Humanities

HUM 170     Studies in Humanities     3 Credit Hours

An interdisciplinary examination of selected key ideas in contemporary western thought. Emphasis will be placed upon how the issues and problems in question manifest themselves in popular and high culture. (YR).

HUM 171     Styles in 19th Century     3 Credit Hours

An introduction to the two principal styles of the 19th century, romanticism and realism, viewed within the general evolution of European civilization. After reading works of the classical tradition, the class will study masterpieces that illustrate the romantic and realist movements. (OC).

HUM 200     The Human Condition     3 Credit Hours

The human condition as seen in selected works of philosophy and literature. Typical issues: the meaning of life, the existence of God, moral responsibility for human actions, and the role of society in promoting or hindering human excellence. (YR).

HUM 201     Religions of the World     3 Credit Hours

A study of religion in essence, in manifestation, and in relationship with the other dimensions of culture; a treatment of man's religious interests and the various ways in which he has sought to pursue these interests. Surveys major world religions. (OC).

HUM 221     Great Books I: Ancient World     3 Credit Hours

Introduction to masterpieces of Western world literature from the ancient world. Readings include the Bible, Iliad, Odyssey, Greek drama, and Roman authors. (YR).

HUM 240     Film and Society     3 Credit Hours

A survey of the major genres of film, chiefly in historical and political perspective, but also in light of important intellectual frameworks (e.g., feminism, psychoanalytical theory). The films selected, both Western and non-Western, will be examined both for their visual codes of meaning and for their wider role in developing a powerful social language in various cultural contexts. (OC).

HUM 248     Storytelling Across Media     4 Credit Hours

This course introduces students to the building blocks that make up great storytelling across multiple types of media and approaches, including online journalism, movies, podcasting, and more. Students will learn the foundations of narrative and apply that understanding to creating both fiction and nonfiction stories of their own for a variety of media, including websites, video, and audio. (YR).

HUM 290     Topics in Humanities     1 to 3 Credit Hours

Examination of problems and issues in selected areas of the humanities. Title as listed in Schedule of Classes will change according to content. Course may be repeated when specific topics differ. (OC).

HUM 300     Intro to AAAS     3 Credit Hours

This gateway course in the African and African American Studies Program introduces students to the intellectual debates, historical perspectives and cultural issues central to the field of African and African American Studies. The course readings draw from the disciplinary strengths of the Humanities as well as the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Course materials include selections from literature, film, music, art, drama, folk and popular culture. The course content is supplemented by attendance at off-campus events and visits to institutions featuring significant aspects of African and African American history and culture.

Restriction(s):
Cannot enroll if Class is Freshman

HUM 303     Intro to Women's & Gender Stud     3 Credit Hours

This course provides an interdisciplinary overview of the key theories and topics in Women's and Gender Studies. Special attention is given to how gender intersects with class, race, nationality, religion and sexuality to structure women's and men's lives. Students are also introduced to methods of gender analysis and will begin to apply these methods to topics such as women and health, gender roles in the family, violence against women, and gendered images in the mass media.

Restriction(s):
Cannot enroll if Class is Freshman

HUM 304     Studies in Det.Hist. & Culture     3 Credit Hours

This interdisciplinary course explores the political, social, and cultural histroy of Detroit by examining ways various groups and classes have interacted with and been shaped by structures of power and influence. The course highlights trade and commerce, newcomers, and the influence of organizations and institutions within the contexts of labor, race, ethnic, and religous histories and current affairs, and examines how these fit into the evolution of Detroit from the 19th century to the present. Where pertinent the influence of national and international movements included.

HUM 305     The Arts & Culture of Detroit     4 Credit Hours

This interdisciplinary course explores the modern and contemporary cultural history of Detroit, examining the ways in which various population groups have been creative from the nineteenth century to the present. The course highlights the work of architects, designers, photographers, visual artists, poets, and musicians, and situates them in the broader cultural context of American art and history. As part of being a PBL Fundamental Level 1 course, this course allows students to address past and contemporary cultural problems from multiple perspectives, allowing to recognize, understand, and respect socio-cultural diversity. (OC).

HUM 311     Art of China     4 Credit Hours

An introduction to the civilization of traditional China through the historical presentation of its art forms, literary achievements, and philosophical structures. The course will survey the Buddhist, Daoist, and Confucian content of Chinese art and culture from the Shang to the Qing dynasties. (OC).

HUM 312     Art of Japan     4 Credit Hours

An introduction to representative works of art produced in Japan from the Neolithic era down to modern times. The artifact's cultural context will be examined including religious practice (Shinto and Buddhism), influence from abroad, and other artistic developments in literature, music, and theatre. (OC).

HUM 313     Chinese Painting     4 Credit Hours

This course is a survey of the painting of China from the earliest examples found in tombs through works influenced by the West during the modern period. The course focuses on selected artists who serve as representatives of major traditions of China's cultural and artistic heritage. Students will be introduced to Chinese philosophy and relevant literary genres that provide a context for the development of Chinese painting. (AY).

