Heartland Community College HFAHS Division Course Syllabus for Students COURSE NUMBER/CREDITS: HUMA 276-06, 3 Credit Hours (3-0-3). COURSE TITLE: American Experience DAYS/TIMES CLASS MEETS: Spring 2002 meets MW 3:30 p.m.-4:45 p.m. in ICB 1703 CATALOG DESCRIPTION: Prerequisite: completion of SOAR course prerequisites. An interdisciplinary introduction to American culture from its origins to the present time , including readings from and discussions of American history, literature, painting, architecture, and other arts. RELATIONSHIP TO ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS AND TRANSFER: HUMA 276 fulfills 3 of the 9 semester hours of credit in Humanities for the A.A. degree, or 3 of the required 9 semester hours of credit in Humanities for the A.S. degree. INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION: Robert Mullenix Office hour will be held by appointment before or after class in HFAHS adjunct office (ICB Rm.2025) or by phone at 268-8631. I may also be reached at home. My home phone number is 829-9439. TEXT: Craven, Wayne. American Art: History and Culture. Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark Publishers and Harry N. Abrams. Inc. 1994. METHOD OF INSTRUCTION: Instruction will take the form of lectures and group discussions pertaining to required readings. Most images to be discussed in class are found in the text and/or in slide format. INSTRUCTOR’S OBJECTIVES 1. The theme of this class is American identity. As a visual artist, I investigate this theme through the visual arts. You will be encouraged to engage in investigation of this theme through other media (ie. Music, film, etc.). 2. I treat this course as an art-history-based American culture studies class. I operate from the following assumptions: a. History makes today make sense. History explains who we are as a nation. b. Art is ideology. American art betrays American ideology. 3. I intend to treat you as an adult. We will investigate adult topics. I respect who you are. I respect what you think. I encourage you to express your opinions. 4. I will prove to be approachable, receptive, conscientious, responsible, timely, firm and fair. I hope to create a classroom environment which is fun and in which you feel you may interact freely and constructively. COURSE OBJECTIVES 1. Recognize some of the major works of painting, architecture, literature, music and philosophy that have contributed to American life. 2. Identify the principal historical, intellectual and aesthetic movements that have taken place in America to the present time. 3. Understand the various ways that Americans have come to differ from other world peoples. 4. Understand the various ways that America has contributed to world events and western thought and art. 5. Relate the art and thought of the American past to the art and thought of the present time, and see the continuity between the past and the present. 6. Articulate and communicate the major ideas that have informed America’s principal intellectual and aesthetic movements. 7. Demonstrate awareness, tolerance, and appreciation of the extent and impact of cultural diversity in our society as reflected in the visual arts. 8. Recognize and define such American terms as transcendentalism, pragmatism, naturalism, and modernism. 9. Identify the principal artists, writers, statesmen, philosophers, scientists, and others who have made major contributions to the American experience. 10. Identify appropriate topics for scholarly research in art appreciation, utilize standard bibliographic and other research tools, select suitable sources and methodology, and write papers presenting the results of your research while observing the conventions of scholarly discourse. COURSE POLICIES METHOD OF EVALUATION (Tests, Exams, Grading Systems): Final grades will be determined by how students score on their two essay tests (each test accounts for 25% of the final grade), one paper assignment (accounts for 25% of the final grade), one “respondent” assignment (accounts for 10% of the final grade) and daily class participation (accounts for 15% of the final grade). The grading scale is as follows: A=100-90, B=89-80, C=79-70, D=69-60, F=59 and below. CLASS PARTICIPATION (Attendance): Students are expected to attend all classes and to participate meaningfully in the activities each day. Meaningful participation will depend upon timely completion of the reading assignments, your willingness and ability to discuss the topics, your cooperation/consideration of others. Prompt and regular attendance is mandatory. REQUIRED WRITING: There will be essays on each of the tests. These essays will be based both upon in-class lecture/discussion and readings. In addition, you will be required to write one type-written critical paper in MLA style. This paper is expected to be 8-10 double-spaced typed pages—excluding works cited pages—in either 