HUM 101: Humanities - Prehistory through the Medieval Period

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2023
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Total Student Learning Hours: 162
Strongly Recommended: ENGL 101.
District General Education: C2. Humanities
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: Yes - Approved
Grading Method: Standard Letter

Catalog Course Description

The humanities are approached on four levels: art, music, literature, and philosophy. Includes the beginnings in Egypt, Babylonia, and Greece and proceeds chronologically through the medieval period. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • synthesize the developments and trends of the several arts and the social sciences
  • draw inferences from a unified view of the progress of the humanities
  • compare and contrast the purpose of the arts
  • evaluate the draw conclusions from the study of the humanities
  • compare and contrast various philosophical perspectives through the medieval time period
  • discern perspectives in art/architecture, music/dance, literature, philosophy and history from various time periods and cultures

Major Course Content

  1. Introduction: Pre-history and the Rise of Civilization
    1. Mesopotamia
      1. Literature and Epic Poetry
      2. Legal Codes
      3. Monumental Art and Architecture
    2. Africa
      1. Literature and Poetry
      2. Monumental Art and Architecture
    3. India, China, and the Americas
      1. Literature and Poetry
      2. Political Philosophies
      3. Art and Monumental Architecture
  2. The Spirit of Classicism, Greece, Rome, and China:
    1. Greece
      1. Bronze Age, Heroic Age, Persian Wars, and Golden Age
      2. Greek Philosophy
      3. Humanist Philosophy
      4. Classical Style in Art and Architecture
      5. Classical Style in Poetry
      6. Classical Style in Music
    2. Rome
      1. Rise to Empire
      2. Contributions in Literature
        1. Rhetoric and Oratory
      3. Preservation of Classical style
      4. Contributions in Architecture 
    3. China
      1. Rise to Empire
      2. Confucianism
      3. Contributions in Literature
      4. Visual Arts and Music
  3. The Medieval Period: Contrasting the Spirit of the Middle Ages and that of the Ancient Classical World
    1. The Rise of World Religions and the Flowering of Faith
      1. Christianity
        1. Rise to a State Religion
        2. Teachings of Jesus and Paul
        3. The symbolism and art of Christianity
        4. Early Music
      2. Buddhism
        1. The Emergence and Spread of Buddhism
        2. Teachings of the Buddha
        3. The Symbolism and Art of Buddhism
        4. Early Music
      3. Islam
        1. The Emergence and Spread of Islam
        2. The Tenets of Islam
        3. The Architecture and Art of Islam
        4. Early Music
    2. Medieval Life
      1. Germanic Influences in Art and Literature
      2. Carolingian Renaissance
      3. Feudal Society
      4. High Medieval Culture
    3. Medieval Philosophy
      1. Influence of Greek Thought
      2. Faith versus Reason, St. Thomas Aquinas
      3. Fusion of Greek and Christian attitudes/beliefs
    4. Medieval Art and Architecture
      1. Romanesque
        1. abbeys
      2. Gothic
        1. cathedrals
      3. Painting
      4. Medieval Music
        1. religious
        2. secular
    5. The Medieval World Beyond Europe
      1. India
        1. Temples
        2. Literature
        3. Music
      2. Tang and Song China
        1. Literature and Poetry
        2. Art
        3. Music

Suggested Reading Other Than Required Textbook

Additional or expanded excerpts of texts included in the textbook.

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Refection papers Reviews and personal analysis of excerpted texts pertinent to the course content. Paragraph length video reviews that require the student to identify how the video relates to the reading. Short answer response to primary readings. 3 page argumentative essay on humanities based topics from class lectures.

Examples of Outside Assignments

Write quiz questions from the text that create the weekly quizzes.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture

IGETC Area 3: Arts and Humanities

3B. Humanities