Humanistic Studies 102
HUM STUD 102: |
Instructor: Clifton Ganyard |
Pablo Picasso, Guernica (1937)
Course Description: Foundations of Western Culture 2 is a survey of western civilization and culture from the 16th century through the end of the 20th century. Topics for consideration include absolutism and constitutionalism, the Scientific Revolution, the Enlightenment, the French Revolution, the Industrial Revolution, nations and nationalism, imperialism, modern culture, war and revolution, fascism and communism, the Cold War, and the relationship between the West and the rest of the world. Foundations of Western Culture 2 is a general education humanities course. As such, it seeks to strengthen academic skills and broaden intellectual interests by familiarizing students with the general development of western culture, allowing students to reflect upon changing social values, and improving critical thinking skills. The format of the course will be a combination of lecture and discussion.
Course Materials: There are four books required for this course:
Dennis Sherman and Joyce Salisbury, The West in the World, 3rd ed., vol. 2
Dennis Sherman, Western Civilization: Sources, Images, and Interpretations, 7th ed., vol. 2
Voltaire, Candide
George Orwell, 1984
The two Sherman texts are packaged together. All four books are available at the Phoenix bookstore. A few additional readings may be assigned throughout the semester.
The West in the World Online Student Center (OLC)
http://www.mhhe.com/sherman3
This is an online study guide maintained by McGraw-Hill, the publisher of your textbook. It includes chapter summaries, outlines, multiple-choice and true-false review questions, Biography and Global Connection review questions, critical thinking questions, and additional primary sources. These materials are optional. However, I encourage you to use the other materials on your own. You may find the review quizzes particularly useful for reviewing material and preparing for quizzes. To access them, follow the link above and then click on “Student Edition” on the left side of the page. In the upper left-hand corner of the next page you will see a drop-down menu listing the chapters in the textbook. Choose the chapter you wish to review; this link will take you to the appropriate page with links to the chapter outline and other review materials. The quizzes are among the links listed on the left of the screen.
Desire to Learn (D2L)
http://www.uwgb.edu/learntech/d2l/
D2L is an online resource we will be using to communicate and conduct this course. On the D2L site for this course you will find a syllabus, class schedule, quizzes, paper dropbox, additional assigned reading, your grades, and news. To access D2L, go to the website and logon using your network/email username and password. If you have problems, contact the Learning Technology Center (IS 1144, learntech@uwgb.edu, 465-2286). Once you have logged on, scroll down to “My Green Bay Courses”; there you should see “Foundations of Western Culture II”. Click this link to access the online materials for this course.
TurnItIn
http://www.turnitin.com
TurnItIn is another online resource we will be using this semester, primarily as a deterrent to plagiarism, but you will find a variety of other resources related to writing papers. You are required to submit your term paper to TurnItIn. At the top of the front page you will see a link to “Training: Getting Started”; here you will find links to Quickstart Guides, User Manuals, and Training Videos that have information for students on how to use the systems. To begin, you should create an account. Follow the New Users link in the top right-hand corner of the front page (just above Login). The name of this course on TurnItIn is “Foundations of Western Culture 2 Sp 08”; the Course ID# is 2124682; the Course Password is “bismarck”. Once you have joined the course, you will be able to take advantage of TurnItIn’s resources and submit your paper. I recommend you create a profile and join the course now in case you run into any difficulty with the website.
Course Requirements: Students are expected to prepare reading assignments before the class for which they are assigned and to attend class regularly. In addition, students are required to take a series of quizzes, a mid-term exam and a final exam, and to write a term paper.
Quizzes
There are 8 quizzes assigned on the syllabus. The quizzes will be taken on-line through D2L (see information above about logging on to D2L). Quizzes will be made available for a limited time, usually 2-3 days, and you will have 30 minutes to complete each quiz. There will be 15-20 objective questions (multiple choice, true-false, etc.) on each quiz. The quizzes are intended to accomplish several things. First, and quite honestly, they are intended to make you keep up with the reading. Second, they are intended to make sure you learn some of the details of western civilization: names, dates, events, etc. Third, the quizzes are intended to provide feedback. By quizzing you on several small chunks of material, I hope to focus your studying. Together, the quizzes are worth 25% of your final grade.
