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Houston Community College System
COURSE SYLLABUS - CRN 63945
Humanities 1301: Introduction to the Humanities
Professor: Dr. James A. Ross-Nazzal, Co-Director African American
Studies Program
Office Number: 204, Angela Morales Bldg, SE campus
Office Phone Number: 713-718-7131 I will return calls at 8am Saturdays.
Email: james.rossnazzal@hccs.edu
Comms: All communications will take place in three areas: 1) Class
Announcements, Daily Briefing or Morning Briefing threads (here is where I will
post exams, announcements, class related stuff; check this forum every day); 2)
Questions forum (here is where you will post questions to topics that OI have
selected such as the syllabus and assignments. Of Course you will check the
Questions Policy before posting any questions); and, 3) For all personal or private
matters please contact me using your HCC student email at
james.rossnazzal@hccs.edu. Due to privacy concerns, I will NOT respond to
students who use non HCC email addresses such as Gmail, hotmail, et cetera.
Office Hours: Online M-F 8:00-10:00AM.
Learning Web: http://m.se.hccs.edu/Users/james.rossnazzal/web/
HCC Blog: http://secollege.hccs.edu/drjrn/
Follow me on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/AfricanaAfricanAmericanStudiesProgramAtHccEastside
https://www.facebook.com/HccEastsideHistoryClub
Skype: I am available over Skype by appointment only (drjross-nazzal).
CATALOG DESCRIPTION
Prerequisite: ENGL 1301
Credit: 3 (3 lecture)
This course provides an introduction to the arts and humanities. It investigates connections
between individual human lives and a broad range of culture, aesthetics, and philosophy.
Core Curriculum Course.
COURSE PURPOSE
HUMA 1301 DE Fall 2013 Dr. Ross-Nazzal
To develop student thinking, seeing, reading, writing, and listening skills and expand his/her
knowledge of the human condition as portrayed in works of the human imagination and intellect.
DESCRIPTION OF COURSE CONTENT
Students focus on the connections between their own lives and the ideas and values expressed in
works of human imagination and thought. Through inquiry into selected literature, philosophy,
and the visual and performing arts, students will engage in critical thinking, form aesthetic
judgments, and develop an appreciation of the arts and humanities and their pivotal role in the
health and survival of any society. Students will attend and respond to museum and gallery
exhibitions and performances (live theater and film). They will be introduced to readings in
several genres from a variety of cultures. Students will respond to the work they study in a variety
of ways including oral presentations, formal written assignments, and informal journal responses.
TEXTBOOK
Sayre, Henry. The Humanities: Culture, Continuity and Change, Vol. 1, Pearson, Prentice Hall,
2013. (2nd edition). ISBN. 9780205782154 or whatever version the BN bookstore is selling
this semester. You will be reading the chapters from Book I of the textbook. Depending on
which version of the textbook you buy, that will be the first six to eight chapters.
E-READINGS
Each week you will select and read one (1) e reading from the e reading folder of each Unit.
Student Learning Objectives
1.
2.
3.
4.
Recognize a variety of works in the arts and humanities.
Understand those works as expressions of individual and human
values within a historical and social context.
Analyze objectively works in the arts and humanities.
Articulate a personal (subjective) reaction to works in the arts
and humanities.
HCCS Humanities in the Core Curriculum
Humanities 1301 may be taken to fulfill the core curriculum requirement for 3 semester
hours in Cross/Multicultural Studies.
Humanities 1301 helps students attain the following:
1. Establish broad and multiple perspectives on individuals in relationship to the larger society
and world in which they live and understand the responsibilities of living in a culturally and
ethnically diversified world;
2. Stimulate a capacity to discuss and reflect upon individual, political, economic, and social
aspects of life in order to understand ways in which to be a responsible member of society;
3. Develop personal values for ethical behavior;
4. Develop the ability to make aesthetic judgments; and
5. Integrate knowledge and understanding of the interrelationships of the scholarly disciplines.
The objective of the humanities and visual and performing arts in a core curriculum is to
expand students’ knowledge of the human condition and human cultures especially in relation to
behaviors, ideas, and values expressed in works of human imagination and thought. Through
HUMA 1301 DE Fall 2013 Dr. Ross-Nazzal
study in disciplines such as literature and the visual and performing arts, students will engage in
critical analysis, form aesthetic judgments, and develop an appreciation of the arts and humanities
as fundamental to the health and survival of any society. Students should have experiences in
both the arts and humanities.
The objective of the cross/multicultural component of the core curriculum is to introduce
students to areas of study which enlarge their knowledge and appreciation of the multicultural and
multiracial world in which they live.
