Course Descriptions

HUM 131 - Mythology

1. Examine the concept of myth.
2. Discuss the basic myths of the Greeks and Romans.
3. Distinguish the major divinities.
4. Relate the stories told about the major divinities.
5. Identify the ways in which ancient and modern artists have illustrated the great myths and depicted the gods and goddesses through the visual arts.
6. Evaluate the effects of ancient myths on the western literary tradition through excerpts from ancient and modern literature.
7. Determine the similarities and differences between the major mythic systems of the world through contact with some myths from non-Greek and non-Roman cultures.

1.  Basic Concept of “Myth”
   1. Freud
   2. Jung
   3. Campbell
   4. Malinowski
   5. Burkert
2. Myths of the Greeks and Romans
   1. Greek creation story
   2. Non-Greek creation stories
3. Major Greek Divinities and their Roman Counterparts
   1. Artemis
   2. Athena
   3. Hestia
   4. Hera
   5. Demeter
   6. Persephone
   7. Aphrodite
   8. Zeus
   9. Poseidon
   10. Hades
   11. Apollo
   12. Hermes
   13. Ares
   14. Hephaestus
   15. Dionysius
4. Stories about the Major Divinities
   1. Theban saga
   2. Mycenaean saga
   3. Trojan saga
   4. Vergil’s Aeneid
   5. Orphic texts
   6. Perseus
5. Artistic Representation of Myths
   1. Ancient Sculpture & Painting
   2. Medieval Sculpture and Painting
   3. Renaissance Sculpture and Painting
   4. Modern Sculpture and Painting
6. Effects of Ancient Myths on the Western Literary Tradition
   1. Ancient Literature
   2. Medieval Literature
   3. Renaissance Literature
   4. Modern Literature
7. Similarities and Differences Between Major Mythic Systems
   1. Egyptian
   2. Norse
   3. Native American
8. Anthropological and Psychological Approaches to Mythic Systems
   1. James George Frasier
   2. Claude Levi-Strauss
   3. Otto Rank
   4. Carl Kerenyi
   5. Carl Jung
   6. Joseph Campbell
   7. James Hillman
   8. Jean Shinoda Bolen

HUM 196 - Independent Studies in Humanities

HUM 251 - Western Humanities I

1. Identify major works of art and literature through the early Christian era.
2. Explain recurrent themes in the culture development of the periods.
3. Discuss the inter-relationships among art, literature, and culture.
4. Express the identities of major works, recurrent themes, and inter-relationships in essay format.

1. Intensive Writing and Critical Inquiry
   1. Producing written discourse in more than one assignment through papers, reports, quizzes, tests, etc., which includes a minimum word standard of 3000 words.
   2. Written assignments emphasize critical inquiry which includes the gathering, interpreting, and evaluating of evidence.
   3. Includes a formal out of class paper of at least 1,500 words which requires critical inquiry and where the writer develops and supports a main idea.  
   4. Explicit writing instruction with timely feedback to help students improve their writing and critical inquiry skills is part of the course’s content.
   5. The evaluation of written assignments must include the overall quality of written work and critical inquiry, as measured by a rubric
   6. At least 50% of the student’s grade must be based on the written work and critical inquiry assignments.
2. Ancient Near Eastern Civilizations
   1. Sumero-Babylonian – (Epic of Gilgamesh)
   2. Egyptians
   3. Hebrews – (Hebrew Scriptures)
   4. Art
3. Greek Civilization
   1. Minoan-Mycenean
   2. Homeric – (Homer)
   3. Hellenic
      1. Sophocles
      2. Aristophanes
      3. Plato
   4. Hellenistic - (Aristotle)
   5. Art
4. Roman Civilization
   1. Early Rome and the Republic
   2. Imperial Rome – (Virgil s Aeneid)
   3. Other works by Roman authors
   4. Art
5. Early Roman Christian Civilization
   1. Christian Scriptures
   2. St. Augustine
   3. Other early Christian works
   4. Art

HUM 252 - Western Humanities II

1. Identify major works of art and literature from the early Medieval though AD 1600.
2. Explain recurrent themes in the cultural development of the periods.
3. Discuss the inter-relationships among art, literature, and culture.
4. Express the identities of major works, recurrent themes, and inter-relationships in essay format.

