HSS 212
CULTURAL HISTORY: THE WORLD AND THE WEST
HSS 212 Syllabus Professor James M. Lipuma Fall
2004
HSS 212, “The World and the West” examines changing
global cultural creations and the cultures that produced them between 1600 and today. The course begins with tools necessary to
become aware of, understand, and appreciate cultures and the artifacts through
the use of case studies. Beyond that,
students will learn to identify the roots of cultures as well as understand
their relevance on their times and influences on our lives today. In addition to the fundamental skills of
thinking, learning, and problem solving, students will be given the opportunity
to work in groups, write research papers, and make professional oral presentations.
The
course utilizes readings from three (3) texts available in the NJIT bookstore:
Cunningham, Lawrence, and John Reich, Culture and Values: A Survey of the
Humanities, Vol. II, 5th Ed. Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Wadsworth/Thomson, 2002,
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States 1998.
ISBN: 0553214829, and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark
Twain. There is also a required course
reader available at Processing Professionals on Warren Street across from NJIT
Tiernen Hall. Other readings are
available on reserve in the library to assist the students with research under
the professor’s name at the circulation desk.
The instructor assumes no prior knowledge of course material.
Attendance
will be taken randomly throughout the semester. A greater emphasis is placed on participation rather than simple
attendance; however, you cannot participate if you do not attend. Absences and late work are excused only by
prior arrangements with the instructor.
Any late assignment is assessed a 10% reduction of grade per class day
after the due date. Throughout the
semester, there will be homework and paper assignments that each student must
complete in order to receive a grade in the class. There is an in-class presentation and a final that is required
for this class.
The
papers handed in for this course are to be college-level research papers. A college-level paper is type written, has
page numbers, contains references to research and includes a reference page at
the end for works quoted or otherwise referenced to in the document. Citations for the research used needs to be
included with the paper and should follow the APA format for citations. This means parenthetical citations within
the text with a reference page at the end of the document. Only works that are actually quoted from or
referenced directly should be cited. Do
not list all works that were read for the creation of the paper. This is not a bibliography but rather a “Reference
Page.” Please remember, simply lifting
text from a dictionary or encyclopedia is something found mainly in high
school. Though it may be necessary to
quote from these types of sources, rarely are they the only works used for
references.
It should be stressed that the work for this class should be formal research papers. There should be no contractions, spelling errors, punctuation errors, or mistakes in grammar. Please be consistent within the paper with abbreviations and other acronyms. Double-space the paper. Please use Times New Roman 12-point font, as it is clear and easy-to-read. Your margins should be a uniform 1-inch on all sides and the paper should minimize large areas of white space within the text. If you wish to have assistance with writing, the HSS department has a writing tutor who can be contacted for assistance with all aspects of the paper. The lead contact is Dr. Janet Bodner (Bodner@njit.edu). You may also ask your professor, Dr. James Lipuma, for further assistance or more detailed information. All assignments handed in for this course should be original and the sole work of the student. The rules and procedures set down in the student handbook as administered by the Dean of Students office will be used to judge plagiarism. DO NOT PLAGIARISE. If you are unclear about the rules, please see the NJIT student handbook. All papers must be submitted to http://turnitin.com {Class ID: 1164675 Password: hss212} and emailed as an MS word attachment to Lipuma@njit.edu.
Office: Culimore—Room
435 Phone: 973-642-4743 http://web.njit.edu/~lipuma
lipuma@njit.edu Fax: 973-642-4689
GRADING
Research Project= 20% Final = 25% Portfolio = 5%
B = 81-85 C = 70-75 F
= 0-64
|
Week |
Subject Matter |
Assignment |
Readings |
|
1 |
Introduction |
WebCT: Introduction Definitions 1 |
Reader, Internet
Material,
Introduction (C&V XVII—XXIII) |
|
2 |
Learning the Fundamentals |
Definitions 2 |
Chapter 12 & 13 (Skim) |
|
3 |
Analysis Basics—4A’s |
Homework #1 |
Chapter 14
|
|
4 |
Literature, Poetry, Prose |
Homework #2
|
Chapter 15,
&16, (Skim)
|
|
5 |
Arts & Humanities |
|
Chapter 17, 18, & 21 (Skim) |
|
6 |
The West |
Group Report |
Chapter 19 & 20(Skim) |
|
7 |
The World |
Group Report |
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United
States |
|
8 |
Leadership &
Revolutions |
Group Report |
|
|
9 |
Midterm |
Midterm Exam |
Midterm Exam |
|
10 |
Culture & Modern
Worlds |
|
|
|
11 |
Presentations |
Presentations |
|
|
12 |
Presentations |
Presentations |
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court |
|
13 |
Presentations |
Presentations |
|
|
14 |
Final Summation |
Final Reports |
|
Students
will be asked to access WebCT to complete written homework and hold discussions
about class topics. These assignments will include definitions as well as article
summaries pertaining to the written class report. Details of each assignment will be provided on the WebCT
page. Missed assignments cannot be
submitted late and cannot be made up at a later date. The WebCT assignment—Introductions— is posted at: http://webct.njit.edu and should be completed by the
next class. Future assignments are
listed below and posted on WebCT.
