Course Description

• 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 the Renaissance to modern day. 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, 2024.The Landmarks in Humanities eBook is available through Connect / McGraw-Hill—accessible through our course Blackboard site.

This course is a survey of art, literature, music, and cultural studies from Renaissance to modern day. 

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: Orientation

Week 1

>>Tuesday 1/20

• 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.

>>Thursday 1/22

• 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)

Week 2

>>Tuesday 1/27

• Watch Folktales (in class)

>>Thursday 1/29

• Finish watching Folktales
• In-class discussion of documentary 

Friday 1/30—Orientation Assignment due

• Submit Orientation assignment to Blackboard by 11:59pm. 
   

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

Week 3

>>Tuesday 2/3

• Prior to class read Fiero Ch 7, “The Italian Renaissance” and complete chapter assessment.

>>Thursday 2/5

• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter

Week 4

>>Tuesday 2/10

• Prior to class read Fiero Ch 8, “The Northern Renaissance” and complete chapter assessment.

>>Thursday 2/12

• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter

Week 5

>>Tuesday 2/17

• Prior to class read Fiero Ch 9, “Encounter: Contact and the Clash of Cultures” and complete the chapter assessment.

>>Thursday 2/19

• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter
• First Look: Annotated Bibliography

Week 6

>>Tuesday 2/24

• Intro to Library Services

>>Thursday 2/26

• College Writing Workshop & Peer Review

Unit Two: Questions of Authority from the Baroque through the Romantic Era  

Week 7

>>Tuesday 3/3

• Prior to class read Fiero Ch 10, “The Baroque” and complete the chapter assessment.

>>Thursday 3/5

• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter

Friday 3/6

• Submit your Annotated Bibliography to Blackboard by 11:59pm.

Week 8

>>Tuesday 3/10

• Prior to class read Fiero Ch 11, “The Enlightenment” and complete the chapter assessment.

>>Thursday 3/12

• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter

Week 9

We will not meet on Tuesday 3/17  or Thursday 3/19 in observation of Spring Break. During this week, you are assigned the following: 

• Read Fiero Ch. 12, “Romanticism” and complete the chapter assessment.
• Take a look at the Unit Essay assignment prompt and begin thinking about your paper.
• Complete and submit any late assignments.

Week 10

>>Tuesday 3/24

• Prior to class, read Fiero Ch. 12, “Romanticism” and complete the chapter assessment.
• First Look: Unit 2 Essay

>>Thursday 3/26

• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter

Week 11

>>Tuesday 3/31

• Prior to class, submit the Unit 2 Essay prewriting assignment.
• In-class workday

>>Thursday 4/2

• Writing Workshop 2 & Peer Review

Unit Three: Industrialization, Modernism, and the New Globalism

Week 12

>>Tuesday 4/7

• Prior to class, read Fiero Ch. 13, “Materialism: The Industrial Era and the Urban Scene” and complete the chapter assessment.

>>Thursday 4/9

• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter

Friday 4/12

• Submit your Unit 2 Essay to Blackboard by 11:59pm. 

Week 13

>>Tuesday 4/14

• Prior to class, read Fiero Ch. 14, “Modernism: The Assault on Tradition” and complete the chapter assessment.

>>Thursday 4/16

• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter

Week 14

>>Tuesday 4/21

• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter

>>Thursday 4/23

• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter
• First Look: Unit 3 Essay

Week 15

>>Tuesday 4/28

• Prior to class, read Fiero  Ch. 15 “Globalism: Information, Communication, and the Digital Revolution”  and complete the chapter assessment.
• Prior to class, submit the Unit 3 Essay prewriting assignment.

>>Thursday 4/30

• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter

Week 16

>>Tuesday 5/5

• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter

>>Thursday 5/7

• Come prepared to discuss at least one major takeaway from the assigned chapter

Friday 5/8

• Submit your Unit 3 essay to Blackboard by 11:59pm. 

Week 17

>>Tuesday 5/12

• Final Project Workday

>>Thursday 5/14

• Final Project Workday and Course Conclusion

Friday 5/15—Final Project Due

• Submit Final Project to Blackboard by 11:59pm. 

Note: No assignments or posts will be accepted for course credit after Sunday, May 17th at 11:59pm.