214.011 Humanities Spring 2009 Instructor: Michael McDonald Office: New Hall 120 Office Hours: TBA Email: [e-mail] Phone: [phone] (adjunct office); 301-5409 (cell)
NOTE: This semester we will be using an instructor designed website to help keep this class organized. On this website, you will find information about the instructor, a link to the syllabus, all assignments, and be able to view all your grades in real time (including any extra credit) as your progress through the semester.
IMPORTANT: You must register on this website if you attend my class!!!
Website: http://mpmcdonald.pageout.net Directions: (1) (2) (3) (4) Go to website Click on correct section (Hum214.011) Click on Student Registration Follow the directions on page (YOUR REGISTRATION PASSWORD IS HUM214011) (5) Record your user name and password User name: Password:
Course Description: Humanities 214 is the second in the series of four Humanities courses which form the core of the liberal education offered by UNCA. This course examines the ideas, values, and world-views of the medieval and Renaissance periods, beginning with the fall of Rome and ending with rise of political absolutism. In addition, Humanities 214 examines the world-views of concurrent non-European cultures, providing students with an opportunity to begin exploring alternate cultural models and to understand points of connection among the various world-views. Course Objectives: Improve your critical abilities in reading, thinking, writing and discussion; Recognize and evaluate differing values and world-views, both past and present;
Increase your empathy for and understanding of people from different cultures and backgrounds; Become acquainted with different ethical values and to make your own reasoned judgments about ethical problems and issues; Develop the ability to see the connections between different disciplines and methods of analysis. Core Texts:
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(Fiero 2, 3, and 4) Volumes 2, 3, 4 of Gloria Fiero, The Humanistic Tradition, 4 ed. Vol 2 was also used in Hum 124. Vol. 4 will be used in Hum. 324, so students should keep it. (AR) The Asheville Reader, The Medieval and Renaissance World, 2 . Ed., ed. Ho, McClain, Sawin, and Spellman. Othello, and Sundiata (Niane ed.) in paperback from the campus bookstore. Note: To access HUM 214 electronic reserves, follow these steps: 1. Go to Ramsey Library home page: http://bullpup.lib.unca.edu/library/ 2. On the left-hand side of the web page, click "Course Reserves" 3. On the Course Reserves page, click on the "By Course" link 4. In the "Course Name or Number Search" box, type "HUM 214" 5. On the search results page, there will be a link entitled "UNCA Permanent." Click on this link. 6. On the next page, click the "HUM 214 Electronic Reserves" link. 7. After clicking on the above link, you will see a list of all of the HUM 214 electronic reserves texts. 8. After clicking on the title you choose, you will be asked to enter your name and your student ID number. After doing so, click the "Submit" button and you will then be able to access the text you chose. Overview The Humanities Program aims to help develop men and women of broad perspective who think critically and creatively, and who communicate effectively. Toward this end it provides a course of study that encompasses past and present ideas and events concerning the individual, community, nature, and the divine, as well as the relationships among them. The program's courses are interdisciplinary, incorporating insights and information from the natural and social sciences, as well as from the humanities. Academic Goals To lead students to realize that they are the heirs of ages of accumulated thought, decisions, and productions, and co-creators of contemporary culture. To familiarize students with major trends in the development of Western civilizations; with aspects of the development of other cultures; and with human accomplishments which are both noteworthy and representative.
