Humanities 102 Spring 2011
Laurel Corona
Phone: 619 388 3597
Office Hours: MW 1:30-2:25, TuTh 2:00-3:30
Office C-206
Email: lcorona@sdccd.edu
Texts: Henry Sayre, The Humanities: Culture, Continuity, and Change (Books 4-5-6 or
volume 2), Candide, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Course Description: This interdisciplinary course is designed for students interested in
meeting general education requirements in humanities. The course develops students'
understanding and appreciation of humankind's cultural heritage from approximately
1400CE to the present time. A survey is made of the literature, philosophy, music,
painting, architecture, and sculpture of both Western and non-Western civilizations.
Because it is an introduction, the course will provide both a broad overview and more
specific focus on a few areas. At the end of the course you should have a general idea of
human achievement in the eras and civilizations covered, as well as a slightly more
specific understanding of a few such achievements. I hope that this course will prompt
you to take other courses which can round out your understanding and knowledge.
Student Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the course you should be able to:
1. Define and analyze some of the world civilizations from approximately 1400CE to the
present time.
2. Assess the influence of geographical, social, and historical factors on these
civilizations.
3. Interpret, analyze, and criticize disciplines in the arts, literature, and philosophy of
these cultures.
4. Interpret, analyze, and criticize the origins, forms and content of some of the arts,
literature, and philosophy of the various periods and cultures studied.
Course Requirements:
Tests/Final: You will have three tests and a final (test 4), consisting of objective
questions and short essays. Each counts equally, and they are not cumulative. To assist
you in doing well, during the exam you may use a limited amount of notes you have
personally taken (these limitations will be explained before test 1). You may not use the
book or photocopied pages from the book or study guide, and you may not access a
laptop or other electronic device during the test.
Papers: You will have two papers of approximately 1200 words each. You must use
proper MLA form for the papers. Do not make up your own way of presenting a paper.
Nothing other than MLA format is acceptable. How to do this is taught in English 101, so
if you have not yet taken that course, I encourage you to get a good English handbook or
go to the library and ask for their handouts on MLA style, or seek help at the English
Center.
The point of assigning papers is not first and foremost to teach me something, although it
very often works out that way. The point is that you learn something. For it to work out
this way, you must understand the concept of original work and its opposite, plagiarism.
Write in your own words to show that you understand something, even if you think
someone else writes better than you do. In addition to the learning experience lost by
copying or pasting rather than writing something yourself, giving the impression that you
have written something yourself when you have not actually done so is plagiarism, a
serious form of academic and intellectual dishonesty. Put as simply as possible, any
words written by another person must be quoted and cited to show that it is not your
original work. To ensure that you get full credit for doing your own work, and to ensure
that only those doing their own work get credit for it, all papers must be processed
through Turnitin.com. This is an online service that checks student work against what is
available on the internet and gives each paper an originality report. Papers with uncited
cut-and-pasted material (or other evidence of plagiarism), are subject to a failing grade
for the assignment. Submitting your papers both in hard copy to me and online through
Turnitin.com is a requirement for this course. Papers not submitted through Turnitin will
not be read, resulting in a zero for the assignment.
Preparation, Attendance and Participation: This part of your grade will be determined by
your presence and participation in class, in addition to your level of daily preparation as
indicated by your scores on "prep checks."
Prep checks are similar to quizzes but serve a slightly different purpose. Every time there
is a reading assignment you will have a prep check on that reading. The prep checks ask
you questions about the content of the assigned texts simply to determine if you have
read them. This is necessary because otherwise I and a few members of the class will
attempt to carry everyone else who has not kept up. This makes the class less meaningful
for everyone. A good question is one you can answer if you have read the text and cannot
if you have not. It is not necessary to memorize small details for the prep checks. You
may use any notes you have personally taken, subject to the same restrictions as for tests.
Prep checks cannot be made up if you are not in class when they are given.
Attendance at all classes for the full time is required. Attendance is taken before and after
the break for classes meeting once a week. There is no distinction between an excused
and unexcused absence, because both constitute the same missed learning opportunity. I
recognize, however, that life is complicated, and an occasional absence may be
unavoidable. We are all adults and I do not want to be put in the position of approving or
disapproving choices you make, nor do I wish to turn you into supplicants to me. The
only thing that matters is whether you are here. Attendance will be graded on the standard
percentage scale (90-100% A, 80-89% B, 70-79% C), and it will be calculated into the
final grade only for those who are at C level or better for attendance. Anyone whose
attendance totals less than 70% of class time is subject to being dropped for nonattendance before the withdrawal deadline even if otherwise doing passing work in the
class.
