Western Culture and the Arts
Beginnings through the Middle Ages
Humanities 120-004 ….MW, 11:00-12:15…..No Prerequisites….3 Credits
Spring, 2009
Dr. Hollace Graff
Course (Catalog) Description:
Course surveys cultural accomplishments of
Western civilization from its beginnings in Mesopotamia through the Middle Ages.
Content includes visual arts, music, literature, theater, architecture, and
philosophy studied in historical context.
Learning Objectives:
a. The student will understand and demonstrate knowledge of the important stylistic eras covered.
b. Representative works of art (painting, sculpture, architecture, music, etc.) will be recognized by the student and critically evaluated. Representative works of philosophy and theology will also be critically evaluated.
c. The cultural and intellectual works studied will be understood in relation to the social, political, and economic contexts of their eras.
d. The student will develop an appreciation for the rich cultural diversity that underlies Western civilization. Islam will be covered in this class.
e.
The values expressed in the
religious, philosophical, and literary texts of these eras will be studied, and
their current relevance will be discussed.
Academic Integrity
Students and employees at Oakton Community College are required to demonstrate academic integrity and follow Oakton’s Code of Academic Conduct. This code prohibits:
· cheating,
· plagiarism (turning in work not written by you, or lacking proper citation),
· falsification and fabrication (lying or distorting the truth),
· helping others to cheat,
· unauthorized changes on official documents,
· pretending to be someone else or having someone else pretend to be you,
· making or accepting bribes, special favors, or threats, and
· any other behavior that violates academic integrity.
There are serious consequences to violations of the academic integrity policy. Oakton’s policies and procedures provide students a fair hearing if a complaint is made against you. If you are found to have violated the policy, the minimum penalty is failure on the assignment and, a disciplinary record will be established and kept on file in the office of the Vice President for Student Affairs for a period of 3 years.
Details of the Code of Academic Conduct can be
found in the Student Handbook.
Please check the course website for updates to this schedule.
January 26, 28 ……Chapter 1, "Prehistory and Near Eastern Civilizations" plus selections from The Code of Hammurabi and, The Epic of Gilgamesh
February 2, 4, 9.….. Chapter 2, "Aegean Civilizations" plus selections from Homer's Iliad and Sappho's Poems
February 11…..Quiz
February 18, 23, 25, March 2.…..Chapter 3, "Classical Greek Civilization: The Hellenic Age" plus selections from Three Greek Plays, Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War (WHR plus web), Plato's Republic
March 4, 9……Chapter 4, "Classical Greek Civilization: The Hellenistic Age" plus selections from Epicurus' "Letter to Menoeceus"
March 11…Quiz # 2
Spring Break
March 23, 25….….. Chapter 5, "Roman Civilization" plus selections from Vergil's Aeniad
March 30, April 1, 6….. Chapter 6, "Judaism and the Rise of Christianity" plus selections from The Holy Scriptures and The Revised Stardard Version of the Holy Bible
April 8…..Quiz # 3
April 13, 15…..Chapter 7, "The Civilizations of Late Rome, Byzantium, and the Early Medieval West" plus selections from selections from Augustine's Confessions and The City of God as well as the selection from The Alexiad
April 20, 22, 27 …..Chapter 8, "The World of Islam" plus selections all the Chapter 8 reading selections
April 29…..Quiz # 4
May 4, 6 …..Chapter 9, "The High Middle Ages" plus selections from Aquinas' Summa Theologica, and Dante's The Divine Comedy
May 11, 13…..Chapter 10, "The Late Middle Ages" plus selections from Boccaccio’s Decameron and Christine de Pizan's The Book of the City of Ladies
May 13…..Journal due
May 18…..Final Exam
Methods of Instruction:
The course will involve lectures, as well as seminar style discussions and small
group activities. We will also view slides and, when appropriate, view sections
of videos. Students will be expected to participate actively and to come
prepared for discussion. This means students should have read all assigned
material prior to class meetings.
Course Practices Required:
1.
