Course Syllabus

The midterm will be Thursday, Nov. 2, in class.

Final exams are scheduled according to seminar days/time. See the UCI Final Exam Schedule.

 

General Information

The Humanities Core Course is an interdisciplinary introduction to the humanities for freshmen that is designed to develop reading, writing, note-taking, information literacy and discussion skills. It fulfills numerous general education requirements in Writing, Arts and Humanities, Multicultural Studies, and International Issues. You will be expected to challenge your abilities in argumentation, interpretation, research, and writing in different genres and mediums. At the same time, you will be an active participant in a smaller intellectual community, your seminar. Your participation in seminar will require you to read course texts critically, interpret faculty lectures, engage in small and large group discussion, and reflect upon how your perspectives change over the course of the year.

This year’s cycle of Humanities Core is organized around the theme Empire and Its Ruins, which will emphasize how humans have made sense of the rise and fall of societies and the effects of dominant structures on people who are marginalized.  Empire will take us to a variety of settings, including ancient Rome, the clash between Spanish and Inca civilizations, and U.S. imperialism in Asia. This quarter, we will address the formation and maintenance of the Roman Empire; the concept of “ruins” in painting and film; and the American ideology of Manifest Destiny. We will reflect (among other things) on how empire structures the way we think about “civilization,” otherness, community, legitimacy, property, progress, resistance, and oppression; and we will analyze these ideas in written texts, images, and film.

 

Enrollment

As part of this course, you are enrolled in two classes: Writing (4 units) and Lecture (4 units). As part of your Lecture class, you will attend two lectures a week. The MW 9:00 and 11:00 lectures take place in BS3 1200; the TTH 9:30 lecture takes place in HIB 100. You should treat lecture like another text for this course: take careful notes and be prepared to discuss lecture materials in your seminar section.

The Writing class takes place in your seminar classroom. There you will discuss lecture, course texts, and writing assignments. All assignments for both classes--Writing and Lecture--are detailed below and are graded by me, your seminar leader. All exams will take place in the seminar classroom.

All add and drop requests must be processed by the Core Office (HIB 185). You are responsible for filing this paperwork, as enrollment changes are not automatic.

 

Attendance

Attendance in lecture and seminar is mandatory. More than two absences will affect your grade. More than three absences will be grounds for failure in the course. Late arrivals can be counted as absences. To receive credit for attendance, you will also be expected to participate with appropriate comments, questions, and attentiveness.

 

Writing Requirements

The writing grade is determined by performance on three writing assignments [Assignment #1 (Blog), 20%; Essay Assignment #1 (Literary Analysis), 30%; Essay Assignment #2 (Image Analysis), 40%] and participation in several required research and writing exercises. Although the writing participation requirement numerically accounts for 10% of your writing grade, failure to participate is grounds for failure in this portion of the course. The writing participation grade will be determined by library assignments, participation in peer editing and the drafting process, your final portfolio of writing, in-class writing activities and quizzes, and mandatory instructor conferences. Please note that you will be required to meet with me outside of class for a total of one hour this quarter.  

Papers turned in without having completed pre-writing, drafting, and revision will not be graded and will receive a failing grade. Drafting is a required component of this course. In accordance with HC policy, I will comment extensively on your written work but will not line-edit your papers.    

All drafts, assignments, and final essays written outside of class must be in proper format and must be submitted electronically. Save all work. Failures of software or hardware are not acceptable excuses for submitting assignments late.

Please note that your first assignment requires you to create a blog that you will develop over the course of the year. Your first blog post will be due at the beginning of week two. While you will need to create a website on which to house your blog, it need only be basic at the outset of the quarter and should take a minimal amount of time. As the quarter progresses, you will have opportunity to develop your site and revise your blogposts. An instructional video on how to set up a Wordpress blog is available on the HC website.

Though Humanities Core recommends Wordpress and welcomes your use of most other site builders, some are not allowed. Please review this information in your Humanities Core Writer’s Handbook chapter “Blogging and Web-Design.” There you will also read about how to control privacy settings, which can restrict access to your website in a number of ways. If you have concerns about your privacy, you are welcome to use a pseudonym to make your identity anonymous.

 

Lecture Requirements

The lecture grade is determined by performance on the midterm examination (40%), final examination (50%), and participation in several argument and interpretation exercises. Although the lecture participation requirement numerically accounts for 10% of your lecture grade, failure to participate is grounds for failure in the course. The lecture participation grade will be determined by responses to weekly reading and discussion questions, postings to virtual class discussions, and in-class discussion and debate. Lecture attendance is also mandatory.

 

Plagiarism and Fair Use

Humanities Core views plagiarism as a serious matter. Turning in any work which is not your own and not properly acknowledged as such will result in a recommendation for failure on your assignment and subject you to further action by the university. Please review UCI’s Academic Integrity Policy and Procedures and feel free to speak to me if you have questions. Supervisors and instructors in this course regularly review suspect papers. As part of a program-wide effort to discourage plagiarism, you will be asked to upload your papers to the plagiarism detection service Turnitin through our Canvas class site.

