MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Park University, an entrepreneurial institution of learning, is to provide access to academic excellence, which will prepare learners to think critically, communicate effectively and engage in lifelong learning while serving a global community.

VISION STATEMENT

Park University will be a renowned international leader in providing innovative educational opportunities for learners within the global society.

LS211 - Introduction to Humanities
Fall 2004 (Home Campus)
Term Dates: 8/23/04-12/19/04
Dr. Jeff Glauner, Professor of English
Office: Copley 310, Phone Ext. 6352,
Email: jeff.glauner@park.edu
Website: http://captain.park.edu/jglauner/index.htm
Office Hours:
TBA
Or by appointment
Class meets: 10:10-11:25 a.m., TR, Copley 323

PROFESSOR'S EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY: "And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche," says Chaucer’s Oxford scholar. Today’s teachers need not be threadbare like the "clerk," but they must continue to celebrate learning and teaching, tempting students to seek first that which enriches the mind and human spirit.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: A study of disciplines and concerns that promote humanness (such as literature, theatre, language, history, art, music, philosophy, and religion) and critical thinking about moral values, myths, love, and freedom. (3 credit hours)

GOALS OF THE COURSE: Students will emerge from the class with a greater understanding of and appreciation for the humanities. Our intent is to liberate students from intellectual, social, and cultural parochialism by instilling within them 1) a clear understanding of their humanness, 2) a strong sense of the history of human thought and creativity, 3) a balanced perspective of diverse and contrary ideas that have shaped human life and society, and 4) an examined set of primary values that help them understand what being human truly means and requires of them.

PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES:

Note: This is a general education (GE) course. Therefore, some of the performance objectives are specifically related to the requirements for GE courses.
A. Students will demonstrate understanding of theories of origin, nature, and function of humanities through written and oral responses, individually and in groups, to topics arising from the study of text materials and individual research.
B. Students will provide evidence of their skills in individual research through the production of a research paper.
C. Students will demonstrate their skills in oral communication formal presentation of ideas before the class, informal reports upon cultural events they have attended or participated in, and formal and informal class discussions of various topics.
D. Students will demonstrate critical literacy in regard to humanities through class discussions, testing, and their personal research.
E. Students will demonstrate aesthetic literacy in regard to the study of the humanistic disciplines through oral and written performance.
F. Students will demonstrate values literacy in regard to cultural ethnocentrism through open discussion of humanities and critical responses them.
G. Students will develop a more thoughtful awareness of multicultural and global considerations through their study of various manifestations of the humanities.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

A. ATTENDANCE POLICY: Instructors are required to keep attendance records and report absences. The instructor may excuse absences for cogent reasons, but missed work must be made up within the term of enrollment. Work missed through unexcused absences must also be made up within the term of enrollment, but unexcused absences may carry further penalties. In the event of two consecutive weeks of unexcused absences in a term of enrollment, the student will be administratively withdrawn, resulting in a grade of “F”. An Incomplete will not be issued to a student who has unexcused or excessive absences recorded for a course. Students receiving Military Tuition Assistance (TA) or Veterans Administration (VA) educational benefits must not exceed three unexcused absences in the term of enrollment. Excessive absences will be reported to the appropriate agency and may result in a monetary penalty to the student. Reports of F grade (attendance or academic) resulting from excessive absence for students receiving financial assistance from agencies not mentioned above will be reported to the appropriate agency.
B. Each student must prepare a 1000-1500-word research project including prospectus, two drafts, and oral report on a focused topic in regard to the humanities.
C. Each student must attend or participate in at least four appropriate cultural events that feature aspects of the humanities and submit written reports on them.
D. Each student will engage in peer group activities and presentations.
E. Each student will prepare and present an individual report.
F. Each student will complete a final examination.
G. Students are required to maintain a Park email address and be able to receive and send email from that address. Students must check these accounts regularly. (Note: Email addresses along with all necessary hardware and software are available free at Park University’s computer laboratories.)
H. The course will make regular use of the eCompanion platform. Students must learn to access this platform and become familiar with its functions.

TEXTBOOK:

Jacobus. A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers, 6th Ed. New York: Bedford/St.Martin's, 2002.

CLASS POLICIES:

ACADEMIC HONESTY: “Academic Honesty is required of all members of a learning community. Hence, Park will not tolerate cheating or plagiarism on tests, examinations, papers or other course assignments. Students who engage in such dishonesty may be given failing grades or expelled from Park.”

