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GNST 300 F07 L04

General Studies (GNST) 300 (L04)
Heritage I - Perspective
Fall / Winter Session, 2007- 2008 - Weekend University
Lec: Sat. 8am-11am, SH 284
Tut: Sat. 11-11:50am EDC 156

 

Instructor: Sharon Mah

Office Phone: 210-8475

E-mail: mahs@ucalgary.ca

Office Hours: By Appointment

Course Description


In General Studies 300 we will examine texts from Western civilization to understand some of the core concepts underlying Western cultural values, beliefs, and perceptions. Fundamental concepts such as knowledge, justice, the good life, and freedom have shaped how individuals, communities, and governments perceive themselves, others, and how they act in the personal, national, and global arena. These concepts, however, are not static; rather they are open to challenges, revisions, and integration. As students in the course, you will be asked to question and to develop new ways of understanding these core concepts.

Course Objectives

1) To develop an understanding about Western cultural ideas

2) To learn to evaluate and critique Western ideas


Required Texts for the Course
 

Thompson, Karl F. (ed.). (1988). Classics of Western Thought, Vol. 2 - Middle Ages, Renaissance and Reformation, 4th Edition. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
 

Knoebel, Edgar E. (ed.). (1998). Classics of Western Thought, Vol. 3- The Modern World, 4th Edition. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.

Mah, S. (ed.). 2007. GNST 300 Reading Package (Fall / Winter, 2008).

Summary of Assignments and Exams

Assignment

Weight

Due Date

Pages / Hours

Essay1

15 %

Oct. 27, 2007

6-8 pages

Essay 2

20%

Mar. 1, 2008

8-10 pages

Journal

20%

Beginning of Class

2 pages / entry

Exams 

Midterm Exam - Dec 8

20%

Registrar Scheduled

3hrs

Final Exam - Apr 19

25%

Registrar Scheduled

3hrs

Essay Assignment Guide


1) Essay 1: Compare and Contrast

Due: Sat. Oct, 27

Weight: 15%

Length: 6-8 pages double spaced pages typed

Focus: Define and comprehend 2 texts

Goals: The goal is to compare and contrast any 2 texts: one from each of the time periods (the ancient and Judeo-Christian).

1) Gilgamesh to Aurelius

2) Genesis to The Passion

Method for the Essay:

1) Select a topic for consideration (eg. justice).

2) Review the nuances of the topic in 2 texts: a) indicate the differences and similarities in the meaning of your topic; and b) indicate the strengths and weakness between the texts you have selected.

3) Develop a thesis that directs the reader to what you believe the stronger argument is in the topic.

4) Back-up your argument with proper citations and references from the texts.

5) Use MLA or APA format.

2) Essay 2: Compare and Contrast

Due: Mar. 1, 2008

Weight: 20%

Length: 10-12 double spaced pages typed

Focus: Compare and contrast 3 texts

Method for Essay: Same as above

3) Journal and Reflection on readings

Due: At the beginning of each class

Total Weight: 20%

Length: Minimum 2 pages per entry, 5 entries per term (no carrying entries forward across terms)

Throughout the course you have an opportunity to read and reflect on some interesting works. Each class, we will cover 2 to 3 authors; you are required to select one author's text from each lecture and journal on the questions and concerns you find; in particular, your perception of society and life (justice, evil, freedom, faith, love, health, knowledge, truth, community and governance). The journal differs from the essays in three ways: 1) as an avenue for you to explore your perceptions unfettered by an essay structure; 2) as a means of challenging your personal ideals and beliefs; and 3) you may use a medium other than print to explore these ideas, but be advised that this work will be evaluated according to the standards of medium you use.

Conditions: the entries must be different from the texts chosen for your essays and they must NOT be a lengthy summary of the authors' works. You can explore the meaning of what each author is saying and how you view their ideas, but it should be a personal reflection.

Examinations

There will be a midterm and a final exam scheduled by the Registrar Office.

Components for both Exams:

a) Matching ideas and quotes to authors or works

b) Short and long answer questions

Course Policy:

1) Completion: All assignments, quizzes and exams must be completed in order to get credit for the course.

2) Late assignments will receive a deduction of one letter grade (e.g., A- to B+) per day that it is not submitted.

3) Student responsibility: It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment. Please hand in your essays directly to the instructor if possible. If it is not possible to do so, a daytime drop box is available in SS110; a date stamp is provided for your use. A night drop box is also available for after-hours submission. Assignments will be removed the following morning, stamped with the previous day's date, and placed in the instructor's mailbox.