Please note that upon submitting your papers to your instructor, you allow the Humanities Core Course to use your work for various teaching purposes, such as training instructors and providing examples to other students. Your work will always be used anonymously and for academic purposes. If you prefer not to have your work used for educational purposes, you may email me with a refusal of consent (please cc the HC Writing Director, Larisa Castillo, at larisa.castillo@uci.edu).

Some course readings are determined at the last moment and are posted as pdf files to the course website. These readings may not appear on your syllabus, so be prepared for minor changes to your assignments. In compliance with fair use practices, I will give you a password to access these readings. Please do not share course passwords with others.

 

Of Special Note

The Humanities Core Course has numerous resources to help you both academically and personally.

 

Tutoring Resources. HC students have an excellent resource in the HC Peer Tutors, former HC students who read all course materials, attend lectures and discussion sections, and undergo intensive training in the teaching of writing. In addition to offering writing assistance, HC Peer Tutors help students with textual interpretation, lecture review, blog design, and other issues that may arise in the course. Students can make appointments with Peer Tutors on the HC website, under the “Student Resources” tab.

 

Additional tutoring is available at The Center for Excellence in Writing and Communication (Writing Center). Students can do everything from brainstorming ideas to learning revision techniques with peer tutors and Writing Specialists. With the Writing Center, students can submit writing online to receive email feedback. They can make an appointment online or check the CEWC website for drop-in hours at four locations on campus. Though students can work with any writing specialist in the center, HC Writing Specialist Amber Clontz is available to work on HC-related projects. Amber also leads drop-in reading support sessions to help students unpack the course materials. These sessions take place from 5-5:50 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in HH 251. Feel free to drop in.

 

Personal Resources: Should you have any personal needs requiring additional support--whether it be disability services, support for undocumented students, LGBT resources, sexual assault support, veteran’s support, mental health services, etc.--I can help connect you to campus resources. Humanities Core updates a list of these resources on the main website, under “UCI Action and Support.”

 

The texts for this course will be challenging, stimulating, and sometimes upsetting. If you have any concerns or questions about content, do not hesitate to contact me during office hours.

 

Humanities Core Section Syllabus — Fall Quarter 2017--final

 

“On​ ​them​ ​I​ ​set​ ​no​ ​limits,​ ​space​ ​or​ ​time:

I​ ​have​ ​granted​ ​them​ ​power,​ ​empire​ ​without​ ​end.”

 

​ ​​--​The​ ​Aeneid​​ ​(1.333-4)

 

 

Week Zero: No lecture in lecture hall. Students meet only in discussion sections on Thursday, Sept. 28 and Friday, Sept. 29.

 

Lectures begin Week One:

• Mon/Wed lectures are held in BS3 1200, 9:00-9:50, and 11:00-11:50
• Tues/Thurs lectures are held in HIB 100, 9:30-10:20

 

 

Week One: Introduction to “Empire and its Ruins” and Waiting for the Barbarians

Lecturer: Professor Rodrigo Lazo

 

Monday, Oct. 2: Introduction

 

• Reading: Edward Said, “The Politics of Knowledge,” Waiting for the Barbarians, chapter 1; HC Writer’s Handbook, “Empire and the Humanities” (Lazo)
• Writing: In-Class Diagnostic

 

Wednesday, Oct. 4: Roman Empire

 

• Reading: “Orientalism” (excerpt); Waiting for the Barbarians, chapters 2 & 3; HC Writer’s Handbook, “Blogging and Web Design” (Beauchamp); “Close Reading” (Lewis)

 

 

Week Two: Waiting for the Barbarians and Imperial Rome

Lecturers: Professors Rodrigo Lazo and Andrew Zissos

 

Monday, Oct. 9--Professor Lazo

 

• Reading: Waiting for the Barbarians, finish book; HC Writer’s Handbook, “Writing in the Humanities” (Castillo); “Paragraph Writing Strategies” (Morse)
• Writing: Blog Post #1

 

Wednesday, Oct. 11--Professor Zissos

 

• Reading: Galgacus’ speech (in Cornelius Tacitus’ Agricola, chapters 29-32); Tacitus, Annals (chapter XI); HC Writer’s Handbook, “Historical Evidence” (Zissos); “Translation” (Fogli)

 

 

Week Three: The Aeneid

Lecturer: Professor Andrew Zissos

 

Monday, Oct. 16

 

• Reading: HC Writer’s Handbook, “Writing Transitions” (Short)

 

Wednesday, Oct. 18

 

• Reading: Virgil, The Aeneid, Books 1, 2, 4; HCC Writer’s Handbook, “Integrating Quotations and Citing Sources” (Short)
• Writing: Essay Assignment #1 (Literary Analysis)—Working Draft

 

Friday Forum, Oct 20--Introduction to Research at the UCI Libraries

 

• Reading: “Research in the Humanities” (Roberts, online)

 

 

Week Four: The Aeneid

Lecturer: Professor Andrew Zissos

 

Monday, Oct. 23

 

