General Studies (GNST) 500 L01
Heritage II - Integration
Fall 2007
MWF 11:00-12:50

Instructor:	Dr. Marcia J. Epstein
Office Location:	SS 332
Office Phone:	220-4848
E-Mail:	epstein@ucalgary.ca
Web Page:
Office Hours:	By appointment

Additional Information

This section of GNST 500 meets 6 hrs per week. Be prepared for a large quantity of reading and a fast pace.

 Course Description

In Heritage I, "Perspective", you were presented with an overview of how Western civilization got to where it is. In Heritage II you will pick up the thread at the 19th century and follow it into the 21st. The first part of the course (the 19th Century) will examine new principles of social organization that followed the decline of the European monarchies. The second half (the 20th Century) will focus on the results of these new principles and on crises resulting from the fundamental assumptions of the past.

Note: The skills you will develop in this course are not designed simply to help you pass the course and get that prize job in the ad agency or the law firm. They are survival skills for your future. The degree to which you can weigh evidence, recognize specious arguments, analyze fundamental assumptions, decode cultural signs, defuse hostile confrontations, AND recognize historical patterns may ultimately determine your society's health, as well as your individual success.

Format

Lectures will be a significant part of the course, but not its entire content. At times, the class will divide into small groups for discussion purposes. There will be occasional guest speakers as well.

You are encouraged at all times to exercise the following skills:

1) Recognition of fundamental assumptions: What is the cultural background of the writer or speaker? What conscious beliefs does s/he hold? What unconscious assumptions underlie those beliefs?

2) "Zooming out" (objective stance): Taking a wide comprehensive view of history, where does the writer/ speaker fit? What objective criteria can be used to evaluate his/her words? What historical patterns are being activated? What prejudices are shown?

3) "Zooming in" (subjective stance): Place yourself in the mindset of the writer and her/his cultural background. What subjective impressions help you to understand the viewpoint being expressed? (This technique is especially useful if you don't agree with the person.)

You are not likely to agree with everything you read or hear in this course. That's fine, so long as your methods of evaluation are clearly defined (e.g., "I disagree with X because his/her assumptions about certain ethnic groups are inaccurate" is a more clearly-defined response than "X is a rotten racist".). This doesn't mean that you can't have gut-level opinions. You will simply be encouraged to sharpen your analytical skills so that the head can explain what the gut is feeling, which will make your arguments more persuasive.

It is likely that each of you, presented with the same evidence as the next person, will come to a different conclusion. That's fine. Each member brings to the group a unique set of beliefs, opinions, and experiences. Consensus is not our final goal. Awareness is.

Objectives of the Course

"Writing skills are not exclusive to English courses and, in fact, should cross all disciplines. The University supports the belief that throughout their University careers, students should be taught how to write well so that when they graduate their writing abilities will be far above the minimal standards required at entrance." (University of Calgary Catalogue, p. 54)

Participants in GNST 500 will be expected to demonstrate the following skills during the course:

-Ability to comprehend, evaluate, retain, and comment meaningfully upon assigned readings;

-Ability to work effectively alone and in groups;

-Ability to write clearly, coherently and grammatically in English. Those whose writing does not meet a reasonable standard will be expected to attend some Effective Writing Service tutorials.

Textbooks and Readings:

Classics of Western Thought, Vol. III (from GNST 300)

Classics of Western Thought, Vol. IV

Reading Package (at Bookstore)

Books Recommended (not required) for additional perspectives:

Fritjof Capra, The Turning Point.

Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs and Steel; The Third Chimpanzee; Collapse.

Marilyn French, Beyond Power.

Sam Harris, The End of Faith

Jerry Mander, In the Absence of the Sacred.

John Raulston Saul, Voltaire's Bastards; The Unconscious Civilization.

Naomi Wolf, No Logo

Thomas de Zengotita, Mediated.

Films: The Corporation, The Take, The End of Suburbia.

