Course Syllabus

HUMAN 4.2: Western Culture: Arts, Ideas, and Values - Spring 2019

**Please note that you do not have to have taken Humanities 4.1 in order to take this course. They cover different periods of history but this course doesn't rely on assumed prior knowledge from the 4.1 course.**

Our Blessed Rebel Queen

Class begins: Tuesday, January 15, 2019

Class ends: Thursday, May 16, 2019

Class time: Tues/Thurs. 12-1:30 pm

Final: Thursday, May 23, 2019
10:00 AM - 12:45 PM

apocalyptic art

INSTRUCTOR                          

Sarah Whylly                             

707.307.3034 (I'm a millenial, please text me first so I can be mentally prepared to answer the phone.)                      

swhylly@santarosa.edu

sewhylly@gmail.com

 

Steampunk raven

Classroom: Emeritus 1519

Office: 1508 Emeritus Hall 

Office Hours:  Tuesdays - 1:30-2:30 pm

                         Thursdays - 1:30-2:30

                         Also, by appointment.

 

 

 

Course Description

An interdisciplinary approach to the study of the arts, ideas, and values of Western culture.  The course will focus on the visual arts, drama, music, literature, philosophy, and religion within a cultural context. It will cover the Baroque, Neoclassical, Romantic, Modern, and Postmodern periods (1600 to present).

Student Learning Outcomes & Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Analyze the chronological development of Western culture, including the cultural eras
    of the Baroque, the Neoclassical, the Romantic, the Modern and the Postmodern.
2. Identify and evaluate the contributions of major artists, writers and thinkers of these periods.

Course Components:

**This course is going to be run as a multiplayer role-playing game. It will likely have a steampunk theme based on some ideas I currently have for our campaigns. I will explain to all of you what this means on the first day of class but essentially we will be treating the work and activities of the class as a giant role-playing game. If you don’t know what this is, please don’t let that scare you, I am very patient and I guarantee we will have a lot of fun together.**

Course Site: This is a Canvas course. Make sure you understand how to access the site for this course. We will go over some of the details of Canvas in class. I will post any announcements for class on Canvas, and it should be checked at least twice a week.

Guild Name: You will choose a name for your guild that you will use for discussion, guild-work, and projects. 

XP – Experience points or, in other classes, points.

Guilds – Groups

RPG – Role-playing game

**Points for the course will be translated into XP or experience points.**

Grading Explanation:

The student will, by doing the assigned work for the course, accumulate points which will determine the final grade.

Your grade will be based on XP you earn divided by the total number of XP points from required assignments for the course. Canvas' gradebook does not allow this to be done easily so students are responsible for monitoring the number of points they have earned and figuring out how many they need to earn a particular letter grade.

As this is a three unit, UC transferrable course, the student is expected to do 6 hours of homework every week (2 hours outside class for every one hour inside class is the legal definition of a unit in a lecture class)

There will be 5 ways I assess learning in the course. They are as follows:

Attendance and Participation: You are expected to attend class regularly and attendance is monitored via completion of in-class assignments. These cannot be made up, regardless of whether an absence is excused or unexcused. **Participation and presence for class discussion, lectures, and group work is a significant portion of your grade for this class.** This means that you are expected to participate in class. This includes being prepared to speak about the reading, asking me to clarify what you do not understand, playing games, interacting in groups, competing for points, and responding to comments made by other students in lectures and during discussion. You are also expected to treat all of your classmates with respect during class discussions. I encourage frank and honest discussion but I expect it to be in the context of an academic and respectful exchange.

Reading: Most of the comprehension of the learning you will do in this course will come from careful reading of assigned texts and class discussion. You will encounter a variety of writing styles in this class: philosophical essays, literature, poetry, plays, religious, and historical documents. You will also be synthesizing materials written about culture with cultural products themselves. You should learn to look for the author’s thesis, arguments, and key terms. If you encounter a term you do not recognize you should attempt to look it up and then ask about it in class. You should come to class with ideas about what point the author is trying to convey and how this point relates to other materials we have covered in the course

***A reading schedule will be posted each week to the Canvas site and all students should come to class having read the material listed as due for that day of the class***

Art & Music Analysis: You will write two 600 word essays in the form of an art and a musical composition analysis. Written assignments will be graded on the basis of clear writing (including grammar and syntax), serious and original reflection on the topic, and successful integration of the terms, concepts, and ideas presented both in class and the readings. You will be expected to be able to use a formatting style for research in the essay such as MLA, APA, etc. There will be materials and guidance provided to help you accomplish this. Late work will receive a five-point deduction per day, beginning immediately after the deadline. This includes the weekend. The topics should be ones related to material covered in our course that interests you and will represent some independent research and analysis done on your part.