• Reading: Virgil, The Aeneid, Books 6 & 7
• Writing: Essay Assignment #1(Literary Analysis)--Peer Review

 

Wednesday, Oct. 25

 

• Reading: Virgil, The Aeneid, Books 10 & 12
• Writing: Essay Assignment #1 (Literary Analysis)—Final Draft

 

 

Week Five: Ruins of Empire

Lecturers: Professors Andrew Zissos and Jim Steintrager

 

Monday, Oct. 30--Public Ruins of Rome (Zissos)

 

• Writing: Blog Post #2

 

Wednesday, Nov. 1-- Professor Steintrager

 

• Reading: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, “Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts” (in The Basic Political Writings, Part 1, pp. 3-13) Viewing: Joseph Gandy, Sir John Soane’s Bank of England as a Ruin (HC Image Gallery); HC Writer’s Handbook, “Visual Analysis” (Buhanan)

 

• Writing: Midterm

 

Friday Forum, Nov. 3--What is Enlightenment?

 

• Reading: HC Writer’s Handbook, “Philosophical Methodology and Writing” (Siakel); Kant, “What Is Enlightenment?”
• Viewing: “What is Enlightenment?” (Ricci and Siakel, online)

 

 

Week Six: Ruins of Empire

Lecturer: Professor Jim Steintrager

 

Monday, Nov. 6

 

• Reading: Jean-Jacques Rousseau, “Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts” (in The Basic Political Writings, Part 2 pp. 14-28)

 

 

 

Wednesday, Nov. 8

 

• Reading: Rousseau, “Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men” (in The Basic Political Writings, Part 1, pp. 29-69 + notes, pp. 93-117).

 

Friday, Nov. 10--Veterans Day Holiday--Campus Closed

 

 

Week Seven: Ruins of Empire

Lecturer: Professor Steintrager

 

Monday, Nov. 13

 

• Reading: Rousseau, “Discourse on the Origin and Foundations of Inequality Among Men” (in The Basic Political Writings, Part 2, pp. 69-92 + notes, pp. 117-120)

 

Wednesday, Nov. 15

 

• Reading: C.F. Volney, Ruins of Empires, selections (online)
• Viewing: Hubert Robert, G.B. Piranesi, et al. (HC Image Gallery)
• Writing: Blog Post #3

 

 

Week Eight: Ruins of Empire

Lecturers: Professor Jim Steintrager

 

Monday, Nov. 20--Professor Steintrager

 

• Viewing: Thomas Cole, Course of Empire painting series (HC Image Gallery)

 

Wednesday, Nov. 22—No Lecture; Sections Meet

 

Thursday-Friday, Nov. 23-4, Thanksgiving Holiday. Campus Closed.

 

 

 

 

Week Nine:  Manifest Destiny

Lecturer: Professor Rodrigo Lazo

 

Monday, Nov. 27

 

• Reading: Selections from Manifest Destiny and American Territorial Expansion, Amy S. Greenberg: William Bradford, Of Plimoth Plantation (p. 41-42); Jonathan Winthrop, A Modell of Christian Charity (p. 43-44); Richard Butler, A Commissioner’s View (p. 46-49); Jedidiah Morse, The American Geography (p. 52-54); John L. O'Sullivan, The Great Nation of Futurity (p. 78-79); Jane Swisshelm, Protesting the Mexican War (p. 105-107); Ramón Alcaraz, Origin of the War with the United States (p. 116-119).
• Viewing: George Crofutt, American Progress, in Greenberg, Manifest Destiny and American Territorial Expansion (p. 149-150).
• Writing: Essay Assignment #2--Visual Analysis (Working Draft)

 

Wednesday, Nov. 29

 

• Reading: Selections from Manifest Destiny and American Territorial Expansion: Thomas Jefferson, Second Inaugural Address (p. 55-57); La Verdad, Appeal to the Inhabitants of Cuba (p. 120-122); Cora Montgomery, The Benefits of Annexing Cuba (p. 123-125); William Walker, The War in Nicaragua (p.143-145); Tecumseh, Appeal to the Osages (p. 57-59); Black Hawk, Encroachment by White Settlers (p. 63-66); Memorial and Protest of the Cherokee Nation (p. 67-69); Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins, Trouble on the Paiute Reservation (p. 151-153).

 

• Writing: Blogpost #4 and Final Website

 

 

Week Ten:

Lecturer: Professor Rodrigo Lazo

 

Monday, Dec. 4

 

• Viewing: Alejandro Iñárritu, The Revenant (2015), HC Writer’s Handbook, “Analyzing Film” (Buhanan)
• Writing: Essay Assignment #2--Visual Analysis (Peer Review)

 

Wednesday, Dec. 6

 

• Reading: Zitkala-Sa, "Impressions of an Indian Childhood," "The Schooldays of an Indian Girl"
• Essay Assignment #2--Visual Analysis (Final Draft)

 

 

Finals Week: December 11-15

 

Final exams arranged by discussion seminar days/times. Consult official UCI Final Exam Schedule.