Assignments and Evaluation

Short essay on readings 20% Due October 3

Midterm 25% October 19

Final Exam 25% December (TBA)

Course Project 20% Due by November 26

Participation 10% Blackboard, class discussions

Blackboard (Bb): Online, get there from your "My UofC" portal.

Options: Discussion questions, notices, links, supplementary readings, arcane professorial comments, etc.

Options for Course Projects:

Most projects will be done in groups. This is advisable because the scope of most projects will be too large for one person to cover the tasks involved (e.g. interviews, archival research, distribution of questionnaires) in the time allotted.

Focus:

-A campus or community activism project related to issues and themes of the course. The new Community Service Learning coordinator may be involved in organizing options for you.

- A social, economic and/or cultural problem discussed in course readings or drawn from your personal experience.

All projects must include a possible solution to -- as well as an analysis of -- the chosen problem.

Format:

Class presentation or research paper.

You may use community volunteer work as part of your project research. If you volunteer for an organization promoting health, education, or social welfare, you may focus the project on that. Political parties are not admissible, nor are religious groups whose aim is to attract converts. Religious charities that are not restricted by faith are fine.

Requirements:

--ALL projects must be discussed with me before they are completed.

--Research Sources must include library and/or live sources as well as Internet!

---The methodology and requirements will vary according to your topic. More information about the requirements for and mechanics of the projects will be given to you later.

It is the student's responsibility to keep a copy of each submitted assignment.
Note: Please hand in your essays directly to your tutor or 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.

Registrar-scheduled Final Examination: Yes

Please note: If your class is held in the evening, the Registrar's Office will make every attempt to schedule the final exam during the evening; however, there is NO guarantee that the exam will NOT be scheduled during the day.

Policy for Late Assignments

Assignments submitted after the deadline may be penalized with the loss of a grade (e.g.: A- to B+) for each day late

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

Grading System

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)

In order to clarify the relationship between letter grades and evaluation, please refer to the following table:

Letter Grade Percentages Meaning

A+ 96-100 Advanced professional quality

A 92-95 Outstanding & well expressed

A- 86-91 Excellent, needs some polish

B+ 81-85 Very good; well expressed

B 77-80 Good; what's expected

B- 71-76 Good; needs polish

C+ 65-70 Adequate; shows promise

C 62-64 Adequate; covers the basics only

C- 59-61 Barely adequate; needs work

D+ 55-58 Shows major gaps in comprehension

D 50-54 Grim: see me immediately

F 0-49 Failing

NB-- You are graded on results as well as effort: hard work does not merit an A unless it produces outstanding results.

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.

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.

Ethics

Whenever you perform research with human participants (i.e. surveys, interviews, observation) as part of your university studies, you are responsible for following university research ethics guidelines. Your instructor must review and approve of your research plans and supervise your research. For more information about your research ethics responsibilities, see the U of C Research Ethics "Information for Applicants," sections 3.0 to 9.0, inclusive: http://www.ucalgary.ca/UofC/research/html/ethics/info_undergrad.html

 

Schedule of Lectures and Readings

 

NB - The schedule may be subject to occasional changes to accomodate guest speakers and the annual flu epidemic. All such changes will be announced in class and on Blackboard.

Abbreviations:

CWT 3 = Classics of Western Thought, Vol. III

CWT 4 = Classics of Western Thought, Vol. IV

RP = Reading Package

 

GNST 500 Schedule Fall 2007

 

UNIT 1: The Western Obsession: Liberty, Equality, Individuality (and

Individualism?).

 

Sept.10 : Introduction: Where we are and how we got here.

Review John Locke, Adam Smith (CWT 3) .

 

Sept. 12 : The Concepts of Social Revolution and Social Evolution : CWT 3 De Tocqueville ("Democracy in America"); CWT 3, pp. 338-349 -- Hegel ('Reason In History').

 

Sept. 14: Introduction to Romanticism. CWT 3, pp. 260-273 - 19th c.

poetry.