Exams
The mid-term and final are essay exams. Each covers approximately one half of the course. Since I have already tested you for details on the quizzes, it makes no sense to reiterate those tests here. Instead, I want you to consider the broader sweep of civilization. Of course, you will be expected to use the details you learned for the quizzes in these essays, but the main point is to be able to discuss and explain the bigger picture. Some time before each exam, I will distribute several possible essay topics (probably five) such as “Discuss the role of ‘class,’ that is social divisions within society, in western civilization” or “What happened to Enlightenment values (Reason, Progress, Individualism, etc.) in the 19th and 20th centuries?” Several of the possible topics (probably three) will actually appear on the exam. You will be expected to write one essay in response to one of the topics. Each exam is worth 25% of your final grade (50% total).
Paper
Your paper must be based on one of the two novels required for this course, Voltaire’s Candide or George Orwell’s 1984. You only have to write one paper, but you are still responsible for both novels and will be tested on each on the appropriate quiz and exam. The paper on Candide is due Monday, February 25, by 11:00 pm. The paper on 1984 is due Wednesday, April 30, by 11:00 pm. Papers must be submitted to both D2L and to TurnItIn. Please be sure to submit your paper to the correct assignment folder in D2L and TurnItIn. If you choose to write your paper on Candide but do poorly, you may write a second paper on 1984. If you choose this option, your lowest paper grade will be dropped. If you do not submit a paper on Candide by the deadline, you are required to write your paper on 1984. You must accomplish two things in you paper: (1) demonstrate that you have read and understand the novel, and (2) explain how the novel reflects (or fails to reflect) its historical setting. This reflection may be in the intellectual or cultural trends of the time (the Enlightenment in the case of Candide: what characteristics of the Enlightenment does Candide illustrate?) or in the actual society described in the book (totalitarianism in the case of 1984: what aspects of totalitarian society does 1984 describe?) or both. The paper should be 3-5 pages in length, typed, double-spaced, standard margins (no more than 1.25”), and font size between 10 and 12. All quotations and references must be properly cited using either MLA (parenthetical citation and a works cited page) or footnotes/endnotes. Please do not use APA. Your paper may include a title page, but this does not count toward the page total. The paper is worth 25% or your final grade.
Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism: Plagiarism is a violation of academic integrity policy and grounds for failure of the course, suspension, or dismissal from the university as outlined by UW-Green Bay 14.03 Academic Misconduct Subject to Disciplinary Action: “Academic misconduct is an act in which a student...seeks to claim credit for the work or efforts of another without authorization or citation.” Don’t do it. If you are unsure about what constitutes plagiarism, how to avoid it, or how to properly cite information, please see me or go to the Writing Center (CL 109) for help. For further explanation on academic misconduct, see the Dean of Students’ University Policies page on Academic Misconduct: http://www.uwgb.edu/deanofstudents/policies/ch14.htm.
Disability Notice: As required by federal law and UW-Green Bay policy for individuals with disabilities, students with a documented disability who need accommodations must contact the Disability Services Office at 465-2841. Reasonable accommodations can be made unless they alter the essential components of the class. Contact the instructor and Disability Services Coordinator in a timely manner to formulate alternative arrangements.
Course Grades: Final grades will be based on the following formula:
Quizzes 25%
Paper 25%
Mid-term Exam 25%
Final Exam 25%
Course grades will be based on the following distribution:
A = 93-100
AB = 88-92
B = 83-87
BC = 78-82
C = 73-77
CD = 68-72
D = 60-67
F = 59 or below
There is no curve.
Tentative Course Schedule:
The course schedule may be changed at any time.
