HUM-150 Express/Interpretn Human Experience (4 credits)
In this course, the student explores the basic human value questions that artistic works address and that also find expression in related humanistic works of history, religious studies and philosophy. Students are introduced to the processes of the various humanities disciplines as ways of approaching human experience.
HUM-150A Fairytales in Fiction & Film (4 credits)
In this section of HUM-150, we will study fairy tales as literary texts and as cultural artifacts. In the first half of the course, we will read classic fairy tales from French, German, and British traditions. We will read various versions of each classic fairy tale, using close reading strategies to identify literary elements such as plot, character, setting, and symbol. We also will apply theoretical approaches to fairy tales, including psychoanalytical, feminist, historical, and religious perspectives. In the second part of the class, we will look at the presence of fairy tales in American, European, and World literature and popular culture. We will read stories and novels that are contemporary re-workings of classic fairy tales, view movies that incorporate fairy tale motifs, and explore fairy tales from other cultural traditions.
HUM-150B Growing Up Latinx (4 credits)
This course has three main objectives: 1) to examine the differences between U.S. Latinx Studies and Latin American Studies; 2) to explore the struggles of Latinx and Latin American women to achieve autonomy and independence in cultures bound by patriarchal structures; and 3) to address the current political debate on immigration. We will analyze literature, music, and film to learn about the ways children and women of diverse nationalities and generations engage with life. The experiences of family, community, spirituality and work will be critical to our understanding of the ways in which women negotiate educational opportunities, family separations and religious faith in El Salvador, Argentina, Mexico and the United States. In addition, we will utilize the historical context of the Salvadoran Revolution (1979-1992), to address the detention of Central American migrant children, the trauma of deportation, and the status of DACA. Finally, we will conclude the course by studying the New Song Movement in Latin America and the ways several, well-known women singers have used their music to denounce political oppression, discrimination and social injustice. Students will have the opportunity to write their own poem or song of protest.
HUM-150B1 Bowman Scholars 1 (2 credits)
This is a required course for all incoming Bowman Scholar students. It provides the opportunity for students to simultaneously meet the Bowman outcomes and HUM-150 general education requirement outcomes. It is taken in two parts, two credits in the Fall Semester and two credits in the Spring semester. The main activities for the class are student-centered, collaborative and project based. Students will also explore aspects of the Humanities (Religious Studies, Philosophy, English and History) as a complement and support to their project work. The course is hybrid, meaning it will be mostly online with three face-to-face meetings during the semester. The meeting times are yet to be determined.
HUM-150B2 Bowman Scholars 2 (2 credits)
Course open to Bowman Scholars only.
HUM-150G Spirituality & Society (4 credits)
Section only open to students invited by faculty. This course explores the major facets of the field of "Humanities"-Religious Studies, Philosophy, History, and Literature-with a focus on spirituality, i.e. the experience of the sacred or "numinous" in literature, poetry, art, film and personal reflection. The "spiritual" dimension of being human is reflected in each person's unique character, vision, point of view, ethical and moral vision, beliefs, and interpretations of experience. Through individual and group work, you will explore and analyze diverse ways in which spirituality is expressed in different religious traditions, cultural, social and historical contexts, and the values, literary and artistic traditions associated with them. We will explore sacred texts, literature, film, and poetry, engaging in analysis and reflection, writing, and discussion. Course activities and assignments will enable students to articulate their personal spirituality and make creative, relevant applications of their learning. This section offers a stretch validation of Valuing Level 3.
HUM-150J Women in Muslim Societies (4 credits)
In this course, we will examine the place of women in Muslim-majority societies, beginning with scriptural and cultural tradition, and moving through the history of women in Islam to come to recent and contemporary contexts for the bulk of the course. We will carefully examine portrayals of Muslim women's experiences in fiction, poetry, essays, and cinema, both by Muslim women themselves and occasionally by Muslim men and by non-Muslims. Of particular interest will be the question of whether Islam is fundamentally patriarchal, and whether there can be such a thing as "Islamic feminism." We will also discuss how the patriarchal structures that undeniably exist in Islamic societies affect women's lives in different social, political, and geographical contexts. We will focus primarily on women in the Middle East, but will also look at women in other Muslim societies such as Senegal, Malaysia, and Indonesia, as well as Muslim minority women in Western societies. We will also hear from guest speakers from local Muslim communities.
HUM-150L The Future in Film & Fiction (4 credits)
You'll time travel to the future in this section of HUM-150. Through a variety of current novels and films, you'll explore the ways writers and filmmakers have imagined the future. You'll travel to worlds controlled by computers, to societies in the grip of dangerous demagogues, to communities stifled by repressive bureaucracies, and as you journey you'll bear witness to the struggles of individual men and women confronting what it means to be human. At the end of our journey, you'll imagine your own future.
HUM-150M Religion and Culture (4 credits)
In this course, Religion and Culture, we will explore how people in various cultures create their points of view and make life meaningful. We will do this, primarily, through the discipline of Religious Studies, with the help of History, Philosophy, English and the arts. Our sojourn into cultural religious worldviews will be aided through reading novels and watching films. This study into religion and cultures will also help us understand our own quest for a meaningful existence and the historical, philosophical, and artistic dynamics that are important dimensions of our humanity.
