SADDLEBACK COLLEGE
DEPARTMENT OF HUMANITIES
HUMANITIES 1 B: CULTURE, SCIENCE, SOCIETY II
FALL 2 13 SYLLABUS
Scott Farthing, D.M.A.
E-mail: sfarthing@saddleback.edu
Phone: 949-582-4751 Office: FA 110
Alannah Rosenberg, Ph.D.
E-mail: arosenberg@saddleback.edu
Phone: 949-582-4854 Office: BGS 348
SCOPE
The Humanities 10 sequence is designed to explore the continuity of cultural traditions through a study of major
works of history, literature, philosophy, social thought, fine arts, and the sciences, and to compare and contrast
the modes of inquiry characteristic of those disciplines. This course is open to all students but required of every
Honors Program student. Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Recognize, analyze, and discuss a number of diverse scholarly perspectives concerning the humanities
heritage of the postmodern world.
2. Complete a close, critical reading of primary texts and artifacts.
3. Examine explicit models and techniques of reasoning used since the Western Enlightenment.
4. Conceptualize research problems and prepare a documented research paper.
5. Prepare a hermeneutical analysis of a masterwork of the period; this may be done via representational
passages for larger works.
6. Discuss and analyze the artistic significance of a major artifact of the period.
Doesn’t that sound dreadful?
Yes, but the bureaucracy wants everyone to put Student Learning Outcomes on the syllabi. You’ll probably not
notice any of the above is happening as it does. Well, you’ll probably notice the “documented research paper.”
The rest are skills you’ll develop in the process of doing our study. What you will notice is that we’ll be studying
Disneyland from a variety of perspectives. Disneyland is our portion of the “postmodern world,” our “primary text,”
our “artifact,” and our “masterwork of the period.” Think of the class as “The Magic, The Memories, Some Tests
and Presentations and a Paper, and You.”
REQUIRED READING
If you buy your books online, you are responsible to make sure you get them in time to complete assignments.
You will need these books right away.
Boorstin, Daniel J.
The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America.
New York: Vintage Books, 2012.
ISBN: 978-0-6797-4180-0
(If you get an earlier edition, let us know. We’ll have some copies of the 2012 “Afterword.”)
Jackson, Kathy Merlock and Mark I. West, eds.
Disneyland and Culture: Essays on the Parks and Their Influence.
North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 2012.
ISBN: 978-0-7864-4372-7
Rabinovitz, Lauren.
Electric Dreamland: Amusement Parks, Movies, and American Modernity.
New York: Columbia University Press, 2012.
ISBN: 978-0-2311-5661-5
A few journal articles are required, and we’ll read from two master’s theses on Disney. Also, handouts will
occasionally be distributed or made available online.
GRADING
20%
40%
40%
Class participation (including written work assigned or done in class)
Research project (an argumentative thesis)
10%
Abstract
15%
Outline and annotated bibliography
15%
Final paper with works cited
You will receive instructions and grading standards the research project, and help developing it.
Although the items are graded separately, it is true that a poor abstract will make it harder
to write a good outline, and a poor outline will make it harder to write a good final paper.
Exams (15%, 15%, and 10% -- the Final Exam is an oral presentation of your research paper)
Note: Generally, written assignments for class participation will not be accepted late. We reserve the right to
accept, or refuse to accept, late items. If something is accepted late, we may grade it at a discount. If you miss a
midterm exam, we may increase the weight of the final exam or provide an alternate midterm during finals week.
CALENDAR
Our projected calendar is below, but this may have to change depending upon our guest lecturers.
EXPECTED COMPETENCIES
Humanities 10 is not only an Honors course, it is the core Honors course. It is because of the rigors of this course
that our transfer partners allow you to take only five Honors classes while most other community colleges require
six. Humanities 10 demands strong reading, writing and critical thinking skills. Expect to be challenged.
READING: The books and other materials we will be using are not introductory textbooks. Although some
were created with the classroom in mind, they have no discussion questions, companion websites, box highlights
or any other pedagogical tools. You will have to read thoughtfully, taking your own notes.
WRITING: Individuals who have completed English 1A and 1B have a distinct advantage in the Honors
Humanities core courses, and for this reason we encourage students not to take this course in their first year.
Essay exams, a paper, and other written projects will be assigned. You should be able to write argumentative and
critical essays rather than simple descriptive ones.
