Houston Community College System
COURSE SYLLABUS
Humanities 1301: Introduction to the Humanities
Professor: Dr. James A. Ross-Nazzal, Co-Director Mexican
American/Latino Studies Program
Office Number: AM #206
Office Phone Number:
Email: james.rossnazzal@hccs.edu
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
Prerequisite: ENGL 1301
Credit: 3 (3 lecture)
This course provides an introduction to the arts and humanities. It investigates connections
between individual human lives and a broad range of culture, aesthetics, and philosophy.
Core Curriculum Course.
COURSE PURPOSE
To develop student thinking, seeing, reading, writing, and listening skills and expand his/her
knowledge of the human condition as portrayed in works of the human imagination and intellect.
DESCRIPTION OF COURSE CONTENT
Students focus on the connections between their own lives and the ideas and values expressed in
works of human imagination and thought. Through inquiry into selected literature, philosophy,
and the visual and performing arts, students will engage in critical thinking, form aesthetic
judgments, and develop an appreciation of the arts and humanities and their pivotal role in the
health and survival of any society. Students will attend and respond to museum and gallery
exhibitions and performances (live theater and film). They will be introduced to readings in
several genres from a variety of cultures. Students will respond to the work they study in a variety
of ways including oral presentations, formal written assignments, and informal journal responses.
TEXTBOOKS
Sayre, Henry. The Humanities: Culture, Continuity and Change, Vol. 1, Pearson, Prentice Hall,
2012. (2nd edition).
Student Learning Objectives
1. Describe representative themes and developments in the humanities.
2. Interpret representative terms, works, figures, and artists in philosophy, literature, and
the visual and performing arts.
3. Compare and contrast representative terms, works, figures, and artists in philosophy,
literature and the visual and performing arts
4. Evaluate cultural creations in the humanities.
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HCCS Humanities in the Core Curriculum
Humanities 1301 may be taken to fulfill the core curriculum requirement for 3 semester
hours in Cross/Multicultural Studies.
Humanities 1301 helps students attain the following:
1. Establish broad and multiple perspectives on individuals in relationship to the larger society
and world in which they live and understand the responsibilities of living in a culturally and
ethnically diversified world;
2. Stimulate a capacity to discuss and reflect upon individual, political, economic, and social
aspects of life in order to understand ways in which to be a responsible member of society;
3. Develop personal values for ethical behavior;
4. Develop the ability to make aesthetic judgments; and
5. Integrate knowledge and understanding of the interrelationships of the scholarly disciplines.
The objective of the humanities and visual and performing arts in a core curriculum is to
expand students’ knowledge of the human condition and human cultures especially in relation to
behaviors, ideas, and values expressed in works of human imagination and thought. Through
study in disciplines such as literature and the visual and performing arts, students will engage in
critical analysis, form aesthetic judgments, and develop an appreciation of the arts and humanities
as fundamental to the health and survival of any society. Students should have experiences in
both the arts and humanities.
The objective of the cross/multicultural component of the core curriculum is to introduce
students to areas of study which enlarge their knowledge and appreciation of the multicultural and
multiracial world in which they live.
Assignments:
1. Short Essay I: Cultural themes prevail in a group’s artistic, literary, or architectural
production. Some examples are floods, droughts, war rivalries, religious conflict, the
strength of particular animals, persecution, etc.
As you review each cultural group found in chapters 1 - 3, think about a theme that was
important to that culture. Then, write a comparative/contrast essay discussing how 2
works (art, literature, architecture, or philosophy) produced by those people represent
that theme. (SLO 1) 20% of your final grade. 750 words minimum, double spaced,
typed, TNR 12 font, citing in accordance with APA or MLA. This assignment will be
completed outside of class. Due 9/21
2. Test 1, 2, 3 – Three essay tests will cover terms, works, figures and artists in philosophy,
literature, and the visual and performing arts. 9/26, 10/17, 12/12 (SLO 2) 30% of your
final grade (each exam is worth 10%)
3. Research Presentation (PowerPoint) (SLO 4) 30% of your final grade
a. Choose a famous work of art from the cultural groups studied in class and
provide an evaluation of the piece, but first,
b. research the following:
Historical background
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Participation. Participation is required if you want to succeed (i.e., pass): Remember,
you have something due each week.