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To develop awareness of the validity of different perspectives, and to go beyond relativism to appreciate underlying human values. To understand the concept of "community" and to realize the ways in which individuals both develop, and are developed by, their communities; to question social conventions critically and responsibly; and to realize the effects of one's decisions upon the community. To realize the presence and role of power-structures throughout history, and to understand their effects upon human development. Skill Goals Skills in analysis are fostered by the HUM courses' attention to thought processes, individual as well as cultural, of the authors studied, of instructors' presentations, and of the students themselves in their spoken and written responses. Critical listening skills are fostered by exposing the students to, and guiding them to learn from, large-group weekly lectures; lectures and textual clarification given by their individual instructors in the small-class setting; and classmates' comments made in open discussions in class. Students are taught to contextualize the individual issues, ideas, and practices about which they learn, in order to properly weigh the significance of these. Writing skills are fostered by requiring students to compose their thoughts in a variety of written forms (e.g., response notebooks; essay tests; quizzes; textual analyses; formal research papers). Humanities tests are mainly essay, and students write one, usually two, papers per course. Speaking skills are fostered by encouraging students' participation in class discussion and presentations. Because the development of speaking skills requires the opportunity to participate actively and frequently in class, class size is kept small (max. 22). Reading skills are fostered by the program's focus on understanding and contextualizing primary-source texts. Course requirements and basis of grade: Your final grade will be based on the following point scale (475 total possible): Presentation 50 A note about extra credit: Final Exam (Take Home) 60 extra credit is for students who Final Exam (In Class) 40 are good standing in the class; this does not necessarily mean Lecture Responses (based on Mon. lectures; those with higher grades. If you 13 @ 5 points) 65 are lazy and have not turned in your work throughout the Research Paper (6-8 pages) 75 semester, do not expect me to Reading Responses from AR (10 @ 5pts.) 50 accept extra credit work. Learning Experience Essays (3 @ 20 points) 60 Participation 75 (Don't forget the 10 point perfect offer)
Percentage Scale: 100 90 = A; 89 80 = B; 79 70 = C; 69 60 = D
Assignment Descriptions:
Essays: Due at the end of the semester. Requirements: A college level research paper requires the writer to develop a strong and arguable central thesis statement from which the rest of the paper is derived. This statement should be composed of two parts, a fact (or facts) and an opinion concerning said fact(s). Please keep in mind that a statement of fact is not a thesis statement, nor is a statement of opinion; rather, a statement of opinion concerning some fact is a thesis statement. Each subsequent body paragraph should advance the thesis statement in some meaningful way. Please begin thinking about your topic early consider perusing selections from the Asheville Reader and Fiero texts to help generate ideas. Any subject falling within the boundaries of our course is acceptable, but you are required to bring in two summarized articles about your topic: on 2/6 and during the rough draft meeting 4/1; you must also informally present a topic for consideration to me by Thursday 2/13. Failure to do so will result in a 5 point deduction from the paper's final grade. I urge you to consider writing about something concerning the discipline you are studying, as this will not only increase your interest in the subject matter, but deepen your understanding of your discipline. You will be required to present to the class an introductory paragraph containing a working thesis statement 2/25. This paragraph should be well though out and developed, containing introductory remarks about your general topic, the narrowing of the topic, and a thesis statement that expresses the author's opinion, which will help drive the remainder of the body paragraphs. Your thesis need not be set in stone at this point, but may vary slightly once all the facts are considered. Try to be flexible with your thesis, as often those ideas that come at the end as a result of diligent research and consideration are the best ideas. Please bring an electronic copy available for perusal this week. During this session we will collectively read and discuss the merits of the presented material and consider what an audience might expect from reading such an introduction. This exercise is intended to help you discover the depths and limitations of your subject choice. Failure to present this material during this session will result in a 5 point deduction from your paper's final grade. Finally, you will be required to meet with the instructor during week 12, 4/1 4/3, in order to discuss the progress of your paper since the introduction session. Please ensure that you have sufficient written material to discuss; I expect approximately half your paper to be complete at this point. We will not pick apart every detail in this meeting, so you may consider visiting the WC before this point (MAKE AN APPOINTMENT!); rather, you should be prepared to come armed with questions, concerns, areas that need help, etc. Sign up for time slots will take place the previous week, so please plan on
being in class to secure a time slot. Students who fail to meet for this session will be deducted 10 points from their paper's final grade. All essays will be between 6 and 8 pages long (minimum), in Times New Roman 12 point font, and will address an issue pertinent to the source material we are discussing. Thoughtful work will make cross-cultural and cross-temporal connection, i.e. will show the chosen material is relevant to more than one culture and more than one period. Successful essays will: (1) be on time (2) have an interesting introduction with an identifiable thesis statement (3) be free of major grammatical problems (4) be free of documentation errors i.e. no plagiarism (5) contain sources other than the internet, especially Wikipedia; while this is an acceptable resource for background material only, be aware that you may encounter false material, and it is YOUR critical reputation (read: grade) that is at stake for using such items. ALWAYS ensure the accuracy of your work by consulting an alternate reputable source, and consult reputable critical sources to reinforce your thesis. (6) have a logical conclusion. Also, all papers must be free of spelling errors in order to succeed. Any student turning in a paper without pressing shift+F7 (spell check) will have his or her grade reduced at least one letter grade depending upon severity. Please see the grading rubric at the end of the syllabus for more information. Please feel free to submit drafts to me early in the process; however, note that I will not be able to entertain an onslaught of proofreading requests during crunch-time at the end of the semester. Therefore, please take advantage of the: University Writing Center Opportunity: All students may (read: should) take advantage of the excellent services of the Writing Center at least once to get help with their papers. PLEASE MAKE AN APPOINTMENT, ESPECIALLY TOWARDS MIDTERM AND FINALS!!! Providing documentation of a substantive visit will yield a 5 point bonus to the paper's final grade. Subsequent visits are encouraged, but not available for extra credit. By substantive visit, I mean one of at least 20 minutes in length in which you bring workable material to the meeting (a central argument, a draft of some length including, but not limited to, introduction, conclusion, body paragraphs, a working thesis, works cited, etc.). Try to think of questions and concerns BEFORE you go to your meeting. The WC staff will send me written verification of your meeting, the time you spent there, and constructive details of your interaction. Please keep in mind that the UWC will not "fix" your paper for you; they are a learning service, not an editing service.
