HUM 101-1001: Introduction to Humanities
Fall Semester 2015
Instructor: Sara Netto
Class Meetings: Thursdays from 7:00 PM – 9:45 PM
Location: Carson Campus, Reynolds Building, Room 114
Instructor email: sara.netto@wnc.edu
Office Hours: Wed 4:00-5:00 and Thurs 5:30-6:30 in BRIS 350H or by appointment.
Units (Credits): 3
Academic Division: Liberal Arts
Prerequisites: None
Course Description
Offers an interdisciplinary approach to the humanities. Students study major works in art,
music, literature, and philosophy with historical framework.
Course Objectives
Upon course completion students are expected to:
* Use critical thinking and creativity to select and apply recognized methods
suitable for identifying and explaining major cultural forms at the introductory
level (GE 9).
* Express humanistic concepts and knowledge of artistic and musical forms in
substantially error free prose and oral presentations suitable in style and content
for a university-parallel course (GE 2).
* Describe diverse historical and/or contemporary themes and issues present in
artistic, musical, and literary forms (GE 5).
*Locate, evaluate, and appropriately use information from multiple resources to
complete projects, activities, and papers relating to the humanities (GE 4).
***These Course Objectives are in accordance with the WNC General Education Student
Learning Outcomes
Required Texts
* Philosophy and Literature: Truth, Beauty, Goodness, Commitment. Thompson, Cameron and
Peter Thompson. iUniverse: 2001
*Various supplemental readings (will be scanned and accessible online)
Grading Breakdown
Letter Grade
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
Percent Range
95-100
90-94
86-89
83-85
80-82
76-79
73-75
70-72
60-69
0-59
Comments
Outstanding Work
Excellent Work
Very Good Work
Good Work
Decent Work
Above Average Work
Average Work
Below Average Work
Not Passing Work
Failing Work
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Grading Criteria
In Class Participation
Reading Responses & HW
Essay 1
Essay 2 (Project)
Midterm
Final
15%
15%
15%
25%
15%
15%
In Class Participation
To get full participation points for each class, you must be present and complete any assigned
activities. These points may be earned by successfully participating in group activities and class
discussions as well as finishing short writing assignments and quizzes. If you are late, leave early,
or are absent, then you will miss some or all of the participation points for that day, and these
points CANNOT be made up.
A Note about Written Work
Reading Responses, Homework, and Essays should all be turned in typed, double-spaced, in
Times New Roman or similar font, and in MLA format, unless you are otherwise instructed. I
will not mark every error that you make in typed reading responses and essays, especially
grammatical and mechanics errors. I will give you feedback on major and repeated errors that you
make, but you are expected to turn in work that is revised and proofread to the best of your
abilities. For more feedback, please come see me or visit a tutor in the Academic Skills Center.
Reading Responses
Reading Responses are short writing assignments to check your engagement with the class
readings that you must complete before each class, unless otherwise instructed. They help me to
give you more feedback on your writing throughout the course and see how well you have
understood the material. The instructions for these reading responses will be listed on the course
schedule, announced in class, or posted online. Each response should be 150-200 words long
(approximately 1/2-2/3 page). You are expected to engage with any questions posed and the
readings in depth. These responses will be graded on a simple check-plus, check, check-minus
scale based on their focus, development with examples, and clarity of prose. You should use
specific examples and explanations throughout. Turn these in at the beginning of the class for full
possible points. You may turn in ONE late reading response over the course of the semester—
after that, you must turn in all reading responses on time for points.
Essay 1 and Essay 2
Essay 1 will be approximately 3-5 pages long, and Essay 2 will be approximately 6-8 pages long
and will involve more research. These essays will focus on analyzing some of the humanities
topics we will cover in class, and you will have some choice on what you write. You will be
expected to structure your essays with an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. These
essay projects may also involve outlines and/or presentations, which will be included in the total
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essay grade. We will go over the specifics of these assignments closer to the due dates. Keep in
mind that this class satisfies a Fine Arts requirement, so you will not be graded as particularly on
how you write, but more on what you write. However, you will still be expected to write clear
and nearly error free prose suitable for a college-level course. Late essays will go down in worth
5% for every class meeting they are late. Essays may be revised for a higher grade, but must be
turned in with the original essay attached before the end of the semester. You must turn in and
receive a passing grade on both of these essays in order to pass this course.