Biography of the artist
Time and tools used in completing this work
Theme
How does the work represent an artistic movement popular or revolutionary for
that time?
Describe the work (attach picture)
Interpretation
Evaluation in terms of its structural composition and aesthetic features, meaning,
and purpose.
4. Annotated Bibliography (20%) (SLO 3 and 4)
Research your topic and use at least 5 sources to obtain the information given
above. Write one page for each source where you present the information that
was useful to answer the questions. Follow APA Style
Scholastic Dishonesty: The Houston Community College System Student Handbook 1999/2000 defines
the following criteria: "Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism,
and collusion." Plagiarism means the appropriation of another's work and the unacknowledged
incorporation of that work in one's own written work offered for credit. Collusion means the unauthorized
collaboration with another person in preparing written work offered for credit. Students who engage in
scholastic dishonesty will be given an F in the class.
HCCS POLICY: Ringing cellular phones or sounding beepers constitute an interruption of instruction.
Students must remember to TURN OFF phones and beepers when they are in class.
ADA: Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.)
who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Services Office at the
beginning of each semester. Faculty is authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the
Disability Support Services Office.
Student Attendance: Life is too short to repeat in lecture what is available in your
readings, thus relentless attendance is required. If miss “just one day” you truly miss a lot
because my lectures, like history, are tightly integrated. Successful students attend class
with a tenacity of purpose.
Grades
The grade of A (100-90) reflects excellence. The A work offers a well-focused and
organized discussion appropriate to the instructor's assignment, reflects critical use of all
relevant materials, and demonstrates effective and formal writing requirements. Work
must demonstrate outstanding efforts to identify and use varied and pertinent evidence
from all available sources, to employ those materials critically in the text of the papers,
and to provide error-free citations of those resources. A work is handed in on time.
The grade of B (89-80) represents work beyond satisfactory and indicates the work was
completed in an appropriate and competent manner and, in general, demonstrates a strong
attempt at original and critical analysis, writing, and research. Work must demonstrate
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beyond satisfactory efforts to identify varied and pertinent evidence from all available
sources. The B paper may contain a number of minor errors of grammar or citation, and
its thesis or its conclusions may be undeveloped or too weakly supported. B work is
handed in on time.
The grade of C(79-70) indicates that the work was done in a satisfactory or appropriate
fashion and represents the average work expected for university courses. In order to
obtain a C grade, your work must adhere to all of the assignment’s minimum
requirements to include but limited to page/word requirements, number of sources, types
of sources, and proper citation method. The work is organized around a central idea with
arguments supported by relevant examples from the available sources. The work is
structured into correctly written paragraphs and sentences. Although fulfilling the
assignment, the C work may exhibit one or more weaknesses including, but not limited
to, errors of punctuation and grammar, imprecise or incorrect word use, inaccurate or
uncritical use of materials, occasional inconsistency of organization or development, and
lack of direct relevance of the selected research materials to the topic. C work is handed
in on time.
The grade of D (69-60) indicates that the work may have a poorly defined topic or thesis,
lacks clear focus or organization, and contains unsupported generalizations or
conclusions. Research support (citations) is inadequate, not clearly relevant, or
improperly documented. A less-than-minimal research effort is evident. D works fails to
obtain the required page or word minimum requirement. The work may also suffer from
numerous or major formal writing errors. D work fails to adhere to any of the
assignment’s minimum requirements. D work is handed in on time.
The grade of F (59-1) indicates that the work is not clearly relevant to the assignment and
that its topic and thesis are poorly focused or defined. The work may display inadequate
organization or development, unsupported generalizations, and nonstandard formal
features (including language usage, sentence structure, and paragraphing). Research
support (citations) is absent, or irrelevant to the assignment. F work is handed in on time.
The grade of 0 indicates that the work was not submitted at all or submitted after the due
date/time. Remember any cheating whatsoever will result in an F for the course. Do you
remember what happened to SMU in 1987?
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spe/2004/feb25football/smu.html
Late Work. I do not accept late work, for any reason. Do not ask me to accept late
work. If any holidays, parties, work, vacations, family obligations, legal matters, or
secular or religious responsibilities prevent you from completing the work when it is
due, please do not take this class as I do not negotiate assignments or due dates.