Learning Experience Essays: As with your more formal essays, these will be in Times New Roman 12 point font, but the length is considerably shorter (1-2 pages minimum). These will address some cultural event or learning experience that you have attended that is appropriate to the time period we are studying. Acceptable cultural activities include, but are not limited to, gallery or museum art
exhibitions, musical performances, theatrical or dance productions, literary readings, attendance at a worship service/ceremony other than your own, or anything else relevant to our period of study. The Mountain Xpress is a good source of cultural and learning activities, as are the activity boards around campus. Often, Monday's lecture will begin with suggested activities, so show up on time and listen closely. Clear all unusual cultural events with me prior to writing about them. Please do not leave these for the end of the semester as trying to find three things to cram in at the end will merely hurt your grade. Plan ahead. Learning Experience Essays/Cultural are Events due: 1. Friday 2/20 2. Friday 4/10 3. Monday 5/4 Note: You may substitute 10 hours of documented service learning or conference attendance for these essays. In order to get credit for this, I require that the director of your project contact me by phone or email to confirm your agreement, a letter on appropriate letterhead from the director detailing your performance, and a two page summary reaction from you about your experience. Reading Responses: At the beginning of each reading selection in The Asheville Reader, there are questions that ask you to read in-depth for cultural, social, political, etc . . . values and principles. These are due TYPED on Fridays when we read selections in this book. Please also identify passages of interest or confusion that we can discuss in class. Pick a selection that you feel is integral to the whole piece, and be prepared to say why you feel this way. You will be called on from time to time to speak about the texts. Remember, you are in control of this class I can lecture to you all day but don't want to, so the more interaction you bring to the material, the better time we all will have . . . I promise. Lecture Responses: Following every Monday lecture, you will submit at least two discussion-based questions to the Pageout discussion board regarding the material presented in lecture that can be addressed during the week. Responses are required by 5pm; responses received after 5pm will be considered, but not graded. Please have read the material for the week prior to the lecture. This will help you more readily understand the material presented in lecture, and it will help you develop questions relevant to lecture AND class discussion. A note about civility and lecture attendance: your behavior as adults is expected during group lectures. I expect you to give the same level of respect to our presenters as I expect you to give me, any of our guests, and your classmates when they are presenting. To that end, please turn off your cell phones, pay attention, don't hold a conversation with your neighbors, have a
cup of coffee if you need to stay awake, etc. Additionally, we only are assigned three back middle rows, so instead of trying to climb over people to get to the one seat in the middle of the row that is open, filter in to the middle of the row when you arrive to ease the flow. If you know that you must leave early, please arrange to sit at the end of the row towards the back and exit quietly and respectfully. If you have difficulty seeing or hearing from our rows, we can make arrangements for you to sit closer; however, a sign- in sheet will be passed around approximately 5 minutes after lecture starts, so please make sure your name gets on the list. Presentation: Towards the end of the semester, you will be asked to give a brief (5 to 6 minutes) presentation of the research that you have conducted on your paper topic. You will present the topic you have developed and, without reading from the paper itself, explain to the class how you have developed your argument with respect to your source material. Clear organization, preparation, and enunciation are keys to successful presentations. You are also required to use some manner of visual aid. This can be a handout, an overhead projection, a posterboard, etc... be creative. If you are using anything that requires technology, it is the student's responsibility to ensure that all equipment is available and in proper working order prior to giving the