The Renaissance Through the Modern West: From the Renaissance to the Belle Époque Humanities 102 (Sample Syllabus) TR 9:25 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. L-314 Spring 2008
Keith W. Jensen, Instructor
Office Hours:
Department of Humanities Office: L-233F; 847-925-6486 E-mail:
[email protected]
MW 10-11; 2:30-3:30 TR 8-9; 12:15-1:15; 3-4 And by Appointment
Course Description Welcome to Humanities 102. This is a survey course designed to provide an introduction to Western th culture from the 15 century through the present, primarily focusing on select works of art, music, and literature. To allow for enough time to discuss the material adequately, we will conclude the course in the th early 20 century with the movements of the Avant-Garde (a cultural phenomenon of the Belle Époque). We will use the material to investigate some fundamental questions of Western culture: who and what are we, where are we, and how did we get here? We’ll explore possible answers to these questions through the study of individual visual, musical, and literary productions, and we will attempt to gain insight into the beliefs and ideas, perspectives and preconceptions that built and continue to drive the culture(s) we live within now. But because this is a survey course, and an introduction to Western culture, we will be covering a very large amount of material very quickly, so we won’t be trying for a complete or definitive understanding of any of this information. General course goals include familiarizing you with some of the most influential and important works of Western artists of the last five centuries; applying that familiarity to building an understanding of our past and present and the connections between them; and building a base for future studies in world culture. By the end of the semester, you should be able to:
recognize major figures, works, and events in the history of Western art, literature, and music, from 1400 to 1914;
demonstrate an understanding of the artistic, intellectual, and religious movements of these periods;
and demonstrate an ability to analyze at least one major work from each period studied:
the Renaissance, Baroque, Enlightenment and Neoclassical Period, Romanticism and Realism, and the Belle Époque.
This course will be a collaborative experience, one that will require extensive preparation by both the students and the instructor. A good portion of the course material will be provided through lecture and group reports, but class participation will be equally important, particularly when we study literary texts and look at individual paintings, sculptures, and architectural monuments closely. I expect you to come to class prepared with the text assignment read and annotated and the artwork examined. Take notes on lectures, films, discussions, and power-point slides. Participate actively and consistently in class discussions. Come to learn all that you can.
Course
Texts
All of the books are available in the Harper College Bookstore. rd
Stokstad, Marilyn. Art History, Volume II. Harper Custom Edition of the 3 ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2005. th Miller, Hugh M and Dale Cockrell. History of Western Music. 5 ed. New York: Harper Resource, a Division of Harper Collins Publishers, 1991.
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You will also be asked to purchase one of the following books for a group literature project that will be explained below: Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Ed. B. A. Mowat & P. Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Moliere. The Misanthrope, Tartuffe, and Other Plays. Tr. M. Slater. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. Voltaire. Candide. Tr. John Butt. New York: Penguin Books, 1947. Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Marx, Karl, and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. New York: Signet Classics, 1998. Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll’s House. Ed. Philip Smith. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 1992.
Schedule
of
Meetings
January 22 T
Introductory Remarks: The Scope of the Course.
24 R
Studying the Humanities: Introduction to the Semester Oral Projects. Review the handouts passed out on August 28
29 T 31 R
A Return to the Classical: Early Renaissance Art. Stokstad, chapter 18 and Chapter 19 (Note: read chap. 18 for 9/04 and chap. 19 for 9/06)
February 05 T
The Italian Masters. Stokstad, chapter 20
07 R
The Northern Masters. Stokstad, chapter 21
12 T
No Class. Lincoln’s Birthday Observance.
14 R
The Renaissance Icon: William Shakespeare. (Group Literature Presentation #1) Shakespeare, Hamlet (selections to be chosen by the Group Leaders)
19 T 21 R
From Word Painting to Madrigals: The Music of the Renaissance. Miller and Cockrell, pp. 15-84 (Note: to be completed over both days)
26 T
Examination I (45 minutes). Introduction to the Final Project. Review the Final Project Handout.
