HUMS 101    Montage: Introduction to the Humanities

 


Bob Bennett, Instructor

Office: 103 FSOQ      Office Phone: 769-3390

Office Hours: t.b.a.

www.nic.edu/englang/crbennet

 

Required Materials

  • Man’s Search for Meaning, Victor Frankl
  • Maus I & II, Art Spiegelman
  • Relatively Speaking —on order

 

Course Description

This course explores how the humanities, through many varied types of creative works, comment on human experiences and raise questions of value and meaning. Students will learn an approach to understanding a wide variety of works in art, music, literature, and philosophy, based on questions applicable to all genres. Montage provides a good foundation for further humanities study in courses focusing on one particular field such as literature, philosophy, or the arts. It is an ideal course for students who intend to focus on areas other than the humanities, but wish to broaden their education. HUMS101 fulfills an arts and humanities requirement for the A.A. and the A.S. degree.

 

Prerequisite

Student should have completed ENGL 101 or be concurrently enrolled in it.

 

General Education Abilities

Introduction to the Humanities addresses aesthetic response, and social responsibility/citizenship as stated in the General Education Abilities in the North Idaho College Catalogue.

 

Course Outcomes

After completing HUMS 101, students should be able to:

  • Formulate a clear statement about purpose or effect within a given work of art.
  • Define basic terminology used in music, film, visual arts and sculpture, architecture, drama and literature.
  • Use terminology to support statements about artistic purpose or effect.

 

Assessment

Requirements

Points

Percentage

Your Scores

Daily Journal

 

175

17.5%

 

Outside Event Analysis Papers WA1, WA2, & WA3

75 pts each

225

22.5%

 

Multi-genre paper WA4

225

22.5%

 

Final Writing Assignment WA5*

100

10%

 

Quizzes—Short Essays

 

 

275

27.5%

 

Total

1,000 pts

100%

 

 

Your letter grade for the course will be based on a point system.  Points will be assigned to writing assignments, quizzes, and a final paper. They will be evaluated on the following scale:

 

100-94% A

83-80% B-

69-62% D

93-90% A-

79-77% C+

Under 61% F

89-87% B+

76-74% C

 

86-84% B

70-73% C-

 

 

Journal

Each class I will ask you to write in your journal, and I may ask you to do additional outside assignments in your journal. Entries should be thoughtful and show some thinking on the page using the inquiry process we use in class. If you miss a class, call a classmate to find out the daily prompt. I will collect journals two or three times during the semester. Bring the journal to class every day.

 

Outside Events

Students are required to attend three outside events for this class, one of which is a required field trip to Spokane. In addition to the field trip, students may choose to attend the Spokane symphony concert--on campus, the Coeur d’ Alene symphony—on campus, a gallery show at either the Art Spirit Gallery or the Corner Gallery, and/or the dress rehearsal for the NIC production of Relatively Speaking. You have options, but you will need to plan these events into your schedule.

 

Field Trip

This course has a required field trip to Spokane to examine original artifacts. The field trip for this section will take place in April. I will give you the date in the next week or so. The field trip lasts all day, and it is an excused absence from other classes, but you should notify your instructors well in advance and complete any assignments due ahead of time. Please plan ahead so you do not have scheduling conflicts.

 

Analysis Papers and Quizzes

The outside event papers and the quizzes are based primarily in analysis and close observation. This will typically mean that for each assignment you will analyze the elements of a work of art in order to make a claim about purpose or effect.

 

Context Project

Each student will study, write, and present their findings about an artisan from a specific period of history in the form of a multi genre paper. The multi genre paper may be something new to you; one way to think of it initially is as a kind of written collage. I will provide in class examples of this type of writing and a detailed handout explaining what I want you to do here.

This is the biggest project of the class and will require a great deal of research to adequately accomplish the task. When completed it should reflect thorough research, creativity, and a clear focused statement about the period studied.

Student Responsibilities

Students have both rights and responsibilities as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct. See www.nic.edu/ferpa/StudentCode/index.htm for specific information.

 

Course Policies

By enrolling in this class, you have made an educational and professional commitment. This means that you have chosen to take this course at this time because you are ready to learn its content, to challenge your mind, and to think carefully. It also means that you are prepared to act responsibly in order to ensure your success.

 

 

Attendance

Students should not miss more than the equivalent of two weeks, which means six absences in a three-day-per week class. Students may be exempt from the final examination if they have a grade of at least a “C” and have no more than three absences.

 

Late Assignments:

Assignments are due on the day assigned at the beginning of class. Late assignments are subject to a reduction of a half of a letter grade for each calendar day late and will be accepted up to 3 calendar days late.

 

NIC English/Modern Languages Division Statement on Plagiarism

NIC’s English Department believes strongly in the ability of its students to…

·         write works in which they use their own ideas and words

·         correctly borrow the words and ideas of others

The department’s definition of plagiarism comes from the Council of Writing Programs Administrators’:

In an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (no common-knowledge) material without acknowledging its source. 

Behaviors considered plagiarism would include…

*       Using someone else’s exact words without using direct quotes.

*       Paraphrasing or summarizing someone’s words or ideas without giving credit to the source’s author.

*       Submitting another’s work as the student’s own. This includes a purchased paper, a borrowed paper, or portions of another person’s work.

Behavior not considered plagiarism but of concern is sloppy documentation of words and ideas borrowed from another source and/or submitting an old paper as new work without the instructor’s permission

 

Disability Statement

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, NIC provides services and accommodations to students who experience barriers in the educational setting due to learning, emotional, physical, mobility, visual or hearing disabilities. For more information please contact Sharon Daniels-Bullock in the Disability Support Services Office, in the College Skills Center, Lee/Kildow 101(769-7794).

 

Course Withdrawal Information

The last day to withdraw from classes this semester is Nov. 12th

Note: Instructors have the right to withdraw students for nonattendance and disruptive behavior. See www.nic.edu/registration/changes.htm for more information.

Note: All withdrawals, whether for individual classes, total withdrawal from school, or instructor-initiated, are not considered to be satisfactory progress for financial aid. See the Financial Aid Satisfactory Progress Policy.