Faculty

HUMA-1301 Humanities: Prehistory to Renaissance

Carrie Simpson

Credit Fall 2025

Section(s)

HUMA-1301-011 (21976)
LEC DIL ONL DIL

Course Requirements

Syllabus

The Great Questions Seminar is an introduction to the great questions of humankind.

This seminar is your initiation into the academic life of the college and your invitation to a seat at the table, centuries-long and shared by college and university students from all over the world.

This course welcomes you as a member of this grand community of learners through an interdisciplinary study of representative samples of literature, art, mathematics, and music of various periods and cultures from prehistory to the Renaissance. It is the study of the interrelationships among the arts and how philosophies emphasize an understanding of human nature and the values of human life.

This is a discussion-based class. Unlike a lecture-based class where students listen to the professor talk, take notes and have an opportunity to ask questions, this discussion-based class puts you in the driver’s seat. In this class your professor’s job is to help direct and encourage class discussion, not to lecture. In this classroom you are responsible for your own learning; your professor is here to help. You should view your professor in this class as a partner on this exciting academic journey. We will be learning and growing together.

This course is divided into three units:

ô°€ Unit 1: Adversity, Struggle and Joy
ô°€ Unit 2: The Human Search for Truth, Part 1 (Creation and Devotion)
ô°€ Unit 3: The Human Search for Truth, Part 2 (Passion)

Welcome to the life of great questions and higher education; your place at the table is ready.

Please keep up with the Great Questions at Austin Community College Online at www.austincc.edu/thegreatquestions
Instagram (https://instagram.com/thegreatquestions/)

page1image1557824 page1image1558016

Huma 1301 Great Questions Seminar

Course Rationale

The study of the humanities from a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective affords the student the opportunity not only to acquire a deeper appreciation of particular works of art but also to gain a larger perspective on the work of art as an expression of the human spirit in a particular time and place.

Course Objectives/Outcomes

As a result of having taken this course, students will be able to:

page2image1474944 page2image1478208

ô°ô°‘ ô°ô°‘ ô°Žô°‘

ô°ô°ô°‘ô°‘ Set goals to support personal motivation and achievement.
ô°ô°ô°‘ô°‘ Adopt a growth mindset toward personal education and career goals which fosters hard work,

grit, a desire for continual improvements, and persistence in the face of failure.
ô°Žô°Žô°‘ô°‘ Distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and examine how intrinsic motivation

encourages lifelong learning.
ô°¤ô°¤ô°‘ô°‘ Apply principles of metacognition to increase self-awareness of the learning process and

personal strengths and weaknesses as a learner.
ô°¥ô°¥ô°‘ô°‘ Enhance emotional intelligence, thereby improving interpersonal, leadership, and

self-management skills.

General Education Objectives/Outcomes

As a result of having taken this course, students will be able to:
1. Communication Skills: Develop, interpret, and express ideas and information through written, oral and visual communication that is adapted to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.
2. Critical Thinking Skills: Gather, analyze, synthesize, evaluate and apply information for the
  
  purposes of innovation, inquiry, and creative thinking.
3. Personal Responsibility: Identify and apply ethical principles and practices to
  
  decision-making by connecting choices, actions and consequences.
4. Social Responsibility (Civic and Cultural Awareness): Analyze differences and
  
  commonalities among peoples, ideas, aesthetic traditions, and cultural practices to include intercultural competence, knowledge of civic responsibility, and the ability to engage effectively in regional, national, and global communities.

Readings

Required Readings

A note on translations: The editions and ISBNs listed below are strongly recommended. The course materials and corresponding assignment instructions are designed to align with the editions listed as “required” by the ACC bookstore. If you use a different edition from any of these, you should expect to have to adjust your approach to match the syllabus expectations.

Homer’s Odyssey

Translated by: Emily Wilson Publisher: Norton
ISBN: 9780393356250

The Odyssey is Homer’s epic poem of Odysseus’ journey home after 10 years of war in Troy. We will follow along on Odysseus' epic journey, all the while analyzing his ultimate goal, the factors that motivate him to undertake such a journey, and the ways in which he is able to keep going even in the face of temptations and obstacles. Throughout our discussions, you will be encouraged to reflect on your own educational journey in a similar light. This story has inspired men and women for the past 3,000 years to set high goals for themselves and develop a plan to achieve them. It has helped countless people see that even when one suffers detours and setbacks like Odysseus, reaching one’s goals is still possible.

