Syllabi for Prof. Edwards
HUM 1020
Introduction to Humanities
Professor John Edwards
Click here for the course schedule.
Contact Information
Office: East Campus, 1-359
Email: jedwards@valenciacollege.edu
Phone: (407) 582-2790
Online Office Hours
Monday-Friday 12:00-2:00 PM
Catalog Description
Basic introduction to humanities. Focuses on central concepts, historical development, and fundamental nature of philosophy, architecture, music, religion, and art. Concepts from such disciplines integrated with contemporary American culture.
Required Textbook
You do not need to purchase a textbook for this course. All readings will be provided in Canvas.
Essential Course Requirements
- Adequate preparation. Students should expect to spend a minimum of six to eight hours a week completing the requirements for this class (including readings, quizzes, discussions, written assignments, exams, and consistent review of the course material).
- Participation. This is an online class. Your success will depend on your prompt completion of assigned readings and online activities, including discussions. Failure to post to the discussion boards during the first week will result in your withdrawal as a “no-show.”
- Internet access. Because the course content will be delivered via Canvas, all students must have reliable access to the Internet. Students are responsible for checking Canvas regularly for course updates.
- Exams. There will be five exams. The deadline dates for these exams are listed on the Course Schedule. These exams may be taken at home on an open-book, open-notes basis.
- Quizzes. There will be a quiz on each reading assignment. These quizzes will be administered in Canvas and can be taken at home on an open-book, open-notes basis.
- Discussions. Each student will participate in the discussion boards by making original posts, reading classmates’ posts, and commenting on posts, as assigned. Your overall discussion grade will reflect the percentage of discussions completed satisfactorily.
- Project. Students will complete a project to enhance their understanding of the humanities. Details are provided in the “Project” folder of our Canvas course.
Course Learning Outcomes
After completing HUM 1020, students will be able to:
- articulate connections between the humanities and life.
- interpret works of art, literature, philosophy, or religion.
- show sensitivity toward different cultural perspectives.
Student Core Competencies
Valencia faculty have defined four interrelated competencies (Value, Think, Communicate, Act) that prepare students to succeed in the world community. These competencies are outlined in the College Catalog. In this course, through classroom lecture and discussion, group work, and other learning activities, you will further develop your mastery of these core competencies.
Grading
A = 90-100
B = 80-89
C = 70-79
D = 60-69
F = below 60
Exams: 14% each
Project: 10%
Average of discussions: 10%
Average of quizzes: 10%
Deadlines for Completion of Coursework
Due dates for each unit's assignments, as well as for papers and exams, are clearly listed on the course schedule, below. Work that is submitted after the due date and time will receive a grade reduction as follows:
- Up to one week late: 10 points
- More than one week and up to two weeks late: 30 points
- More than two weeks and up to three weeks late: 50 points
- More than three weeks late: No credit will be given.
Communication with the Professor
You may contact me through Canvas messaging or by email. My email address is jedwards@valenciacollege.edu. Please email me only from your Atlas email account (not personal email). I will respond to messages during my next scheduled office hours. Note that if you message me on the weekend, I will likely not respond until my Monday office hours.
Attendance and Participation
Attendance in an online class is understood as the student's completion of assigned activities.
Attendance during the first week of classes
Attendance during the first week of classes is mandatory. Anyone who does not post to the discussion boards during the first week of class will be withdrawn as a no-show.
Attendance during the rest of the term
I expect you to participate in all discussions and complete all assignments throughout the term. However, students will not be withdrawn by the professor. It is entirely the responsibility of students to withdraw themselves, if necessary, prior to the withdrawal date. If you decide to drop the class, do not stop participating and assume you will be withdrawn. You must withdraw yourself or risk receiving the grade your work merits at the end of the grading period.
Electronic Access
Please note that computer failures, power outages, and other difficulties with electronic access will generally not be acceptable excuses for failure to submit work on time. Students should plan ahead and be prepared to make other arrangements, when necessary.
Academic Integrity
All forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited at Valencia College. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, furnishing false information, forgery, alteration or misuse of documents, misconduct during a testing situation, and misuse of identification with intent to defraud or deceive. Any student determined by the professor to have been guilty of engaging in an act of academic dishonesty shall be subject to a range of academic penalties as determined by the professor. A first offense will normally result in a grade of “zero” on the assignment in question. A second offense will result in failure of the course and referral to the appropriate college authorities for possible further action, up to and including expulsion from the college. If the instructor judges a first offense to be particularly egregious, the penalty for a second offense may be applied.
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who qualify for academic accommodations must provide a notification from the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) and discuss specific needs with the instructor, preferably during the first two weeks of class. The Office for Students with Disabilities determines accommodations based on appropriate documentation of disabilities. The East Campus Office is located in Building 5, Room 216.
Statement of Support for Students with Food, Housing, or Financial Needs
Any student who has difficulty accessing sufficient food to eat, or who lacks a safe and stable place to live, and believes this may affect his or her performance in the course, is urged to meet with a Counselor in the Advising Center for information about resources that may be available from the college or community.