Investigation projects: You will be asked to work with your guild to conduct investigations in the context of adventures I give you. These are part of the gamified format of the class and you will be given full details ahead of time of the parameters and expectations of these projects. These may take the form of short papers, reports, and/or discussion board assignments.

Quizzes and Tests: These will be conducted in class and the format will often be that of dungeon crawls conducted in Minecraft and other fiendish methods I decide upon. These are reading quizzes to ensure that you are keeping up with the reading load for the course.The format of this and the expectations will be outlined in class before we take one.

Extra Credit:

Extra Credit Opportunities: These will be random and at my discretion. They will be announced in class and posted to our Canvas course site and will related to particular topics from the course material. I do not guarantee the availability of these assignments and they should not be counted on as a regular part of your grade.

Classwork and Homework Activities (This is how you earn XP):

Guild Work:

This is group work. You will meet with your guild at least once a week during class time for a guild activity. You are expected to attend class regularly and I will be taking attendance at the beginning of class. Participation and presence for class discussion, lectures, and group work is a significant portion of your grade for this class. You are expected to participate in class. This includes being prepared to speak about the reading, asking me to clarify what you do not understand, and responding to points raised by other students. You are also expected to treat all of your classmates with respect during class discussion.

Guild Gatherings: These will be group discussions held randomly during class throughout the semester. The topics of the group discussions will be given to you in class on the day of discussion. The guild will turn in notes at the end of each discussion and each member of the guild should contribute to these notes in a substantive way. Students who arrive late or leave early will not receive credit for guild gathering assignments.   Each guild discussion is worth 25 XP each and there will be approximately 5 of these during the semester.

Guild Investigations: These projects will be conducted in class and some may require work on the part of individuals outside of class. These investigations will be centered around an adventure that you will be sent on with your guild. It will be your task to immerse yourself fully in the adventure and follow all instructions carefully. Each of these investigations will be worth 75-150 XP each depending upon the size, scope, and complexity of each.

Solo Quests:

These are reading and writing activities done individually. Most of the learning you will do in this course will come from careful reading of assigned texts and class discussion. You will encounter a variety of writing styles in this class: philosophical essays, religious, and historical documents. You will also be analyzing works of film, art, and literature and synthesizing materials written about culture with cultural products themselves. In the case of readings, you should learn to look for the author’s thesis, arguments, and key terms. If you encounter a term you do not recognize you should attempt to look it up and then ask about it in class. You should come to class with ideas about what point the author is trying to convey and how this point relates to other materials we have covered in the course. There will be periodic reading exercises to ensure that everyone is doing the reading.

Solo Crafting - Journaling: You will need to keep a blog for this class. This is a creative exercise. The posts for your blog should be on a piece of art, music, architecture, section of literature, etc. from the period we are covering for the week. You should also provide historical data on the thing you've chosen such as the date of production, artist/author/composer, genre, or period. You are responsible for posting a link, image, audio file, video, etc. of the thing you have chosen to discuss each week, identifying what it is and who made it, and a 1 paragraph explanation of why you chose this to discuss or what you find interesting about it. Try to answer the question of why it speaks to you and what it says. This will help you better understand the cultural construction of identity and how art is a personal connection to our creativity.  Each journal entry is worth 20 XP and these are due weekly, with a total of 10 due during the semester.

Solo Crafting – Art & Music Analysis: More details will be forthcoming about these assignments. You will write two 600 word essays in the form of an art and a musical composition analysis. Written assignments will be graded on the basis of clear writing (including grammar and syntax), serious and original reflection on the topic, and successful integration of the terms, concepts, and ideas presented both in class and the readings. You will be expected to be able to use a formatting style for research in the essay such as MLA, APA, etc. There will be materials and guidance provided to help you accomplish this. Late work will receive a five-point deduction per day, beginning immediately after the deadline. This includes the weekend. The topics should be ones related to material covered in our course that interests you and will represent some independent research and analysis done on your part. These are worth 100 XP each and there will be 2 of them due during the semester.

Raid Mode:

Dungeon Crawling: These take on the form of reading quizzes: Earn XP by defeating dungeons and other reading based evaluative exercises throughout the semester. Students will not be permitted the use of electronic devices or laptops during these exercises although notes on the reading will be allowed, so readings should be completed and notes taken before class begins! Each student should be prepared to submit their notes separately at the end of the class period and points will be awarded to guild members who complete such notes and bring them to class to use. These will be worth a variable amount of XP (around 50) based on the number of questions & there will be 5 of these during the semester.