Graded Work:
Success Essay. Success does not happen by accident. Rather, you need a plan. A
concrete, clearly delineated plan. Your first assignment is to write your plan for how you
will succeed (i.e. pass) in my class. Your essay will be at least 750 words (typed, double
spaced, Times New Roman, 12 font, 1” margins) and will be worth 10% of your final
grade.
First, go to my HCC blog (see address on page 1) and read every student entry from
“How to Succeed” and “Student Success: Spring 2013”. Second, analyze the entries by
identifying the three most common aspects of student success. Finally, using the success
tips from my previous students, devise your own plan to succeed. Upload your finished
essay as a Word (.doc, .docx, or .rtf) file to the Unit folder entitled “Success Essay”.
Please note that HCC does not support non-Word formats. Anyone who submits any
work in a non Word format will receive a zero.
If however you have already taken and passed any of my classes then all you have to
do to complete this assignment is to write a 750 word (minimum) essay on what you
did to pass my previous class.
Success Essay Third Option: Answer this question in at least 750 words: “What does it
mean to you to be able to take ethnic and gender studies classes in general and why did
you select this specific ethnic studies class?”
Exams. The Midterm covers the ancient Middle East, China and India. The Final covers
Greece and Rome. I will email the exams to you within the EO classroom two weeks
before they are due. Follow the directions on the exams. Exams are due at the conclusion
of Units 2 and 4. You will upload them as Word files to the EO Unit. You are required to
use evidence from the assigned textbook, assigned lectures, and assigned e readings.
Students who use sources that I did not assign will receive a zero on the assignment.
Students who fail to use evidence from all three sources will receive an D, at best. You
will cite using MLA or APA. Failure to cite is plagiarism and doing so will result in you
receiving an F in the course and of course being prohibited from continuing in my class.
Each exam is worth 25% of your final grade.
Culture Assignments. Draft two 750 word essays examining the major characteristics of
Mesopotamian, Chinese, or Indian (1) and Greco (2) culture. Upload your essays in the
EO classroom as Word files. Essays are due upon completion of Units 1 and 3. You are
HUMA 1301 DE Fall 2013 Dr. Ross-Nazzal
required to use evidence from the assigned textbook, assigned lectures, and assigned e
readings. You are required to cite using MLA or APA. Students who use sources that I
did not assign will receive a zero on the assignment. Same penalties as above. Each CA is
worth 20% of your final grade.
Submissions. All submissions will be in Word format, as per the HCC Student
Handbook. Word is .doc, .docx, or .rtf. If you submit any graded assignment in a nonWord format you will receive an F, a zero.
Participation and Attendance. Participation is required if you want to succeed (i.e.,
pass): Students who fail to submit the first graded or non graded assignment will be
dropped for failing to participate as per the HCC Student Handbook, regardless of
your grade in the class. You are required to log into the class at least three times
each work week. Students who fail to attend will be dropped as per the HCC
Student Handbook on attendance, regardless of your grade.
Scholastic Dishonesty: The Houston Community College System Student Handbook 1999/2000 defines
the following criteria: "Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism,
and collusion." Plagiarism means the appropriation of another's work and the unacknowledged
incorporation of that work in one's own written work offered for credit. Collusion means the unauthorized
collaboration with another person in preparing written work offered for credit. Students who engage in
scholastic dishonesty will be given an F in the class.
ADA: Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.)
who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Services Office at the
beginning of each semester. Faculty is authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the
Disability Support Services Office.
Student Attendance: Life is too short to repeat in lecture what is available in your
readings, thus relentless attendance is required. If miss “just one day” you truly miss a lot
because my lectures, like history, are tightly integrated. Successful students attend class
with a tenacity of purpose.
Grades
The grade of A (100-90) reflects excellence. The A work offers a well-focused and
organized discussion appropriate to the instructor's assignment, reflects critical use of all
relevant materials, and demonstrates effective and formal writing requirements. Work
must demonstrate outstanding efforts to identify and use varied and pertinent evidence
from all available sources, to employ those materials critically in the text of the papers,
and to provide error-free citations of those resources. A work is handed in on time.
The grade of B (89-80) represents work beyond satisfactory and indicates the work was
completed in an appropriate and competent manner and, in general, demonstrates a strong
attempt at original and critical analysis, writing, and research. Work must demonstrate
beyond satisfactory efforts to identify varied and pertinent evidence from all available
HUMA 1301 DE Fall 2013 Dr. Ross-Nazzal
sources. The B paper may contain a number of minor errors of grammar or citation, and
its thesis or its conclusions may be undeveloped or too weakly supported. B work is
handed in on time.
