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Communications, Arts & Humanities Division:
Department of Humanities
Course Descriptions
HUM 100 - Introduction to Visual Arts
HUM 105 - Introduction to the Mass Media
HUM 110 - Humanities and the Arts I
HUM 120 - Humanities and the Arts II
HUM 141 - Film Language
HUM 142 - American Cinema
HUM 160 - Introduction to World Religions
HUM 171 - Western Myths
HUM 173 - Eastern Mythology
HUM 199 - Co-Op/Internship (CSEL)
HUM 100 - Introduction to Visual Arts
This course is designed to introduce students through a broad overview, to the nature of art, the people who make art, the various forms art takes and to the importance of art in our everyday lives. Students consider the role of the artist in society and how that role changes historically. Issues such as aesthetics, creativity and perception, and what it means to be a visually literate patron of the arts will be explored. A thorough introduction to the visual elements and principles of design will help students to form some guidelines for analysis and criticism in such areas as drawing, painting, photography, film, video, sculpture, architecture, crafts, environmental design, theater, dance and music. Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Identify several themes and purposes of art.
- Identify the visual elements and apply them in analysis of various two-and three-dimensional media.
- Identify the principles of design in art.
- Apply principles of design and personal aesthetics to criticism and analysis of various art media.
- Demonstrate an understanding of a comprehensive list of terms common in the art world and apply those terms in written criticism.
- Demonstrate a knowledge of a variety of roles artists have assumed in society.
- Demonstrate a knowledge of the traits characteristic of these artists and their styles.
- Demonstrate a knowledge of tools, methods and materials used in a broad spectrum of two-and three-dimensional media.
- Demonstrate a sense of the chronological history of the arts.
Prerequisite: English Composition I (ENG 100) or its equivalent, or instructor’s permission
3 hours each week 3 credits
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HUM 105 - Introduction to the Mass Media
This course introduces students to both the print and electronic media systems. Students will review the history of the mass media and explore career options in this field. They will also study the basic techniques of media analysis and consider the effects of the various media on society. Upon successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- Explain how the mass media have developed.
- Analyze the impact of the print and electronic media upon society.
- Explain media forms.
- Understand the conceptual differences between the media and their practical applications.
- Assess the various career opportunities available in the mass communications field.
Prerequisite: Eligibility for English Composition I (ENG 100).
3 hours lecture each week 3 credits.
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HUM 110 - Humanities and the Arts I
Students survey the creative works of man through the ages: Greek-Roman Classical Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque. Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Relate cultural patterns to major periods in the arts.
- Explain the major reasons-historic, sociologic, economic, aesthetic-for the emergence of various cultural patterns.
- Trace the flow of cultural patterns of the present from the past into the future.
- Discuss the major aesthetic principles of poetry, prose, painting, music, architecture and sculpture.
- Compare and/or contrast the characteristics of the major periods of the arts.
- Find a richer life experience through a deeper involvement with the arts.
Prerequisite: Satisfactory score on the English and reading placement tests or successful completion of Developmental English (ENG 050) and Developmental Reading and Study Skills (REA 050). 3 hours each week 3 credits.
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HUM 120 - Humanities and the Arts II
Students survey some of the creative works of man through the ages: Romantic Realistic, Impressionistic, Modern. Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Relate cultural patterns to major periods in the arts.
- Explain the major reasons-historic, sociologic, economic, aesthetic-for the emergence of various cultural patterns.
- Trace the flow of cultural patterns of the present from the past into the future.
- Discuss the major aesthetic principles of poetry, prose, painting, music, architecture and sculpture.
- Compare and/or contrast the characteristics of the major periods of the arts.
- Find a richer life experience through a deeper involvement with the arts.
Prerequisite: Satisfactory score on the English and reading placement tests or successful completion of Developmental English (ENG 050) and Developmental Reading and Study Skills (REA 050).
3 hours each week 3 credits.
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HUM 141 - Film Language
This course is intended to engage students in analysis of the film medium to help them relate the art of film to their lives and their language and to stimulate their appreciation of the visible world. The course includes a brief survey of film history, a study of the subject matter and bias of the documentary film and visible forms of poetry in the art film. Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Identify types of films.
- Recognize stages in film history.
- Identify elements of cinematic technique.
- Discuss the aesthetics of film.
- Recognize the existence of varying critical approaches.
- Recognize a good film.
Prerequisite: English Composition I (ENG 100) or permission of the instructor.3 hours each week 3 credits.
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HUM 142 - American Cinema
This introductory course in film studies surveys American motion pictures as an industry a form of artistic expression and a powerful cultural and societal influence. Students taking this course as distance learning should be aware of its independent study aspects. Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate a familiarity with American film history from the silent screen to the present.
- Demonstrate a knowledge of the basic technical and critical vocabulary of motion pictures.
- Apply that vocabulary to understand artistic expression in motion pictures.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the fundamentals of the movie industry's economic structure as it evolved through the twentieth century.
- Demonstrate an informed view of "realism" in motion pictures in order to avoid passive acceptance of what is presented on the screen.
Prerequisite: English Composition I (ENG 100). 3 hours each week 3 credits.
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HUM 160 - Introduction to World Religions
This course introduces students to the five major religions of the world: Hinduism Buddhism Judaism Christianity and Islam. Upon successful completion of this course students will be able to:
- Explain the developmental stages of each of the five major religions.
- Evaluate the principal tenets of each of these belief systems.
- Describe the most important rituals of each of these religions.
- Analyze the relationships that exist among these religions.
3 hours each week 3 credits .
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HUM 171 - Western Myths
This writing-intensive course surveys ancient and modern myths that originated in the Western Hemisphere (the Near East Europe, Africa and North America) and that still have impact on our self-concepts or our ideas of society. Narrative myths are studied as well as their interpretations in visual art and music. Beginning with a focus on classical Greek mythology, the course uses literature, art, music and film to evaluate mythology's place in helping us understand the human condition. Readings vary from semester to semester, but may include native American and African folk tales, Beowulf and Norse myths, and the mythic implications of Frankenstein, Romeo and Juliet, or the tales of King Arthur. Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Identify and paraphrase a variety of Greek, Biblical, Old English and Native American myths.
- Trace the changes in those earlier myths as they have been influenced by industrialization, technology and psychology.
- Compare myth-based fiction (such as Frankenstein) with its current impact as seen in film and television.
- Identify versions of myths in visual art and music.
- Analyze in writing and discussion the differences between the original myths and their current manifestations.
Prerequisite: English Composition I (ENG 100). 3 hours each week 3 credits.
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HUM 173 - Eastern Mythology
This course surveys major mythologies of the East such as Indian Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, and lesser-known ones such as those of the aboriginal peoples of Australia and New Zealand. The study of the myths will serve as an introduction to the diverse cultures encountered-their history, religion, philosophy, art, music, literature, values and outlook on life. Further, the course will clarify the systems of thought underlying some of humankind's earliest perceptions of life and the universe. Upon successful completion of the this course, students should, both orally and in writing, be able to:
- Identify and paraphrase a variety of Eastern myths.
- Recognize the various myths/themes in their modified forms in the various mythologies.
- Define Eastern perceptions of such concepts as Creation, Life, Death, Truth, Good, Evil and Androgyny.
- Trace the myths implicit in the surviving rituals of the Eastern peoples.
- Comment on the different aspects of myths as shown in selected fine and performing arts.
- Demonstrate the relevance of the ancient concepts to modern times and to the students' own lives.
Prerequisite: English Composition II (ENG 112) 3 hours each week 3 credits.
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HUM 199 - Co-Op/Internship (CSEL)
Special Announcements
2008 Summer in Florence, Italy
Faculty
Francesco Bellini
Ph.D., California Institute
MA, N.Y. University
BA, Boston University
tel: 610.359.5369
office: 4313
email: fbellini@dccc.edu
web: http://faculty.dccc.edu/~fbellini