Humanities 1, Sections 3 and 8  Harvey Mudd College  Fall Semester 1998

Humanities 1 is a writing-intensive course required of all incoming Harvey Mudd students. The primary objective of the class is to hone critical thinking, reading, and writing skills. All students in HUM 1 complete the same number of papers and share a schedule for due dates. However, reading topics (and therefore paper topics) vary according to the course themes chosen by particular instructors.

In Sections 3 and 8, we will examine twentieth-century novels and films that belong to the genre of "dark humor." We will investigate the ways in which these works represent political institutions and social practices through a comedic lens, and explore the authors’ and filmmakers’ treatment of traditionally disturbing or taboo subjects. In order to understand these issues more fully, we will frequently turn our attention to the historical background out of which the texts grew, locating them in their larger cultural context.

Books to be Purchased

John Barth, The End of the Road
Joseph Heller, Catch-22
Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49
Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five
Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference

Texts Available on Reserve at Sprague Library

Timothy Corrigan, A Short Guide to Writing About Film (selections)
Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams, The Craft of Research (selections)

Assignments

Each of these papers should present and defend a thesis about the book or film in question. As the semester progresses, you may wish to defend a thesis that compares a theme common to two or more of the texts. Papers #1-3 need not rely on outside sources; however, Paper #4 will require exploration and use of secondary sources. We will discuss possible topics throughout the semester, but the choice of topics is primarily up to the student.
 

We will base the grades for revisions on improvement from the first version of the paper. We also expect that you will take into account the comments you received (including those of your peer editors) and that you will demonstrate initiative in making your own editorial decisions. Students must submit all revisions with the first version of the paper and all comments attached.
 

Since this class relies primarily on discussion, regular and thoughtful participation from each student is essential. Since participation requires attendance, students must make every effort to be at all class meetings. If you have an emergency or are ill, please e-mail me. Habitual lateness will also affect your participation grade adversely.

Additional components of your class participation grade include occasional informal presentations, a formal group presentation near the end of the semester, a presentation concerning the content of your final Portfolio during the last week of classes, participation in peer editing sessions, and any quizzes given throughout the semester. Quizzes will be short and will address the content of daily readings; I may give them without prior notice.
 

For this course, the portfolio stands in place of a final exam. It is a compilation of your best work from the semester, carefully revised for re-submission and introduced by a brief preface explaining your selection of pieces and making thematic connections between them. Portfolios for all HUM 1 students will be assessed both by the instructor and by an outside reader (a professor, instructor, or tutor from another section of the course).

Grading Scheme