Harlan High School Humanities
Course Syllabus
2010-2011
Collaborative Teachers:
Mr. Frank Shope
School Phone: 573-8750
School mailing address:
Harlan High School
420 East Central Street
Harlan, KY 40831
School e-mail: frank.shope@harlanind.kyschools.us
Planning Period: 5th Period (12:45-1:30)
Mrs. Marybeth Christman
School Phone: 573-8750
School mailing address:
Harlan High School
420 East Central Street
Harlan, KY 40831
School e-mail: Mary.Christman@harlanind.kyschools.us
Planning Period: 10:30-11:15 (choral office)
Course Description
The Humanities class at Harlan High School presents an overview of the arts in the Western tradition in the
contexts of the philosophy, religion, aesthetic theory, economics, and politics surrounding them.
On the chart below, you will see the units we teach in the course. The units are based on the district's scope
and sequence, which is based on the newly revised Kentucky Core Content—Version 4.1. The bold-faced items are
quoted directly from the Kentucky Core Content document. In the left-hand column are the actual units. The rows
are the items required by the Kentucky Core Content.
1
Major Movements/Time
Periods/Cultures
Renaissance
1400-1600
Reconciles Christian faith
and reason. Promotes
“rebirth" of the classical
ideal. Allows new freedom
of thought.
MUSIC
AH-HS-2.1.1
European
 counterpoint
 polyphony
 Palestrina
 rise of instrumental
and secular music
DANCE
AH-HS-2.2.1
European
 court dances
Baroque
1580-1700
Rejects the limits of
previous styles. Restores
the power of the
monarchy/ church: excess,
ornamentation, contrasts,
tensions, energy.
(1600-1750)
European
 fugue
 Bach
 Handel
 oratorio
European
 development of ballet
Neo-Classicism/
“Classical”
1720-1827
Style in music. Reacts to
the excesses of monarchy
and ornamentation of the
Baroque. Returns to
order, reason and
structural clarity.
“Classical” style of
music
(1750-1820)
European
 Haydn and Mozart—
true classical style;
 Beethoven—
transition from
classical to romantic
DRAMA
AH-HS-2.3.1
European
 commedia dell'arte
 Shakespeare and
Elizabethan Theatre
VISUAL ARTS
AH-HS-2.4.1
European
 Leonardo da Vinci—
painting;
 Michelangelo—
sculpture, painting,
architecture—built
on the innovative
architectural
techniques of Ancient
Greece and Rome
(e.g., the arch, vault,
dome, principles of
stress and counter
stress, atrium-style
houses, etc.)
European
 Rembrandt—Dutch
Baroque, use of
chiaroscuro (a bold
contrast of light and
dark);
 Caravaggio—Italian
Baroque painter,
painted harsh
realities, used
chiaroscuro
European
 satire
European
 Jacques-Louis
David— distinctive
Neo-Classical style
associated with
French revolution
2
Romanticism
1760-1870
Revolts against neoclassical order/reason.
Returns to
nature/imagination:
freedom, emotion,
sentimentality,
spontaneity; interest in
the exotic, patriotic,
primitive and
supernatural.
Realism
1820-1920
Seeks the truth. Finds
beauty in the
commonplace. Focuses on
the Industrial Revolution
and the conditions of
working class
(1825-1900)
European
 Tchaikovsky—
influence on ballet;
 Wagner—influence on
opera
Impressionism and
Post-Impressionism
1850-1920
Shows the effects of light
and atmospheric
conditions. Spontaneously
European
 Debussy
 Ravel—symbolism in
music
European
 golden age of ballet
European
 melodrama
American
 folk and social dance,
e.g., square dance,
swing, foxtrot
European
 Henrik Ibsen
 George Bernard Shaw
American
 American
playwrights’ role with
realism in theatre
(Tennessee Williams,
Arthur Miller) (English
III)
American
 Jefferson—neoclassical architecture
with Ancient Greek
and Roman
architectural
influences, reflects
ideas of newly
independent United
States
European
 John Constable—
British landscapes;
 Francisco Goya—
Spanish Court
painter examined
violence, greed, and
foolishness of society
European
 Gustav Courbet—
attention on the
common man;
 Edouard Manet—
focused on industrial
age city and people,
bridged the gap
between realism and
impressionism
European
 Claude Monet— tried
to capture light as a
moment of time;
 Vincent van Gogh—
used bright colors
3
captures a moment of
time. Expresses reality in
different ways.
