AIMS

For the purposes of this course, we will be thinking about the humanities as the trifold disciplines of literature, philosophy and the arts.  The course will be divided into two sections.  In the first we will read and theorize the literature of William Shakespeare and Thomas Hardy.  In the second section we will be reading art criticism and philosophy of art by such thinkers as John Berger, Jean Francois Lyotard and Octavio Paz.  In addition, we will be viewing two films and making two trips to Pittsburgh to visit an art museum.  As the course progresses, we will be continually complicating our ideas of how we see, think and engage with the world around us.  Doing so will remind us of the true value of the humanities: to make us more alive, more connected with each other and more thoughtful. 

 ASSIGNMENTS

 Readings

There will be a good deal of reading for this course and students will be expected to complete all readings for the first day we will be discussing them.  This may mean reading like crazy over the weekend.  Enjoy it; it's what college is all about.  Get involved with the readings; annotate and mark up your books.  Mostly, be prepared to discuss the material. You will be called upon to answer questions and I will be expecting thoughtful and respectful participation.

Writings

We will have five shorter papers due called Reading Responses.  They are to be two to three pages long, typewritten.  They are to engage some aspect of the readings, make a claim and use quotes from the text to substantiate that claim.  I call them Reading Responses, not Reading Reactions.  I am not interested in your emotional opinion of the readings.  Though we always begin with our "gut" reactions, we should not stop there, but ask ourselves 'why' the text worked upon us this way and for what potential reasons.

We will also have two longer papers which are to be eight to ten pages long, typewritten.  The first will provide an intellectual context for reading Hardy and Shakespeare.  The second will trace out an ongoing process of looking at and thinking through visual art.

Your final paper will be covered by a Reflective Statement which will ask you to consider your reading and writing processes in this course.

In addition, we will have one  in-class workshop for which you will be asked to bring in three copies of your paper.  For our conferences at the end of the term, you will be asked to bring in two copies, one for you and one for me.  For the second of those two conferences, you will be asked to have revised according to our discussion.

Format

All papers are to be typed in 12 point font, and are due at the beginning of class. They are to be stapled in the upper left hand corner and will have a header on the first page, upper right hand corner, with your name, the date, the class # and my name.  All pages are to be numbered.   Late papers will not be accepted unless pre-arranged with me.

 ATTENDANCE

Students are expected to attend all classes; missing one week is the equivalent of missing an entire book and is not at all recommended.  It will be quite difficult to do well on the papers and in class participation if one is not there.  Exceptions will be made for bona fide illness and religious observances.  Having more than two unexcused absences may lower your grade one full letter for each subsequent absence.

 GRADING

Thoughtful and respectful class participation  15%
Reading Responses      25%
Long Papers       60%

Calendar

 June

11 Introduction to course; syllabus and overview

15 William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

16 Romeo and Juliet

18 Romeo and Juliet

22 Aristotle from Poetics

23 Film: Franco Zeferelli's Romeo and Juliet ;Reading Response #1 due

25 Film/ Discussion

29 Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles

30 Tess of the D'Urbervilles

July

2 Tess of the D'Urbervilles

6 Film: Roman Polanski's Tess; Reading Response #2 due

7 Film/ Discussion

9 First draft of Long Paper #1 due for workshop.  Bring three copies.

13 2nd Draft Long Paper: Bring three copies.

14 Museum Trip: Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh

16 Jean-Francois Lyotard's "Newman: The Instant"; Picture book of Barnet Newman's paintings.  Reading Response #3 due.

20 John Berger's Ways of Seeing; Reading Response #4 due

21 Berger

23 Octavio Paz's Essays on Mexican Art

27 Paz; Reading Response #5 due

28 Second Museum Trip to Pittsburgh

30 Long Paper #2 conferences

3 Long Paper #2 conferences

4 Final Paper due; discussion