4) Grading: The following grading system is used in the Faculty of Communication and Culture:

A+ (96-100); A (92-95); A- (86-91); B+ (81-85); B (77-80); B- (71-76);
C+ (65-70); C (62-64); C- (59-61); D+ (55-58); D (50-54); F (0-49) 

5) Plagiarism: The penalty for plagiarism is an automatic "F" in the course and the potential for suspension or expulsion.

Plagiarism

Using any source whatsoever without clearly documenting it is a serious academic offense. Consequences include failure on the assignment, failure in the course and possibly suspension or expulsion from the university.

You must document not only direct quotations but also paraphrases and ideas where they appear in your text. A reference list at the end is insufficient by itself. Readers must be able to tell exactly where your words and ideas end and other people's words and ideas begin. This includes assignments submitted in non-traditional formats such as Web pages or visual media, and material taken from such sources.

Please consult your instructor or the Writing Centre (SS 106, efwr.ucalgary.ca) if you have any questions regarding how to document sources.

Writing Skills Statement

Faculty policy directs that all written assignments (including, although to a lesser extent, written exam responses) will be assessed at least partly on writing skills. For details see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/info. Writing skills include not only surface correctness (grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, etc) but also general clarity and organization. Research papers must be properly documented.

If you need help with your writing, you may use the Writing Centre. Visit the website for more details: www.efwr.ucalgary.ca

Students with Disabilities

If you are a student with a disability who may require academic accommodation, it is your responsibility to register with the Disability Resource Centre (220-8237) and discuss your needs with your instructor no later than fourteen (14) days after the start of the course.

Students' Union

For details about the current Students' Union contacts for the Faculty of Communication and Culture see www.comcul.ucalgary.ca/su

"SAFEWALK" Program -- 220-5333

Campus Security will escort individuals day or night -- call 220-5333 for assistance. Use any campus phone, emergency phone or the yellow phone located at most parking lot booths.

Schedule of Lectures and Reading

Abbreviations:

1) CWT = Classics of Western Thought

2) RP = Reading Package

Sat. Sept.15, 2007

(A)

(B)

Overview of the Course and Mythic World and Creation

RP: The Epic of Gilgamesh

 

Human nature and Fate

RP: Selections from Homer's The Iliad, Sophocles' Oedipus the King

Sept. 22

(A)

(B)

The Focus on Perfection

RP: Plato, (Allegory of the Cave, Phaedo, The Apology)

Excellence in Human Behavior

RP: Selections from Aristotle

Sept. 29

(A)

 

 

(B)

The Rise and Fall of Roman

RP: Selections from Virgil's Aeneid

RP: Marcus Aurelius' Meditations

 

Judiasm: The Nature of God

RP: Selections from the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, and Job

Oct. 6

Thanksgiving Weekend - No Classes

Oct. 13

(A)

(B)

Christianity: Love and Forgiveness

RP: Selections from the New Testament: Matthew, Luke

 

Christianity: The Mysteries of Human Faith

RP: Selections from the New Testament: Acts

RP: The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity

Oct. 20

(A)

(B)

Knowing the Flesh and Returning to God

RP: Selections from Saint Augustine's Confessions

 

Monasticism and the Early Christian World

CWT II: p.1-13 - Selections from The Rule of Saint Benedict

Oct. 27

Essay # 1 Due

 

(A)

 

(B)

Virtue in the World of the Flesh

CWT: p.78-84 - Selections from Saint Aquinas' Summation of Knowledge

RP: Aquinas' On the Question of Evil

 

The Medieval Synthesis

CWT II: p.99-127 -- Selections from Dante's The Divine Comedy

Nov. 3

(A)

 

(B)

The Medieval Synthesis

CWT II: p.53-54, -- Selections from Saint Francis of Assisi

RP: Selections from the Writings of Saint Francis of Assisi

RP: Selections from St. Clare of Assisi

Death and Disaster in the Medieval World

CWT II: p.183-200, 215-230 -- Selections from Chaucer's Everyman & Boccaccio's Decameron

 

Nov. 10

Remembrance Day Weekend - No Class

Nov. 17

 

(A)

 

( (B)

 

From Mysticism to Criticism

CWT II: p.128-135 - Selections from de Siena

RP: de Siena's The Book of the City of Ladies

The Renaissance as a Time of Human Excellence

CWT II: p.231-251 - Selections from Petrarch's My Secret

Nov. 24

(A)

 

 

 

(B)

Renaissance Humanism

CWT II: p.252-262 - Selections from Pico della Mirandola's Oration on the Dignity of Man

The Renaissance Ideal

CWT II: p.294-315 - Selections from Castiglione's The Courtier

Dec. 1

(A)

 

 

(B)

The Place of Women in the Renaissance

CWT II: p.201-214 - Selections from Christine de Pisan

 

Humanism and Inhumanism

CWT II: p.278-293 - Selections from Machiavelli's The Prince

Dec. 8

Midterm Exam - Registrar-Scheduled

Jan. 19, 2008

(A)