HUM 315     Early Chinese Art and Culture     4 Credit Hours

This course covers the art and material culture of China from the Neolithic through the Han dynasty. Topics include the visual arts used in palaces and tombs, religious art, and the rise of new technologies. It incorporates archaeological discoveries that have fundamentally transformed our understanding of Chinese history and culture, including evidence of people who lived at the center and also those at the periphery. Students will analyze literary and philosophical texts in translation to enhance understanding of the cultural context. (OC).

HUM 321     Popular Culture     3 Credit Hours

This course examines the art forms of contemporary popular culture, including rock 'n roll, movies, television, advertising design, and commercial architecture. Our critical inquiry emphasizes the development of the aesthetics and the myths of our modern mass media environment, as well as relationships between popular and "high" culture. (AY).

HUM 335     Women in Medieval Art     4 Credit Hours

Women have often been regarded as the second sex of the middle ages due to the misogynistic attitudes of that era. Recent scholarship, however, has unearthed a significantly more complex picture. Through a study of visual representations of women in medieval art, this course will examine women's roles in the creation and patronage of art and literature, economic and family issues, and women's participation in new and innovative forms of religious piety. (OC).

HUM 337     Women Musicians/West Mus Hist     3 Credit Hours

Through a historical survey of female musicians from the Middle Ages to the present day, this course takes a critical look at theories of creativity and professionalism as they relate to female musical production. The course deals with women in European "art music" traditions and also in jazz and poplar music. Social and cultural norms dictating appropriate female involvement with music are examined. The historical approach will serve to reveal ways in which terms such as professionalism and virtuosity have continually shifted and changed in reference to female musical performance. The course challenges students to re-think many of the commonly accepted gender-based descriptions of particular genres and elements of music through listening and musical analysis. (AY).

Restriction(s):
Cannot enroll if Class is Freshman

HUM 343     Opera     3 Credit Hours

An introduction to the study of the musical genre of opera through consideration of major operas based upon literary and dramatic works. Covers examples of operas of all eras, from the time of Monteverdi to present. (OC).

Prerequisite(s): MHIS 100 or MHIS 120 or MHIS 130 or MHIS 311 or MHIS 312 or MHIS 313 or MHIS 331 or MHIS 340 or MHIS 341 or MHIS 342 or MHIS 390 or MTHY 100 or MTHY 101 or MTHY 102 or MTHY 301 or MTHY 302 or MTHY 390

HUM 3435     Cross-Media Adaptations of Lit     4 Credit Hours

This course explores the adaptation of literary texts in a variety of literary genres (poetry, drama, fiction) to other artistic mediums (film, graphic novels/comics, paintings, etc.). Moving beyond limited comparisons of "good" originals and "bad" adaptations, this course focuses on the dialogue among multiple versions of the same story across a range of historical periods, asking how and why adaptations modify their sources in a particular manner. This course addresses the difference between adaptation and appropriation as well as imitation, quotation, allusion, pastiche, and parody.

Prerequisite(s): (ENGL 200 or ENGL 205 or ENGL 206 or ENGL 230 or ENGL 231 or ENGL 232 or ENGL 233 or ENGL 235 or ENGL 236 or ENGL 237 or ENGL 238 or ENGL 239) and (COMP 106 or COMP 220 or COMP 270 or COMP 280)

Restriction(s):
Cannot enroll if Class is Freshman

HUM 346     Bible and Western Tradition     3 Credit Hours

An examination of Biblical literature in various English translations, with emphasis on genres and the use of Biblical materials in European and American literature, art, and music. (OC).

HUM 348     Warriors, Lovers, and Saints     3 Credit Hours

An in-depth examination of various personalities of the Middle Ages, both historical and fictional, who are distinctive for their martial prowess, their reputation as lovers, their piety, or some combination of these traits. Attention to these figures (e.g., Roland, Tristan, St. Augustine, and Abelard) will enable the class to consider important medieval norms of behavior, such as chivalry, courtly love, and Christian faith.

Prerequisite(s): (COMP 106 or COMP 220 or COMP 270 or COMP 280 or Composition Placement Score with a score of 40 or Composition Placement Score with a score of 107) and (ENGL 200 or ENGL 230 or ENGL 231 or ENGL 232 or ENGL 233 or ENGL 235 or ENGL 236 or ENGL 237 or ENGL 239)

HUM 349     The Bible In/As Literature     3 Credit Hours

This course will study selected readings from the Bible, first in regard to their own literary, historical, and cultural contents, and then in regard to their reception, interpretation, and reapplication by later literary tradition. Biblical selections may cover both the Old and New Testaments as well as Apocryphal traditions, while readings from later non-biblical texts will be drawn from various literary periods.

