Course Information and Policies

Important: Submission of work for this course through ACC’s Blackboard will serve as indication that you have read and accept course policies as outlined in this syllabus. If there are any items in this syllabus with which you disagree, please bring them to your instructor’s attention prior to submitting any work through course portals.

• Credit Hours: 3

• Classroom Contact Hours Per Week: 3

A study of representative samples of literature, art, and music of various periods and cultures from prehistory through the Renaissance. The study of the interrelationships of the arts and their philosophies emphasizes an understanding of human nature and the values of human life.

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.

Required Textbook

Our course will use Landmarks in Humanities, 5th Edition, by Gloria K. Fiero. McGraw-Hill, 2021.The Landmarks in Humanities eBook is available through Connect / McGraw-Hill—accessible through our course Blackboard site. 

Note: If you are part of a program where you receive assistance for textbook purchases, please contact your professor for any further details needed to facilitate your access to course materials.

This course is a survey of art, literature, music, and cultural studies from prehistory through the Renaissance. 

Departmental Course Student Learning Outcomes

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

• Identify a variety of significant works of art from various times and places in human history.
• Analyze works of art within their cultural context.
• Evaluate the relationship between the arts and human values.

Instructor Course Level Outcomes

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

• Demonstrate an appreciation of art in its different forms throughout history.
• Demonstrate general knowledge of assigned time periods and their major artistic and cultural accomplishments. 
• Demonstrate an understanding of how context affects the text (form) and subtext (meaning) of human artistic creations.
• Form a personal explanation of why (or if) the study of Humanities is necessary for education and societal growth.

General Education Objectives & Outcomes

• 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.

Unit 0: Welcome & Orientation

Week 1

>>Wednesday 1/21

• Orientation: Introduction & Syllabus Part 1
• Be sure you’re set up with your Connect Access registration for Fiero’s The Humanistic Tradition by end of day.

Unit One: Early Civilizations through the Roman Empire

Week 2

>>Monday 1/26

• Orientation: Introduction & Syllabus Part 2
• Prior to class, read introduction from Culture: The Story of Us, From Cave Art to K-Pop (scanned copy available on Blackboard)

Tuesday 1/27

• Submit your Orientation assignment on Blackboard by 11:59pm. 

>>Wednesday 1/28

• Prior to class read Fiero Chapter 1, “Origins: The First Civilizations” 

Friday 1/30

• Complete your Chapter 1 Critical Engagement Post by 11:59pm. 

Sunday 2/1

• Reply to two classmates’ Critical Engagement Posts by 11:59pm.

Week 3

>>Monday 2/2

• Chapter 1 Reading Quiz
• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned reading.

>>Wednesday 2/4

• Prior to class read Fiero Chapter 2, “Classicism: The Greek Legacy.” 

Friday 2/6

• Complete your Chapter 2 Critical Engagement Post by 11:59pm. 

Sunday 2/8

• Reply to two classmates’ Critical Engagement Posts by 11:59pm.

Week 4

>>Monday 2/9

• Chapter 2 Reading Quiz
• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned reading. 

>>Wednesday 2/11

• Prior to class read Fiero Chapter 3, “Empire: The Legacies of Rome and China”

Friday 2/13

• Complete your Chapter 3 Critical Engagement Post by 11:59pm. 

Sunday 2/15

• Reply to two classmates’ Critical Engagement Posts by 11:59pm.

Week 5

>>Monday 2/16

• Chapter 3 Reading Quiz
• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned reading. 
• First Look: The Annotated Bibliography 

>>Wednesday 2/18

• Introduction to Research and Library Services

Week 6

>>Monday 2/23

• Thesis Statements, Research Skills, and College Writing Workshop 1

>>Wednesday 2/25

• Annotated Bibliography In-Class Workday

Sunday 3/1

• Submit Annotated Bibliography to Blackboard by 11:59pm

Unit Two: World Religions (Early CE) through the Middle Ages

Week 7

>>Monday 3/2

• Prior to class read Fiero Chapter 4, “Revelation: The Flowering of World Religions.” 