You will keep an intellectual journal. In this journal you will record
your reactions to the assigned readings and your responses to questions that I
will suggest. The journal should not consist of notes or summaries of the
readings. Rather, you should take positions and offer arguments for those
positions. Your journal will be collected several times during the semester. I
will announce the collection dates at least one week in advance. When I read
your journals, I may ask questions about what you have written, and you should
answer these questions in the next part of your journal. When you hand in your
journal, you will always hand in the complete journal – including those parts
with my comments. Your final journal should be at least 15 typewritten pages.
In the interest of preserving trees, your journal should not be more than
double-spaced, should not use larger than 12-point type, and should not have
extra-large margins or large blank spaces between sections. Although I will give
you an indication of how you are doing on your journal when I collect it during
the semester, only the overall grade for your journal assigned at the end of the
semester will be recorded. I do accept late work if you make an appointment to
see me for assistance. However, failure to get timely feedback from me on your
journal entries may result in your not doing as well as you might have on this
assignment.
2.
In this class, participation is extremely important. You will receive one
participation point for every class you attend. You should bring you’re the
relevant tests to class, and you should make every effort to complete your
reading before coming to class. If you are unable to complete your reading, come
to class and let me know. I will give you half credit for the day, and I will
not call on you. If you come to class late or leave early, you will also
receive half credit for the day. I will also ask you to attend two outside
events such as museum visits for participation credit. You may select these
from a number of alternatives I will suggest, and write up brief responses. I
will provide some extra credit opportunities to make up for lost participation
points. These extra credit opportunities will also involve attending Oakton
events such as plays and public forums on issues relevant to humanities or
philosophy. I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences.
However, if you need to be absent because of something such as religious
holidays or family emergency, I will make every effort to insure that you have
ways to earn extra credit that will compensate for your absence.
3.
There will be five exams. These exams will consist of short answer
questions and short essay questions. One week before the exam, I will
distribute a study guide. All exams will be cumulative. If you miss an exam,
you will be able to take a make-up exam in the Testing Center. If you take the
make-up after I have handed back the exams, your exam will consist of one long
essay.
4. In unusual circumstances such as
hospitalization or compulsory military service, I will work with students to
determine alternative ways to complete course requirements.
Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1. The journal will count for 30% of your final grade.
2. The exams will count for 40% of your final grade.
3. Participation will count for 30% of your
final grade. (A…30+, B…..28-29, C…..26-27, D….25-26)
Instructional Materials:
The Western Humanities Volume I: Beginnings
through the Renaissance. 6th
edition. Matthews and Platt.
Readings in the Western Humanities Volume I.
6th edition. Matthews and Platt.
Three Greek Plays. Edited and Translated by Edith Hamilton.
Other materials for the course will be available
on the web. There will be links to this material on the course website.
www.oakton.edu/~hgraff.
Other Course Information:
A. Disabilities
If you have a documented learning, psychological, or physical disability you may be entitled to reasonable academic accommodations or services. To request accommodations or services, contact the ASSIST office in the Learning Center. All students are expected to fulfill essential course requirements. The College will not waive any essential skill or requirement of a course or degree program.
B. Discrimination
The Oakton Community College Catalog states:
Oakton Community College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, or marital status in admission to and participation in its educational programs, activities and services, or employment practices. The College does not tolerate sexual harassment or sexual assault by or of its students or employees.
In keeping with this policy of tolerance and non-discrimination, in this class all of us (myself included) should strive to listen and give careful consideration to all ideas expressed in class, especially those that are different from our own, without attacking or demeaning the people who have those views. We should also strive to avoid using insulting terms or telling offensive jokes when talking to or about individuals or groups.
C. Instructor Contact Information
Des Plaines Office……3614
Des Plaines Telephone……847-376-7033
E-mail……hgraff@oakton.edu
Web page…..http://www.oakton.edu/~hgraff
My office hours are as follows: Mondays,…..3:30-5:00
Tuesdays……9:30-12:00
Thursdays……9:30-12:00
Fridays……2:00-4:00
Other times by appointment
Please feel welcome to stop by and chat, and be sure to see me if you are having any difficulties in the course. If you cannot make any of these times, please see me for an appointment. On a personal note, in the interest of promoting non-authoritarian education, I would prefer if you addressed me by my first name which is Holly.