Humanities Courses
Courses
Ancient Cultures: Examines the significant texts and cultural developments in ancient and foundational societies such as Ancient Near East, Classical Greece and Rome, and Ancient China, through close study of the literature, history, philosophy, and arts of these civilizations.
Faith and Reason: Surveys the art, philosophy, and history that inform the social, political and religious institutions of World Culture from the 3rd century CE to approximately 1600 CE. The survey examines the art of the era, relating them to political and social-historical contexts.
Revolutions in Modern Culture and Thought: The purpose of this course is to examine the complexity and diversity of the many extensions of World Culture through the survey of four major revolutions that were instrumental in shaping the modern world from about 1600 to the present. These include the scientific, the social, the industrial and the artistic.
Course will consider the Homeric epics in their entirety, noting the smaller, discrete, genres of myth, which form the larger narratives. Comparisons will be made to similar genres of myth in the Bible such as creation myth, apocalypse, theoxeny, divine councils, romance and the vision. Consideration will be given to how both the Greeks and the Israelites were influenced by the older Near Eastern narratives such as Gilgamesh, the Ugaritic myths and the Enuma Elish. Prerequisite Course: ENGL 1312 with a grade of C or better.
Beginning in 7th century CE Arabia, this course will study the intellectual and physical expansion of Islam as a religion and tool for the political and social organization of the societies in the Near and Middle East. The course will conclude with the triumph of the Ottomans and the fall of Constantinople ca 1453. Prerequisite: ENGL 1312 with a grade of C or higher.
Department: Humanities
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Prerequisite(s): (RWS 1302 w/C or better)
The purpose of this course is to examine some key literary works to see how, and perhaps why, attitudes toward women evolved as they did, and how women responded to those beliefs in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Consideration will be given to traditional works not primarily about women to examine how the treatment of women in such texts mirrored and effected attitudes about women as exhibited in philosophy and art. In comparison the course will also examine books written by women to understand women's reactions and resistance to traditional attitudes and images. Class can be cross listed with Women's Studies. Prerequisite: ENGL 1312 with a grade of C or higher.
Department: Humanities
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Prerequisite(s): (RWS 1302 w/C or better)
This course will examine how Jewish women handled the hardships inflicted upon them by the rise of Nazism, during the Holocaust, and after the war ended. We will examine the choices they made, how those choices affected them, why they made the decisions they did, and how their determination sustained them. This will be done through a combination of books, film, and art. Finally, we will explore the rationale behind women’s choices and how they differed from the choices men made during the same period. Prerequisite: ENGL 1312 with a grade of C or better.
Through examining the art, architecture, artifacts, music, and literature as well as religious, political, and social reform movements that shaped the American experience from the 1600s to the present, we will observe Americans' struggle to define the nature of their national identity. In particular, we will examine the stories, complementary and competing, that Americans tell about themselves. Prerequisite: ENGL 1312 with a grade of C or higher.
Department: Humanities
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Prerequisite(s): (RWS 1302 w/C or better)
Course examines how art is used as a form of political and social documentary and protest. We will study historical and contemporary examples of art, poetry, and music that aimed to explicitly or implicitly criticize governments or cultural norms. Course will focus on aesthetic questions as well, and whether these works function only as protest or if they function both as protest and works of art. Prerequisite: ENGL 1312 with a grade of C or higher.
Department: Humanities
3 Credit Hours
3 Total Contact Hours
0 Lab Hours
3 Lecture Hours
0 Other Hours
Prerequisite(s): (RWS 1302 w/C or better)
Inclusion in the Digital Age: Throughout history, human culture has been greatly influenced by communication technology that shares knowledge and information. In this course students will view civilization through the lens of the digital revolution, learning both about past issues and what our experiences with modern technology lead us to discover. Readings will pair great works of literature, philosophy, and science with current digital texts and tools, exploring common themes that include the structure of knowledge, principles of awareness and participation, and the power of knowledge in the digital age.
Media and Social Justice: This course counts as a Humanities credit and will explore through the use of media the different social justice issues and US policy that are current in the news during the semester. The course will analyze through written and video stories the similarities and differences through articles and video stories between main stream media and alternative media as well as the different angles to a story told by different news agencies. Students will gain understanding of different social justice issues via documentaries and articles for an in depth look at selected social justice topics.
Special Topics in Humanities (3-0) Advanced study of a special topic such as Postmodern Culture, Western and Non-Western Cultures, the Cultures of the Humanities and the Sciences, and other areas of special interest in the Humanities. Topic varies with professor in charge. May be repeated for credit when the topic varies. Specific Topics courses are often crosslisted in other departments. At least one Special Topics course is presented in each semester and in the Maymester to support the Humanities Minor. Prerequisite: ENGL 1312 or ENGL 1313 or ESOL 1312 with a grade of "C" or better.