HUM 2020: Encountering the Humanities course page

 

HUM 2020: Encountering the Humanities

Course Page & Schedule

 

Part One: Introduction: What Are The Humanities?

Week 1: Jan. 8, 10, 12

Week 2: Jan. 17, 19 (No class Jan. 15, MLK Day)

  • The tradition of humanism: Is “humanities” the same as “humanism?”
  • Liberal Arts; History of the university
  • Questioning as a scholarly skill – learning to ask good questions.
  • Thinking about “big questions”
  • Humanities Exercise 1, due Friday, Jan. 12
  • Humanities Exercise 2, due Monday, Jan. 22
    • Heresy, Blasphemy and the Freedom of Expression conference (Jan. 18-20)

Part Two: The Basics: Succeeding as a Humanities Student

Week 3: Jan. 22, 24, 26
Week 4: Jan 29, 31, Feb. 2

Week 5: Feb. 5, 7, 9

  • How to write, how to read
  • Researching in the humanities
  • Using the library
  • Library Assignment
  • Questions about the City Generated by the Class

Part Three: Classical Humanities

Week 6: Feb. 12, 14, 16

Week 7: Feb. 19, 21, 23

  • Central questions, texts, and currents of thought in the history of culture
  • Why do ideas matter? Why is it worth knowing where they came from?

Part Four: Multi-Cultural Humanities

Week 8: Feb. 26, 28 March 2 (Withdrawal by March 2)

Week 9: March 5, 7, 9

  • Central questions, texts, and currents of thought in multi-cultural humanities
  • Understanding cultures understanding themselves.
  • Accessing the products of diverse cultures: art, music, literature, theatre, film, dance, architecture, philosophy, religion.

Mid-term break, March 12-16

Part Five: Critical Humanities

Week 10: March 19, 21, 23

Week 11: March 26, 28, 30

Week 12: April 2, 4, 6

  • Prospectus Due March 23
  • Central questions, texts, and currents of thought in critical humanities
  • What’s critical about critical humanities?
  • Understanding contemporary culture.
  • Exercise on Disciplinarity, Interdisciplinarity, and the City

Part Six: Interdisciplinarity

Week 13: April 9, 11, 13

  • What is a discipline?
  • Examples of interdisciplinary scholarship
  • What kind of knowledge is produced in the university?

Part Seven: Conclusion

Week 14: April 16, 18, 20

Week 15: April 23

  • Presentation Format – please read this in preparation for your presentation
  • Presentation Response Forms – Word, pdf
  • Presentation Schedule

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