Participation consists of speaking up yourself, listening supportively to others, and not
engaging in activities which disrupt or undercut my ability to teach or other students'
ability to learn. USE OF ANY HANDHELD COMMUNICATION DEVICE OR
LAPTOP DURING CLASS TIME IS UNACCEPTABLE. This includes text messaging.
All electronic devices must be muted or turned off and must be out of sight during class.
Please use the restroom, and take care of any necessary communications before or after
class. It is a distraction to me and others when people are moving around the classroom
during the lecture.
Extra credit: Limited extra credit can be completed to boost your prep check score. You
may do two extra credits maximum, each one worth the equivalent of a perfect prep
check (15 points). This extra credit is intended to offset the harm of not being in class for
a prep check or a situation when you are unable to spend adequate time on the reading.
Attendance at all classes for the full time is required. Attendance is taken before and after
the break for classes meeting once a week. There is no distinction between an excused
and unexcused absence, because both constitute the same missed learning opportunity. I
recognize, however, that life is complicated, and an occasional absence may be
unavoidable. We are all adults and I do not want to be put in the position of approving or
disapproving choices you make, nor do I wish to turn you into supplicants to me. The
only thing that matters is whether you are here Attendance will be graded on the standard
percentage scale (90-100% A, 80-89% B, 70-79% C), and it will be calculated as part of
this 30% of the course grade only for those who are at C level or better for attendance.
Anyone whose attendance totals less than 70% of class time is subject to being dropped
for non-attendance before the withdrawal deadline even if otherwise doing passing work
in the class.
Important Deadlines:
Last day to receive, process and pay for add codes: February 4
Deadline to drop classes with no "W" recorded: February 4
Last day to drop with refund of enrollment fees and/or non-resident tuition: February 7
Last day to file a petition for Pass/No Pass grade option: Feb 28
Withdrawal deadline – No drops accepted after this date: April 1. Please note that after
this date you will receive a grade in the course even if you have stopped attending or
doing the work. It is your responsibility to drop classes you do not intend to complete.
ADA: I welcome students with disabilities. Upon receipt of a form from DSP&S saying
what accommodations are required, I will work with you to implement them. If you are
not being served by DSP&S and would like to discuss with me any special needs you
have, I will see if a reasonable accommodation can be worked out.
How your grade will be calculated:
3 Midterms/Final
50%
2 Papers
20%
Preparation
15%
Attendance and Participation
15%
Final Note: One of the great benefits of attending an urban community college is the
opportunity to be exposed to different cultures, lifestyles, orientations and perspectives.
All such differences must be treated with respect. In order to learn, everyone in this
classroom must feel safe. Thus, the preservation of the dignity of everyone here must be
the top priority of everyone who decides to be in this class. This means there will be no
tolerance for racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, or any other similar sorts of
remarks. It takes all of us to create a great environment for learning, and I ask for your
support and help with my resolution that this will be that kind of place for all of you.
Schedule of Assignments (subject to adjustments announced in class)
Week #
Monday’s Date
Week 1
1/24
Chapter 46 (no prep check)
Week 2
1/31
Chapter 47 (first prep check on chapter 47)
Week 3
2/7
Chapter 48
Week 4
2/14
Test 1
Week 5
2/21
Chapter 25
Week 6
2/28
Chapter 26
Week 7
3/7
885-889, 934-940, 946-950, 952-957 Paper 1 due
(see chapter 30 for ideas)
Week 8
3/14
Candide
Week 9
3/21
1008-11. 1015, 1026-29,
1037-42, 1056-57,1061-69, 1084-85,1091-94,
1097-1104
Week 10
Thursday
3/28
Tu: Test 2 prep check 3/21 assignment on
Week 11
4/4
1160 (bottom)-1170, 1194-1206
Week 12
4/11
Test 3 also read 1257-63, 1269-72 (bottom)
Week 13
4/18
Spring Break: read Jekyll and Hyde
Week 14
4/25
Paper 2 Due
Week 15
5/2
1293-1301, 1319-28 (bottom), 1350-51, 1368-70,
1394 (bottom)-98
Week 16
5/9
1436-50, 1468-73, 1474 (bottom)-78
Week 17
5/16
Final (Test 4)
Paper topics: Both papers are 3-5 pages on something very specific having to do with
the humanities. Ask if you are unclear, but generally the humanities have to do with arts
and ideas (philosophy, religion, key cultural concepts). Biography, history, and
political/social science topics are not acceptable unless they are relevant to the arts
and/or ideas of a culture. The first paper must be on a non-western subject, meaning that
its focus cannot be on anything European or American. If you wish to do your second
paper on a western topic you may, or you may do both on a non-western topic. All
papers must be submitted in hard copy and through Turnitin.com. All papers must be
formatted in MLA style.