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ARTS WESTERN CULTURE PART 1: ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS TO RENAISSANCE
Humanities 201 Section 004
TTH 2:30-4:55 Room 306 BYU SL Center
Instructor: Diane S. Cales
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Required Texts: Culture and Values 7E (7th edition) Cunningham-Reich (CV)
Norton Anthology of Western Literature, 8th Edition, Volume I (WL)
Humanities 201 CD (in class)
Evaluation:
3 Writing Assignments
30 %
1 Midterm exam
25
Final exam
30
Quizzes
10
Attendance/participation
5
100 %
Grading schedule:
94-100 A
80-82 B67-69 D+
90-93 A77-79 C+
63-66 D
87-89 B+
73-76 C
60-62 D83-86 B
70-72 C0-59 F
The term Humanities refers to the study of human intellectual and artistic creativity and the
record of human experience as seen in the arts and letters. The study of Humanities is, therefore,
interdisciplinary, drawing from literature, foreign languages, history, philosophy, visual art, and
music, as well as a discipline in its own right with a methodology for the study of cultural and
intellectual history and, to a lesser extent, aesthetics. The Humanities undergraduate curriculum
emphasizes the development of skills in reasoning, critical thinking, language, writing, and
library use but serves students who seek more latitude than single-discipline programs offer in
developing a broad and full program in the liberal arts that is not confined to one art form or
national tradition. The curriculum approaches questions of human values and expression
important to all cultures - the nature of the beautiful, the meaning of human existence, the search
for the divine, the nature of historical epochs, etc. - through comparative studies. A study of the
Humanities prepares the student for further graduate work in the humanistic disciplines and in
professional schools, for teaching in public and private schools, or for employment in business,
government, technology, tourism, and civil or foreign service.
Humanities Section Learning Objectives for HUM 201/202
Develop a solid understanding of the course of Western cultural and intellectual history
and the ideas that have been formative and fundamental to the history of civilization.
Recall and describe the basic form and content of each work on the syllabus.
Improve your ability to think critically; that is, draw reasonable conclusions from your
study of these works about which concerns, ideas, values, etc., are important to the
person who created the work, the culture in which the work was created, and to our own
contemporary culture.
Improve your ability in writing to state your conclusions clearly and to discuss, sift, and
weigh the evidence persuasively for your conclusions with the correct terms, style of
presentation, and level of diction expected in academic writing.
EVALUATION:
There will be a midterm exam counting 25% of the final grade, as well as a comprehensive final
exam which will count 30%. The midterm exam will be taken in the Testing Center and the final
will be given in class. Since you will be able to take the midterm at your convenience, no excuse
will be accepted for missing the exam. If the midterm exam isnt taken by the date indicated, you
will receive a zero on it. Study guides for both exams are on Blackboard. The final must be
taken to pass the class.
Writing assignments will consist of 3 response papers, which are formal essays, 3-4 pages
long. The topics of these papers are listed in the syllabus, and they are due on the dates indicated
in the schedule. There are 6 topics listed, but you may choose the 3 you want to do within these
guidelines: You must do either paper 1 or 2, either paper 3 or 4, and either paper 5 or 6. No late
papers will be accepted. Papers must be submitted in 2 formats: You must bring a printed
copy to class on the due date, or receive a zero; you must also submit an electronic copy of
the paper on the due date under Turnitin in Blackboard. (An exception is paper #3---this
one doesnt need to be submitted on Turnitin). No grade will be given to papers not
received in BOTH formats by the due date. These are NOT research papers, but should reflect
careful thought and analysis of the work on which they are based. PLEASE NOTE: NO
OUTSIDE SOURCES (OUTSIDE OUR TEXTS) ARE TO BE CONSULTED FOR ANY
OF THESE PAPERS, OR YOU WILL RECEIVE A FAILING GRADE IN THE CLASS.
They will be graded for both content and mechanics, and their combined score will count 30% of
the final grade. On Blackboard, you will find a sample A paper, Writing guidelines, and the
grading sheet I will use.