CRITICAL THINKING: Identification, description, summarization and reporting are all necessary skills to
success in any college course, but here they are not sufficient. In an Honors course, we expect you to
demonstrate skills such as analysis, comparison, contrast, interpretation, differentiation, evaluation, discussion
and even discovery. (Example: correctly identifying the different sections of Disneyland is on the level of what’s
“necessary.” Higher-order thinking might be analyzing the reasons the lands were placed as they were, or the
effect that has on visitors, etc., is critical thinking.) Be prepared to work with the texts actively!
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
If you have a documented disability and need accommodations for this class, please see us as soon as possible.
If you have a disability but have not worked through Saddleback’s DSPS office, do that immediately, since all
accommodation must be made through them. Phone: 949-582-4885. Website: http://www.saddleback.edu/dsps/
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Any breach of academic honesty may result in an F on an assignment or for the entire course; dishonesty
on one assignment will throw into doubt all good performance on other assignments. We will also submit
Academic Dishonesty Reports to the College. Be aware that you may not be certified as an Honors Program
student or participate in any Honors Program transfer agreements with a record of academic dishonesty.
We will review what plagiarism is, which we do not expect you to know beforehand, but we expect you to
behave accordingly thereafter. If you are in any doubt as to what constitutes cheating on an in-class exam, please
let us know.
STUDENT BEHAVIOR STANDARDS
PROFESSORIAL BEHAVIOR STANDARDS:
IN THE CLASSROOM:
IN THE CLASSROOM:
 Come to class on time.
 Come to class on time.
 No open laptops. Take paper notes.
 No illegible writing.
 Turn off cell phones and anything else
that might make distracting noises.
 Turn off cell phones and anything else
that might make distracting noises.
 Do not leave and re-enter class
(unless called out by college
personnel).
 Do not leave and re-enter class
(unless called out by college personnel
or getting something needed for class).
 We may discuss sensitive topics. Be
polite to your fellow students and
respectful of their academic freedom.
 Be polite to students and respectful of
their academic freedom.
 In general, promote and protect the
classroom as a safe and welcoming,
although challenging, learning
environment.
BEFORE AND AFTER CLASS:
 Submit all written work on time, typed,
double-spaced, in the MLA format
appropriate to that assignment, and
stapled if more than one page. We do
not carry staples or other equipment.
 Forward your Saddleback College email or check it regularly on MySite.
E-mails sent to the whole class rely
on those.
 When e-mail one of us, send a copy
to the other.
 If you are ever absent, go to
Professor Rosenberg’s office hours to
see whether you missed a handout or
a returned assignment. We do not
carry them around.
 Expect to be challenged, but if you’re
overwhelmed, let us know - early!
 In general, promote and protect the
classroom as a safe and welcoming,
although challenging, learning
environment.
BEFORE AND AFTER CLASS:
 Grade written work in a timely fashion, in
legible handwriting or typed note,
according to the grading rubric given to
students if applicable.
 Regularly check our Saddleback College
e-mail, and reply in a timely fashion (two
school days).
 When one of us sends an e-mail to you,
make sure the other has a copy too.
 Be welcoming in office hours, polite in emails, receptive to criticism (after we
pout a little), and helpful with issues that
might interfere with your success.
 Respect your privacy by keeping your
work and keeping your grades
confidential.
 Strive to challenge you but not frustrate
you more than necessary.
We have a right to proper behavior from each other. Please let us know if we do not treat you with
respect, act professionally, honor your academic freedom to dissent, grade fairly and promptly,
answer your calls and e-mails promptly, make you feel welcome in office hours, or respond to
issues you have that might interfere with your successful learning.
Reading Schedule for Humanities 10B: Disneyland in the Postmodern World
Readings are to be finished before Tuesday of each week. DB = Boorstin
JW = Jackson & West
LR = Rabinovitz
WEEK
READING
Aug 20
JW pp. 1-2: Introduction
JW pp. 5-18: King & O’Boyle: The Theme Park: The Art of Time and Space
JW pp. 223-26: King: The Disney Effect: Fifty Years After Theme Park Design
Aug 27
DB pp. 3-6: Introduction: Extravagant Expectations
DB pp. 7-44 (Ch. 1): From News Gathering to News Making: A Flood of Pseudo-Events
Handout: Disney Institute, Be Our Guest: Perfecting the Art of Customer Service (excerpt)
Sept 5
(no class
Tues.)