28 R
Of Light, Dark and the Facelift of St. Peter’s: Art in the Baroque. Stokstad, chapter 22
March 04 T
Continued discussion from February 28.
06 R
Of Opera and Oratorio: The Baroque Musicians. Miller and Cockrell, pp. 87-115
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11 T
Continued discussion from March 6
13 R
Baroque’s Theatrical Satire: Moliere. (Group Literature Presentation II) Moliere, Tartuffe (selections to be chosen by the Group leaders)
18 T
The Flamboyant Rococo: The Early 18 Century. Topic Proposal for Final Project due. Stokstad, chapter 29, pp. 940-951
20 R
The Straightforward Neoclassical: The Later 18 Century. Stokstad, chapter 29, pp. 951-983
25 T 27 R
No Class. Spring Break. No Class. Spring Break.
th
th
April 01 T 03 R 04 F
Classical Music: Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Miller and Cockrell, pp. 119-138 No Class. Museum Review due by 12 p.m.
08 T
The Philosophy of Cynicism: Voltaire. (Group Literature Presentation III) Voltaire, Candide (selections to be chosen by the Group Leaders)
10 R
Catch-up and Review. Examination II (45 minutes).
15 T
Moving Towards Romanticism: Jane Austen. (Group Literature Presentation IV) Austen, Pride and Prejudice (selections to be chosen by the Group Leaders)
17 R
The Romantics: Poets, Painters, and Revolutionaries. Stokstad, chapter 30, pp. 984-1009
19 S
Last Day to Withdraw from the Course with a W.
22 T
A Romantic “Quickie”: Music in the Early 19 Century. Miller and Cockrell, pp. 141-176
24 R
The Realists: Painting and Photography. Stokstad, chapter 30, pp. 1009-1025.
29 T
The Rise of Communism: Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. (Group Literature Presentation V) Marx/Engels, The Communist Manifesto (selections to be chosen by the Group Leaders)
th
May 01 R
The Belle Époque: Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and the Artists of the Avant-Garde. Stokstad, chapter 30, pp. 1026-1063, plus 1067-1088 (handout or e-reserve TBA).
06 T 08 R May
Continued discussion. Continued discussion.
09 F
No Class. Final Project due by 12 p.m.
13 T
The Music of the Belle Époque: Debussy and Stravinsky. Miller and Cockrell, pp. 179-232 (concentrate on the material relating to the Avant-Garde and skim the rest)
Humanities 102 / K. Jensen / Spring 2008 15 R
The Modernist Conceit in Drama: Henrik Ibsen. (Group Literature Presentation VI) Ibsen, A Doll’s House (selections to be chosen by the Group Leaders)
20 T
Catch-up and Review. Examination III (45 minutes).
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Course Requirements Because Humanities 102 is a survey, topics that often receive entire courses devoted to them in upperlevel undergraduate or graduate courses will receive only 10 minutes here. Therefore, the projects for this course allow for a deeper exploration into topics that interest you and go beyond the scope of a survey lecture and discussion. Requirements include active participation in class discussion, three multiple-choice/essay examinations, a group literature project (oral), a midterm project (museum review), and a final written project on a topic of your choice. Class participation is essential to the success of the course and your success in it. Although lecture will be incorporated into the day-to-day activities, the class cannot function without your input. Look at it this way. If you sit back and let other people do all the talking, the rest of us will either assume that you have nothing of value to say or that you are unwilling to share what you do have. Either way, you lose. Whatever you have, put it on the table. I will evaluate class participation on a point system. You may earn up to five points at each class meeting (except the first). Three points will be given for on-time attendance; the remaining points will be earned based on the frequency and aptness of your contribution to class discussion. If you are late (more than five minutes), you will lose one of the points used for attendance. Examinations. You will have three non-cumulative examinations at the end of each major unit: the Renaissance, the Baroque and Eighteenth Century, and the Romantics, Realists, and Belle Époque. Each test will contain twenty to thirty multiple-choice questions and a twenty to thirty point essay question and will cover the chapter materials, the literary selections, and the lectures. Group Literature Project. You will be assigned to work with a group of approximately five (5) students, who will select one of the texts listed in the Required Texts section of the syllabus on which to lead a class discussion. Your group will be expected to read the entire text, research some background information on the author and the critical reception of the work, and lead class discussion on various selections from the book that you select for them to read. On the date assigned, your group will give a 15-20 minute formal oral presentation (an outline is required) in which you talk about the author’s life and the critical and cultural contexts of the work; you will then lead discussion for at least 30 minutes (or longer if you wish). Your group is in charge of the discussion; I will take on the role of student. Specific guidelines for this project will be presented within the first two weeks of the semester. The assignment is worth 100 points: the formal oral report will contribute 50 points and the discussion will contribute 50 points. Museum Review. By mid-semester, you will be asked to visit one of the following museums: the Field Museum, the Chicago Art Institute, the Museum of Science and Industry, or the Museum of Contemporary Art. All four museums contain exhibits pertaining to topics we cover in this course (or are at least covered in your textbook). Your goal is to select one exhibit, look through it thoroughly, read all of the literature available at the exhibit, and write a review of your visit. The review should be approximately 5-8 pages long (or longer if you wish), typed or word-processed, with one-inch margins on all sides. Included in the review is the place and date of your encounter, a description of the exhibit (as complete as possible), a researched discussion of two or three of the pieces and how they pertain to our course, and your reaction to the exhibit. Your reaction should include what you feel the exhibit does well in presenting the culture, what it could do better, what you particularly liked and disliked about the exhibit (which is not the same as what they do well or poorly), and whether or not the exhibit contributed to your own knowledge of the culture. If there is enough interest, I will try to
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schedule some group outings for Saturday visits to the museums; we might be able to get group rates. The Final Project. The final project will require you to select a topic of interest to you in Western st Culture from the Renaissance through the 21 century (note this allows you to move beyond what we cover in class). But rather than an ordinary research paper (with one or two minor exceptions), you will be given a series of options that will allow you to pursue your own interests. Your goal is to establish a relationship between your topic and some aspect of modern culture (if you’re focusing on modern culture, you will establish your topic’s importance to understanding modern culture), and it must make some arguable point (thesis). You may, of course, address topics we address in the course, but feel free to select other topics as well. You are required to cite a minimum of SEVEN sources for this project. You may use materials read for the course, but you must go beyond them and do additional research in the library. Here is a list of possible options that you may pursue to complete the project. •
Art Project: Design a Museum Exhibit, including a proposal (8-10 pages), a list of the objects you plan to include (30-50), xeroxed or digitized images of the objects, a plan of the installation, object labels, case labels, and wall text. OR Create a museum catalog of an exhibit you might create, including an introduction (3-5 pages), some published essays about the art of the culture (variable length), images of each artifact you plan to include in the exhibit, a brief explanation or each artifact and how/why it fits into the exhibit (no more than 150 words each), and a conclusion (at least 1-2 pages). The museum catalog will amount to approximately 15 pages of writing, plus several pages of artwork.
•
Music Project: A research project on a favorite musical artist, including a biography (4-5 pages) and an in-depth analysis of two or three of his/her pieces, exploring the selections importance to the development of modern Western music (3-4 pages each). If you are focusing on modern music, then you need to explore how the artist contributes to the current store of Western music. OR Choose an artist you like and compose a piece of music that emulates but builds on his/her style. The piece of music should be approximately (5 minutes long or longer); you will need to write a short rationale (at least five pages) explaining what you tried to do in your composition.
•
Literature Project: Write a research paper (the one traditional type of project option) on a literary text of your choosing and explore the work’s influence on Western culture (at least 10 pages plus works cited page). OR Write an adaptation of a text of your choice from the past st from a more modern perspective (for example, a 21 century version of Pride and Prejudice). If you opt for this project, your chosen text must have been written no later than 1900. The length of the project is up to you, but you must include a short rationale (at least five pages) explaining what you tried to do with your adaptation.
•
Make me an Offer: This option is for those of you interested in topics other than art, literature, or st music. Choose an era (Renaissance through 21 century), a topic (science, industry, education, business, military, government, any topic not related to music, art, or literature), and a project form (many and various; use your imagination; the worst I can do is say no).