Plagiarism, the appropriation or imitation of the language or ideas of another person and presenting them as one’s original work, sometimes occurs through carelessness or ignorance. This does not make it less serious. However, students who are uncertain about proper documentation of sources should consult their instructor or the Academic Support Center for guidance.

Attendance and timely arrival in class are required. Assignments must be submitted on time. An automatic reduction of one letter grade per class period is assessed for late submission. Make up of missed in-class work is possible only through special arrangements with the professor.

DISABILITY GUIDELINES: Park University is committed to meeting the needs of all students that meet the criteria for special assistance. These guidelines are designed to supply directions to students concerning the information necessary to accomplish this goal. It is Park University’s policy to comply fully with federal and state law, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990, regarding students with disabilities and, to the extent of any inconsistency between these guidelines and federal and/or state law, the provisions of the law will apply. Additional information concerning Park University’s policies and procedures related to disability can be found on the Park University web page: www.park.edu/disability

CLASS MEETING AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE: Assignments should be read before the class period for which they are due. Page references are to Jacobus.

Unit One:

Begin the first unit by getting familiar with the syllabus, pace and workload of our study in the humanities. Be sure to have the course text in hand by the first week of class. During this first unit, we'll discuss the humanities, exploring the loose, ever-shifting terms that define the humanities corpus. We'll share bits of information about ourselves in the interest of getting to know each other better. We'll discuss ideas you have for your project.

Tues., Aug. 24 - Intro. to the course.
Thurs., Aug. 26 - Review the syllabus. Read: Plato, "The Allegory of the Cave," 313.
Tues., Aug. 31 - Establish groups. Discuss group and individual presentations.
Thurs., Sept. 3 – Group work.

Unit Two:

In unit two, we will consider cultural positions and the powers of observation in the humanities, as we read Francis Bacon's "The Four Idols." Using Bacon's work as a model, we'll continue to hone options and make choices for our projects, while working through coverage of an approach to humanities study concerned with the human environment.

Tues., Sept. 7 – Read: Bacon, "The Four Idols," 417. Due: Cultural Event Report #1.
Thurs., Sept. 9 – Assign dates for group and individual reports.
Tues., Sept. 14 – Group work.
Thurs., Sept. 16 – DUE: PROSPECTUS FOR RESEARCH PROJECT.

Unit Three:

In unit three, we'll read and reflect on Nietzsche's "Apollonianism and Dionysianism." We will consider the possibility of a balanced existence in the context of the humanities. We will touch on the various connotations The course will guide us through further development of projects, participation in discussion concerning the Nietzschian concept of existance, and an exploration of human values.

Tues., Sept. 21 – Read: Neitzsche, "Apollonianism and Dionysianism," 731..
Thurs., Sept. 23 – Individual Reports.
Tues., Sept. 28 - Group I Report: music, literature, the fine and performing arts.
Thurs., Sept. 30 – Exploration of unit topic. Due: Cultural Event Report #2.

Unit Four:

In unit four, our study, including the reading of Rousseau's "The Origin of Civil Society," will concern appeals to human qualities involved in civil enterprises. We will frame our analyses in specific terms relating to love, family, community, freedom, humor and other legacies of civil human behavior.

Tues., Oct 5 – Read: Rosseau, "The Origin of Civil Society, 53.
Thurs., Oct 7 – Individual Reports.
Tues., Oct. 12 – Group II Report ( love, family, community, freedom, humor and other legacies of human behavior).
Thurs., Oct. 14 – Continued discussion of Rousseau.
Tues. Oct. 19, - Fall Recess.
Thurs., Oct. 21 - Fall Recess.

Unit Five:

Peer response and the development of our written projects in the humanities are our central concerns in HU211 during this Unit. We accomplish this by bringing drafts of individual research papers to class, then sharing those drafts with others in the class to learn how students regard each other’s written work. For some students, the process feels like an invasion of privacy, like their cherished essay and the ideas in it might be ripped apart, stomped, gouged and discarded. Not here! In fact, respecting the work of others in this course, sincerely weighing another’s ideas, and responding to those ideas as “real” readers are at the heart of our work this unit. The purpose of peer response is that you will offer thoughtful, careful and deliberate feedback to your classmates, and that at the same time you will learn what your classmates think of your work before you engage in deep revision.