The grade of C(79-70) indicates that the work was done in a satisfactory or appropriate
fashion and represents the average work expected for university courses. In order to
obtain a C grade, your work must adhere to all of the assignment’s minimum
requirements to include but limited to page/word requirements, number of sources, types
of sources, and proper citation method. The work is organized around a central idea with
arguments supported by relevant examples from the available sources. The work is
structured into correctly written paragraphs and sentences. Although fulfilling the
assignment, the C work may exhibit one or more weaknesses including, but not limited
to, errors of punctuation and grammar, imprecise or incorrect word use, inaccurate or
uncritical use of materials, occasional inconsistency of organization or development, and
lack of direct relevance of the selected research materials to the topic. C work is handed
in on time.
The grade of D (69-60) indicates that the work may have a poorly defined topic or thesis,
lacks clear focus or organization, and contains unsupported generalizations or
conclusions. Research support (citations) is inadequate, not clearly relevant, or
improperly documented. A less-than-minimal research effort is evident. D works fails to
obtain the required page or word minimum requirement. D work fails to adhere to the
assignment’s resource requirement. The work may also suffer from numerous or major
formal writing errors. D work fails to adhere to any of the assignment’s minimum
requirements. D work is handed in on time.
The grade of F (59-1) indicates that the work is not clearly relevant to the assignment and
that its topic and thesis are poorly focused or defined. The work may display inadequate
organization or development, unsupported generalizations, and nonstandard formal
features (including language usage, sentence structure, and paragraphing). Research
support (citations) is absent (this is plagiarism), or irrelevant to the assignment. F work is
handed in on time.
The grade of 0 indicates that the work was not submitted at all or submitted after the due
date/time. Remember any cheating whatsoever will result in an F for the course. Do you
remember what happened to SMU in 1987?
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spe/2004/feb25football/smu.html
Late Work. I do not accept late work, for any reason. Do not ask me to accept late
work. If any holidays, parties, work, vacations, family obligations, legal matters, or
secular or religious responsibilities prevent you from completing the work when it is
due, please do not take this class as I do not negotiate assignments or due dates.
Missed Assignments. I do not allow make ups for any reason. Do not ask me if there
are any make up assignments. Remember, the FIRST graded or non graded
assignment you miss will result in you being dropped from my class for failure to
participate.
HUMA 1301 DE Fall 2013 Dr. Ross-Nazzal
Extra Credit. I do not offer such a thing, for any reason, thus please do not ask me
to entertain such a thing. Please leave all high school thoughts behind.
W. Students who fail to submit the first graded assignment will be withdrawn from
the course. Students who fail to submit any additional assignments will be
withdrawn from the course.
Mental Health Day. You are granted two (2) MHDs this semester. The MHD is to
help you with your time management skills. When you take your MHD you will
alert me via email within the EO classroom before the next assignment is due and
then I will give you an extra 48 hours to complete the assignment. The MHD is good
on any assignment except the final exam.
Mulligan. A mulligan is a do-over, normally associated with a novice taking up golf.
If you are unsatisfied with any of your performances on the first three graded
assignments, you may take a mulligan, a do over. First, you must have submitted the
assignment initially as students who fail to submit work will be dropped. Second,
you will write a 250 word explanation to me specifically detailing how you failed to
live up to your expectations and my class standards as seen in the syllabus (ie, fall on
your sword). Finally, you will send me via an email attachment your redo in a Word
file to me within the EO classroom. Your Mulligan is due NLT seven days after I
post the grades for the assignment.
HUMA 1301 DE Fall 2013 Dr. Ross-Nazzal
HUMANITIES 1301 - CALENDAR
DATES
MATERIAL TO BE COVERED
9/21-10/13
Read chapters on Pre History, Mesopotamia, and Egypt; Listen to
all lectures covering those chapters; read weekly e reading
covering those chapters and submit the first Culture Assignment
NLT 2359 on 10/13.
10/14-11/3
Read chapters on China and India; Listen to all lectures covering
those chapters; Read weekly e reading covering those chapters;
submit the Midterm Exam NLT 2359 on 11/3.
11/4-11/24
Read chapters on Greco world; Listen to all lectures covering those
chapters; read weekly e reading on those chapters; Submit
second Culture Assignment NLT 2359 on 11/24.
11/25-12-15
Read about the Roman world; Listen to all lectures covering
Rome; Read weekly e readings on Rome; Submit Final Exam
NLT 2359 on 12/11.
HUMA 1301 DE Fall 2013 Dr. Ross-Nazzal