Final Resolution: This will be an in-class activity of my choosing due upon the day of the final exam. It often involves a project and food. Details forthcoming. It is worth 50 XP.  Attendance on the day of the final is required for everyone!

Grading:

Homework:

Journal entries: 20 XP each (10)

Essays: 100 XP each (2)

In-class Activities:

Guild Gatherings/Discussions: 10 XP each (10-12)

Individual Alchemy: 10 XP each (7-10)

Dungeon Crawls/Quizzes: 25-50 XP each, variable (4-6)

Guild Investigative Adventures: 75-150 XP total (2)

Final Battle: 50 XP (1) - mandatory

 

 

Total XP = Letter Grade:

Level

XP

Letter Grade

Master Dragon Slayer

1350-1250

A

Apprentice Dragon Slayer

1249-1150

B

Dragon Stable Cleaner

1149-1000

C

Squirrel Tamer

999-850

D

Town Cryer

849-0

F

 

All assignments will be graded on a standard numerical scale available on our Canvas Course Site.

Class Materials:

All of your assigned readings will come from material available online, although many of these are available in material print as well, and a single textbook. Please make sure to purchase only the materials I stipulate so you don't have problems following the weekly reading requirements and so you don't have to sell organs on the black market in order to afford them. The e-materials I use can, for the most part, be read on any device or computer:

The following are required for this course:

(Do not purchase this membership until after the first course meeting!)

Scribd.com Membership ($8.99 per month, with two months free when you use this link).

 There may be other materials required for reading during the course, however, these will available as ebooks through the SRJC Library and posted, by me, on our Course Site. Please ensure that you are familiar with how to access and read ebooks through the SRJC Library website. This can be done either on or off-campus. I have constructed a list for us that you will be able to access once you have used the link above to sign-up for Scribd.

Course Policies and Procedures:

Electronic Device Policy:

I am perhaps odd amongst most of my peers in that I believe it is important to use technology wisely and I don’t ban its use or frown upon it in my classroom. However, this largesse comes at a price. If you have your phone, tablet, laptop, etc. out in class, I will make copious use of it during our time together, asking you to answer questions, look things up, and generally be my 2nd brain. If you can live with this, excellent and come prepared. If not, beware! If I find that you are preocuppied with your device and you are not paying attention in class; well, I am incredibly creative and that alone should scare you.

ACADEMIC FREEDOM & INTEGRITY

Teaching culture is a very tricky business. I, or a student, may call something a “myth” that someone in the class believes is factually true. Or we may disagree about the philosophical principles underlying the production and maintenance of culture.  We may even disagree about what culture is.  Some people’s religious beliefs may be offended or even directly refuted during this class. Below are some principles that are intended to govern the discussion. These are important given we are in a diverse, pluralistic and secular institution (and society, according to the Constitution) and given that probably more people have been tortured and killed over religious beliefs than any other reason in the history of the world.

Academic Freedom. No opinion is taboo. No one in my class will ever be silenced on the basis of the content of an opinion they express. Grades will never be based on the content of one's opin Academic freedom is a core value; education (as opposed to indoctrination) cannot really happen without it. This applies equally to instructor and student.

Respect for Diversity. While one may express any opinion in terms of its content; that freedom does not absolutely apply to the WAY something is said. As well, I will not protect anyone from the consequences of expressing an offensive opinion. Indeed, one cannot simultaneously protect freedom of speech and freedom from offence. However, I do insist that opinions are expressed with respect for persons. You may argue against someone’s ideas in class, but you may not ridicule them or put them down as a person or judge them based on their membership in a particular group or classification, real or imagined.

Academic rigor. The basis of the class is that we engage in critical analysis of cultural ideas and ideals. This is not an “appreciation” class, even though it is a survey. Because of the analytical nature of the class, cherished beliefs might feel threatened regardless of the respectful intentions of the speaker. While no one will be silenced, or graded down because they express a particular opinion, everyone will be held accountable to give real evidence and valid arguments for their views. By argument I mean a series of reasons given to support a particular conclusion (belief). I use the philosophical definition of argumentation. An argument is invalid if the reasons don’t actually support the conclusion. I’ll say more about this in class. By critical I mean the position that a claim, a belief, to be worthy of being accepted, must be constructed of sound reasons and are subject to be judged as true/false, better/worse on the basis of the quality of the reasons given.

Academic Integrity for Instructors. It is my responsibility to distinguish personal conviction from professionally accepted views in the discipline and present data and information fairly and objectivel  The student is urged to keep in mind from the get-go that “Professionally accepted views in the discipline” are not the same as “what I learned on the internet.” In fact, those two things are usually very different. It will be my job to help you learn how to tell academic sources from bad ones and also how to use them.