There will be a quiz every week which will cover the reading assignment for that day. The top 10
quiz scores will be counted, so a few will be dropped. Quizzes will be given during the first 5
minutes of class, and if you arent there on time, you cant make up the quiz. The 10 highest
quiz scores, along with attendance and participation, will count 15% of the final grade.
Attendance and participation are extremely important and will affect your grade in several ways.
If you miss the class discussion, you will miss important information that you will need to do
well on the exams. You will also miss a quiz, which cannot be made up, and the part of your
grade that is based on attendance and participation will be adversely affected. I realize that
sometimes there are valid reasons for missing class, but the ultimate consequences for missing
are the same whether you have a good or a poor excuse.
Incompletes will be given only in the case of severe illness occurring late in the term, or a family
emergency. Please be on time for class and do not leave early; you will be marked absent unless
you attend the ENTIRE class. Bring the literature text to class when there is reading assigned in
it, and come prepared, having read the assignment. Reading assignments from the texts are listed
in the syllabus, and items to be found on Blackboard are underlined. Please print all Blackboard
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documents and bring them to class. Look ahead for heavy reading assignments and pace yourself
accordingly.
Also on Blackboard will be all scores on all assignments, with a weighted running total
so you can see your standing in the class at all times. Please check your scores regularly and
make sure there are no errors. Since assignments are weighted, you will not be able to ascertain
your current percentage by dividing your points by the total points possible. Your grade is not
determined by me; it is set by your total percentage at the end of the semester. Please do not call
or email me to say that you really needed a certain grade in the class for admission, scholarship,
etc., because I cant give you any grade but that which you earn.
CLASS SCHEDULE:
June 22:
Intro. & Orientation
The Hebrews and Beginnings of Civilization
Read: CV Chapter 1 (Beginnings of Civilization): 1-26; Chapter 6: (The Rise
of the Biblical Tradition) 131-137; WL (Western Literature): 39-43 (from
Genesis)
Blackboard: Writing guidelines, sample A paper, paper grading sheet, study guide
for exam 1, B.H. Roberts
June 24:
The Greeks: Homer, The Iliad
Read: CV 32-36 (Homer and the Heroic Age); WL 107-205 (The Iliad)
Blackboard: Hebrew-Homeric sheet, Trojan War personalities
June 29:
The Greeks: Homer, The Odyssey
Read: WL start p. 206: (Odyssey) Books 1-12
Blackboard: Odyssey map, Odyssey plot summary
July 1:
The Greeks: Homer, The Odyssey
Read: WL The Odyssey Books 13-24
RESPONSE PAPER #1 DUE
July 6:
The Greeks: Art, Sculpture, Architecture, Music, Humanism
Read: CV Chapter 2 (Early Greece): 29-31 (Early History of Greece); 36-48
(Art & Society in the Heroic Age to Music & Dance in Early Greece);
Chapter 3 (Classical Greece & Hellenistic): 53-57 (Classical
Classical Ideal); 64-81 (Greek Music to end of chapter;
Civilization,
Delphic hymn
July 8:
The Greeks: Philosophy & Drama
Read: CV 48-51 (Early Greek Literature & Philosophy); 57-63 (Drama &
Philosophy); WL 612-652 (Oedipus the King); 758-779 (Apology of
Socrates);
821-824 (Book 7--Allegory of the Cave); Blackboard: Platos
Cave, Illusions,
Theory of Forms, Ring of Gyges; Aristotle: The Mean
July 13:
The Romans: Art, Sculpture, Architecture, Philosophy
Read: CV 83-91 (Roman Legacy to End of Roman Republic); 93-96 (Stoicism
to Imperial Rome); 98-112 (Augustan Sculpture to end of chapter);
Blackboard: The Enchiridion, Stoicism motto, Stoicism poem
July 15:
The Romans: Philosophy, cont.; Virgil
Read: CV 92-93 (Epicurus); 96-98 (Augustan Literature: Virgil); WL 838848 (On the Nature of Things): WL 930-1023 (The Aeneid)
RESPONSE PAPER #2 DUE
TAKE THE MIDTERM BETWEEN 5-19 AND 5-24; 5-25 IS LATE DAY.