presentation. Anyone not prepared on the day of his or her presentation will receive a 10 point cut and will be made to present later. A list will be prepared once enrollment is generally set. Please find your name on the list once it becomes available and be prepared. Also, please do not simply turn a Wikipedia article into a powerpoint; while this is an acceptable resource for background material only, be aware that you may encounter false material, and it is YOUR critical reputation (read: grade) that is at stake for using such items. ALWAYS ensure the accuracy of your work by consulting an alternate source, and consult reputable critical sources to reinforce your thesis. Please see the grading rubric at the end of the syllabus for more information. Final Exams: You will take both a take home and in class final exam. The take home exam will require you to synthesize themes that have been discussed throughout the semester, will be three pages long, and will be typed. The class will generate the questions for the in class portion during a student centered lab in the last week of class. Both exams will be available online on the last day of class. Course policies: Students must have the required textbooks and bring them to class. The Fiero volume changes throughout the semester; please be aware of these changes. No makeup exams unless arranged in advance. You may arrange by email a full day in advance one extension of one writing assignment. Otherwise there will be a penalty of one-half grade per day for late writing assignments. Please do not ask for a grade of Incomplete unless you are in good standing and you have suffered some catastrophe at the end of the course that makes it impossible to complete a particular requirement. In out-of-class writing, you must acknowledge any use of someone else's words or ideas by using quotation marks and/or the appropriate documentation. If you
plagiarize, you will fail this course automatically. See the UNCA policy on Plagiarism. If you have a recognized disability, please see me at the beginning of the course to arrange accommodations. Take notes and review them after class and the Monday lectures. This has been shown to raise grades by as much a two whole letters. You don't need to write down full sentences; write down important words and then go back and fill in the ideas ASAP, while your recall of what was said can still be triggered by those important words. All major assignments must be completed to receive a passing grade. Major assignments include exams, papers, and final exam. Attendance and Participation: Regular attendance is a crucial factor for success in this class. If you miss more than three classes, your grade will likely be lowered. You are considered present if you contribute to the class by participating in discussions, evincing genuine interest in fellow student's comments and offering personal reflection on the subjects being discussed. Occupying real estate is different from being present. Students with perfect attendance receive a 10 point bonus. Perfect means ZERO absences.
Schedule
Week 1 1/14 1/16 Intro/Review Fiero vol. 2, ch. 8 1/19 1/23 MLK Holiday/No Common Lecture Fiero, vol 2, ch. 9, AR: Procopius (16-27), Muqaddimah (electronic text), AR: Ibn Khaldun (140-47) HW: Reading Response#1 due 1/23 Begin preliminary investigation into RP topic Week 3 1/26 1/30 Community and Authority in the Medieval West (Gillum) AR: Benedict (2-15), Einhart (28-36), Fiero, vol. 2, ch. 11, Song of Roland selections; Swordplay 1/30 HW: Lecture Response #1 due 1/26 Reading Response #2 due 1/30 Continue Topic Investigation Find Article due 2/6 Week 42/2 2/6 Islam and The Muslim World (Downes) Fiero, vol. 2, ch. 10, "Conflict Between Faith and Science in the Middle Ages" (electronic text); Drink and Drinkers (available online Pageout)
Week 2
HW: Lecture Response #2 due 2/2 Article #1 with Summary due 2/6 Week 52/9 2/13 Science, Religion, and the Rise of the University (Wilson) Fiero, vol. 2, ch. 12. AR: Aquinas (107-13), The Medieval Church (7279), Magna Carta (80-83) HW: Lecture Response #3 due 2/9 Reading Response #3 due 2/13 Informal Topic Selections due 2/13 Week 62/16 2/20 Peace and War for the Glory of God: Cathedrals and Crusades (Dunn) Fiero, vol. 2, ch. 13, assorted Crusades readings (electronic text) Cathedral HW: Lecture Response #4 due 2/16 First Learning Experience/Cultural Event due 2/20 Week 72/23--2/27 From Xian to Kyoto: the Cultural Heritage of Asia (Ho) Fiero, vol. 2, ch. 14, pp. 152 170, AR: Sei Shonagon (172-183) Assorted poetry: Tu Fu/Li ...