LACR 210 - Texts & Contexts: Perspectives on the Humanities

Perspectives on the Humanities addresses significant works from the ancient world, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and Romantic periods, and the present day. The course serves five functions: to help students develop their skills in critical reading and writing; to introduce study of traditionally defined periods in the history of culture; to introduce a thematic approach to Humanities topics; to examine key primary texts from various periods and consider them alongside comparable art works; to explore the possibility that conventional ideas of period studies are open to challenge and reinterpretation.

By the end of this course, successful students will:

1. Read and interpret college level texts, demonstrating competence in these critical reading skills:
     a. Summarizing and paraphrasing;
     b. Recognizing and outlining main ideas and themes, rhetorical strategies, chains of evidence;
     c. Drawing relevant connections between and among texts;
     d. Evaluating the effectiveness of an argument, the strategy of its presentation, and the evidence produced;
     e. Describing, analyzing, and evaluating the effectiveness of artistic writing.
2. Demonstrate their competence in reading assigned texts through progressively sophisticated writing assignments, including summarizing, paraphrasing, interpretation, analysis, and evaluation.
3. Demonstrate competence in assessing and using secondary sources including proper MLA citations and bibliography.
4. Outline the broad development of Western Civilization and discuss key components of Classical, Renaissance, and Romantic/Modern culture.
5. Express both subjective and objective evaluations of cultural artifacts and movements in reasoned and persuasive argument in both personal and scholarly writing.

Prerequisites & Notes
Prerequisite: LACR 102 Enrollment in BS, BFA, or BM degree program required.

Credits: 3 cr, 3 hrs