July 20:
SKILLS TEST IN CLASS (SLIDES from Study Guide 1)
The Early Christians: Matthew; Byzantium
Read: CV 137-146 (Beginnings of Christianity to end of chapter); 149-150
(Decline of Rome); 153-169 (The Ascendancy of Byzantium to end of
WL 1085-1089 (The Sermon the on Mount
Blackboard: Study guide for final exam, Christian symbols
RESPONSE PAPER #3 DUE
chapter)
July 22:
The Early Christians: Augustine, Charlemagne, Music, Monasticism
Read: CV 150-153 (Augustine, Boethius); 185-203 (Charlemagne to
Romanesque Style); WL 1114-1141 (The Confessions)
RESPONSE PAPER # 4 DUE
July 27:
The Middle Ages: Romanesque, Gothic
Read: 203-207 (Romanesque Style to end of chapter); 209-231 (High Middle
Ages to Francis of Assisi)
Blackboard: Medieval music, medieval architecture
July 29:
The Late Middle Ages: Dante
Read: CV 231-235 (Dante to end of chapter); WL start p. 1465: (Inferno)
Cantos 1-5, 15, 19, 27, 34; (Purgatorio) Cantos 27, 30: (Paradiso) Canto
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Blackboard: Dante quiz this is the only quiz for today. Print it and fill it out
before coming to class to receive credit for it.
Aug. 3:
The 14th c.: Petrarch, Chaucer, Music
Read: CV 237-262; WL 1701-1718; 1756-1769 (Canterbury Tales);
WL 1897-1902; 1903-1908 (Petrarchs poems #1, 3, 61, 62, 333);
Blackboard: Dante/Chaucer comparison;
RESPONSE PAPER #5 DUE
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Aug. 5:
The Early Renaissance: Art, Sculpture, Architecture, Music
Read: CV 265-289 (Early Renaissance to Character of Renaissance
Humanism);
Blackboard: Humanism
RESPONSE PAPER #6 DUE
Aug. 10:
The High Renaissance; Machiavelli, Mannerism, Music
Read: CV 289-290 (Machiavelli); 295-321 (High Renaissance); WL 19491961
Aug. 12:
FINAL EXAM IN CLASS
RESPONSE PAPER TOPICS:
CLASSICAL ERA: DO EITHER PAPER 1 OR 2:
PAPER #1: Compare Achilles as a hero to Odysseus. What are their heroic characteristics?
How do they differ? Which better fits your heroic ideals?
PAPER #2: While the myth of Aeneas sailing to Italy and founding Rome was an ancient one
by the time Virgil wrote the Aeneid, the Dido story was not a part of that myth. Why, then, did
Virgil invent this story and give it such a prominent place in the poem?
MEDIEVAL ERA: DO EITHER PAPER 3 OR 4:
PAPER #3: Much of the art of the Early Christian era, especially the Byzantine, was created
with the medium of mosaic. Create your own mosaic using any materials you choose. It should
contain symbols that are of significance to you personally, religious or otherwise. Write a 2-page
paper explaining the mosaic and its symbolism, as well as the overall experience. What did you
learn about this medium?
PAPER #4: Consider the pear tree episode in Augustines Confessions. Why does this
seemingly minor transgression upset Augustine more than anything else? What does this episode
tell us about Augustines conception of the nature of sin? Do you agree or disagree?
RENAISSANCE ERA: DO EITHER PAPER 5 OR 6:
PAPER #5: Chaucers Pardoner is obviously a wicked man. He nevertheless claims to be able
to tell a moral tale. Does he in fact succeed in telling a moral tale? Why do you believe the tale
to be moral or immoral? Support your viewpoint.
PAPER #6: When one reads the Biblical story of David slaying Goliath, one would hardly
imagine a figure such as Michelangelos David. Given what you know about the Biblical story
and Renaissance art, what, in your view, would have led Michelangelo to create such a figure?
