Heartland Community College
Master Course Syllabus
Division name: Humanities and Fine Arts
COURSE PREFIX & NUMBER: HUMA 242
COURSE TITLE: British Culture and Society
DATE PREPARED: March 14, 1993
DATE REVISED: March, 2004
PCS/CIP/ID NO: 1.1 451001
IAI NO. (if available):
EFFECTIVE DATE OF FIRST CLASS: January 11, 1994
CREDIT HOURS: 3
CONTACT HOURS: 3
LECTURE HOURS: 3
LABORATORY HOURS: 0
CATALOG DESCRIPTION (Include specific prerequisites):
Prerequisite: ENGL 101 or equivalent with a grade of “C” or better. An examination of
contemporary social, cultural, and political life in Britain, focusing on such subjects as the
Monarchy and Parliament, the political parties and the electoral systems, media, art and
architecture, leisure and humor, the idea of "class," educational system, trade unions, and
geographical diversity. For study abroad program only.
TEXTBOOKS:
Coursepack. Students will also read and report on one or more recent works
literature. These will be selected individually in consultation with the instructor.
RELATIONSHIP TO ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND
TRANSFERABILITY:
HUMA 242 fulfills 3 hours of elective credit for the A.A. and A.S. degrees. It should
transfer to most colleges and universities as an elective course. However, since
HUMA 242 is not part of either the General Education Core Curriculum or
a baccalaureate major program described in the Illinois Articulation Initiative,
students should check with an academic advisor for information about its
transferability to other institutions. HUMA 242 fulfills the SOAR graduation
requirement at Heartland Community College.
COURSE OBJECTIVES (Learning Outcomes)
Students in this course will be able to:
Identify important historical, intellectual, and artistic
movements that have taken place in Britain.
Recognize some of the major works of painting,
architecture, literature, music, and philosophy that have
contributed to British culture and civilization.
Articulate and communicate major ideas that have
informed the principal intellectual and æsthetic
movements within British culture and civilization.
Identify the principal artists, writers, statesmen,
philosophers, scientists, and other intellectuals who
have made major contributions to British civilization
and culture.
Relate the art and thought of the past to the art and
thought of later periods and see the continuity between
past cultural achievements and subsequent ones.
Describe important social and political systems and
institutions in Britain and explain how they function.
Compare British social and political institutions and
cultural values and achievements to those of other
cultures, recognizing adaptations to and influences on
those cultures.
Articulate both in speech and in writing those personal
thoughts and observations that have come about due to
class assignments and discussions.
Identify appropriate topics for scholarly research in the
social life and culture of Great Britain, utilize standard
bibliographic and other research tools, select suitable
sources and methodology, and write papers presenting
the results of their research while observing the
conventions of scholarly discourse.
LO
Assessment
C7
test items, in and out of
class writings
D3
formal writing, oral
presentations
D3
test items, pop quizzes
D5
research based formal
writing, extended
writing
D1
extended writing,
research based formal
writing
C3
individual and
collaborative oral
presentations, formal
writing
research paper
C6
COURSE/LAB OUTLINE:
1. The Geography of Britain and Its Effect on British Life and Attitudes
2. The British Political System
3. Economic Life in Britain
4. Education
5. Art and Architecture
6. Popular Entertainment
7. The Media
8. Class in Britain
9. New Challenges to Social Cohesion
METHOD OF EVALUATION (Tests/Exams, Grading System):
Course grades will be a compilation of scores on classroom discussion, quizzes (2), a journal,
one long or three short papers totaling at least 12 pages, and a comprehensive final
exam. The papers as a group will comprise one-third of the semester grade; the two quizzes
(along with credit for class discussion) as a group, one-third; and the final exam, one-third.
Final grades will be determined according to the following scale:
92 to 100% = A
83 to 91% = B
74 to 82% = C
65 to 73% = D
Below 65% = F
REQUIRED WRITING AND READING:
Students will be required to purchase a coursepack of reading selections. They will also
purchase one or more recent works of fiction (to be selected in consultation with the
instructor).
Journals will consist of short (2-3 pages) reflective essays on the readings in the coursepack
and the sites visited. Students will also write either three short (5-7 pages) papers or one
longer (12-15 pages) paper on topics approved by the instructor.