WW = Dennis Sherman and Joyce Salisbury, The West in the World
WC = Dennis Sherman, Western Civilization: Sources Images, and Interpretations
Date |
Topic |
Assignment |
Notes |
W 1/23 |
Introduction |
|
|
F 1/25 |
Absolutism |
WW 404-423 |
|
M 1/28 |
Constitutionalism |
WW 423-437 |
|
W 1/30 |
Subjects & Sovereigns - Discussion |
WC ch. 16 |
|
F 2/1 |
The Scientific Revolution |
WW 440-452 |
Quiz 1 (1/25-2/1) |
M 2/4 |
The Enlightenment |
WW 452-464 |
|
W 2/6 |
The Scientific Revolution & Enlightenment - Discussion |
WC chs. 17 & 19 |
|
F 2/8 |
The Old Regime |
WW 466-486 |
|
M 2/11 |
The Old Regime |
WW 486-496, 500-501 |
|
W 2/13 |
The Old Regime - |
WC ch. 18 |
Quiz 2 (2/4-2/13) |
F 2/15 |
Voltaire - Discussion |
Candide, 15-64 |
|
M 2/18 |
Voltaire - Discussion |
Candide, 64-101 |
|
W 2/20 |
The French Revolution |
WW 496-497, 502-521 |
|
F 2/22 |
The French Revolution |
WW 521-531 |
|
M 2/25 |
The French Revolution - Discussion |
WC chs. 20-21 |
Candide Paper Due! Quiz 3 (2/15-2/25) |
W 2/27 |
The Industrial Revolution |
WW 534-548 |
|
F 2/29 |
The Industrial Revolution |
WW 548-562 |
|
M 3/3 |
The Industrial Revolution - Discussion |
WC ch. 22 |
|
W 3/5 |
Coping with Change |
WW 564-579 |
|
F 3/7 |
Coping with Change |
WW 579-592 |
|
M 3/10 |
Coping with Change - Discussion |
WC ch. 23 |
Quiz 4 (2/27-3/10) |
W 3/12 |
Mid-term Exam! |
|
|
F 3/14 |
Nations & Nationalism |
WW 594-612 |
|
3/17-3/21 |
Spring Break. No classes |
|
|
M 3/24 |
Imperialism |
WW 628-640 |
|
W 3/26 |
Nationalism & Imperialism - Discussion |
WC ch. 24 |
|
F 3/28 |
Modern Life |
WW 642-657, 615-628 |
|
M 3/31 |
Modern Life |
WW 657-669 |
|
W 4/2 |
Modern Life - Discussion |
WC ch. 25 |
Quiz 5 (3/14-4/2) |
F 4/4 |
World War I |
WW 672-688 |
|
M 4/7 |
The Russian Revolution |
WW 689-698 |
|
W 4/9 |
War & Revolution - Discussion |
WC ch. 26 |
|
F 4/11 |
The Age of Anxiety |
WW 700-709 |
Quiz 6 (4/4-4/11) |
M 4/14 |
Depression & Dictatorship |
WW 708-723 |
|
W 4/16 |
Depression & Dictatorship - Discussion |
WC chs. 27-28 |
|
F 4/18 |
Orwell - Discussion |
1984, 1-104 |
|
M 4/21 |
Orwell - Discussion |
1984, 105-217 |
|
W 4/23 |
Orwell - Discussion |
1984, 217-297, 298-326 |
Quiz 7 (4/14-4/23) |
F 4/25 |
World War II |
WW 726-736 |
|
M 4/28 |
World War II |
WW 736-749 |
|
W 4/30 |
The Cold War |
WW 752-753, 754-773 |
1984 Paper Due! |
F 5/2 |
Cold War Culture |
WW 773-786 |
|
M 5/5 |
The Postwar World - |
WC ch. 29 |
|
W 5/7 |
The Collapse of Communism |
WW 791-805 |
Quiz 8 |
F 5/9 |
The West and the World |
WW 805-820 |
|
M 5/12 |
The Present in Perspective - Discussion |
WC ch. 30 |
|
Sec 001 (9:00) Final Exam |
Monday, May 19, 8:00-10:00 |
WH 214 |
Sec 002 (10:00) Final Exam |
Friday, May 16, 10:30-12:30 |
WH 214 |
Return to Courses page.