DB pp. vii-viii: Foreword to the 25th Anniversary Edition
DB pp. ix-x: Foreword to the First Edition
DB pp. 263-68: Rushkoff: Afterword to the Vintage Edition (2012)
Handout: Eco, Travels in Hyperreality, pp. 3-58
Sept 10
JW pp. 37-58: Newman: Disneyland’s Main Street, U.S.A., and Its Sources in Hollywood, U.S.A.
JW pp. 29-33: West: Animator as Architect: Disney’s Role in the Creation of Children’s Architecture
JW pp. 150-168: Detweiler: Hyperurbanity: Idealism, New Urbanism, and the Politics of Hyperreality in
the Town of Celebration, Florida
Sept 17
Handout: Baudrillard: The Precession of Simulacra (excerpt)
JW pp. 215-22: Scibelli: Forget the Prozac, Give Me a Dose of Disney
Sept 24
DB pp. 45-76 (Ch. 2): From Hero to Celebrity: The Human Pseudo-Event
JW pp. 207-14: Jackson: Autographs for Tots: The Marketing of Stars to Children
Oct 1
EXAM #1 Tuesday
Handout or Reserve (TBA): Walsh: Land use beyond the berm: the evolution of the Disneyland environs
Oct 8
LR pp. 1-23 (Ch. 1): Introduction: Artificial Distractions
Handout or Reserve (TBA): Kasson, Amusing the Million: Coney Island at the Turn of the Century (excerpt)
Oct 15
ABSTRACT DUE Tuesday
LR pp. 24-64 (Ch. 2): Urban Wonderlands: The “Cracked Mirror” of Turn-of-the-Century Amusement Parks
JW pp. 107-21:Svorkin: A Southern California Boyhood in the Simu-Southland Shadows of Walt Disney’s
Enchanted Tiki Room
Oct 22
DB pp. 77-117 (Ch. 3): From Traveler to Tourist: The Lost Art of Travel
LR pp. 66-94 (Ch. 3): Thrill Ride Cinema: Hale’s Tours and Scenes of the World
Oct 29
ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND OUTLINE DUE Tuesday
Handout or Reserve (TBA): Nooshin: Circumnavigation with a Difference? Music, Representation
and the Disney Experience: ‘It’s a Small, Small World’
JW pp. 87-100: Rahn: The Dark Ride of Snow White: Narrative Strategies at Disneyland
JW pp. 101-07: West: Tom Sawyer Island: Mark Twain, Walt Disney, and the Literary Playground
Nov 5
Handout or Reserve (TBA): Scalera: You’re On Stage at Disney World: An Analysis of Main Street, USA
in the Magic Kingdom
JW pp. 59-86: Francaviglia: Frontierland as an Allegorical Map of the American West
JW pp. 195-206: Howe: Vacation in Historyland
Nov 12
(Continued discussion of previous week’s readings)
EXAM #2 Thursday
Nov 19
RESEARCH PAPER DUE Tuesday
DB pp. 118-180 (Ch. 4): From Shapes to Shadows: Dissolving Forms
JW pp. 19-28: Jackson: Synergystic Disney: New Directions for Mickey and Media in 1954-1955
Nov 26
(no class
Thurs.)
LR pp. 96-134 (Ch. 4): The Miniature and the Giant: Postcards and Early Cinema
JW pp. 171-182: Telotte: Theme Parks and Film – Play and Players
JW pp. 183-194: Brode: Of Theme Parks and Television: Walt Disney, Rod Serling, and the Politics
of Nostalgia
Dec 3
LR pp. 136-61 (Ch. 5): Coney Island Comedies: Slapstick at the Amusement Park and the Movies
LR pp. 162-74 (Ch. 6): Conclusion: The Fusion of Movies and the Amusement Parks
Dec 10
Student presentations of research paper
Dec 17
FINAL EXAM CLASS MEETING TIME 3:00 – 5:00 pm: Student Presentations of research paper
SPECIAL EVENTS
Guest lectures:
We will have several guest lectures throughout the semester during class periods. The readings are
designed to go around them, but there are no final dates yet. Material from guest lectures may appear
on tests or figure significantly in discussion or class assignments.
TBA:
Field trips:
We will have at least one and possibly two field trips to the Disneyland environs, depending upon the
availability of one of our guest lecturers. A special-rate one-park ticket will be available ($64), but for
those who choose not to enter the park alternatives will be available. Field trips are not legally
mandatory under our circumstances, but we believe they will very much enhance your learning here!