HUM-150O Migration & Immigration in Am Experience (4 credits)
The image of the immigrant is as American as baseball, hot dogs, and apple pie. Yet the stories of people who venture out in search of a better life are rarely as simple as a Chevrolet commercial. In this course we will consider fictional and non-fiction accounts in literature and film, using the perspectives of the humanities disciplines to help us understand what people learn about themselves and their world in the process of traveling across the country or across the ocean. Reflecting on these varied voices and experiences will lead us to consider how we understand ourselves and our own world view. Required texts: Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes; and Amy Tan, The Joy Luck Club.
HUM-150T Fantasy in Modern Fiction (4 credits)
In this course we will study literature that blurs the boundaries between the fantastic and the real. Specifically, we will investigate how contemporary novels often use the supernatural to grapple with current problems or crises. We will read novels that turn to fantasy and magical realism as well as science fiction to understand how these features convey the complex nature of social issues such as racism and gendered violence.
HUM-350 Alternate World Views (4 credits)
In this series of courses, the student has the opportunity to reflect on conceptions of self, personal culture, and the world. Through the student's study of another world culture and civilization, the student explores values and belief systems that may be very different. The student engages in intense reading and discussion of indigenous literature, history, and thought.
Prerequisite(s): One HFA-310 course completed and one Communication Level 4 ICM. This course is offered as a hybrid learning course with on campus and online components.
HUM-351 Chinese Civilization & Cultures (4 credits)
In the HUM-350 series of courses, students have the opportunity to reflect on their conceptions of self, culture, and the world. Through their study of another world culture, they explore values and belief systems that may be very different from their own. Special emphasis in this course is placed on understanding contemporary China and its religious and cultural diversity through food, texts, art, and film.
HUM-352 South Asia Civilization (4 credits)
In this series of courses, students have the opportunity to reflect on their conceptions of self, culture, and the world. Through their study of another world culture and civilization, they explore values and belief systems that may be very different from their own. They engage in intense reading and discussion of indigenous literature, history, and thought. In this course, students explore the culture of India through informational texts, documentaries, movies, novels, paintings, and other art expressions of India. Special emphasis is placed on the religions of India, especially Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam.
Prerequisite(s): One HFA-310 or HFA-250; Communications Level 4 ICM
HUM-353 Latin American Civilizations (4 credits)
In this series of courses, students have the opportunity to reflect on their conceptions of self, culture, and the world. Through their study of another world culture and civilization, they explore values and belief systems that may be very different from their own. In this course, students study literature, art, and history of Latin American civilizations, ancient and contemporary.
Prerequisite(s): One HFA-310 or HFA-250 One Communication Level 4 ICM completed.
HUM-356 Latin American Civlizatns & Lit in Span. (4 credits)
In this series of courses, students have the opportunity to reflect on their conceptions of self, culture, and the world. Through their study of another world culture and civilization, they explore values and belief systems that may be very different from their own. In this course, students study literature, art, and history of Latin American civilizations, ancient and contemporary. Students taking this course for credit toward the completion of a SLC minor or Spanish major will be expected to complete the course activities/assessments in Spanish.
Prerequisite(s): One HFA-310 or HFA-250 completed. One Communication Level 4 ICM completed. Course taught in Spanish and fulfills one SLC capstone requirement. SLC 303 completed or waived per SLC-100 Language Placement Assessment.
HUM-358 Middle Eastern Civilization (4 credits)
In the HUM-350 series of courses, students have the opportunity to reflect on their conceptions of self, culture, and the world. Through their study of another world culture, they explore values and belief systems that may be very different from their own. In this class, we will look at how the inhabitants of the Middle East - men and women, powerful and powerless, Muslims, Jews, Christians and others - have experienced their recent history, how they have attempted to shape it, and how these experiences have affected their view of the world. The media often feeds us an image of the region as war-torn and unstable; empathetically investigating cultural output, along with a balanced perspective on the region's history, will give students a more authentic and human understanding of the Middle East and its peoples.
Prerequisite(s): One HFA-310 or HFA-250 ; One Communication Level 4 ICM
HUM-360 Themes in Humanities Course (4 credits)
No description available.
HUM-364 Confronting the Holocaust (3 credits)
This course engages students in a complex series of questions about human nature as they examine the circumstances and conditions that led to the Holocaust. Through an examination of historical, religious, literary, and philosophical texts (including film; eyewitness testimony; sociological, existential, and historical works; poetry; and theology), the student develops a comprehensive approach to the material in order to construct a meaningful, informed personal response to the subject. The student explores how individuals create meaning in the face of unimaginable horrors as well as the implications of such study on one's responsibility to society and others.
Prerequisite(s): One HFA-310
HUM-370 Studies of Cultures Series (3 credits)
No description available.
HUM-380 Contemporary America Course (3 credits)
No description available.
HUM-410 Senior Humanities Seminar (4 credits)
This course is designed for seniors who have majored in a humanities discipline: English, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, or Women's and Gender Studies. It will assume expertise in one of these areas and familiarity with all of them. Students will be responsible for representing their own disciplines' perspectives and for teaching them to others. This is a senior-level course and will be taught on an advanced level. Students will be expected to take responsibility for much of their own learning: personalizing and refining course goals, planning activities, leading seminar sessions, raising questions, and demonstrating their knowledge and abilities. The Senior Seminar serves a number of functions in a student's academic life. The student will draw on previous humanities course experiences to bring together what was learned in the major with the other disciplinary areas. At the same time, the student will look forward to the future and how this disciplinary study and all of the humanities will maintain a continuing place in personal and professional life.
Prerequisite(s): HUM-350 Series