Missed Assignments. I do not allow make ups for any reason. Do not ask me if there
are any make up assignments.
Extra Credit. I do not offer such a thing, for any reason, thus please do not ask me
to entertain such a thing. Please leave all high school thoughts behind.
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HUMANITIES 1301 - WEEKLY CALENDAR
Last Day for Student & Administrative Withdrawals: Nov. 3
WEEK
MATERIAL TO BE COVERED
8/29
Introduction to the course.
HW: Read Chapter 1 – The Rise of Culture: From Forest to Farm
pp. 1 – 15
Basic Concepts, Methods, Disciplines in the Humanities.
Distribution of questions for Chapter 1.
HW: Complete your readings, pp. 16 – 29.
9/5
Chapter 1: From Forest to Farm: The Rise of villages and cities
The Paleolithic and Neolithic cultures: Wall paintings, ancient
maps, goddesses’ sculptures; agriculture, and ceramic, Stonehenge.
HW: Read Chapter 2: Mesopotamia: Power and Social order in the
Early Middle East (pp. 31 – 50)
HW: Finish reading Chapter 2 (50-62).
9/12
Mesopotamia: Power and Social Order in the Early Middle East
Sumerian Ur, Akkad, Babylon, the Code of Hammurabi, the
Assyrians, the Blessing of Innana and the Epic of Gilgamesh, Neo
Babylonia, the Persian Empire.
HW: Begin reading Chapter 3: The Stability of Ancient Egypt; (pp.
65- 75.
HW: Finish reading Chapter 3: The Stability of Ancient Egypt:
Flood and Sun; (pp. 76 – 92) answer questions provided in class.
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9/19
Chapter 3: The Stability of Ancient Egypt: The Nile and Its
Culture, The Old Kingdom, and the Middle Kingdom of Thebes.
The Palette of Narmer, the pyramids, The Rosetta Stones,
Menkaure sculptures; the Pharaohs
HW: Begin reading Chapter 4: The Aegean World and the Rise of
Greece, pp. 95- 108.
Short Essay Due NLT 6:00pm Wed., 9/21
9/26
Test 1: chapters 1 – 3, 9/26
HW: Finish reading Chapter 4, pp. 108-133
Chapter 4: The Aegean World and the Rise of Greece: Trade,
War, and Victory. The Cyclades, Minoan culture, The Palace of
Minos, Mycenaean culture
HW: Begin reading Chapter 5: The Golden Age Athens and the
Hellenic World, pp. 135-150
10/3
The Golden Age of Athens and the Hellenic World: The Iliad and
The Odyssey - Sparta
HW: Finish reading Chapter 5: The Golden Age Athens and the
Hellenistic World: The School of Hellas and complete questions
10/10
Chapter 5 continued
The philosophers, architecture, sculpture
The Theatre of the People,
Alexander the Great
HW: study guide for midterm
10/17
the
Hellenistic
World,
Test No. 2: Chapters 4-5, 10/17
HW: Read Chapter 6: Rome: Urban Life and Imperial Majesty, pp.
175 - 190
Etruscans and Ancient Rome
10/24
Rome: Urban Life: social and political organization: works of art,
architecture and literature.
HW: Read Chapter 7: Other Empires
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Ancient India
HW: Finish reading Chapter 7
10/31
Library tour: Learning Hub
Obtain all 5 resources for your group Project
HW: Begin the Annotated Bibliography
Meet with your partner to work on research project
HW: Finish the Annotated Bibliography
11/7
Annotated Bibliography is due Wed 11/9 NLT 6:00pm.
China
HW: Work on your PP presentations with your partner
11/14
Pre-Columbian Americas
HW: Find information about Pre-Hispanic civilizations of the
Americas on Internet: Olmec, Aztec, Zapotec, Maya, Toltec,
Teotihuacan (Divide by groups)
HW: Finish PP presentations
HW: Be prepared for presentations:
instructor: 6 slides per page Research
11/21
Presentations are due (Monday only)
11/28
Presentations Continue (Mon and Wed)
print a handout for the
HW: Study for final
12/5
Test III preparations
12/12
Test 3: Chapters 6 and 7
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