 

(B)

 

The Humanist Critique of Excessive Egotism

CWT II: p.263-277 -- Selections from Erasmus' The Praise of Folly

The Reformation and Revolution

CWT II: p.518-534 -Luther's Address to the Christian Nobility,

RP: Selections from Brokering (ed), Luther's Prayers

 

Jan. 26

(A)

 

(B)

 

Developments in the Protestant Theology

CWT II: p.535-549 - Selections from Calvin's The Institutes of the Christian

Religion

 

There is no Place like Utopia

CWT II: p.316-328 -- Selections from More's Utopia

Feb. 2

(A)

 

(B)

Power, Nationalism and Gender

CWT II: p. 388-393 - Selections from Queen Elizabeth's Speech

 

Egotism and Individualism

CWT II: p. 355-370 - Selections from Cellini's Autobiography

 

Feb. 9

(A)

 

 

(B)

Reformation Skepticism

CWT II: p.371-387 - Selections from Montaigne's Essays

The Counter-Reformation

CWT II: p.550-557 -- Selections from Loyola's Spiritual Exercises

 

Feb. 16

Family Day Weekend - No Classes

Feb. 23

(A)

 

(B)

Baroque Culture and the Birth of Science

CWT III: p.1-9 - Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems

RP: Galileo's Letter to Castelli

 

Knowledge as Power

CWT III: p.10-19 --Selections from Bacon's New Organon

 

Mar. 1

Essay # 2 Due

 

(A)

 

(B)

The Primacy of the Mind

CWT III: p.20-30 -- Selections from Descartes' Discourse on Method

 

The Quest for Political Order

CWT III: p.31-42 -- Selections from Hobbes Leviathan

 

Mar. 8

(A)

 

(B)

Establishing Modern Government and Individualism

CWT III: p.68-82 - Selections from Locke's Of Civil Government

CWT III: 59-67 - Selections from Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

The Modern Economic System

CWT III: 166-177 - Selections from Smith's The Wealth of Nations

 

Mar. 15

 

(A)

 

(B)

Knowing God in the Age of Reason

CWT III: p. 43-58 - Selections from Pascal' Thoughts

RP: Selections from Pascal's The Wager

Revitalizing the Spiritual Essence of Faith

CWT III: 83-94 - Selections from Pope's Essay on Man;

RP: Selections from Jeffrey (ed.) John Wesley's A Burning and Shining

Mar. 22

Easter Weekend - No Classes

Mar. 29

(A)

 

 

(B)

 

Questioning the Established Social Order

CWT III: 95-130 - Selections from Voltaire's Candide

A Critique of Reason

RP: Swift's "A Modest Proposal" and other Readings

Apr. 5

(A)

 

(B)

Reason in the Penal System

CWT III: 154-165 - Selections from Beccaria's On Crimes and Punishments

 

The Search for Freedom

CWT III: 131- 140; 141-153 Selections from Rousseau

RP: Selections from Mary Wollstonecraft

 

Apr. 19

 

Final Exam - Registrar-Scheduled

 

   
   
   
   

 

(B)

The Primacy of the Mind

CWT III: p.20-30 -- Selections from Descartes' Discourse on Method

 

The Quest for Political Order

CWT III: p.31-42 -- Selections from Hobbes Leviathan

 

Mar. 8

(A)

 

(B)

Establishing Modern Government and Individualism

CWT III: p.68-82 - Selections from Locke's Of Civil Government

CWT III: 59-67 - Selections from Locke's An Essay Concerning Human Understanding

The Modern Economic System

CWT III: 166-177 - Selections from Smith's The Wealth of Nations

 

Mar. 15

 

(A)

 

(B)

Knowing God in the Age of Reason

CWT III: p. 43-58 - Selections from Pascal' Thoughts

RP: Selections from Pascal's The Wager

Revitalizing the Spiritual Essence of Faith

CWT III: 83-94 - Selections from Pope's Essay on Man;

RP: Selections from Jeffrey (ed.) John Wesley's A Burning and Shining

Mar. 22

Easter Weekend - No Classes

Mar. 29

(A)

 

 

(B)

 

Questioning the Established Social Order

CWT III: 95-130 - Selections from Voltaire's Candide

A Critique of Reason

RP: Swift's "A Modest Proposal" and other Readings

Apr. 5

(A)

 

(B)

Reason in the Penal System

CWT III: 154-165 - Selections from Beccaria's On Crimes and Punishments

 

The Search for Freedom

CWT III: 131- 140; 141-153 Selections from Rousseau

RP: Selections from Mary Wollstonecraft

 

Apr. 19

 

Final Exam - Registrar-Scheduled

 

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