UCC/UGC/ECCC
Proposal for New Course
Please attach proposed Syllabus in approved university format.
1. Course subject and number:
HUM 195
2. Units:
See upper and lower division undergraduate course definitions.
3. College: Arts and Letters
4. Academic Unit:
3
Comparative Cultural
Studies
5. Student Learning Outcomes of the new course. (Resources & Examples for Developing Course Learning
Outcomes)
The student will be able to:
 Define the humanities and describe the social usefulness and application of the humanities
to public life
 Experience and collect information about an activity or event related to public history,
communities, environment and sustainability, values, art, and expression.
 Analyze how the experience promotes meaning, awareness, and appreciation for diverse
cultural, aesthetic, ideological, and disciplinary perspectives
 Develop practical, well-reasoned, historically aware, and culturally sensitive models or
theories to facilitate just and sustainable social and environmental change in the interest of
public issues, concerns, and decisions.
6. Justification for new course, including how the course contributes to degree program outcomes,
or other university requirements / student learning outcomes. (Resources, Examples & Tools for Developing
Effective Program Student Learning Outcomes).
HUM 195 is the gateway course to the emphasis in Public Humanities. As such, it provides
students with an introduction to the humanities and experiential practice in applying the
humanities to public life. Students will be introduced to program learning outcomes in this
class, especially interdisciplinarity, critical thinking, and civic discourse. To meet these
outcomes, students will experience and collect information about an activity or event related
to public history, communities, environment, activities, values, art, and expression
7. Effective BEGINNING of what term and year?
See effective dates calendar.
8. Long course title: HUMANITIES IN ACTION
(max 100 characters including spaces)
9. Short course title: HUMANITIES IN ACTION
(max. 30 characters including spaces)
Effective Fall 2012
Fall 2015
10. Catalog course description (max. 60 words, excluding requisites):
This course is an introduction to the Public Humanities, an area of study and action that
examines how people apply humanistic learning to public life and how they use public/virtual
spaces to process and document the human experience. In order to observe the Public
Humanities in action, students will be engaged in various real-time and virtual field trips.
11. Will this course be part of any plan (major, minor or certificate) or sub plan (emphasis)?
Yes
If yes, include the appropriate plan proposal.
Comparative Cultural Studies; B.A.
No
12. Does this course duplicate content of existing courses?
Yes
No
If yes, list the courses with duplicate material. If the duplication is greater than 20%, explain why
NAU should establish this course.
13. Will this course impact any other academic unit’s enrollment or plan(s)?
Yes
No
If yes, describe the impact. If applicable, include evidence of notification to and/or response from
each impacted academic unit
14. Grading option:
Letter grade
Pass/Fail
Both
15. Co-convened with:
14a. UGC approval date*:
(For example: ESE 450 and ESE 550) See co-convening policy.
*Must be approved by UGC before UCC submission, and both course syllabi must be presented.
16. Cross-listed with:
(For example: ES 450 and DIS 450) See cross listing policy.
Please submit a single cross-listed syllabus that will be used for all cross-listed courses.
17. May course be repeated for additional units?
16a. If yes, maximum units allowed?
16b. If yes, may course be repeated for additional units in the same
term?
Yes
No
Yes
No
18. Prerequisites:
None
If prerequisites, include the rationale for the prerequisites.
19. Co requisites:
None
If co requisites, include the rationale for the co requisites.
20. Does this course include combined lecture and lab components?
Effective Fall 2012
Yes
No
If yes, include the units specific to each component in the course description above.
Gioia Woods, Aileen Farrar,
Judith Costello, Daniel Moore,
21. Names of the current faculty qualified to teach this course:
Krista Rodin, Astrid Klocke
22. Classes scheduled before the regular term begins and/or after the regular term ends may require
additional action. Review “see description” and “see impacts” for “Classes Starting/Ending
Outside Regular Term” under the heading “Forms”
http://nau.edu/Registrar/Faculty-Resources/Schedule-of-Classes-Maintenance/.
Do you anticipate this course will be scheduled outside the regular term?
Yes
No
23. Is this course being proposed for Liberal Studies designation?
If yes, include a Liberal Studies proposal and syllabus with this proposal.