Academic Integrity for Students. It is your responsibility to do your own, honest, research, study and writing, to back up what you claim with evidence and always cite--AND VERIFY when possible-- your source. I provide an open door to students to get help from me and I will go out of my way to ensure that each student gets help should they need and ask for it. Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. Copying another student’s work or committing plagiarism will result in automatic zero for the assignment (first offense). Please see the Overview section below if you are not familiar with the SRJC Academic Integrity Policy or if you are unsure what academic integrity refers to.

Thank you to my colleague Eric Thompson for his hard work in developing these guidelines.

The final requirement for this course….have fun! This course should inspire learning, make you think critically, spark creativity in whatever your chosen path happens to be, open up the pages of history for your use, and provide greater enjoyment of history!

An Overview of the SRJC Academic Integrity Policy:

Types of Academic Dishonesty

Acts of academic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Cheating: Any act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for academic work through the use of dishonest, deceptive or fraudulent means.
  • Plagiarism:Any act of submitting the work of another, in whole or in part, as one’s own without properly referencing the source. This includes use of direct quotations, paraphrases, ideas and facts which are not common knowledge, whether the sources are published or unpublished. This can even happen with one’s work previous work.
  • Collusion: Any act where a student knowingly or intentionally helps or is helped by another student(s) to commit an act of academic dishonesty.
  • Other Academic Misconduct: Any act such as stealing, altering grades, forging, sabotaging the work of others, lying or any other acts of academic dishonesty as deemed by instructor.

Actions

  1. Exoneration. If, after meeting with the student, the instructor determines the allegations are false, the student will be exonerated, and no Academic Dishonesty Incident Report form will be filed. In the case of team/collaborative projects, if an offending team member is determined to have acted alone, the other members will be exonerated.
  2. Sanctions for acts of academic dishonesty may be academic and/or administrative. Team/collaborative projects where a single student may have committed an act of dishonesty can lead to sanctions against the entire team unless the offending student admits to committing the act independent of others.

Academic Sanction: If an instructor determines that an act of academic dishonesty has occurred, he or she shall apply the appropriate sanction. A failing grade for the entire course is not an allowable academic sanction. However, an assignment for which a grade of zero is given could lead to unsuccessful course completion depending on the weight of the assignment in the course grading system if it drops the student’s grade below a passing average.

  1. If, following the meeting with the instructor, the student admits to the incident of academic dishonesty, the instructor will determine the appropriate sanction. This can include, but is not limited to, requiring that the assignment be resubmitted, deducting grade points, and/or awarding a grade of zero on the assignment in question.
  2. If the instructor considers that the incident warrants greater sanction, he/she must review the incident with the Department Chair/Program Director or Supervising Administrator and may issue a Reprimand or Removal from Class by Instructor (not to exceed two (2) class meetings) and/or indicate the need for immediate administrative review on the Academic Dishonesty Incident Report. A copy of the incident report will be placed in the student’s confidential discipline file.
  3. If, following the meeting with the instructor, the student disputes the instructor¹s findings or questions the fairness of the sanction, the instructor, Department Chair/Program Director, or Supervising Administrator or Vice President of Student Services or designee will inform the student of his or her right to file a complaint regarding this decision under the Student Grievances/Complaints procedure.

 

Attendance Policy:

You are permitted 3 unexcused absences during the 17 week course. Excused absences require documentation with clear evidence supporting the reason for the absence. Daily work completed in class cannot be made up regardless of the type of absence, however, if an excused absence is planned and discussed ahead of time, quizzes may made up. Each student is eligible for one only of these make-up quizzes per semester and only in conjunction with the conditions laid out above. It is at the instructor’s discretion to approve this. This is to ensure that students remain in contact with me throughout the semester so that I can assist if there are going to be absences and missed work.

Missed quizzes will be assigned a make-up date and time. It is the student’s responsibility to make themselves available for the make-up quiz date and time should they need to take one. The content of make-up quizzes will not be the same as the content of the regularly scheduled quiz.

Late Submission Policy:

I do not accept late submitted homework assignments. In-class assignments must be completed the day they are assigned, in class. Therefore, due dates for the course must be strictly adhered to. Students are responsible for planning the completion of their work accordingly and arranging their schedules to be able to attend class and complete their work.

Differently-Abled Students:

Students with challenges needing academic accommodations should register with and provide documentation to the Disability Resources Department (DRD). Please bring all verification and accommodation information to class.  I highly encourage any students who believe they may have a disability to visit our DRD staff to chat.  They are a wonderful resource and they will be able to offer us practical ways to ensure that we are able to help you get access to all available materials and get the most out of the course.

 

Course Summary:

Date Details Due