Course Description

A study of representative samples of literature, art, and music of various periods and cultures from around the world from Prehistory to Renaissance. The study of the interrelationships of the arts and their philosophies emphasizes an understanding of human nature, the values of human life, and the connection between past and present cultural contexts. 

This section relates topics in thematically in HUMA 1301 to questions of war, peace, social justice and conflict resolution. The section also discusses the diversity, complexity and interdependence of the world community and current global issues.

There are no course prerequisites for Introduction to the Humanities I. A passing score or the equivalent on the reading portion of the TSI test is required.

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.

Coursework and Grading

                        30% -- Tests in Blackboard, including a short Final Essay

                        60% -- In-class Work – Journals and Group Work/Discussions

                        10% -- Participation/Attendance

Group Work/Discussions: Students will discuss course content and present their findings to the class in the discussion forum. Students are required to reply to their peers in discussions.

Journals: Students will provide individual responses to questions about the course material in a thoughtful and analytical fashion.

Final Exam/Essay: The final exam includes a short essay where students will identify and analyze works of art in their context, connect these cultural artifacts with modern contexts, and discuss their responsibilities as global citizens.

Participation/Attendance: Students must attend each class and contribute positively to the group in order to receive full credit for participation/attendance.

Fiero, Gloria K. Landmarks in the Humanities. 5th Ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2021.

ISBN10: 1260220753
ISBN13: 9781260220759

John Paul Lederach. 2003. “Conflict Transformation.” Beyond Intractability website.

NOTE: The course is a "First Day Access" or "Inclusive" course, so automatically with tuition, you should be set with your textbooks — the ebooks will be available to you through our course Blackboard site. Some more details are here: https://www.austincc.edu/academic-and-career-programs/first-day-classes

If you choose to "opt out" of First Day Access and have questions about materials, please contact your professor.

Unit 1: Prehistory through Ancient India, China, and the Americas

-- The Importance of the Humanities

-- Introduction to Peace & Conflict Studies and Global Studies

-- Prehistory and the Birth of Civilization

-- Mesopotamia: Gods, Rulers, and the Social Order

-- India, China, and the Americas

Unit 2: Ancient Greece through the Birth of Buddhism and Christianity

-- Conflict Styles

-- Greece: Humanism and the Speculative Leap

-- The Classical Style

-- Rome: The Rise to Empire

-- China: The Rise to Empire

-- A Flowering of Faith: Christianity and Buddhism

Unit 3: Religious Symbolism and Patterns of Life in the West through the Middle Ages

-- Human Needs and Conflict

-- The Language of Faith: Symbolism and the Arts

-- The Islamic World: Religion and Culture

-- Patterns of Medieval Life

-- Christianity and the Medieval Mind

-- The Medieval Synthesis in the Arts

Unit 4: The Medieval Period in the East through the Renaissance in the West

-- Non-Violent Communication

-- The World Beyond the West: India, China, and Japan

-- Adversity and Challenge: The Fourteenth Century Tradition

-- Classical Humanism in the Age of the Renaissance

-- Renaissance Artists: Disciples of Nature, Masters of Invention

Unit 5: Cross-Cultural Encounters through the Humanities in our Modern Day Context

-- Types of Violence

-- Cross-Cultural Encounters: Asia, Africa, and the Americas

-- Protest and Reform: The Waning of the Old Order

-- Conflict Transformation

-- Looking Ahead, Modern Day Contexts

-- The Humanities and You

Program Student Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of a Humanities course, a student should be able to:

• Humanistic Inquiry: Describe and analyze artifacts from distinct times and places with regard to their cultural contexts and human values.

After successful completion of a Peace & Conflict Studies course, a student should be able to do one or more of the following:

• Content Knowledge: Apply key concepts in Peace & Conflict Studies.
• Peace & Conflict in Context: Analyze situations of peace and conflict within specific disciplinary and interdisciplinary contexts.
• Personal Reflection: Represent personal experience and evaluate how concepts in Peace & Conflict Studies may inform one’s worldview, self-concept, values, behaviors, relationships, and/or aspirations.
• Social Responsibility: Apply Peace & Conflict Studies concepts practically and ethically at the intrapersonal, interpersonal, local, national, and/or global levels.

Instructor Course Level Outcomes

At the end of this course, students should be able to:

• Evaluate art, culture, and global citizenship from Prehistory to Early Modern
• Evaluate the importance of aspects of art and culture in general for global citizenship
• Evaluate the importance of non-violent approaches to conflict
• Analyze art and culture in Prehistory through Mesopotamia
• Analyze art and culture in Africa, America, India, and China
• Evaluate the importance of non-violent approaches to conflict
• Identify art and culture from Prehistory to Classical Greece
• Identify concepts from Peace and Conflict Studies
• Evaluate the importance of aspects of art and culture of Ancient Rome
• Analyze art and culture in China: The Rise to Empire
• Analyze art and culture in Judaism
• Analyze art and culture in Christianity
• Identify art and culture from Rome to World Religions
• Analyze art and culture in Islam
• Analyze art and culture in Buddhism
• Analyze art and culture in World Religions
• Analyze art and culture in the medieval East and West
• Analyze art and culture of the Vikings
• Identify art and culture from World Religions to the Middle Ages
• Identify art and culture from Religious Symbolism and Patterns of Life in the West through the Middle Ages
• Analyze art and culture from medieval Christendom
• Analyze Medieval Literature
• Analyze art and culture from the Italian Renaissance
• Identify art and culture from medieval Christendom through the Italian Renaissance
• Analyze art and culture from the Protestant Reformation
• Analyze art and culture from the Northern Renaissance
• Analyze art and culture from Cross-Cultural Encounters: Asia, Africa, and the Americas
• Identify the importance of aspects of art and culture from the Protestant Reformation Encounters through Cross-Cultural Encounters
• Analyze art, culture, and peace studies by Looking Ahead
• Analyze art, culture, and peace studies by reflecting upon The Humanities and You
• Evaluate art, culture, and global citizenship from Prehistory to Early Modern

General Education Student Learning Outcomes

At the end of this General Education course, a student should be able to do one or more of the following:

• Communication Skills: Develop, interpret, and express ideas and information through written, oral and visual communication that is adapted to purpose, structure, audience, and medium.
• Critical Thinking Skills: Gather, analyze, synthesize, evaluate and apply information for the purposes of innovation, inquiry, and creative thinking.
• Personal Responsibility: Identify and apply ethical principles and practices to decision-making by connecting choices, actions and consequences
• 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.