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The Shaping of Western Culture
Kevin Cassell, Spring 2001
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About this Course
In this course we will survey the speculative forces that have helped to "shape" Western culture in certain historical periods and overall, in retrospect. We'll define "culture" as the ceaselessly churning intellectual currents underlying the beliefs, values, customs, and institutions of a civilization we know as "The West."
Course Structure
We will proceed chronologically, beginning with pre-historic mythologies and ending with modern philosophies and cultural theories. In the process, we'll examine the dominant ideas, or "paradigms," of the ancient, medieval, modern, and postmodern eras of the Western world.
Course Requirements
Please bring the textbooks--Jostein Gaarder's Sophie's World and Introducing Postmodernism (Appignanesi & Garratt)--to each class meeting. Be sure to complete the assigned readings prior to that meeting.
Though it may at times be difficult, you are requested to be open-minded toward all the material covered in this class. A wide variety of topics, some of which you may consider "controversial," will be explored in ways you may not be accustomed to. In addition, you're expected to display respect toward the opinions and insights of others.
You're expected to abide by college-level protocol at all times. Mouthing off, sleeping in class, plagiarism, and any form of rude or disruptive behavior will be dealt with accordingly.
Attendance, and being prepared for each class, is extremely important. Each absence will decrease the 30 points allocated for contribution and attendance by a single point.
Most class meetings will include a short lecture that elaborates on information relevant to that day's reading. This will be accompanied by an open discussion in which you are encouraged to share your own ideas and opinions regarding the material under consideration. Please try to "connect" with the ideas you encounter throughout the term by comparing or contrasting them with how you think and experience the world you inhabit.
Your final grade will be based on a midterm assignment(30%), a final project (40%), and your contribution to the course (30%) through attendance and participation.
About the Instructor
Kevin Cassell, B.A. (University of Maine, 1986), M.A. (Northeastern University, 1989)
email: kcassell@lynx.neu.edu / web site url: www.hey.to/kevin-cassell
How to Get the Most from this Course
First of all, you should know up-front that your instructor does not shy away from issues you may not be used to hearing discussed in other venues. There is nothing sacred in this class and there is nothing taboo; at the same time, there is nothing gratuitously employed solely for its "shock value." You will need to be open-minded about what you are exposed to in your readings, in lecture or in class discussions, though some ideas may be radically opposite what you conceive as the Right Way to See the World. Even if you are convinced that the thinkers we study have it all wrong, and that the ideas shared in class are silly and superfluous, try to engage them. You can always return to the Right Way when each class meeting is over.
If, however, you just can't stomach ideas, statements of opinion, or forms of expression that may be deemed unconventional, alternative, unorthodox, or "upsetting," then you are respectfully requested to withdraw from this course and take it later with another instructor.
Finally, you are not expected to abandon your own ideas and opinions when entering the classroom. You are certainly welcome to express them, even if they run counter to those held by vocal others, at any appropriate time. But like everyone else, you must do so in a cordial and polite manner.
Some Comments on Reading and Retaining Information
Many people, including your instructor, have experienced picking up a book they're not particularly interested in and finding they're unable to make it through the first paragraph. What causes this? Attention Deficit Disorder? Not enough coffee? Too many Big Words?
The inability to focus may be the result of many things, including your mood, your attitude toward the book or the class, the environment you're in, the time of day in which you're trying to read; the list goes on. It is not--repeat, NOT--because you just "can't" do it. If you're the type of person who says to professors (and there are many of these people), "I just can't do this kind of work," you're copping out by submitting to a slacker's mentality. The readings required of you in this course are well within your intellectual grasp.
So why the inability to get through that first paragraph? Why do you find yourself having to stop and go back and read an entire page again? The answer is simple: You were thinking of something else. Why were you thinking of something else? Because, let's face it, the really important things in your life at present exist outside the material of this class. So what do you do?
Here are some suggestions:
à Abandon at the start all preconceived prejudices you may hold about intellectual history ("philosophy") being "boring," or "too deep," or simply "too hard to understand." In fact, the major ideas of many well-known thinkers are things you often think about yourself, though you may not use the terminology they use in discussing such thoughts with others.
à Don't read in a bustling environment while listening to Eminem on your headphones and chomping on chips. Find a quiet, comfortable spot; assume an upright position; and read there.
ÃDon't wait until right before class--like some students who never seem to "get it" do--then whip through the reading required for that day.
ÃDon't read if you're tired or stressed out, or if you're stoned or buzzed, or if you've just had an argument with your roommate or lover or parents. You will not be able to concentrate due to biochemical reactions in your central nervous system.
à If you are really trying hard but just can't concentrate, or if you have a diagnosed learning disability that affects how you process information, take it paragraph by paragraph. Say: "I'm going to read and understand this paragraph." Then do it. Stop at the end, briefly, and check yourself: Did you get it? You did! And continue reading slowly and carefully.
à For God's sake, mark up your texts! Use a highlighter or pen and mark significant passages that you can later look back at and review before coming to class. Let's take at look at how this works. Read only the underlined words in this paragraph:
When Hebrew kings were chosen, they were anointed by the people. They thus received the title Messiah, which means "the anointed one." In a religious sense kings were looked upon as a go-between between God and his people. The king could therefore be called the "Son of God" and the country could be called the "Kingdom of God."
The underlined words, made after reading this paragraph (and in less than five seconds!), captures what the paragraph is about, minus the details: That Hebrew kings were anointed "messiah," called a "son of God," and bridged the divide between God and his people.
à Finally, don't attempt to read a long section all in one sitting, especially if you have a hectic schedule. Divide your reading into half, or into thirds. Say you have 30 pages to read for a class. Because you are an excellent practitioner of "time management" skills, you begin your reading a few days before class begins. You say, looking at the assignment: "Thirty pages! Man, thirty pages of this stuff's gonna put me to sleep!" So you subdivide the reading into thirds: You read 10 pages at two and a half minutes per page, and finish in less than thirty minutes! Then you do the same thing later, and finish up the next day.
Supplemental Credit
You may turn in your written responses to the "Inquiries" for credit not to exceed 5% of your final grade. This option is encouraged if you have a low midterm score or more than three absences.
Snow Days and Class Cancellations
If class is canceled due to bad weather or for any other reason, the material missed will be covered at the following class along with the material assigned for that class meeting.
Support for Students with Documented Learning Disabilities
If you have documentation of a learning disability, please provide it to your instructor at your earliest convenience. You will be accommodated appropriately.