Plato’s Meno

Translated by: GMA Grube Publisher: Hackett
ISBN: 9780915144242

Plato’s Meno deals with the timeless struggle of how to learn something new. Sometimes people think that if they don’t understand something right away that it is just not in them to learn it.

page3image1456000 page3image1456192 page3image1456768 page3image1456576

Huma 1301 Great Questions Seminar

Euclid’s Elements

Euclid’s Elements Book One withQuestions By Dana Densmore
Publisher: Green Cat Press
ISBN: 9781888009460

Euclid’s text is a model for how to think clearly and logically. Through the study and demonstration of his geometrical proofs, we will learn the structure of logical arguments and what it means to prove something. This text will help us apply principles of metacognition to our studies by introducing us to the experience of what it is like to really know something. After you understand an entire proof of Euclid’s, you will feel what it is like to really know that something is true. His proofs provide a window onto the beauty of truth and will inspire us to want to open it further. Studying this text will provide you with a benchmark by which you can judge how well you know other things. You should ask yourself about future topics of study, “is this as clear to me as a Euclid proof?” Applying this question is a great way to gauge how well you understand a thing.

The Heart of Chinese Poetry: Fifty-Seven of the Best Traditional Chinese Poems in a Dual-Language Edition
Translated and Edited by Greg Whincup
Publisher: Anchor; First Edition edition (September 16, 1987)

ISBN: 038523967X

These selections of Chinese poems represent over 1,000 years of poetic tradition in China. According to Prof. Greg Whincup, “Poetry is the heart of Chinese culture. Inasmuch as we are all members of one human race, Chinese culture is our culture. The heart of Chinese poetry beats in us, too.” Through these readings, you will learn not just about Chinese poetry but also about the culture, history and language of China, whose soul is poetry.

Additional Required Readings

Additional required selected readings for Unit 2 on Creation and Devotion and Unit 3 on Passion are available on Blackboard. They are in ô°‘pdf format.

Course Subjects

Required Readings

Homer’s Odyssey

Translated by: Emily Wilson Publisher: Norton
ISBN: 9780393356250

Plato’s Meno

Translated by: GMA Grube Publisher: Hackett
ISBN: 9780915144242

Plato’s Meno deals with the timeless struggle of how to learn something new. Sometimes people think that if they don’t understand something right away that it is just not in them to learn it.

page3image1456000 page3image1456192 page3image1456768 page3image1456576

Huma 1301 Great Questions Seminar

Euclid’s Elements

Euclid’s Elements Book One withQuestions By Dana Densmore
Publisher: Green Cat Press
ISBN: 9781888009460

ISBN: 038523967X

Additional Required Readings

Additional required selected readings for Unit 2 on Creation and Devotion and Unit 3 on Passion are available on Blackboard. They are in ô°‘pdf format.

Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

Making Connections:

Throughout this semester, each student will complete three “Making Connection” assignments in preparation for course meetings and discussions. In preparation for “Making Connections” days you will (1) explore a list of great works that humans have created, (2) select a work that interests you, and (3) conduct research to learn about the work. On “Making Connections” days, you will have an opportunity to share what you have learned with your classmates, and learn about what they have discovered.

These assignments are designed to encourage students to explore works of cultural significance and broaden their cultural and historical knowledge base.

Faculty Meetings:

Students will meet privately with their professor twice each semester. Remember, your faculty leaders are not just here to guide you in this course, but to help you understand how to navigate ACC as well. They will help introduce you to ACC resources and make sure you have the support you need to be successful.

One meeting will take place in the first 3 weeks of the semester and another in the second half of the semester. Each meeting will last between 10-15 minutes.

Your journal entries are viewable by you and your professor - feel free to ask for advice and guidance about anything related to your first semester at ACC. You will create journal entries throughout the semester, so consider this a conversation with your professor and yourself. These are intended to be reflective and are not formal writing assignments. Use the prompts provided as a starting point, and make sure you write at least a good paragraph or two (at least 200 words).

Office Hours

Published: 05/27/2025 10:26:39