Midterm and Final Exams
These exams will consist of some mixture of short responses and short essay questions to be
completed during one class period in the middle of the semester and one class period at the end of
the semester. These exams will test your knowledge of the reading materials and your critical
thinking abilities pertaining to the humanities. They will be graded on a rubric that we will
discuss ahead of time. These exams must be taken on the day they are given in class unless there
are extreme circumstances. I reserve the right to deduct points on any exams taken late, as those
students will have an unfair advantage of additional study time.
Expected Classroom Etiquette
For this course, and all other college courses, you are expected by your instructor and fellow
classmates to conduct yourself in a way that promotes and maintains a positive learning
environment. Behavior that disrupts the learning environment is not permitted. To this end, cell
phones and other electronic devices must be kept silent and out of sight during class. Also, no
eating is allowed in the classroom, and all drinks should be kept in closed containers.
Furthermore, always strive to be respectful, inclusive, and considerate of your instructor and
fellow classmates during class discussions by listening thoughtfully to others and only letting one
person speak at a time.
Transfer Information
This course is designed to apply toward a WNC degree and/or transfer to other schools within the
Nevada System of Higher Education, depending on the degree chosen and other courses
completed. It may transfer to colleges and universities outside Nevada. For information about
how this course can transfer and apply to your program of study, please contact a counselor.
Academic Honesty Statement
The College is committed to academic integrity in all its practices. Cheating on papers, tests or
other academic works is a violation of College rules. No student shall engage in behavior that, in
the judgment of the instructor of the class, may be construed as cheating. This may include, but is
not limited to, plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty such as the acquisition without
permission of tests or other academic materials and/or distribution of these materials and other
academic work. This includes students who aid and abet as well as those who attempt such
behavior. BUYING an essay or willfully submitting someone else's work as your own are
instances of academic dishonesty that will result in failure of the class, at the very least. In a word
– do not even consider it. In addition, you may not turn in papers written for another class to
fulfill the assignments for this one. Acts of academic dishonesty will result in an F grade for an
assignment or for the course, based upon the discretion of the instructor. Please refer to the
student handbook for more information of the College’s academic dishonesty policies.
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Withdrawing or Dropping this Course
In order to withdraw from a class, a student must fill out the requisite paperwork before the final
withdrawal date. I will not withdraw you from this course; you must do it yourself! You will not
be given a grade of “W” if you stop attending class. You will earn a grade for work completed
during the semester unless you properly drop the course through the registration office. If a
student simply stops attending class, or fails to turn in major assignments, a grade of “F” will be
issued as the final grade. The last date to drop this course with a “W” is 10/29/2015. The last
day to change this course from credit to audit is 10/23/2015.
Tutoring and Getting Help for the Course
Students are strongly encouraged to seek additional help and feedback on their writing throughout
the semester. The WNC Academic Skills Center employs tutors who will assist you in your
efforts. Visit the Academic Skills Center website at http://www.wnc.edu/studentservices/asc/ to
review tutoring hours and more detailed contact information. Call 775-445-4260 to reach the
Academic Skills Center on the Carson Campus. Free online tutoring is also available through
Brainfuse and Smarthinking for WNC students. Access Smarthinking through the "Help" menu
in Canvas. Access Brainfuse by using the link provided on the library's web page:
http://library.wnc.edu/
Students with Disabilities
Western Nevada College supports providing equal access for students with disabilities. This
syllabus is available in alternate format upon request. If you have a disability for which you will
need to request accommodations, please contact Susan Trist, Coordinator for Disability Support
Services at 775-445-3268 or susan.trist@wnc.edu as soon as possible to arrange for appropriate
accommodations.
Right of Revision Statement
To better meet the needs of my students, I reserve the right to alter or revise the contents of this
syllabus and the course schedule of assignments and due dates at any time throughout the
semester.
*Your continued enrollment in this course means that you agree to the terms and conditions put
forth in this document.
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