Humanities

An overview of the content and purpose of the humanities, this course explores the relationship of the individual to society through materials from various humanities disciplines. Creative imagination and social context, universal versus culture-specific qualities of human experience and expression, the connection between appreciation and analysis, as well as the concept of criteria for evaluative judgments, are explored through sample topics from a variety of Humanities subjects. Sources from the visual arts, literature, religion, philosophy, history and the social sciences will be included. The terms and methods of analysis used in these various fields of study will be stressed.

This course combines experience in the appreciation of painting, sculpture and architecture so that the student may analyze and interpret works of art. The class will study the artist's materials, messages and language (i.e. color, line, shape, shade, texture, volume space and composition). Field trips may be part of this curriculum and students may incur nominal fees.

This course is a survey of music history from the Middle Ages to the present and includes selected listening samples. The course looks at music's relationship to other art forms along with significant societal and historical events. Focus is on selected composers, the elements of music, its forms, and the musical characteristics of each period. Attendance at a rehearsal or concert performed by professional musicians is a requirement of this course and may incur a nominal fee.

This course explores the relationship between communication and critical thinking. It explores logical thought and analysis with an emphasis on cause-and-effect and logical premise-and-conclusion arguments. Students will examine how to assess effective arguments and how to determine fallacious reasoning.

This course is designed for the student with little or no knowledge of music. Instruction will begin with the fundamentals of music theory including note values, the Grand Staff, meter, scales, chord structure, and chord progressions. These basics will provide the foundation for creating and harmonizing simple original musical compositions. The process will also include analysis of already existing music, and the development of listening skills including basic music dictation.

A survey course exploring the universality of religion in human experience and in various cultures. This course will cover the religious traditions that have a major influence in our world today: Taoism, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, the Sikhs, Baha'i, and Native American spirituality.Cultural or societal change and the relationship of religion with socio-political conditions will be referenced, but emphasis will be placed on a comparison of religious ideas, ethics, rituals, devotional practices and the teachings of the founders, prophets, and major leaders who have shaped each religious tradition (rather than on institutional history). A portion of the study of each religion will focus on reading selections from its primary sources: sacred myths, and scriptures.

An introductory study of classical and contemporary ethical philosophies and how these philosophies apply to current business practices. The course stresses analytical and problem-solving skills to comprehend the ethical dimensions of business relationships: employer to employee; managers to owners; manufacturers to consumers; and corporations to the environment.