Student Assessment of Instruction (SAI)
This term, you will receive an invitation through your Valencia e-mail account asking you to complete the
Student Assessment of Instruction (SAI) to provide us with feedback on your experience in this class and to help us to improve the course. The results are released only after grades are submitted. Student names are not included in the results—your responses will be anonymous.
Please send your feedback to Valencia through the SAI when it opens. We want to learn more about your experiences so that we may continue to improve our courses.
Withdrawal Policy
You should be aware that course withdrawals:
- Will increase the cost of your education.
- May affect your financial aid status.
- May affect your transfer grade point average.
- May result in your having to pay the full cost of instruction fee to retake the course.
- May affect your anticipated graduation date.
- May result in your being denied access to limited access programs.
- May affect your eligibility for the Honors Program.
- May affect your immigration status if you are attending Valencia on a nonimmigrant visa.
- Will result in your required repayment of course fees paid by a Bright Futures scholarship.
Before you withdraw:
- Talk with your professor to discuss your progress in the course.
- See a Student Services staff member to discuss how a withdrawal will affect your career and education plans and/or the status of your financial aid.
International students, and students receiving financial aid, should be aware of how a “W” will affect their status:
http://international.valenciacollege.edu/current-students/maintaining-visa-status/
http://valenciacollege.edu/finaid/satisfactory_progress.cfm
A student is permitted to withdraw from a class on or before the withdrawal deadline (Friday, July 1, 2022). A student is not permitted to withdraw from a class after the withdrawal deadline.
A student who withdraws from a class before the withdrawal deadline will receive a grade of “W.” A student who is withdrawn for administrative reasons at any time will receive a grade of “W” or other grade as determined in consultation with the professor. Any student who withdraws or is withdrawn from a class during a third or subsequent attempt in the same course will be assigned a grade of “F.”
A student who receives a grade of “W” will not receive credit for the course, and the “W” will not be calculated in the student’s grade point average; however, the enrollment will count in the student’s total attempts in the specific course.
If a student withdraws from a class, the student may, upon request and only with the faculty member’s permission (which may be withheld at any time in the sole discretion of the faculty member), continue to attend the course.
Complete Course Schedule
All information on this schedule is tentative and subject to change at the discretion of the instructor. Changes to this schedule will be announced online. No allowances will be made for students who have missed hearing about changes due to failure to check announcements or email.
Week 1 (May 9-15)
Topics:
- Introduction to the Course
Assignments (due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, May 15):
- Watch presentation: Introduction to the Course
- Complete discussion: Introduction to the Course--Discussion 1
- Complete discussion: Introduction to the Course--Discussion 2
UNIT 1: TRUTH AND KNOWLEDGE
- Study Guide for this unit
- Art Images for this unit
Week 2 (May 16-22)
- Philosophy and Deductive Reasoning
- Scholarship and Learning
Readings:
- Philosophy and Deductive Reasoning
- Aquinas: Excerpt 1 from the Summa Theologica
- Scholarship and Learning
Assignments (due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, May 22):
- Watch presentation: Philosophy and Deductive Reasoning
- Watch presentation: Scholarship and Learning
- Take quiz
- Complete discussion: Truth and Knowledge--Discussion 1
- Complete discussion: Truth and Knowledge--Discussion 2
Week 3 (May 23-29)
Topics:
- Empiricism and Scientific Method
- Divine Revelation
Readings:
- Empiricism and Scientific Method
- Bacon: Excerpt from the Novum Organum
- Locke: Excerpt from the Essay concerning Human Understanding
- Revelation: Themes and Functions
- Aquinas: Excerpt 2 from the Summa Theologica
- Hildegard of Bingen: Excerpt from the Scivias
- Rumi: "What Was Told, That"
Assignments (due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, May 29):
- Watch presentation: Empiricism and Scientific Method
- Watch presentation: Divine Revelation
- Take quiz
- Complete discussion: Truth and Knowledge--Discussion 3
- Complete discussion: Truth and Knowledge--Discussion 4
Take Exam 1 between Tuesday, May 31 and Thursday, June 2 (11:59 PM)
UNIT 2: BEAUTY
- Study Guide for this unit
- Art Images for this unit
- Music Examples for this unit
Week 4 (May 30-June 5)
MAY 30: MEMORIAL DAY (COLLEGE CLOSED)
Topic:
- Classicism
- Expression
Readings:
Assignments (due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, June 5):
- Watch presentation: Classicism
- Watch presentation: Expression