Specific guidelines for each option are forthcoming. All papers must be typed or word-processed, double-spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides. Research citations must be documented in the MLA format. I will expect a topic proposal in which you explain your topic and what form your project will take along with a working bibliography by mid-semester.
Summary of Requirements Class Participation and Attendance Three Unit Examinations Group Literature Project Midterm Project: Museum Review Final Project: Multiple Options
150 points (5 points each @ 30 classes) 150 points (50 points each) 100 points 050 points 150 points
25% 25% 16.7% 8.3% 25%
Humanities 102 / K. Jensen / Spring 2008 Total Points
6 600 points (200 points devoted to Writing)
100%
I will use the following scale to determine final grades: A: 600-537, B: 536-477, C: 476-417, D: 416-357, and F: 356-0. . I will generally follow this scale exactly as written; however, I reserve the right to take into account other factors in determining your grade. For example, let’s say you have 532 points (a B), but you started out with C’s and improved your work up to A’s and were consistent with your attendance and participation, I may be inclined to assign you an A for the course instead of the B. I will not, however, lower the grade. If you have 532 points, you cannot get less than a B.
Please Observe the Following Regulations. Written Work.
Written assignments must be submitted on clean, undamaged paper (i.e., no folded or sloppily creased paper). Pages must be stapled or paper-clipped; don’t submit work in plastic folders, with the pages’ corners folded over, attached with gum, etc. Don’t try to lengthen a document by changing the font style or size, the spacing, or the margins. Unless I indicate otherwise, all assignments must follow the following format: • papers must be typed or word-processed; • you must use typesetter fonts (i.e., Times New Roman, Courier, Ariel, etc.), with a size no larger than ten (Courier, Ariel) to twelve points (Times New Roman); • all work must be double-spaced (this includes each entry of a works cited page); • you must use one-inch margins; • and above all, you must proofread your work (I am not your editor). Written projects are evaluated on how well you develop your thesis (even the Museum Review will require a thesis); support it with evidence from sources, including the museum; the quality of writing; and your accurate use of the MLA citation format. A word of warning: poor grammar or failure to follow directions will hurt the grade significantly.
Courtesy and Respect.
I expect readings, projects, and quizzes to be completed when assigned, and to be your own original work. When you are absent, I expect you to find out what you have missed (and not to interrupt my teaching time to do it). I advise you to exchange phone numbers and/or e-mail addresses with at least two other people (your fellow group members would be an excellent choice), so that you can keep up with changes in the syllabus and can copy notes. Come to class, be on time, do not leave during class or pack your things early, and keep pagers and cell phones turned off or set on vibrate. Also, I am sorry, but due to problems I have incurred in the past, I will not allow laptop computers to be used during lecture. If you wish to use them while you are working on group projects, that is fine (although if I notice you are checking e-mail or performing other non-class related tasks, this privilege will be revoked). Class discussions should be active and lively, but courteous, so get involved, but remember that every other participant in the class deserves your respect and attention. Please note, that disruptions such as packing your things or cell phones that ring during class can reduce your attendance and participation grade.
Attendance.
Regular on-time attendance is mandatory and very important in this course, and I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences. A record of your attendance will be kept as one measure of your participation; if you are not here, you cannot participate, so you will receive no participation credit for that class meeting. One or two absences will not seriously affect your participation grade, but more than two could. Please Note: To be considered “present,” you must be here in mind and body and engaged in discussion and taking notes on lectures. If you are sitting there with a glazed look on your face, sleeping (especially if you are snoring), or are paying attention to your cell phone, you are not “here” and your attendance/participation grade will be lowered (and there will be NO warnings given for this either). Believe me, I do notice.
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Late Work.