10 pt. or 12 pt. font. REQUIRED READING: Daily reading assignments are listed on the last page of this syllabus. In addition to assignments from the textbook, required supplemental readings are on reserve in the HCC library (located in the SCB). These readings are listed on the syllabus. You are expected to come to class having read the assignment listed for that class session. Reading assignments will be substantial (to permit in-depth study). Note that these reading assignments tend to vary in length and may be heavy. Plan your time accordingly so that you are not caught unaware of long readings. Completion of these reading assignments will be assessed through your participation in class discussion. DEADLINES AND LATE/MISSING ASSIGNMENTS POLICY: Students are expected to complete their assignments on time. Late assignments will be marked down ten percentage points. Students will receive a zero for missing assignments. Students who miss exams will receive a zero. At the instructor’s discretion, students absent from a test may make the following substitution for the missing score: an additional type-written critical paper in MLA style (8-10 double-spaced typed pages—excluding works cited pages—in either 10 pt. or 12 pt. font) on a topic of the instructor’s choice. INCOMPLETE GRADES: An incomplete grade may be given to a student who, by the withdrawal date, can reasonably be expected to pass the course. Incomplete grades may be granted only when justified by extreme circumstances (e.g., serious illness, accident, death or serious illness in the immediate family). Incomplete grades are not given for such reasons as unjustified failure to appear for the final examination. A written agreement (outlining the requirements to be met) must be signed by the instructor and the student. The agreed upon requirements must be completed no later than the end of the following semester (spring semester for incomplete grades granted during the fall, and the following fall semester for incomplete grades granted during the spring and summer semesters). By the agreed upon date, the instructor will assign a grade or the incomplete will be changed to an ‘F’ if the requirements are not completed. SUPPORT SERVICES: Heartland Library Information www.hcc.cc.il.us/library The Library is located within the SCB Rm. 1200 and is open Mon.-Thurs. 8a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the college is in session. For more information call (309) 268-8200. Tutoring and Academic Support: These services are available at no cost to the student. They are located in the SCB Rm. 1300. For more information call (309) 268-8231. Testing Center: Makeup tests are administered in the SCB Rm. 1300. The Testing Center is open Mon.Thurs. 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Fri. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sun. 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. For more information call (309) 268-8231. HUMA 276 COURSE CALENDAR Date Event or Topic January M/14 Introduction/Syllabus & small group discussion W/16 Text Page(s) Discussion The Declaration of Independence White Priviledge: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack, Peggy McIntosh M/21 Martin Luther King Day—College Campus is closed W/23 The New World, American Art: History and Culture Ch. 1, Ch. 2 M/28 Nation Building, American Art: History and Culture Ch. 8, Ch. 10: 135-143 W/30 Nation Building February M/4 W/6 Romanticism, American Art: History and Culture Ch. 10: 143-152, Ch. 13 Romanticism Paper Assignment is due February 6 M/11 Transcendentalism W/13 Transcendentalism M/18 The Hudson River School, American Art: History and Culture Ch. 15: 198-220 W/20 The Hudson River School & Manifest Destiny M/25 Realism, American Art: History and Culture Ch. 17, Ch. 23: 338-343 W/27 Realism March M/4 W/6 March The Emerging Majority Midterm test 11-16: Mid-Term Break (Spring Break) M/18 The Gilded Age, American Art: History and Culture Ch. 20: 286-299, Ch. 21 W/20 The Gilded Age M/25 Early Modernism, American Art: History and Culture Ch. 27 W/27 Early Modernism, American Art: History and Culture Ch. 33 April M/1 W/3 Early Modernism, American Art: History and Culture Ch. 30 Early Modernism, American Art: History and Culture Ch. 31 M/8 Abstract Expressionism, Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture Ch. 17* W/10 Abstract Expressionism M/15 Movements of the 60’s, Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture Ch. 19* W/17 Movements of the 60’s M/22 Video: The Ad and the Ego W/24 Discussion: Masters of Desire: The Culture of American Advertising, Jack Solomon* M/29 Postminimalism, Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture Ch. 22* May W/1 Postminimalism M/6 W/8 Postmodernism Modern Art: Painting, Sculpture, Architecture Ch. 23* Postmodernism Postmodernism and Consumer Society, Fredric Jameson* M/13 Final Exam *These