 Judeo-‐Christianity; read Joshua 1, 6, 7, and 8 and Matthew 5, 6 and 7.
10/1 Unit Exam 1
10/6 Middle Ages and gothic cathedrals; read Bonaventure on St. Francis of Assisi
10/8 Learning Communities Social (B and E) 9:30am -‐11am.
10/13 Middle Ages; read Chaucer, “The Wife of Bath’s Tale”
10/15 Renaissance; read Da Vinci, “Reflections on Life”
10/20 Renaissance paintings (The Ambassadors/Sistine Chapel)
10/22 Reformation; read The 95 Theses
10/27 Reformation and the Scientific revolution; read “The Pilgrim’s Progress”
10/29 Halloween Social (B, D, E and I) 10am – 1pm.
11/3 Unit Exam 2 11/5 Enlightenment and classical music; read Ben Franklin’s autobiography
11/10 Romanticism; read Thoreau, Walden (TBD)
11/12 Industrialism; read “The White Man’s Burden” by Runyard Kipling
11/17 Industrialism and WWI poetry; read Yeats (TBD); Course Paper due.
11/19 Art Institute Field Trip (B, D, E and I)
11/24 Modern period; read Marx, Communist Manifesto (pgs. 473-‐483)
11/26 Thanksgiving
12/1 Review Day; Art Response Paper due.
12/3 Unit Exam 3
*I reserve the right to change this schedule to meet the needs of the class. In fact, I will almost certainly change this schedule as time goes on. **All readings will be found Xeroxed or hyperlinked on Blackboard. That being said, if you are unable to find a particular reading, a quick Google search should get you what you’re looking for.
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Responsibilities Attending Class
You cannot succeed in this class if you do not attend. We believe that intellectual growth and success in higher education occur through interaction in the classroom and laboratories. However, we do not want to penalize students for participating in college-‐sponsored events. When you miss class because of a college event, you must give notice of your absence in advance, and you are responsible for all missed work. Being absent doesn’t excuse you from doing class work; you have more responsibilities to keep up and meet the objectives of this course. In accordance with the Humanities program policy you cannot pass this class if you miss more than 9 credit hours – which is equivalent to 6 classes. Do not make a habit out of missing class.
Turning In Your Work
You cannot succeed in this class if you do not turn in all your work on the day it is due. You may submit late work to me via email, but know that I will subtract half a letter grade from your final grade for each day that it is late. Ex. if you hand me a paper two days late, the highest grade you can receive is a B+.
Using Electronic Devices
Electronic devices can only be used in class for course-‐related purposes. I do not want to see or hear cell phones in class, and laptops are to be used only for note-‐taking. If you text or access the Internet for other purposes, you may be asked to leave, in which case you will be marked absent.
Participating in Class You must be on time, stay for the whole class and speak up in a way that shows you have done the assigned reading. If you are not prepared for class discussion, you may be asked to leave, in which case you will be marked absent.
Doing Your Own Work
If you turn in work that is not your own, you are subject to judicial review, and these procedures can be found in the College Catalog and the Student Planner. The maximum penalty for any form of academic dishonesty is dismissal from the College. Using standard citation guidelines, such as MLA or APA format, to document sources avoids plagiarism. The Library has reference copies of each of these manuals, and there are brief checklists in your Student Handbook and Planner. The penalties for plagiarism are quite severe. If you are caught once, you automatically fail that assignment. If you are caught a second time, you fail the course. I cannot stress this enough: DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. PLEASE NOTE: All papers may be electronically checked for plagiarism.
Withdrawing from Class
After the last day established for class changes has passed (see the College calendar), you may withdraw from a course by following the policy outlined in the CCSJ Course Catalog.
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Resources
Student Success Center:
The Student Success Center provides faculty tutors at all levels to help you master specific subjects and develop effective learning skills. It is open to all students at no charge. You can contact the Student Success Center at 219 473-‐4287 or stop by the Library.
Disability Services:
Disability Services strives to meet the needs of all students by providing academic services in accordance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. If you believe that you need a “reasonable accommodation” because of a disability, contact the Disability Services Coordinator at 219-‐473-‐4349.
CCSJ Alerts:
Calumet College of St. Joseph’s emergency communications system will tell you about emergencies, weather-‐related closings, or other incidents via text, email, or voice messages. Please sign up for this important service annually on the College’s website at: http://www.ccsj.edu/alerts/index.html. In addition, you can check other media for important information, such as school closings: Internet: http://www.ccsj.edu Radio: WAKE – 1500 AM, WGN – 720 AM, WIJE – 105.5 FM, WLS – 890 AM, WZVN – 107.1 FM, WBBM NEWS RADIO 78 TV Channels: 2, 5, 7, 9, 32