Revised Fall 2006, S. Mosley
HUMANITIES THROUGH THE ARTS
HUM283
Course Description:
This course is an introduction to the arts in western civilization and their relationship to basic humanistic ideas. The course serves as an introduction to music, painting, sculpture, literature (drama and poetry), and architecture. The course also explores fundamental principles and ideas of western culture and how these are expressed in each of the artistic disciplines. There are no prerequisites.
STUDENTS: How do we celebrate our lives and our holidays? With lights, candles, parades, fireworks, music and the other arts. We even decorate ourselves and our horses when we celebrate our country’s Western heritage with a rodeo. We even paint our cars and trucks to show our individualism. You can probably think of other ways we use the arts…
For those who call themselves “believers,” the arts are certainly a large part of worship – no matter what faith or denomination.
For those who like sports, the Superbowl and the Olympics are both showcases for the arts and artists. You can probably think of even more ways we use the arts…
Meeting Time:
(See attached calendar.) We will always meet on Saturday at 9 a.m. in the Mary Bales Ingle Lecture Hall.
Instructor:
Susanna Mosley
RMCC Telephone: 479-394-7622, Ext. 1338
RMCC FAX: 479-394-2828
E-Mail: smosley@rmcc.edu
Snail Mail:
Office Hours:
(Posted on my office door.) My office is located just south of the St. John Library in Spencer Hall.
STUDENTS: How will this course improve your quality of life? The Mission of RMCC is to provide ALL citizens of the Ouachita Mountain Region with exemplary educational and enrichment opportunities to improve the quality of life and standard of living.
STUDENTS: How is this course an enrichment opportunity?
Required Material:
1. #2 pencil for taking exam on Scrantron
2. A Study Guide for the Televised Course Humanities through the Arts, 6th ed.,
Methods of
Instruction:
Video tapes, creative writing, testing, and discussion.
You have the options of watching the ½ hour the teleclasses
via Mena Cable Channel 19 on Tuesdays or South Polk County Cable Channel 27 on
Thursdays. The video tapes are also
available for viewing in the St. John Library.
Perhaps you have a friend who has copies of the tapes or will make you
copies. I discourage you from asking the
library from making copies – it takes too long and it cost money. Just take the 30 minutes necessary to sit in
the library and watch the tapes on the library’s VCR/TV equipment. They will help you. Copies of the tapes are also available at the
RMCC Centers in Waldron and
NOTE: To make an “A” you will have to write a poem.
REQUIREMENTS FOR
MAKING A GRADE OF A:
1. Have an average of 80% or better on the three exams, and
2. Write a poem for submission by Tuesday, November 28. To write the poem, read pages 211-214 in the Study Guide. This will help you to think about “how a poem is made.” Then find a picture or photo that inspires you. Write a poem about the picture/photo.
General Requirements for “A” Poem
A. The poem is to be typed (12 pt. type size is preferred)
B. Double spaced.
C. 14-36 lines long – can rhyme or not
D. Give your poem a title and put your name below the title—you do not need to put your birth date and certainly not your date of death J (see page 211 for an example)
E. The picture/photo can be in color or not in color. Paste the picture/photo to the top of the piece of paper and type your poem beneath it.
F. I will expect you to choose your words wisely and well. The use of words is what makes a poem a poem. Poets use words to paint a picture.
G. At the very bottom of the page, write your telephone number and mailing address so your poem can be returned to you with comment or I can call you so we can discuss how you can improve your “finished product.”
H. If the “finished product” is not neat in appearance and does not meet all of the above criteria, you will be given a chance to correct your mistakes. I want you to make an A. Please take the time to do a good job. I do not expect to return many poems for re-work.
Deadline for
submission is Tuesday, November 28. It
can be turned in early. Waldron students
can FAX the poem from the
REQUIREMENTS FOR
MAKING “B” = 80% or better & not submitting a poem
REQUIREMENTS FOR
MAKING “C” = 70-79%
REQUIREMENTS FOR
MAKING “D” = 60-69%
Testing:
True/False and multiple choice test questions from the study guide. The questions are taken from the Review Quiz that goes with each lesson in the Study Guide. See page 6 for an example of the Review Quiz for Lesson 1. The answers to each Review Quiz are always on the last page of each lesson. See page 9 for the Answer Key to the questions found on pages 6-7.
(P.S. There are a lot of interesting essays in the Study Guide but they are not a part of the exam bank, only the Review Quiz with each lesson.)
NOTE:
*The multiple choice questions will be re-written and changed into T/F questions for each exam.
*If there are matching questions in a Review Quiz (see page 147), these will be re-written and turned into T/F questions.
For example:
____ Consonance is any movement of air in waves. (Answer: False)
*If, by chance, a multiple choice question appears on an exam, the order of the answers will be scrambled from how they appear in the Review Quiz.
For example see question 10 on page 147 to understand how the original sequence of answers is scrambled for the exam.
___ The form of music that has a “home tone” usually ending the work is called
a. nontonal music
b. atonal music
c. tonal music
d. polytonal music
Academic Dishonestly
Policy:
Cheating on a test will result in a 0 for that test.
Attendance Policy
& Make-Up Exams:
Regular attendance and punctuality are expected. All arrangements for completing a missed exam are to be made with the instructor PRIOR to the date of the exam. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate contact with the instructor. If prior notice is not given, student will not be allowed to take exam and a 0 will be recorded for the test grade. Extraordinary circumstance will be considered if the student contacts the instructor ASAP. All make-up work must be completed by the final day of the semester. NOTE: The poem requirement for an “A” does not allow for the poem to be turned in after the deadline. The poem can always be turned in early.
Since student are only required to attend class once-a-month and because the enrollment in the class is so large (50+), it is mandatory students take the exams on the scheduled test dates.
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, the student will attain
1. an understanding of the historical influences of political, cultural, and scientific values upon art
2. some knowledge of the basic elements and tools an artist uses to create a work of art
3. an awareness of the different ways of “seeing” and interpreting a work of art
4. an appreciation of the process of criticism and evaluation of a work of art
Topic & Exam
Outline:
INTRODUCTION
Lesson 1 The Quest for Self
FILM
Lesson 2 20th Century Legacy
Lesson 3 The Dynamic Illusion
Lesson 4 Not Just the Great Escape
Lesson 5 Seeing All there Is
DRAMA
Lesson 6 An Imitation of Life
Lesson 7 Nucleus of a Story
Lesson 8 Meaning for Every Age
Lesson 9 Great Age Ahead?
Exam 1 covers Lessons 1-9
MUSIC
Lesson 10 Age-old Search for Meaning
Lesson 11 Emotion and Feeling in Sound
Lesson 12 Meaning through Structure
Lesson 13 Listening for the Unexpected
LITERATURE
Lesson 14 From Words, Truth
Lesson 15 The Synthesis of Poetry
Lesson 16 The Story Beyond
Lesson 17 Behind the Words
Exam 2 covers Lessons 10-17
PAINTING
Lesson 18 Visions through the Ages
Lesson 19 Creating a Point of View
Lesson 20 Rousseau--The Lovely Dream
Lesson 21 Things We have Passed
SCULPTURE
Lesson 22 Mirror of Man’s Being
Lesson 23 Elements of Dimension
Lesson 24 Meaning through the Body’s Form
Lesson 25 The Most Difficult of Arts
ARCHITECTURE
Lesson 26 The Evolving Skyline
Exam 3 covers Lessons 18-26