>>Wednesday 3/4

• Chapter 4 Reading Quiz
• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned reading. 

Friday 3/6

• Complete your Chapter 4 Critical Engagement Post by 11:59pm. 

Sunday 3/8

• Reply to two classmates’ Critical Engagement Posts by 11:59pm.

Week 8

>>Monday 3/9

• Prior to class, read Fiero Chapter 5, “Synthesis: The Rise of the West and the Wider World.” 

>>Wednesday 3/11

• Chapter 5 Reading Quiz
• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned reading. 
• First Look: Time Capsule Proposal 1

Friday 3/13

• Complete your Chapter 5 Critical Engagement Post by 11:59pm. 

Sunday 3/15

• Reply to two classmates’ Critical Engagement Posts by 11:59pm.

Week 9

We will not meet on Monday 3/16  or Wednesday 3/18 in observation of Spring Break. During this week, you are assigned the following: 

• Read Fiero Chapter 6, “The Age of Christendom.”
• Work on Time Capsule Proposal 1
  • Pick a topic
  • Write a thesis statement
  • Find sources

Week 10

>>Monday 3/23

• Prior to class, read Fiero Chapter 6, “The Age of Christendom.”

>>Wednesday 3/25

• Chapter 6 Reading Quiz
• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned reading. 

Friday 3/27

• Complete your Chapter 6 Critical Engagement Post by 11:59pm. 

Sunday 3/29

• Reply to two classmates’ Critical Engagement Posts by 11:59pm.

Week 11

>>Monday 3/30

• College Writing Workshop 2
• Bring your TCP 1 sources to class for review

>>Wednesday 4/1

• TCP 1 In-Class Essay Assignment, due by end of class period

Unit Three: The Renaissance, Reformation, and Cross-Cultural Encounters

Week 12

>>Monday 4/6

• Prior to class read Fiero Chapter 7, “The Italian Renaissance.” 

>>Wednesday 4/8

• Chapter 7 Reading Quiz
• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter

Friday 4/10

• Complete your Chapter 7 Critical Engagement Post by 11:59pm. 

Sunday 4/12

• Reply to two classmates’ Critical Engagement Posts by 11:59pm.

Week 13

>>Monday 4/13

• Prior to class read Fiero Chapter 8, “The Northern Renaissance.” 

>>Wednesday 4/15

• Chapter 8 Reading Quiz
• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter

Friday 4/17

• Complete your Chapter 8 Critical Engagement Post by 11:59pm. 

Sunday 4/19

• Reply to two classmates’ Critical Engagement Posts by 11:59pm.

Week 14

>>Monday 4/20

• Prior to class read Fiero Chapter 9, “Encounter: Contact and the Clash of Cultures.” 

>>Wednesday 4/22

• Chapter 9 Reading Quiz
• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter
• First Look: Time Capsule Proposal 2

Friday 4/24

• Complete your Chapter 9 Critical Engagement Post by 11:59pm. 

Sunday 4/26

• Reply to two classmates’ Critical Engagement Posts by 11:59pm.

Week 15

>>Monday 4/27

• College Writing Workshop 3
• Bring material to work on TCP 2 in class

>>Wednesday 4/29

• TCP 2 in-class workday

Week 16

>>Monday 5/4

• TCP 2 in-class workday

>>Wednesday 5/6

• TCP 2 In-Class Peer Review Session

Sunday 5/10

• TCP 2 due on Blackboard by 11:59pm.

Unit 4: Final Project

Week 17

>>Monday 5/11

• Final Project Workshop

>>Wednesday 5/13

• Final Project Workshop
• Course Reflection, Synthesis, Takeaways

Friday 5/15

• Final Project due on Blackboard by 11:59pm.
• Note: No assignments or posts will be accepted for course credit after Sunday, May 17th at 11:59pm.