Humanities 411
Fall 2009 Syllabus
Each section of the course will be comprised of about 15 students and 3 faculty members from various disciplines. Participants will take turns hosting the class. In the first week, we will have a brief organizational meeting in the Vollum Lecture Hall to give everyone a chance to get acquainted.
Books are available in the bookstore. A few copies of each text will be on reserve in the library.
The requirements of the course are attendance and active participation. You are expected to be present and prepared at every session, although illness or family emergencies will be taken into consideration. At the end of the semester, you will be given a questionnaire about the readings. Completion of this form is a requirement for course credit.
September 3
Organizational Meeting
September 8
The Natural World of Lewis and Clark, David Dalton
(Monday classes don’t meet this week because of Labor Day)
September 14
Lewis & Clark Through Indian Eyes, Alvin Josephy
September 21
The Myth of American Exceptionalism, Godfrey Hodgson
September 28
From A to X, John Berger
October 5
The Iron Cage, Rashid Khalidi
October 12
The Holocaust is Over - We Must Rise From Its Ashes, Avraham Burg
Fall Break
October 26
Sexing the Body, Anne Fausto-Sterling
November 2
A Mercy, Toni Morrison
November 9
Lynching Photographs, Dora Apel & Shawn Michelle Smith
November 16
Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour, Peniel Joseph
November 23
No Classes – Thanksgiving week – except for Monday sections which will read Joseph
November 30
Letters to a Young Teacher, Jonathan Kozol