Exams, projects, and oral assignments are due at the times specified in the syllabus unless otherwise noted. Late assignments cause monumental problems, so I will automatically accept them (or allow make-ups) without penalty for three reasons: you or a family member is seriously ill or injured and in the hospital, you are attending a funeral (family or friend), or you have jury duty. All three reasons must have valid written documentation to prove the emergency; a letter from home does not count. Extensions may be granted in other extenuating circumstances as well, but these will be decided on a case-by-case basis. Late work will be penalized the equivalent of half a letter grade per day late; I will not accept work later than one week after the deadline. Be advised that if you are not in class to turn the assignment in, or if you are more than five minutes late to class, the assignment will be marked late. Special Note about E-mailing Assignments: All written assignments must be handed to me in person, slipped under my office door, or put in one of our mailboxes in the Liberal Arts Division Office (L-203). I do not accept any assignments by E-mail.
Plagiarism will not be tolerated and includes anything from quoting/paraphrasing a source and not giving proper credit to lifting papers off the Internet. Students don’t often realize that instructors respect the research they do to complete an assignment, so if you read a source and use it, give the source credit. Please note that you still need to give the source credit even if you put the material into your own words. Be advised that if you are caught cheating or plagiarizing, you will receive a zero on the assignment, and depending on the seriousness of the offense, you may fail the course. A handout explaining plagiarism and its penalties will be distributed the first day of class, but if you are ever unsure about the debt owed to an outside source, be sure to ask the instructor for assistance. Please note, students with disabilities may have additional accommodations made for them, but they must be registered and documented with Access and Disability Services (see below).
Important Resources The Writing Center: http://www.harpercollege.edu/writ_ctr/homepage.htm. The Writing Center provides limited instructional assistance with software, editing assistance and suggestions, and specific answers to grammatical questions. More extensive help is offered by the Tutoring Center (see below). The Writing Center is located in Room F-303 of the Academic Resource Center; the phone number is 847-925-6000, ext. 2719. Their spring semester hours are Monday through Thursday: Friday
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Visit their website to find out more. The Tutoring Center: http://www.harpercollege.edu/tutoring/. The Tutoring Center is available free of charge to Harper students in most academic areas. They provide both walk-in and appointment tutoring. Students usually receive between fifteen and thirty-minutes worth of help per week. For writing help, the Center requests that you bring the syllabus, a copy of the assignment, class notes, and textbook, so that the tutor will understand the goals of the assignment and will then know how to help you. The Tutoring Center is located in Room F-315 of the Academic Resource Center; their phone number is 847-925-6539. Please call or check their website for more information about services and scheduling appointments. Their hours for the spring semester are Monday through Thursday Friday Saturday (Tutoring Hours Vary)
8:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Access and Disability Services: http://www.harpercollege.edu/services/ads/index.shtml. Your success in this class is important to me. If any of you have special needs and need some form of
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accommodation, you need to contact Access and Disabilities Services in the Science, Math, and Health Careers Center, Room D-119 as soon as possible. Their phone number is 847-925-6266; please call to find out more about their services. Their hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. According to their website, “Students interested in securing these services should contacts the Access and Disability Services at the earliest possible date. To receive services, students must turn in an ADS schedule form with requests for services noted. Availability of some services may be limited for students who turn in schedules after the last full day of open registration, prior to the beginning of a semester.” Therefore, if you know you need these services, and have not requested them, do so as soon as possible. Be advised that I cannot provide you with special accommodations myself. You need to set them up through Access and Disability Services. Academic Support Services. The Academic Enrichment and Language Studies Division offers academic support to Harper College students by providing the following free Success Services for students: Learning Styles Inventory, Test Performance Analysis, Study Behavior Inventory, and Study Skills Session. Also available to students are one-hour sessions in the following areas: Test Preparation Strategies, Time Management, Concentration Skills, Motivation, Curbing Test Anxiety, Test-Taking Tips, and Memory Improvement. For more information and fall hours, stop by F332 or call 847-925-6715.
Finally, please note that I reserve the right to al ter this syllabus at my discretion; howe ver, as I consi der the syllabus a contract between instructor and student, an d you will be held accountable for its contents, you will be informed of any change s in writing. William Rainey Harper College Provide s equal o pportunity in education an d does not discriminate on the basi s of race, color, religion, national o rigin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, or disability.