Definitions
1: Please
define the terms in the title of the class: Culture, Value, History, World, and
West.
Definitions
2: Please
define the following words related to the periods of arts in cultural history:
Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romance, and Modern. Include the major characteristics of the works that were created
by those in this period and some approximate dates if available.
HOMEWORK
#1: (WebCT): Create a map of your family ancestors ending with today. Choose one
person from the family map and convey his or her story that you feel is most
notable of those on the map. Post your
story on WebCT under the Family Story section.
The main focus of this essay is thinking so that you can be informative
and descriptive. There is no need to cite sources. However, if you use material
that requires a source citation, please be sure to use the proper format and
include a reference page in the APA format.
HOMEWORK
#2: (WebCT) Choose one of the artists
from the Early Renaissance and the High Renaissance (Chapter 12 & 13)
Provide a brief biographical sketch of each artist and include important works
with dates. Explain why you chose the
artists and then describe why the work appeals to you or not. At the end of each description, please give
the source of your information in the proper APA format. There is no need to cite sources within the
text, however, if you use material that requires a source citation, please be
sure to use the proper format and include a reference page in the APA format.
GROUP ORAL PRESENTATION
This group oral presentation is for 5-6 people and
should last approximately half of the class period or 40 minutes for each
group. Each group will be asked to summarize a chapter from the class text as
well as highlight the culture and values presented. A work to focus upon is also given for the group to research and
present the 4A’s—Awareness, Appeal, Appreciation, and Assessment.
Chapter 15-Baroque
World--Court of Louis XIV: Palace at Versailles
Chapter 16-18th
Century-- Jonathon Swift: Gulliver’s
Travels and A Modest Proposal
Chapter 17-The Romantic
Era—Romantic Poets such as George Lord Byron: Don Juan and other poets
Chapter 18-Toward the Modern
Era—Gustav Holst: The Planets
Chapter 21-Betweent he World
Wars—Pablo Picasso: Guernica and
other Artists
The goal of this assignment
is to inform the class about the material related to the selection and highlight
the 4 A’s as discussed in class. Each
group will be asked to submit a brief written summary of their
presentation.
MIDTERM EXAM
The exam for the course will have an in-class and
take-home portion. The in-class portion will consist of multiple choice,
matching and short answer style questions. The take-home portion will be a
short research essay that will be handed out prior to the in-class exam and be
due one week after the in-class exam date.
It will relate to the text on the Declaration of Independence and
Constitution of the United States.
SEMESTER LONG RESEARCH PROJECT
Each student is asked to choose a work of the
Humanities with Cultural Significance produced after the Second World War (Some
suggestions are given in the list below) as the focus of his or her semester
research project. The report must be
individual work and is a description of the 4A’s as discussed in class for his
or her selected work. In addition, an
argument should be made about the worth of the work and whether it is of
cultural importance and will stand the test of time as discussed in class.
The oral report should be 15 minutes including time
for questions. The paper is expected to
be approximately 8-10 pages in length. It can be longer, if necessary, in order
to accomplish the objective of explaining the problem that was identified and
the actions taken to remedy the problem. Due to the length and nature of the
work, it should contain section headings, a separate title page, and a table of
contents that lists sections along with tables, charts, and any other figures
used in the paper. Remember, this is a research paper and must contain
citations. You must use the APA format for citations. This means parenthetical
citations within the text with a references page at the end of the document.
The written report is due the last day of class.
WORKS: Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and
There; Ansel Adams; Goerge Orwell’s Animal
Farm and/or 1984; Robert Frost’s
Poems; West Side Story; Stanley
Kubric’s, Dr. Strangelove or How I
Learned To Stop Worrying and Love The Bomb and /or 2001: A Space Odyssey.
FINAL EXAM
There
will be a take-home essay distributed during the final week of the class. It will pertain to the material covered in
the class and be a researched essay that must be completed within one week.
Good luck and if there are other questions,
please contact me.
Texts on Reserve
at the Library
Architecture and You--Caudil, W. W., (1978)
Understanding the Film: An Introduction to Film Appreciation Boone, J. & Johnson, R (1993).
A sand County Almanac--Leopold, A.
Introduction to the Humanities--Van De Bograst, D. (1972).
The Timetables Of History
Adventures in English Literature