Modern and
Contemporary
1900-Present
Breaks with or redefines
the conventions of the
past. Uses experimental
techniques. Shows the
diversity of society and the
blending of cultures.
European
 Stravinsky—
influence on Russian
ballet
American
 multiple cultural
influences, blending
of cultures and
styles:
 Gershwin—jazz in
classical musical
forms;
 Copland—integrated
national American
idioms into his
music;
 Ellington—the
sophistication of
American jazz styles;
 Latin and Caribbean
influences in
American music—
musical styles and
idioms integrated
into the American
mainstream
European
 Balanchine
 Baryshnikov
 Fokine—the
revitalization and
20th century
prominence of
Russian ballet
American
 Alvin Ailey—
acclaimed African
American
choreographer
incorporation of
traditional African
roots;
 African-American
themes;
 Martha Graham—
abandoning
traditional steps of
ballet, portrayed
characters in
woman’s viewpoint
American
 impact of technology
on drama/theatre
 the development of
American musical
theatre
and line to express
emotion;
 Mary Cassatt—
domestic social
scenes of women and
children;
 August Rodin—
sculptor who used
impressionistic style
in his work
European
 Salvador Dali—
surrealism;
 Pablo Picasso—
multiple style periods
including cubism
American
 Andy Warhol—
popularized middle
class culture;
 Georgia O’Keefe—
large scale
abstraction of
natural form;
 Frank Lloyd Wright—
American
architecture;
 Dorothea Lange—
photography of the
Depression era;
 Jacob Lawrence—
reflects the African
American experience
4
Japanese Culture
Middle Eastern and
Asian
 history and
characteristics of
Kabuki theatre
Temple architecture;
characteristics of
temples
Islamic—
e.g. Dome of the
Rock;
geometric patterns
for decorations such
as arabesques,
minaret tower to
call Muslims to
prayer;
Hindu—
e.g. Pampapati
Temple— temple
city complex with
towers
Buddhist—
e.g. Liurong Temple/
pagoda or called a
stupa in India, part
of a temple city
complex
Unique visual arts in
Asian Cultures
Japanese printmaking;
Chinese and Japanese
ink and brush
paintings; calligraphy
5
Objective
It is our objective to explore the humanities not just to acquire facts about past eras, but to try to understand how a culture's questions, answers,
and values are represented through their arts. Hopefully, this procedure will enable students to trace the development and changes of the problems that
plague us so sorely in our own time. Equipped with knowledge of the great answers found in the past that still shape the way we live today, each individual
can work to develop an informed set of values and a freedom to be the person he or she would like to be.
Text
The text for the Humanities class is The Creative Impulse: An Introduction to the Arts (seventh edition) by Dennis J. Sporre. The text has a
companion website at http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_sporre_creative_7
Features of this site include online quizzes, which include instant scoring and coaching plus critical thinking and writing activities. We strongly suggest
you make use of this website to aid in comprehension and preparation for quizzes and exams.
In addition to the text, you will be given a copy of a disk that contains each of the music selections you are responsible for being able to recognize
and analyze. This disk is the property of the school and must be taken care of and returned to the teacher in good condition.
Grading Policy
Homework, in-class assignments, projects, and tests will be counted individually toward a total number of accumulated points. To obtain a
student's grade, the number of points earned will be divided by the total number of possible points.
Late Assignments
According to the student handbook, students have one day per excused absence to make up any work that has been missed. (This includes tests,
quizzes, and all assignments.) It is the responsibility of the student to ask for the makeup work.
Any assignment that is otherwise late will be accepted; however, one letter grade will be deducted for each day the assignment is late. After a
failing grade has been earned, the assignment will not be accepted.
Required Materials
Students are required to bring the following materials to class on a daily basis: three-ring binder notebook; The Creative Impulse (text for class);
writing utensils; and additional assigned works.
Humanities is a class based on participation. If the student misses a class, he very often misses information that cannot be read in a text of fully
comprehended by copying someone else's notes; therefore, attendance is extremely important. Those students who are habitually absent will have a
difficult time passing the class.
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