This course examines key writers, artists, and artistic movements from 1800 to the present day. The semester’s readings reflect cultural crises and societal changes over the past 222 years. Three tipping points will serve as thematic foci: Imperialism, Alienation, and Consumerism. Assignments include learning trips to various sites of historical and cultural significance in and around London to emphasize the Humanities’ relevance beyond the classroom. This course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Aesthetic Exploration, Historical Consciousness, Critical Thinking.

Plagiarism is a very serious offense in this course, at CGS, and in the wider BU community. If you’re short on time, better that you ask for an extension than fail the assignment or (worse) get suspended.

Respect me and your fellow students during class. Keep your laptop closed and your eyes on whoever’s talking—or on the text we’re talking about. Focus on people are saying and join in the discussion with insights or questions of your own.

Attendance is essential to your engagement and learning—all the more so in a class with just 12 sessions. We will meet twice a week for a class period of two hours. In order to fulfill the required course contact hours and receive course credit, all Boston University students are expected to attend each and every class session. Attendance at all class meetings as well as required out-of-classroom trips, events, and performances is mandatory! For every unexcused absence from a mandatory class meeting, trip, or event, a student’s course grade will drop one full letter grade.

You will need one of the books from Hum 103, and two others. All can be purchased at at Amazon via the links provided:

• The Metamorphosis: A New Translation by Susan Bernofsky, (important that you purchase this translation!): link.
• H.G.Wells, The Island of Dr. Moreau, as required in Social Science.
• Carol Strickland, The Annotated Mona Lisa, 3rd edition: link.

Additional readings will be posted on on the course Blackboard page.

Grade Weighting as follows, weights out of 100 total:

• Museum Reflection (2-3 p) 15
• Theater Review (2-3 p) 15
• Final Exam (combined short answer & essay format) 35
• HW 25
• Class Participation 10

All assignments will contribute to the students’ mastery of the Aesthetic Expression, Historical Consciousness, and Critical Thinking HUB Requirements.

Attendance penalties, as noted in the Course Rules, above.

Participation
Active participation includes speaking up in class (but not dominating the conversation), attending office hours, volunteering to read aloud, & taking an active role in group activities. Unauthorized use of electronics (cell phone, computer, etc.), tardiness, disruptive behavior, forgetting to bring assigned readings, or lack of alertness will adversely affect your class participation.

Humanities 104 is designed to achieve the following learning outcomes, per the BU HUB.

Aesthetic Exploration:

• By surveying the art and literature of the past two centuries, this course introduces students to various modes of aesthetic exploration.  In their homework, essays and exams, students will demonstrate both knowledge and appreciation of notable works of art and literature, including the cultural contexts in which those works were created, and will ponder their ongoing relevance.
• Through tests, written assignments, and in-class discussions, students will demonstrate the reasoning skills and vocabulary necessary to interpret works of art and literature.
• In class discussion and in their written work, students will evaluate and analyze a wide range of artistic modes, from lyric, narrative and painting to film and comic books; as well as a wide range of artistic styles, from realism to satire, surrealism, and expressionism.

Historical Consciousness:

• Students will learn to understand and evaluate artworks in their respective historical and cultural contexts. They will learn to use historical evidence in evaluating interpretations of artworks.
• Through exams, writing assignments, and in-class discussions, students will demonstrate an ability to interpret primary source material (textual, visual, or aural) using a range of interpretive skills and situating the material in its historical and cultural context.
• In surveying specific periods in the history of literature and the arts, students will demonstrate knowledge of various philosophical and religious traditions, intellectual paradigms, forms of political organization, and socio-economic forces. They will thereby learn how these have changed over time.

Critical Thinking:

• Students will be able to analyze various forms of argumentation and interpretation when learning to understand and evaluate artworks. They will identify key elements of critical thinking, including habits of distinguishing deductive from inductive modes of inference and recognizing common logical fallacies and cognitive biases. Students will learn to distinguish empirical claims about matters of fact from normative or evaluative judgments. Students will learn to apply theories and principles in interpreting and evaluating various artworks.
• Drawing on skills developed in class, students will be able to evaluate the validity of arguments and interpretations, including their own. Students will learn key concepts that cultivate critical thinking and rational discourse. They will also recognize the ways in which thinking about art may be shaped by values, moral character, and emotional responses.