 

Sept. 17: Romanticism and the Hero; CWT 3, pp.221-259-- Goethe (' Faust').

 

UNIT 2: The Question of Social Order.

 

Sept. 19: Realism as a Response to Social Crisis: RP - Engels.

 

Sept. 21: Conservatism --the Value of Continuity : CWT 3, pp.202-220 -- Burke.

 

Sept.24: Liberalism -- the Value of Liberty: CWT 3, pp.323-332 -- J.S.Mill ('On Liberty' and 'Utilitarianism').

 

Sept. 26: Communism -- the Value of Equality: CWT 3, pp. 367-389 -- Marx and Engels

('Communist Manifesto').

 

Sept. 28: Anarchism -- the Value of Ethics: CWT 3, pp. 390-404-- Bakunin

 

Oct. 1: Radical Individualism -- the Value of Disobedience: CWT 3, pp. 299-322 -- Thoreau ('Walden' and 'Civil Disobedience'). Review.

 

UNIT 3: The Shattering of Certainty.

 

Oct. 3 : The Politics of Nationalism & the Darwinian Paradigm: CWT 3, pp. 350-366 --Darwin (' Origin of Species' and 'Descent of Man'). RP --Pearson, Treitschke, Chamberlain.

Essays Due.

 

Oct. 5: Subversion Day (movies!)

 

Oct 10: The Critiques of Gender and Religion: CWT 3, pp. 635-649---V. Woolf.

CWT 3, pp. 421-442 -- Dostoevsky.

 

Oct. 12: The Critique of Democracy: CWT III, pp. 443-457 --Nietzsche.

World War I and its Cultural Significance; CWT 4 -- 20th c. poetry.

 

Oct. 15 : Exploring Inner Space: The rise of psychology. RP -- Freud and Jung

passages. CWT3, pp. 546-559 --Freud, (Why War?); CWT 3, pp.560-576 -- Jung,

(Approaching the Unconscious).

 

Oct. 17: Review and Preview. RP---Saul, RP -- Capra 1.

 

Oct. 19: Midterm Exam .

 

UNIT 4: The Culture of Alienation.

 

Oct. 22, 24: World War II, Fascism and Genocide. CWT 3, pp. 597-615 -- Hitler. RP

-- Rocco. RP--Bettelheim.

 

Oct. 26: Reflections on the Concept of Evil. CWT 4-- Peck. CWT 4 -- Arendt.

RP - Harris

 

UNIT 5: The Culture of Liberation and Diversification.

 

Oct. 29: Responses to Alienation -- Existentialism: CWT 3, pp. 616-634 --

Sartre.

 

Oct. 31: Racial, Ethnic and Gender Liberation : CWT 4 -- Fanon .

CWT4 -- de Beauvoir.

 

Nov. 2: Subversion Day (movies!)

 

Nov. 5 The Subjective in Science, Literature, and Education: CWT 4 --Heisenberg. CWT 4 -- Maslow.

 

Nov. 7 Identity in Mass Society and the Crisis of Public Morality:

CWT4--Ellul, ('The Technological Society'); CWT4 --Galbraith, ('The New Industrial

State'). RP--Mander

 

Nov. 9: Flex Day

 

UNIT 6 : Shaping a Future.

 

Nov. 14,16: A Re-evaluation of the Western Heritage...

RP-- French ('Beyond Power')

...and its Economic Structures: RP-- Adams (2 short excerpts) ;

Film: "Who's Counting?: Sex, Lies, and Economics".

 

Nov. 19 - 26: Project Reports

 

Nov. 28 Social Health for the Future: RP - Wilber. RP-- Capra Ch.12.

 

Nov. 30 The Question of Sustainability: RP - Diamond

 

Dec. 3 The Filtering of Reality : RP - De Zengotita

 

Dec. 5: TBA

 

Dec. 7: TBA

 

Final Exam - Scheduled by the Registrar's Office