1. Intensive Writing and Critical Inquiry
   1. Producing written discourse in more than one assignment through papers, reports, quizzes, tests, etc., which includes a minimum word standard of 3000 words.
   2. Written assignments emphasize critical inquiry which includes the gathering, interpreting, and evaluating of evidence.
   3. Includes a formal out of class paper of at least 1,500 words which requires critical inquiry and where the writer develops and supports a main idea.  
   4. Explicit writing instruction with timely feedback to help students improve their writing and critical inquiry skills is part of the course’s content.
   5. The evaluation of written assignments must include the overall quality of written work and critical inquiry, as measured by a rubric
   6. At least 50% of the student’s grade must be based on the written work and critical inquiry assignments.
2. Early Medieval Period
   1. A heroic tale
   2. An example of religious literature
   3. Art, music, and other works
3. Late Medieval Period
   1. Dante
   2. Chaucer
   3. Art, music, and other works
4. Renaissance-Reformation
   1. Machiavelli
   2. Shakespeare
   3. Art, music, and other works
5. Counter Reformation
   1. Readings from philosophical works
   2. Art, music, and other works

HUM 253 - Western Humanities III

1. Identify major works of art and literature from AD 1600 to the present.
2. Explain recurrent themes in the cultural development of the periods
3. Discuss the inter-relationships among art, literature, and culture.
4. Express the identities of major works, recurrent themes, and inter-relationships in essay format.

1. Intensive Writing and Critical Inquiry
   1. Producing written discourse in more than one assignment through papers, reports, quizzes, tests, etc., which includes a minimum word standard of 3000 words.
   2. Written assignments emphasize critical inquiry which includes the gathering, interpreting, and evaluating of evidence.
   3. Includes a formal out of class paper of at least 1,500 words which requires critical inquiry and where the writer develops and supports a main idea.  
   4. Explicit writing instruction with timely feedback to help students improve their writing and critical inquiry skills is part of the course’s content.
   5. The evaluation of written assignments must include the overall quality of written work and critical inquiry, as measured by a rubric
   6. At least 50% of the student’s grade must be based on the written work and critical inquiry assignments.
2. Enlightenment-Baroque Period
   1. Voltaire
   2. Rousseau
   3. Art, music, and other works
3. Romantic Period
   1. Poetry
   2. Literature
   3. Art, music, and other works
4. Pre-Modern Period
   1. Literature
   2. Political and scientific writings
   3. Drama
   4. Art, music, and other works
5. Contemporary Period
   1. Literature
   2. Poetry
   3. Drama
   4. Art, music, and other works

HUM 260 - Intercultural Perspectives

1. Describe the cultural heritage (history, literature, and art) of Native-Americans, and explain the issues of race and gender that Native-Americans face, and the position of Native-Americans in today’s society.
2. Describe the cultural heritage (history, literature, and art) of Hispanic-Americans, and explain the issues of race and gender that Hispanic-Americans face, and the position of Hispanic-Americans in today’s society.
3. Describe the cultural heritage (history, literature, and art) of African-Americans, and explain the issues of race and gender that African-Americans face, and the position of African-Americans in today’s society.
4. Describe the cultural heritage (history, literature, and art) of Asian-Americans, and explain the issues of race and gender that Asian-Americans face, and the position of Asian-Americans in today’s society.

1. Intensive Writing and Critical Inquiry
   1. Producing written discourse in more than one assignment through papers, reports, quizzes, tests, etc., which includes a minimum word standard of 3000 words.
   2. Written assignments emphasize critical inquiry which includes the gathering, interpreting, and evaluating of evidence.
   3. Includes a formal out of class paper of at least 1,500 words which requires critical inquiry and where the writer develops and supports a main idea.  
   4. Explicit writing instruction with timely feedback to help students improve their writing and critical inquiry skills is part of the course’s content.
   5. The evaluation of written assignments must include the overall quality of written work and critical inquiry, as measured by a rubric
   6. At least 50% of the student’s grade must be based on the written work and critical inquiry assignments.
2. Native-American
   1. History
   2. Literature
   3. Art
3. Hispanic-American
   1. History
   2. Literature
   3. Art
4. African-American
   1. History
   2. Literature
   3. Art
5. Asian-American
   1. History
   2. Literature
   3. Art