Yes
No
24. Is this course being proposed for Diversity designation?
If yes, include a Diversity proposal and syllabus with this proposal.
Yes
No
Answer 22-23 for UCC/ECCC only:
FLAGSTAFF MOUNTAIN CAMPUS
Scott Galland
Reviewed by Curriculum Process Associate
2/182/2015
Date
Approvals:
Department Chair/Unit Head (if appropriate)
Date
Chair of college curriculum committee
Date
Dean of college
Date
For Committee use only:
UCC/UGC Approval
Approved as submitted:
Approved as modified:
EXTENDED CAMPUSES
Effective Fall 2012
Date
Yes
Yes
No
No
Reviewed by Curriculum Process Associate
Date
Approvals:
Academic Unit Head
Date
Division Curriculum Committee (Yuma, Yavapai, or Personalized Learning)
Date
Division Administrator in Extended Campuses (Yuma, Yavapai, or Personalized
Learning)
Date
Faculty Chair of Extended Campuses Curriculum Committee (Yuma, Yavapai, or
Personalized Learning)
Date
Chief Academic Officer; Extended Campuses (or Designee)
Date
Approved as submitted:
Approved as modified:
Effective Fall 2012
Yes
Yes
No
No
College of Arts and Letters
Comparative Cultural Studies
HUM 195 – Humanities in Action
General Information
 Department of Comparative Cultural Studies, College of Arts & Letters
 Humanities 195: Humanities in Action
 Fall 2015
 3.0 credit hours
 Gioia Woods, Ph.D.
 Riles 103
 Mondays 1-3, Tuesdays 12-1 & by appt
Course Prerequisites
none
Course Description
The humanities is the study of how people process and document the human experience. The
humanities are indispensable to public life. The accumulated wisdom of global traditions help us, as
individuals and communities, analyze and act upon the issues that vex us. Teaching, learning, and
research into the ways humanities matter to public life is urgently needed and increasingly called
upon in the 21st-first century. Cultural literacy and skills in comparative analysis and interpretation are
crucial not just to arts and cultural organizations, but to fields as diverse as medicine, business,
technology, and public policy.
This course is an introduction to the Public Humanities, an area of study and action that examines
how people apply humanistic learning to public life and how they use public/virtual spaces to process
and document the human experience. In order to observe the Public Humanities in action, students
will be engaged in various real-time and virtual field trips.
HUM 195 introduces students to the Public Humanities, potential academic and career opportunities,
and questions such as:
 What is humanistic learning?
 How are the humanities central to public life now and in the past?
 How have the humanities been used to make political, personal, and social decisions?
 How can the humanities help people become engaged, solve problems, and contribute to good
and sustainable communities?
In this course, students will survey historical and contemporary examples of the humanities in action.
Then, students will plan, organize, and implement a public humanities project of their own.
Effective Fall 2012
Liberal Studies Information
1. Mission of Liberal Studies: HUM 195 introduces students to historical and contemporary
methods of using humanistic learning in a dramatically changing world. To do so, students are
required to plan and implement a public humanities project. In this way, students will
 Prepare to live responsible, productive, and creative lives as citizens through humanistic
and social engagement
 Encounter community issues relating to cultural and environmental sustainability
 Explore the dynamics and tensions inherent in a dramatically changing world
2. Distribution Block: Humanities 195 fulfills the Aesthetic and Humanistic Inquiry block
because it introduces students to thinking about the relationship between context (cultural,
religious, and political frames) and human expression (values embodied in verbal, visual, and
oral texts).
3. Essential Skills: Humanities 195 fulfills one essential skill designated by Liberal Studies:
Effective oral communication, because students are required to connect with audiences to
communicate humanistic values
Student Learning Expectations/Outcomes for this Course
At the end of this course, the successful student will be able to describe some traditions and events
that have created the dynamics and tensions of the world, and describe some practices for ethical
and responsible living. Specifically, he/she will be able to:
 Define the humanities and describe the social usefulness and application of the humanities to
public life
 Experience and collect information about an activity or event related to public history,
communities, environment and sustainability, values, art, and expression.
 Analyze how the experience promotes meaning, awareness, and appreciation for diverse cultural,
aesthetic, ideological, and disciplinary perspectives
 Develop practical, well-reasoned, historically aware, and culturally sensitive models or theories to
facilitate just and sustainable social and environmental change in the interest of public issues,
concerns, and decisions.
Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes
Students will demonstrate their ability to describe traditions and events that have and do employ
humanistic learning to public life by
 Midterm exam to assess comprehension of reading material, discussions, and lectures: 100
points each
 Public project in which students will experience, analyze, and define the public humanities.
500 points (effective communication)
 Reflection essay: “Why do the humanities matter?” As a final synthesis assignment, students
will be expected to write a 4-5 page persuasive essay. 100 points
 Presentation: summary of project and research. 100 points. (effective oral communication)
Effective Fall 2012

Participation and engagement: active participation in field trips, discussion, group work, and
brainstorming required. This will be assessed by instructor evaluation and weekly minute
papers 100 points (effective communication)
90% and above = A; 80%-89% = B; 70%-79% = C; 60-69% = D
Course structure/approach
Humanities 195 is a blended course. It meets 50% face-to-face and 50% in an online environment.
This format ensures the cultivation of discussion skills in and out of virtual spaces, necessary for the
successful pursuit of the public humanities. The course is modeled after Kolb’s experiential learning
cycle and thus engages students in 1. Concrete experience (field trip, community project, or other
form of public engagement) 2. Reflective observation, 3. Abstract conceptualization and 4. Active
planning or experimentation. Please see appendix A for a list of potential public humanities projects.
Textbook and required materials
Readings, virtual visits, and visual art on Bblearn
Course policy
 Retests/makeup tests: no late work or make up tests allowed without institutional or medical
excuse. If students are having trouble meeting a deadline, please consult with instructor.
 Attendance: meaning is made in collaboration, and in a discussion class such as this,
attendance is crucial! Final course grade may be lowered after three unexcused absences.
 Statement on plagiarism and cheating
Course outline
Week One
What are the humanities? What are the public humanities?
Virtual visit: The National Endowment for the Humanities
Reading: “Hey, college kids: major in John Oliver and Neil Degrass Tyson,” Aaron Hanlon,
Salon.comhttp://www.salon.com/2014/11/15/hey_college_kids_major_in_john_oliver_and_neil_degra
sse_tyson/
Minute paper 1
Week Two
Reading: “Bonfire of the Humanities,” David Armitage and Jo Guldi, Aeon
http://aeon.co/magazine/society/how-history-forgot-its-role-in-public-debate/
And “Custodians and Active Citizens,” Robert Hanson
Minute paper 2
Week Three
Working together: workshop on collaboration and inquiry
Public Humanities: Identifying your project, connecting with community partners
Minute paper 3
Effective Fall 2012
Week Four
Reading: “Live Classics, Or, What’s the Use of Aeschylus in Darfur?” Mary Beard
Public Humanities: Identifying your project, connecting with community partners
Minute paper 4
Week Five
Public History
Reading: “The Use and Abuse of National History,” Jonathon Bate and “History and Public Policy”
Simon Szreter
Virtual Visit: National Parks
Guest Speaker: Michael Amundson, Director of Master’s Program in Public History at NAU
Due: project proposal
Minute paper 5
Week Six
Sustainability and public humanities
Reading: “Living Landscapes” Stephen Daniels and Ben Cowell
Cultural sustainability, environmental sustainability, food matters…
Due: project update in Bblearn
Minute paper 6
Week Seven
Public Humanities and the creative industries
Reading: “’All this Useless Beauty’: The Hidden Value of Research in Art and Design” Mike Press
Due: project update in Bblearn
Minute paper 7
Week Eight
Reading: “Sorting the Sheep from the Sheep: Value, Worth, and the Creative Industries”
Midterm on Bblearn
Week Nine
Public Humanities and Visual Art
Reading: “10 Pivotal Moments for Digital Arts in 2012” Kyle Chaika, Salon.com
http://www.salon.com/2012/12/31/10_pivotal_moments_for_digital_art_in_2012/
And “The Value of Art and the Art of Evaluation” Ronan McDonald
Minute paper 8
Week Ten
Language Matters
Reading: “Language Matters 2: Modern Languages” Michael Kelly
And “Hard Cases, Hard Times, and the Humanity of Law” Gary Watt
Minute paper 9
Effective Fall 2012
Week Eleven
Implementation phase of public humanities project
Week Twelve
Public Humanities and making meaning
Reading: “Philosophy and the Quest for the Unpredictable” Nicholas Davey
Implementation, continued
Week Thirteen
Implementation and evaluation
Week Fourteen
Reflection paper “Why do the humanities Matter?” and in class-presentation
Week Fifteen
Class presentations, continued. Synthesis: Why do the humanities matter?