readings are on reserve in the ASC. HUMA 276-06 American Experience Instructor: Robert Mullenix Respondent Assignment Due Date:___________________________________(sign up for a date and subject) Objective: Research your topic and develop a page which “responds” to the subject for that week. Step 1. Sign up for a date to present. (This will determine the historical time period and, to some extent, the specific topic with which you will be dealing. Refer to the syllabus for subjects and dates.) Step 2. Research your time period and choose a specific topic. (You may choose to present information on the visual arts, but as these are covered in lecture, you are encouraged to investigate other media such as music, film, theater, dance, etc.) Identify videos, CDs, web-pages, etc. which will facilitate your presentation. (Confirm your topic with me.) Step 3. Develop a type-written page which may include historical and/or biographical information (in the manner of a report) but which MUST include at least three questions and five audio/visual aids which may be used to stimulate discussion (You might ask questions which compare/contrast media from the same time period. Avoid questions resolved with simple yes/no answers). Step 4. Secure your materials and, as you present your research to the class, facilitate the discussion of your topic. HUMA 276-06 American Experience Instructor: Robert Mullenix Paper Assignment Due Date: February 6, 2002 Objective: Write a paper which responds to the theme of the American hero (as defined in the assigned essays) and which is based upon an American film of your choice. Engaging the Text Read “The Paradox of Individualism” by Robert Bellah, et al*. Assess your comprehension of the reading by answering the following questions for Bellah: 1. Define “modern individualism”. What problems do the authors see with unbridled, absolute individualism? Why are one’s peers, paradoxically, so important in individualistic American society, according to the authors? 2. Discuss the assertion made by Karl Marx that individualism is a “bourgeois” capitalist (as opposed to a group or tribal) value. 3. What constraints (people, institutions, beliefs, etc.) keep you from doing anything you want as an individual? (Note that not all these constraints need be negative.) Which, if any, are under your control? 4. According to this reading selection, what roles do women play in the American mythology of individualism? 5. Bellah and his coauthors argue that the image of the isolated but virtuous hero “corresponds to doubts about the integrity of the self in the context of the modern bureaucratic organization.” Discuss why bureaucracy threatens one’s sense of individuality and how the heroes described by the authors represent a response to this threat. 6. Reread the Declaration of Independence. Does it contain any passages that could be interpreted as endorsing the notion of individualism? What conception of the individual emerges from this document? Read John Langston Gwaltney’s interview with “Charlie Sabatier”*. Assess your comprehension of the reading by answering the following questions: 1. Sabatier places great value on learning to question one’s assumptions; how and why does he learn to question his? 2. Debate Sabatier’s assertion that “We don’t need any laws, we don’ t need any constitutions, we don’t need the Declaration of Independence. All we need to do is treat people with respect.” 3. Do you agree with Sabatier and Shaw that “all progress depends on the unreasonable man”? Why or why not? 4. To what extent does Bellah’s “bureaucracy of individualism” explain Sabatier’s experience with the airline and his reaction to the incident? Read Robert Ray’s essay “The Thematic Paradigm”*. Assess your comprehension of the reading by answering the following questions: 1. What are the two basic hero types that Ray describes in American cinema? 2. How do these two hero types relate America’s “psychological pattern”? 3. Explain how, according to Ray, Abraham Lincoln embodied both types of hero. *These are on reserve in the ASC. Type your answers to the above and turn them in with your paper. Extending the Critical Context For your paper, watch a movie of your choice and respond to Ray as well as Bellah and his coauthors as you compare/contrast your protagonist(s) with Charlie Sabatier. For example, you might watch the movie Thelma and Louise. How and why does Sabatier’s response to society differ from that of the women protagonists? What could they learn from each other? Warning: This movie contains graphic rape scenes. Victims of sexual abuse/violence are encouraged to resume watching after having skipped these scenes. Your response should be 8-10 type-written pages in length, single-spaced or double-spaced in either 10 pt. or 12 pt. font. Your response should emphasize original analysis. Late papers will be marked down 10 pts.