- Take quiz
- Complete discussion: Beauty--Discussion 1
- Complete discussion: Beauty--Discussion 2
- Complete discussion: Beauty--Discussion 3
Week 5 (June 6-12)
Topics:
- Complexity and Opulence
- Realism
- Abstraction
Readings:
- Complexity and Opulence
- Realism
- Abstraction
- Boccaccio: Excerpt from the Decameron
- Chaucer: Excerpt from the Canterbury Tales
- Dickens: Excerpt from Hard Times
- Twain: Excerpt from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Assignments (due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, June 12):
- Watch presentation: Complexity and Opulence
- Watch presentation: Realism
- Watch presentation: Abstraction
- Take quiz
- Complete discussion: Beauty--Discussion 4
- Complete discussion: Beauty--Discussion 5
- Complete discussion: Beauty--Discussion 6
Take Exam 2 between Monday, June 13 and Wednesday, June 15 (11:59 PM)
UNIT 3: THE GOOD
- Study Guide for this unit
- Art Images for this unit
- Music Examples for this unit
Week 6 (June 13-19)
Topic:
- Personal Morality
Readings:
- Personal Morality
- Moral Codes: Jewish, Buddhist, and Christian
- Excerpts from the Analects of Confucius
- Aristotle: Excerpt from the Ethics
- Marcus Aurelius: Excerpt from the Meditations
Assignments (due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, June 19):
- Watch presentation: Personal Morality
- Take quiz
- Complete discussion: The Good--Discussion 1
- Complete discussion: The Good--Discussion 2
Week 7 (June 20-26)
Topic:
- The Good Society
Readings:
- The Good Society
- Augustine: Excerpts from The City of God
- Hobbes: Excerpt from Leviathan
- Locke: Excerpts from the Second Treatise of Government
- Jefferson: Declaration of Independence
- Marx and Engels: Excerpt from the Communist Manifesto
- King: "I Have a Dream"
Assignments (due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, June 26):
- Watch presentation: The Good Society
- Take quiz
- Complete discussion: The Good--Discussion 3
- Complete discussion: The Good--Discussion 4
Take Exam 3 between Monday, June 27 and Wednesday, June 29 (11:59 PM)
UNIT 4: ULTIMATE REALITY
- Study Guide for this unit
- Art Images for this unit
- Music Examples for this unit
Week 8 (June 27-July 3)
Topics:
- Polytheism
- Monotheism
Readings:
- Polytheism
- Monotheism
- Hesiod: Excerpt from the Theogony
- Excerpt from the Book of Job
- The Nicene Creed
- Excerpt from the Qur'an
Assignments (due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, July 3):
- Watch presentation: Polytheism
- Watch presentation: Monotheism
- Take quiz
- Complete discussion: Ultimate Reality--Discussion 1
- Complete discussion: Ultimate Reality--Discussion 2
Week 9 (July 4-10)
JULY 4: INDEPENDENCE DAY (COLLEGE CLOSED)
Topics:
- Deism and Natural Religion
- Pantheism, Monism, and Impersonal Concepts of the Ultimate
- Skepticism, Irreligion, and Atheism
Readings:
- Deism and Natural Religion
- Pantheism, Monism, and Impersonal Concepts of the Ultimate
- Skepticism, Irreligion, and Atheism
- Rousseau: "The Creed of a Savoyard Priest"
- Excerpt from the Chandogya Upanishad
- Laozi: Excerpt from the Daodejing
- Plato: "Allegory of the Cave"
- Hume: Excerpt from "Of Miracles"
- Voltaire: Excerpts from Candide
- Freud: Excerpt from The Future of an Illusion
Assignments (due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, July 10):
- Watch presentation: Deism and Natural Religion
- Watch presentation: Pantheism, Monism, and Impersonal Concepts of the Ultimate
- Watch presentation: Skepticism, Atheism, and Irreligion
- Take quiz
- Complete discussion: Ultimate Reality--Discussion 3
- Complete discussion: Ultimate Reality--Discussion 4
- Complete discussion: Ultimate Reality--Discussion 5
Take Exam 4 between Monday, July 11 and Wednesday, July 13 (11:59 PM)
UNIT 5: THE SELF AND ITS DESTINY
- Study Guide for this unit
- Art Images for this unit
Week 10 (July 11-17)
Topics:
- The Nature of the Human Self
Readings:
- The Nature of the Human Self
- Excerpt from the Chandogya Upanishad
- Excerpts on Original Sin
- Pico della Mirandola: Excerpt from the Oration on the Dignity of Man
- Shakespeare: Excerpts from Hamlet, Macbeth, and As You Like It
- Woolf: Excerpt from Mrs. Dalloway
Assignments (due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, July 17):
- Watch presentation: The Nature of the Human Self
- Take quiz
- Complete discussion: The Self and Its Destiny--Discussion 1
- Complete discussion: The Self and Its Destiny--Discussion 2
Week 11 (July 18-24)
Topics:
- Death and Afterlife
Readings:
- "Life after Death" (BBC)--be sure to click through all 11 short pages
- "Death" (Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
- Homer: Excerpt from the Odyssey
- Excerpt from the Book of Revelation
- Dante: Excerpts from the Divine Comedy
- Dickinson: Poem 479 ("Because I could not stop for Death")
Assignments (due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, July 24):
- Watch presentation: Death and Afterlife
- Take quiz
- Complete discussion: The Self and Its Destiny--Discussion 3
- Complete discussion: The Self and Its Destiny--Discussion 4