Humanities 195: Humanities in Action
Proposed Experiential Learning Projects
In the following experiential learning projects, students will
 Experience and collect information about an activity or event related to public history,
communities, environment, activities, values, art, and expression
 Analyze how the experience promotes meaning, awareness, and appreciation for diverse cultural,
aesthetic, ideological, and disciplinary perspectives
 Develop practical, well-reasoned, historically aware, and culturally sensitive models or theories to
facilitate just and sustainable social and environmental change in the interest of public issues,
concerns, and decisions.
Virtual Projects
“Virtual Museum, Monuments, and Site Tours”
Of locations such as the National Museum of Natural History, Louvre Museum, British
Museum, Holocaust History Museum, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, and Statue
of Liberty
“Virtual Community Engagement”
Via social, art, and discussion board communities such as Wikipedia, Facebook,
WordPress, Second Life, DeviantArt, Dulwich onView, and Elfwood
Regional Projects
“Connecting with Festivals and Events”
Of festivals such as the Flagstaff Mountain Film Festival, Heritage Festival, Hopi All
Native Arts & Cultural Festival, Mushroom Festival, Flagstaff Art in the Park, Flagstaff
Festival of Science, Grand Canyon Salsa Festival, Pickin’ in the Pines Bluegrass and
Effective Fall 2012
Acoustic Music Festival, and Greek Festival as well as events hosted by the Museum of
Northern Arizona, Flagstaff City Public Library, and Northern Arizona University
“Regional Museum, Monuments, and Site Tours”
Of locations such as the Museum of Northern Arizona, Lowell Observatory, Fort Tuthill
Military History Museum, Arboretum at Flagstaff, Coconino Center for the Arts, Sedona
Heritage Museum, Arcosanti, Wupatki National Monument, and Walnut Canyon
National Monument
Virtual and/or Regional Projects
“Independent Local Field Trip”
To be established individually between instructor and student based on local
availabilities
“Cultural, Community, and Environmental Sustainability”
Via participation in community and crowdsourcing projects and organizations such as
the Masterpiece Art Program of Flagstaff, Flagstaff Family Food Center, Assistance
League of Flagstaff Cedar Closet, Second Chance Center for Animals, Coconino
Humane Association, Arboretum at Flagstaff, City of Flagstaff Environmental Services,
Habitat for Humanity Flagstaff, SepiaTown, Tales of Things and Electronic Memory
(TOTeM), HistoryPin, “What’s on the Menu” with NY Public Library, World Memory
Project, Wanganui Alexander Research Library Digital Volunteers in Transcription, DIY
History with University of Iowa, Notes from Nature, Smithsonian Digital Volunteers in
Transcription, Cambridge Public Library Historic Newspaper Collection Digital
Volunteers in OCR Correction, Victoria and Albert Museum Crowdsourcing
NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY
POLICY STATEMENTS FOR COURSE SYLLABI
SAFE ENVIRONMENT POLICY
NAU’s Safe Working and Learning Environment Policy prohibits sexual harassment and assault, and
discrimination and harassment on the basis of sex, race, color, age, national origin, religion, sexual
orientation, gender identity, disability, or veteran status by anyone at this university. Retaliation of any
kind as a result of making a complaint under the policy or participating in an investigation is also
prohibited. The Director of the Office of Affirmative Action & Equal Opportunity (AA/EO) serves as the
university’s compliance officer for affirmative action, civil rights, and Title IX, and is the ADA/504
Coordinator. AA/EO also assists with religious accommodations. You may obtain a copy of this policy
from the college dean’s office or from the NAU’s Affirmative Action website nau.edu/diversity/. If you
have questions or concerns about this policy, it is important that you contact the departmental chair,
dean’s office, the Office of Student Life (928-523-5181), or NAU’s Office of Affirmative Action (928)
523-3312 (voice), (928) 523-9977 (fax), (928) 523-1006 (TTD) or aaeo@nau.edu.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
If you have a documented disability, you can arrange for accommodations by contacting Disability
Resources (DR) at 523-8773 (voice) or 523-6906 (TTY), dr@nau.edu (e-mail) or 928-523-8747 (fax).