Academic Honesty
The first injunction of the BYU Honor Code is the call to "be honest." Students come to the university not only to
improve their minds, gain knowledge, and develop skills that will assist them in their life's work, but also to build
character. President David O. McKay taught that "character is the highest aim of education" (The Aims of a BYU
Education, p. 6).
It is the purpose of the BYU Academic Honesty Policy to assist in fulfilling that aim.
BYU students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their own work
and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms,
including plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct.
Incidents of academic misconduct are to be reported to the administration, which will deal with the matter according
to the statement on "Procedures for Handling Incidents of Academic Dishonesty or Other Academic Misconduct" as
written in the current undergraduate catalog.
PLEASE NOTE: ANY STUDENT FOUND GUILTY OF PLAGIARISM OR
CHEATING OR PARTICIPATING IN CHEATING WILL FAIL THE
COURSE AUTOMATICALLY. IF A LAB EMPLOYEE REPORTS TO ME
THAT A STUDENT CHEATED ON AN EXAM IN THE LAB, THE WORD
OF THE LAB PERSON WILL BE FINAL.
Dress and Grooming Standards
The dress and grooming of both men and women should always be modest, neat, and clean, consistent with the
dignity adherent to representing The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and any of its institutions of higher
learning.
Modesty and cleanliness are important values that reflect personal dignity and integrity, through which students,
staff, and faculty of BYU represent the principles and standards of the Church. Members of the BYU community
commit themselves to observe the following standards, which reflect the direction of the BYU Board of Trustees
and the Church publication For the Strength of Youth. The BYU Dress and Grooming Standards are as follows:
Men
A clean and well-cared-for appearance should be maintained. Clothing is inappropriate when it is sleeveless,
revealing, or form fitting. Shorts must be knee-length or longer. Hairstyles should be clean and neat, avoiding
extreme styles or colors, and trimmed above the collar, leaving the ear uncovered. Sideburns should not extend
below the earlobe or onto the cheek. If worn, moustaches should be neatly trimmed and may not extend beyond or
below the corners of the mouth. Men are expected to be clean-shaven; beards are not acceptable. Earrings and other
body piercing are not acceptable. Shoes should be worn in all public campus areas.
Women
A clean and well-cared-for appearance should be maintained. Clothing is inappropriate when it is sleeveless,
strapless, backless, or revealing; has slits above the knee; or is form fitting. Dresses, skirts, and shorts must be kneelength or longer. Hairstyles should be clean and neat, avoiding extremes in styles and colors. Excessive ear piercing
(more than one per ear) and all other body piercing are not acceptable. Shoes must be worn in all public campus
areas.
While attending BYU, you are expected to adhere to the university Dress and Grooming Standards.
Students with Disabilities
Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere which reasonably
accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to
complete courses successfully, please contact the Services for University Accessibility Center (801-422-2767).
Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified documented disabilities.
Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the University Accessibility Center or the Instructional
Support Office at the center. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on
the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures. You should
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contact the Equal Employment Office at 801-422-5895, D-282 ASB.
Statement of Nondiscrimination
BYU Continuing Education programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, gender, physical or
mental handicap, or ethnic or national origin, but all registrants must meet the ideals and standards of The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Preventing Sexual Harassment
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational
program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination in education. Title
IX covers discrimination in programs, admissions, activities, and student-to-student sexual harassment. BYU's
policy against sexual harassment extends not only to employees of the university but to students as well. If you
encounter unlawful sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please talk to your professor or contact the
Equal Employment Office at 801-422-5895, the Honor Code Office at 801-422-2847.
Classroom Disruption
Disruptive behavior including repeated tardiness, cell phone interruption or use, and/or other disruptions (students
who dominate class discussion or lecture with excessive comments/questions, talking during class discussion and
lectures, reading newspapers, eating in class, etc.) will lower your grade.
These statements are also available on-line at the following websites
http://www.ce.byu.edu/sl/policies.cfm
Academic Honesty, Dress & Grooming Standards, Students with Disabilities,
Nondiscrimination, Preventing Sexual Harassment
http://campuslife.byu.edu/honorcode/office/policies/actions_tresp.htm#DISCON
classroom disruption