Tues., Oct. 26 – DUE: FIRST DRAFT OF RESEARCH PROJECT.
Thurs, Oct 28 – Individual Reports.
Tues., Nov. 2 - Reading of selected research papers.
Thurs., Nov. 4 – Reading of selected research papers. Due: Cultural Event Report #3.

Unit Six:

Our sixth unit centers on the role of history and inquiry in the humanities. our reading will serve as a window through which we might think about the critical role of critical inquiry, memory and reflective recollection of human histories. We will also broach questions about the processes by which narrative histories unfold and evolve, particularly with concern for Modern compulsions to gather and store information.

Tues., Nov. 9 – Read: Turner, from The Significance of the Frontier in American History, 599.
Thurs., Nov. 11 - No classes. Veterans' Day.
Tues., Nov. 16 – Individual Reports.
Thurs., Nov. 18 – Group III Report (Turner -- history).
Tues., Nov. 23 – DUE: FINAL DRAFT OF RESEARCH PROJECT.

Unit Seven:

In unit seven, we will pause to reflect briefly on the progress of the course and any questions that linger as we approach the final exam. We will read a philosophical essay by Simone Weil as a way to guide our thinking about the sovereignty of human experience and the various forms of packaging we encounter. We'll turn to Weil's essay with questions about the basic spirituality of humans, and the cultural perspectives that situate our understandings. We will invite connections among Weil's essay to any other questions roused throughout the term.

Thurs., Nov. 25 - No classes. Thanksgiving Recess.
Tues., Nov. 30 – Read: Weil, "Spiritual Autobiography." Due: Cultural Event Report #4.
Thurs., Dec. 2 - Individual Reports.
Tues., Dec. 7 - Group IV Report (Percy: philosophy, religion).
Thurs., Dec. 9 - Last day of class.

GRADING:

Individual presentation (personal human experience/response) - 20%
Group presentation (focused on a humanities discipline) - 20%
Research project (scholarly approach to humanness) - 20%
Four cultural events reports (forays into the human community) - 20%
Final examination (what our human senses have taught us) - 20%

Grade Conversion:
90-100%   A
80-89%     B
70-79%     C
60-69%     D
0-59%       F
Note extra credit availability on my home page.

Final Examination Week: December 13-17.

FINAL EXAMINATION: Tuesday, December 14, 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.

NOTE: This schedule of assignments is subject to change on short notice.

HUMANITIES RESOURCES

Art and Culture
A collection of web resources on art and cultural studies.
Go to This Reference

Humanities-Interactive.org
In-depth projects in Humanities research, observable with a Flash-enabled browser.
Go to This Reference

Journal of Mundane Behavior
An electronic journal of human ordinariness.
Go to This Reference

Levi-Strauss: The Structural Study of Myth
A brief introduction to the often challenged structural cultural theorist, Claude Levi-Strauss.
Go to This Reference

Nasty: Academic at Its Brattiest
An ejournal concerned with sensitive issues in the academy.
Go to This Reference

Other Voices: The (e)Journal of Cultural Criticism
An electronic journal which celebrates cultural criticism and difference.
Go to This Reference

Voice of the Shuttle
A comprehensive registry for web resources in the Humanities.
Go to This Reference

Yahoo!: Humanities
A registry of web resources in the Humanities.
Go to This Reference

WRITING RESOURCES

Aardvark's English Forum
A resource for second-language students and teachers.
Go to This Reference

Avoiding Plagiarism
An excellent resource with explanations and examples for avoiding plagiarism.
Go to This Reference

Dictionary.com
A comprehensive on-line English dictionary.
Go to This Reference

Purdue Online Writing Lab
Link to writing-specific information on a variety of subjects.
Go to This Reference

YourDictionary.com
An online dictionary with links to grammar guides for 110 languages, including English.
Go to This Reference

SEARCH ENGINES

Google
Comprehensive search engine with the ability to locate images and specific passages of text.
Go to This Reference

Altavista
Comprehensive search engine with a translate function and the ability to locate images.
Go to This Reference

OTHER RESOURCES

Park University's Library
Search Park University's library or connect to database resources such as Lexis-Nexis, Ebsco and more.
Go to This Reference

Arts & Letters Daily
Link to newspapers, magazines and other media through this site.
Go to This Reference

Bartleby.com
One of the largest online libraries available for free.
Go to This Reference