1 Humanities 201 The Early Modern World: Tradition and Criticism in Western Culture (Frontispiece, The Great Instauration, 1620) Description of Humanities 201 In Humanities 201 we will be studying the period spanning 1350-1791 through an interdisciplinary lens, with particular emphasis on English, History, Art History, and Philosophy. Our exploration will begin will a look at the diverse and sometimes contradictory legacies of Renaissance Humanism, as well as the impact of the Protestant and Catholic Reformations on the peoples of Western Europe. Mid-semester brings us to an age of discovery, both scientific and geographic, as we consider the ways the New Science and New World exploration affected the way both nature and human nature were perceived. We will conclude with an examination of Enlightenment efforts to re-frame both the past and the future to overcome the human predicament: in Rousseau's words, “man is born free and everywhere he is in chains." Central texts for our discussions will include the writings of Machiavelli and Descartes, Shakespeare's Tempest, Milton's Paradise Lost, Vasari's Lives of the Artists and the art of Leonardo da Vinci and Caravaggio, Rousseau's Discourse on the Origins of Inequality, and Mary Wollstonecraft's Vindication of the Rights of Woman. The day-by-day syllabus for Humanities 201, which begins on page five, details your academic obligations for the semester. This semester will also allow you to demonstrate your competency in visual analysis. A short section of your final exam will require you to situate an unfamiliar work of art in its probably cultural, artistic, and historic contexts. Humanities 201 Faculty, Advent 2008 Glenn Kumhera Guerry 10 gkumhera x1370 Kelly Malone Gailor 24 kmalone x3368 Andrew Moser Guerry 125 amoser x3350 Jeanne-Marie Musto Carnegie 301 jmmusto x14932 Required Texts and Materials for Humanities 201 Note: The following materials are available at University Book & Supply and on reserve at duPont. Coffin, et al. Western Civilizations, volume 2, 16th ed. Norton 0393930986 (Please retain for next semester!) Descartes, Discourse on Method Prentice Hall 0023671602 Locke, Second Treatise of Government Hackett 0915144867 Luther, On Christian Liberty Fortress 0800636074 Machiavelli, The Prince Hackett 0872203166 Machiavelli, Mandragola Waveland 0917974573 Milton, Paradise Lost Norton 039392428-9 Rousseau, Discourse on Inequality Hackett 0872201503 Shakespeare, The Tempest Signet 0451527127 Stokstad, Art History, volume 2 Prentice Hall 01319940X (Please retain for next semester!) Vasari, Lives of the Artists Oxford 019283410X Wollstonecraft, Vindication of the Rights of Women Penguin 0143037501 Strunk and White, The Elements of Style (recommended) Longman 0205309023 Humanities 201 Coursepack (available at the Bookstore) NB: Students may find the online Grove Dictionary of Art and Grove Dictionary of Music useful resources. These may be accessed through the library home page or at http://www.groveart.com/ and http://www.grovemusic.com Policies and Expectations Communication: The faculty expects all students to be on e-mail and to read their mail regularly. Information concerning tests, essays, and special events is often disseminated by e-mail. Important information may also be left at your voice mail box or announced in lecture and discussion. You are responsible for all the information disseminated by your instructors in any of these forms. If you must miss a class, be sure you check with a classmate or your instructor. Lecture: Lectures are held in Gailor Lecture Hall. Attendance at lectures is required. Please sign your name on the appropriate attendance sheet. Attendance sheets will be collected at 9:01 to discourage late arrivals.3 Seminar: You have been assigned to a specific seminar group. These classes meet in the room indicated for the professor to whom you are assigned. Blackboard: Course materials are available via Blackboard. Some seminar leaders may also maintain a discussion forum for their students. Course Requirements Examinations: There will be a midterm and a final. The midterm exam will contribute 15% toward your final grade; the final will count for 20%. In case of exam conflicts, please ask professors in smaller courses to reschedule. No exams will be administered early. No make-up exams will be given without a serious, documented excuse, approved by the entire Humanities 201 team. Examinations are timed. Students with documented learning differences or disabilities should notify their section leaders of any special considerations during the first week of class. Please present a copy of the letter you have on file with Counseling Services to your instructor at the beginning of the semester so that he or she can arrange for necessary accommodations. Class Participation: 20% of your final grade is determined by your contributions to this course. While regular attendance at class meetings as well as co-curricular events are assumed, simply showing up will not be enough to guarantee you a happy class participation grade: you are expected to contribute through informed and reflective contributions to class discussion, as well as through short formal presentations. Reading quizzes, both scheduled and random, will also be included here, and they may include both Coffin and any primary texts assigned for the day’s discussion. Reading Assignments: All assigned reading should be completed prior to the lecture or discussion for which it is assigned. You must bring the relevant text(s) with you to lectures and discussions. Paper Assignments: Four short papers, collectively worth 30% of your grade, plus one longer interdisciplinary paper, worth 15% of your grade, are due on the dates specified on your syllabus. Papers are due at the opening of class on the date assigned. Your instructor may choose to accept papers via email at his or her own discretion, and you should make sure you understand what the policy will be for your own section. Late papers will be penalized. Technical problems or computer glitches will not serve as an excuse for late work. You are encouraged to take drafts of all your papers to a writing tutor. Please note that all your papers should be critical essays that identify a significant