Students needing academic accommodations are required to register with DR and provide required
Effective Fall 2012
disability related documentation. Although you may request an accommodation at any time, in order
for DR to best meet your individual needs, you are urged to register and submit necessary
documentation (www.nau.edu/dr) 8 weeks prior to the time you wish to receive accommodations. DR
is strongly committed to the needs of student with disabilities and the promotion of Universal Design.
Concerns or questions related to the accessibility of programs and facilities at NAU may be brought to
the attention of DR or the Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity (523-3312).
ACADEMIC CONTACT HOUR POLICY
Based on the Arizona Board of Regents Academic Contact Hour Policy (ABOR Handbook, 2-224), for
every unit of credit, a student should expect, on average, to do a minimum of three hours of work per
week, including but not limited to class time, preparation, homework, studying.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Integrity is expected of every member of the NAU community in all academic undertakings. Integrity
entails a firm adherence to a set of values, and the values most essential to an academic community
are grounded in honesty with respect to all intellectual efforts of oneself and others. Academic
integrity is expected not only in formal coursework situations, but in all University relationships and
interactions connected to the educational process, including the use of University resources. An NAU
student’s submission of work is an implicit declaration that the work is the student’s own. All outside
assistance should be acknowledged, and the student’s academic contribution truthfully reported at all
times. In addition, NAU students have a right to expect academic integrity from each of their peers.
Individual students and faculty members are responsible for identifying potential violations of the
university’s academic integrity policy. Instances of potential violations are adjudicated using the
process found in the university Academic Integrity Policy. The complete policy is in Appendix G of
NAU's Student Handbook.
RESEARCH INTEGRITY
The Responsible Conduct of Research policy is intended to insure that NAU personnel including NAU
students engaged in research are adequately trained in the basic principles of ethics in research.
Additionally, this policy assists NAU in meeting the RCR training and compliance requirements of the
National Science Foundation (NSF)-The America COMPETES Act (Creating Opportunities to
Meaningfully Promote Excellence in Technology, Education and Science); 42 U.S.C 18620-1, Section
7009, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) policy on the instruction of the RCR (NOT-OD-10019; “Update on the Requirement for Instruction in the Responsible Conduct of Research”). For more
information on the policy and the training activities required for personnel and students conducting
research, at NAU, visit: http://nau.edu/Research/Compliance/Research-Integrity/.
SENSITIVE COURSE MATERIALS
University education aims to expand student understanding and awareness. Thus, it necessarily
involves engagement with a wide range of information, ideas, and creative representations. In the
course of college studies, students can expect to encounter—and critically appraise—materials that
may differ from and perhaps challenge familiar understandings, ideas, and beliefs. Students are
encouraged to discuss these matters with faculty.
Effective Fall 2012
CLASSROOM DISRUPTION POLICY
Membership in the academic community places a special obligation on all participants to preserve an
atmosphere conducive to a safe and positive learning environment. Part of that obligation implies the
responsibility of each member of the NAU community to maintain an environment in which the
behavior of any individual is not disruptive. Instructors have the authority and the responsibility to
manage their classes in accordance with University regulations. Instructors have the right and
obligation to confront disruptive behavior thereby promoting and enforcing standards of behavior
necessary for maintaining an atmosphere conducive to teaching and learning. Instructors are
responsible for establishing, communicating, and enforcing reasonable expectations and rules of
classroom behavior. These expectations are to be communicated to students in the syllabus and in
class discussions and activities at the outset of the course. Each student is responsible for behaving
in a manner that supports a positive learning environment and that does not interrupt nor disrupt the
delivery of education by instructors or receipt of education by students, within or outside a class. The
complete classroom disruption policy is in Appendices of NAU’s Student Handbook .
Effective Summer 2014
Approved UCC – 1/28/14
Approved UGC – 2/12/14
Effective Fall 2012