Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Summer 2018 - HUM 101W D100

Introduction to the Humanities (3)

Class Number: 4212

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    May 7 – Aug 3, 2018: Thu, 12:30–2:20 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Aug 7, 2018
    Tue, 3:30–6:30 p.m.
    Burnaby

  • Prerequisites:

    .

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to issues and concepts central to the study of the Humanities. Through exposure to primary materials drawn from different periods and disciplines, students will become acquainted with a range of topics and ideas relating to the study of human values and human experience. Writing/Breadth-Humanities. Equivalent Courses: HUM101 Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:

The Meaning(s) of Life

The human condition is so ineffably complex that it cannot be adequately conveyed by mere science. Over the last three thousand years, human beings have produced a vast body of material—art and literature, language and theatre, history and philosophy—to express our collective nature through the visual arts, the spoken word, and the written word. This course is about the humanistic perspective on ourselves: as a species, as cultures, and as individuals. An interdisciplinary course with a broad scope, we will look at centuries of humanistic endeavors across culture to explore what makes us what we are.

The course is also about writing: what strategies have the authors of the canon used to put their ideas onto stone, parchment, or paper? After centuries of critical writing on their works, how can a twenty-first century writer use his or her unique experiences and ideas to find a new perspective?

Grading

  • Quizzes (6 at 3%) 18%%
  • Essay #1: Engaging with Text 8%%
  • Essay #1 Peer Review 2%%
  • Essay #1 Revision 10%%
  • Annotated Bibliography: Engaging with Context 15%%
  • Essay #2: Engaging with Subtext 14%%
  • Essay #2 Peer Review 2%%
  • Essay #2 Revision 18%%
  • Participation 13%%

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose (Mariner Books, 978-0544176560)

Nicholas Evans, Dying Words: Endangered Languages and What They Have to Tell Us (Wiley-Blackwell, 978-0631233053)

Robert Ford Campany, A Garden of Marvels: Tales of Wonder from Early Medieval China, Legends of Japan (U. of Hawaii Press; 978-0824853501; Kindle edition available)

W. Shakespeare, Hamlet [text online at http://shakespeare.mit.edu/hamlet/full.html]

Film: Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead [in class] Additional readings will be available online through the course website.

* Additional readings will be available online through the course website.


Registrar Notes:

SFU’s Academic Integrity web site http://students.sfu.ca/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating.  Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the University community.  Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the University. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the University. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS