HON 172 - The Human Event



HON 172 - The Human Event

Pamela Stewart

Spring 2004

Phone: (480) 727-6720 Office Hours: Irish 213

Email: Pamela.Stewart@asu.edu M/W: 10:45-12 &

W: 8-9am, week papers due and by appointment

**Please put HON172 in the subject area on all email**

Required Texts: Students should make every attempt to purchase the versions specified. However, making use of alternate (and often cheaper) outlets for those purchases, especially for Rent, is acceptable.

Defoe, Daniel, Journal of the Plague Year (Random House, 2001).

Voltaire, Candide (Bantam, 1981).

Olaudah, Equinano, The Life of Olaudah Equiano (Dover, 1999).

Shelley, Mary, Frankenstein (Bantam, 1984).

Dickens, Charles, A Christmas Carol (Bantam, 1997).

Lenin, Vladmir, Imperialism (International, 1993).

Freud, Sigmund, Civilization and Its Discontents (Norton, 1961).

Carles, Emilie, A Life of Her Own (Penguin, 1992). This memoir is occasionally available under the title, A Wild Herb Soup.

Drakulic, Slavenka, How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed (Harper, 1993).

Larson, Rent (Dreamworks, 1996). This is a CD with the lyrics included. As with all sources for this class, you may certainly use your own copies of this CD; however, the lyrics must be included for the purposes of this class.

Other required on-line sources/readings are listed under the assignment due date in the syllabus.

OVERVIEW

This is the second semester of a two-semester, interdisciplinary course, designed as an introduction to honors studies at ASU. Texts produced by humans from the 16th century to the present provide the focus of this semester’s course. Approximately 80% of in-class time will consist of student discussions of these texts. Students are expected to have previously and carefully read and evaluated the assigned texts for each class. These texts include examples of writings and art, representing a range of human experience, ideas, practices, and beliefs, which have affected historical change and at times, present-day experience. Historical texts will be the basis from which students will gain experience in analyzing written, visual, and verbal communication. Students’ grades will be based on essays, in-class verbal analysis and participation – including current-events on Wednesdays - participation on the web board, and short in-class assignments.

OBJECTIVES

One of the challenges faced by people today is how to accommodate pluralism while simultaneously maintaining societal order. In the Modern world – the time period that this course covers –ideals of liberty/freedom and equality have developed and people have tried to integrate those with order. Few texts evaluated will literally represent that particular problem. However, by critically analyzing these texts students can view how humans in a variety of times and places have wrestled with what order, liberty, and equality might be, whom they might benefit, how their present implementation might be challenged, and whether humans are truly individuals or members of societal orders, castes, or communities. Understanding human experience beyond one’s own increases students’ cultural background and reveals the complexities of otherwise ‘simple’ problems and solutions. Additionally, by evaluating historical and current texts in verbal and written form, students improve skills in critical thinking, expression of ideas, and application of those skills in developing opinions in wide-ranging areas.

REQUIREMENTS

The total number of points possible for the semester is 200, with possible consideration for improvement. The points/% are distributed in the following manner.

Essay #1 40 points (20%)

“ #2 40 “ (20%)

“ #3 50 “ (25%)

Web board 10 “ ( 5%)

Prepared in-class participation, including

Current Event Wednesdays 60 “ (30%)

TOTAL 200 points (100%)

All essays and a high percentage of relevant written work and class participation must be completed in order to earn credit for this class. Incompletes will not be given except under the most extreme and unanticipated circumstances. The cumulative nature of the points in this class can not be stressed enough. In-class participation includes mental and physical attendance and relevant, prepared discussion participation. Bringing relevant books and materials to class is mandatory. I strongly urge students to contact me as soon as they realize they are having any particular difficulties so that problems can be addressed and resolved early. I structure this course so that one poor grade or a slow start does not necessarily and directly result in a poor grade in the class. However, it is the student’s responsibility to contact me when problems arise. Learning how (not what) to think, write, and otherwise communicate effectively are skills, not simply gifts one is either born with or not. Improvement is not only considered, but anticipated. Students should be familiar with the Student Academic Grievance Procedure, available in MSWord format at asu.edu/honors/docs/GradeAppeal.doc or if preferred, from the webpage asu.edu/honors/forms.html

Two Wednesdays each month, students are expected to bring an article (print or on-line), book they are reading/have read, or summary of TV news-related item that is related to world events, preferably from a global perspective or at least the perspective of non-dominant groups or individuals. Most days, only about 15 minutes will be spent on this activity, but participation will be recorded and your participation is imperative for quality in-class participation.

GRADING/ATTENDANCE

Attendance is expected and required. More than three absences result in the loss of 25% of a student’s participation grade. More than 4 absences result in the reduction of a student’s participation grade by 5% for each additional absence. More than 7 absences result in an E in the course. Tardies will be considered when determining a student’s final participation grade. Consistent tardies will be counted towards absences. Should a student encounter a significant problem that will affect attendance, please contact me as soon as possible. Do not miss class because an assignment is due and/or you are unprepared. If you miss class, the assignment is still late and you have missed participation and attendance points. However, any more than rare unpreparedness for class will result in significantly lower grades, with the possibility of an E if the problem is not immediately corrected.

I reserve the right to give quizzes and text responses, should students in a class demonstrate unpreparedness or disengagement from the material. If given, quizzes will be at the beginning of classes, and if and when previously assigned, text responses will be due at the beginning of class. If a student misses all of a quiz, an absence is recorded, even if the student arrives later. Any evidence of ‘helping’ other students or receiving ‘help’ from others in my sections of HON 172 during quizzes or other written work will result in a zero for that assignment. If it occurs again, the student will receive an EX - failure due to academic dishonesty - for the class. No make-up quizzes are allowed.

Essays provide 65% of a student’s grade in this class. No outside works are allowed as essays are not research assignments and information presented in essays, including thesis, evidence, and written communication, is expected to represent a student’s evaluation of the texts, not the work of professional scholars or other secondary sources. More information will be provided later, but the basis of all three, 1500-1800-word essay grades will be the degree of success a students exhibits in

1) arriving at a reasonable thesis/argument, which answers a how or why question

2) using evidence from the texts examined, supporting the thesis

3) communicating that information in written form in a manner that clearly and coherently analyzes the material and indicates appropriate English grammar usage

As most, if not all, students will have previously taken HON 171, writing quality should demonstrate ongoing improvement over the semester. If your essay grades from last semester did not indicate improved mastery of writing skills, please consult the Human Event Writing Center long before the first paper is due.

The Human Event Writing Center will offer small-group workshops and individual tutoring on writing academic essays for HON 171/172 courses. The goal is to help you improve your life-long writing and critical thinking skills. Check the website at for updated tutoring and workshop schedules, appointment and staff information, and relevant links.

Plagiarism will not be tolerated. It is your responsibility to be familiar with the ASU’s policies related to academic dishonesty. All students are responsible for their own integrity in the college classroom. Students are prohibited from cheating, lying, facilitating academic dishonesty, plagiarism, modifying any academic work for the purpose of obtaining additional credit after such work has been submitted to a supervising faculty member except as approved, and attempting to commit any of these or similar acts. If a student is unclear about the meaning of any of these or other prohibitions, ask me. You are ultimately responsible for your own actions and there may be other actions, not specifically mentioned in this paragraph that are nonetheless covered as aspects of academic dishonesty. For purposes of this class, plagiarism is defined as any attempt to represent the work of others as one’s own. It is not limited to quotes, and can apply to summaries and ideas - especially those presented to me in written form with incorrect or no citation.

Assignments are considered on-time if turned in to my mailbox at the BHC reception area before class, or in class on the due date. Under exceptional and pre-arranged circumstances, a student may be allowed to fax their assignment to me on or before its due date. Allow time for computer and printing problems. If an unforeseen problem develops, disallowing a hard copy of the assignment to be turned in on time, I will accept an emailed attachment prior to class as a place-holder only. I will not grade attachments; their purpose is to verify their timely completion only. I must have a hard-copy in my possession for grading. Any hard copies of emailed attachments received after 5PM on their due date are considered late. Anyone who turns in a hard copy of their assignment after class but before 5PM on the due date will receive a 2-point deduction of the assignment’s grade. Late assignments will receive a 5% deduction for each day overdue. No assignment will be accepted 7 or more days after its due date.

Discussions will provide opportunities for students to be verbally challenging and challenged, thoughtful, analytical, and to develop skills necessary in 1) arriving at a thesis; 2) development of evidence in support of a thesis; and 3) written and verbal communication. Much of discussions will center around issues and ideas that are not essentially issues of right/wrong or good/bad. Students should expect their ideas and words to be respectfully challenged. Challenges and responses to them should incorporate evidence from the texts and their historical contexts, further supporting one’s argument. Personal attacks of any kind will not be tolerated. The classroom will be a safe place and students may need to re-consider, even re-learn former biases and the way they display them. If a student exhibits severely troublesome behavior, s/he will be verbally warned. If the behavior continues, s/he will be told to leave. If the behavior is ongoing, the college administration will be notified and an immediate grade of E in the class is possible.

If at any time a student believes I have been inconsiderate or worse, I would encourage you to email me. If you are aware of inappropriate behavior in our class that I do not seem to be taking into account, again, please let me know. Be assured these conversations have no effect on a student’s grade.

Web board participation will be regularly assessed. Web site: Students should focus comments and analysis on the texts assigned, although certainly the relevance of historical issues in our present world are appropriate. However, base your comments in the texts, minimally using them as a springboard for discussion of current issues. All students are required to keep their comments focused on the issues and texts under discussion. All above requirements for classroom discussion behavior apply to Web Board discussions. Therefore, I reserve the right to edit and delete posts, as well as end discussion threads, should they become inappropriate. This will affect students’ grades, should irresponsible or inflammatory posts continue after a warning. Focus on reading what others write, analyzing carefully BEFORE responding to the comments of others. If you aren’t sure if your comments might be inflammatory or personal in their tone or content, take a deep breath and re-read your post with an eye to how you would take the comments if you disagreed. Focus on content and exchange of ideas, rather than the sort of comments that imply or state, “Anyone who believes ________ must be an idiot!” I reserve the right to drop a student and assign an E, should rude and/or mean behavior continue after sufficient written warnings. Although worth only 5% of your grade, this is a significant component.

Reading Assignments

All readings must be completed by the listed date. Students must come to class prepared to discuss the readings. Generally, students should have some reading notes from which they can form questions and opinions as class proceeds. These previously-prepared notes and those taken in class also serve as reference points when writing essays. Do not overlook this process. Occasionally, I will present some brief historical context and other relevant material during class. However, students must come prepared to begin a discussion without more explanation of the material. Ask yourself what you want to discuss/what interests you. What caught your attention, given the content of the course and the analysis you have developed in Human Event and elsewhere. The assignments indicate the date that daily material will be under discussion. However, I strongly suggest students look well ahead in the syllabus so they can allow adequate time for reading preparation.

January

W 21 Introduction; Syllabus overview; Introduce yourself! ( Map/Global perspective discussion.

M 26 Dutch “Golden Age”

Begin Defoe: v-75. Don’t overlook endnotes; they clarify many issues.

- 1581 Dutch Declaration of Independence

- Thomas Hobbes, Leviathon, ch 13, 14 (1651)

W 28 English Constitutionalism and Regicide; Concept of Rights

Defoe: 76-127

- “Women’s Petition” (1649)

- England: Extracts of “Declaration of Right,” 1689

February

M 2 “One King, One Law, One Faith”: French Absolutism

Defoe: 128-236

- Bossuet, Extracts from “On Kingship”

- Louis XIV, “Revocation of the Edict of Nantes” (1685).

W 4 Current Event Wednesday: Consult Syllabus

What is Order? Absolutisms and Resistance

Continued discussion of Defoe.

- Index of Prohibited Books: 1557-1966

- Most Frequently Banned Books (USA) in the 1990s

M 9 Natural Laws/Natural Rights

Candide: All.

- “Voltaire on Bacon, c. 1778”

W 11 Scientific Revolution: Finding Order in the Universe

- “Isaac Newton: The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy”

- René Descartes, “Discourse on Method” (1637) - .

Hand out Essay Assignment #1 – Due 2/27 @ noon in box outside my office.

2/15 Unrestricted Course/Complete Withdrawal Deadline

M 16 Enlightenment: Liberty, Equality, Order

Equiano: All.

W 18 – DAVID LEVY LECTURE: “Space Policy and America’s Future: Firing the Imagination” – 7pm – Katzin Concert Hall

Current Event Wednesday: Consult Syllabus

England’s Revolutions: Industrial and Colonial

– Adam Smith, “Wealth of Nations” excerpts (1776).

- U.S. Declaration of Independence (1776)

Continued discussion of Equiano and Prince.

M 23 Enlightenment for Whom?

The History of Mary Prince, A West Indian Slave: - then click on HTML file. OR ; click on: “African American Women Writers of the 19th Century;” then click on “Biographies and Autobiographies”; scroll down to Prince, Mary - The History of Mary Prince, A West Indian Slave. Hitting on this link should take you to the page, where you can read and print the source.

Video Clip: Ridicule

W 25 French Revolution, Political Liberalism

- Abbé Sieyes, “What Is the Third Estate? (1/1789); - “Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen” (1789); - Olympe de Gouges, “The Declaration of the Rights of Woman (1791).

- U.S. Bill of Rights (1789).

FRIDAY February 27 – Paper #1 Due by Noon in box outside my office door.

March

M 1 1815: “We Won’t Be Fooled Again”?

Frankenstein: vi-100 (Through Ch 12)

W 3 Conservatism, Romanticism

Frankenstein: 101-149 (Through Ch 19).

M 8Nationalism

Frankenstein: 150-206

Video Clip: Frankenstein

W 10 Current Event Wednesday: Consult Syllabus

Socialisms/1848

– Karl Marx, Communist Manifesto, Section.1 “Bourgeois and Proletarians” (1848). See , which is the parent site for the previous one, for the complete text, if you’re interested.

– England, Women Miners in the English Coalpits (1842)

Review Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations from 2/18

Video Clip: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

March 15-19: Spring Break

(Look ahead in the readings, as students need to have read A Christmas Carol by 3/22.)

M 22 19th Century Victorian Ideals: Limiting Categories?

A Christmas Carol

Handout Essay #2 Assignment – Due April 2 @ Noon in box outside my office.

W 24 Current Event Wednesday: Consult Syllabus

“The Woman Question”

– John Stuart Mill, “The Subjection of Women” – Chapter 1.

– Sojourner Truth, “A’nt I a Woman” (1851).

“Women Only When Dead” of the 1871 Paris Commune. Read the photographs as texts.

- “Catherine Olivier” (1871).

- Hortense David (1871).

- Christine d’Argent (1871).

is the home page for the Northwestern Siege and Commune Collection, should you have difficulty accessing any of the photographs directly. All photos can be enlarged by clicking on image.

M 29 The “Second” Industrial Revolution: Breeding ‘Blood and Iron’

Lenin, Imperialism pgs. 7-87 (Through Ch. 6)

- Charles Darwin, “On the Origin of Species” Excerpts (1859).

W 31 Industrialization and Imperialism

Lenin, pgs 88-128.

- Rudyard Kipling, “White Man’s Burden” 1899.

Video Clip: Gandhi

April

FRIDAY April 2 – Paper #2 Due by Noon in box outside my office.

Restricted Class Withdrawal Deadline

M 5 Twentieth-Century Civilization…and Its Discontents

Freud: through Ch 4, including intro.

– Emmiline Pankhurst, “My Own Story” (1914).

W 7 Current Event Wednesday: Consult Syllabus

World War I/Revolution

Freud: Ch 4-Ch 8

Video Clip: PBS Documentary: The Great War

M 12 Total War, Depression…then Fascism

Carles, A Life of Her Own, pgs 1-142

Video Clip: All Quiet on the Western Front

W 14 WWII/Holocaust

Carles: pgs 145-264

- Hitler’s Antisemetic Writings (1919). – Rudolf Hoess, “Testimony” (1946).

Video Clip: Triumph of the Will (1933).

Handout for 4/19 Discussion: Ho Chi Minh

M 19 Cold Wars in an Atomic World

Drakulic, How We Survived Communism and Even Laughed

Video Clip: Atomic Café

Hand out Final Essay Assignment – Due 5/3 in class – Attendance Mandatory.

W 21 Current Event Wednesday: Consult Syllabus

Classes of Race, Classes of Sex

- Brown v Board of Education (1954)

- Martin Luther King, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” (1962).

or - Black Panthers, “10-point Plan”

- Simone de Beauvoir, “Introduction,” The Second Sex (1949, France).

Handout: Monique Wittig, “The Straight Mind.”

M 26 Your Lifetime: “No Day But Today”?

Rent – Students should have listened to the recording 2 times while reading the text by this date. The CD is the text.

W 28 Globalization or Polarization?

Rent – Students should have listened to the recording at least 3 times by now.

Video Clip: La Haine (Hate)

May

M 3 Evaluations of Past and Present: Attendance Mandatory

Final Paper Due

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