Prerequisite(s): (COMP 106 or COMP 220 or COMP 270 or COMP 280 or Composition Placement Score with a score of 40 or Composition Placement Score with a score of 107) and (ENGL 230 or ENGL 231 or ENGL 232 or ENGL 233 or ENGL 235 or ENGL 236 or ENGL 237 or ENGL 239 or ENGL 200)

HUM 355     Urban Voices: France and Italy     3 Credit Hours

This course is an interdisciplinary approach to the concepts of urban development and literary, visual and cultural responses to the process of urbanization mainly in Rome and Paris. The readings will illustrate how the city shaped the writers' creativity, as well as how their works interpret urbanization.

Restriction(s):
Can enroll if Class is Freshman

HUM 357     National Cinemas     4 Credit Hours

This course will introduce students to the national cinema of a select country. In contrasting the evolution of global cinema with the dominant genres and conventions of Hollywood, the course will enable students to critically examine non-Hollywood narratives; the interaction of various nationalist movements within the institution of cinema; and the ways in which world cinema has been inflected by various indigenous performance practices and other visual representations. (S, OC).

HUM 358     Shakespeare on Film     4 Credit Hours

The course examines the adaption of Shakespeare's play-scripts for the screen. It goes beyond a discussion of the relative merits of plays and their respective film adaptions, examining the complex exchanges between the two artistic mediums (e.g. how stage convention such as soliloquies or off-stage action are adapted to the scree; how early silent films were used to market stage productions, etc.). It will approach the issue of adaption by examining the works of key directors, multiple films of a single play, silent films, foreign lanuage adaptions, mass market and art house films, and films which deal with fictive or actual productions of Shakespeare's plays. Special emphasis will be placed on specific stage productions that are later adapted to films. In this course, students will explore a broad range of responses to and interpretations of Shakespeare's works. This class will stress the idea that each staging is an interpretation of the play, its point of view conditioned by the times, the medium, and the director's vision. (OC).

Restriction(s):
Can enroll if Level is Undergraduate

HUM 365     Problems of Religion     3 Credit Hours

HUM 371     Philosophy in Literature     3 Credit Hours

An exploration of philosophical problems as they are encountered in works of literature. Students electing this course must have successfully completed a previous course in philosophy or have permission of the instructor. (OC).

Prerequisite(s): PHIL 100 or PHIL 120 or PHIL 233 or PHIL 234 or PHIL 240 or PHIL 301 or PHIL 302 or PHIL 303 or PHIL 304 or PHIL 305 or PHIL 310 or PHIL 315 or PHIL 335 or PHIL 340 or PHIL 350 or PHIL 365 or PHIL 369 or PHIL 370 or PHIL 371 or PHIL 375 or PHIL 380 or PHIL 390 or PHIL 441 or PHIL 442 or PHIL 485 or PHIL 490

HUM 385     Black Cinema     4 Credit Hours

The course will examine selected films from African American and African film traditions in order to analyze how their cultural production is responsive to the conditions of social oppression, economic underdevelopment, and neo-colonialism. How film traditions define "Black aesthetics" will also be discussed. (AY).

HUM 388     W. African Music: Trad.&Glob.     3 Credit Hours

West African popular music contains a unique mixture of African, Cuban, European and American influences. With the advent of radio and recording, music that was once locally based is now part of a national and international popular music industry. This course offers an overview of modern West African music, both traditional and popular. The course begins with an introduction to traditional West African instruments and musical genres. Next, there is an exploration of the fusion of traditional African styles with European, Cuban and American styles during and after the colonial era. The course culminates with an examination of the contributions of West African musicians to the World Music scene, focusing on issues of representation and Fair Trade.

Prerequisite(s): MHIS 100 or MHIS 120 or MHIS 130 or MTHY 100 or AAAS 106 or AAAS 275 or HUM 100 or HUM 270

HUM 389     Nazi Germany     4 Credit Hours

History of National Socialism, its goals and structure. Also addressed are the nature of the dictatorship; the role of the historian in interpreting the era and the use and evaluation of historical documents. (YR).

HUM 390     Topics in Humanities     1 to 3 Credit Hours

Three Writers, Three Worlds: The Poetry of Eliot, Cesaire and Neruda. This course offers upper division students an intensive study of the works and lives of three poets who are considered among the greatest in their respective cultures and in the world: Pablo Neruda, Aime Cesaire, and T. S. Eliot. This will be an exploration of the artistic and aesthetic sensibilities of these poets, their development as intellectuals, the experiences that shaped their worldviews, and their engagement with significant historic movements or moments of the 20th Century.

HUM 395     Japanese Art I     4 Credit Hours

Japanese art from prehistoric Jomon period to end of Edo period, including painting, sculpture, architecture, and applied arts. Cultural developments on Asian mainland will be treated to provide proper placement of Japanese art within greater East Asian cultural context. Taught at the Japan Center for Michigan Universities, Hikone, Shiga Prefecture, Japan. (F).

HUM 396     Japanese Art II     4 Credit Hours

Continuation of Japanese Art I. Historical development of Japanese painting from Asuka to Edo periods. Approach both chronological and thematic in nature. Secular and religious painting will be discussed. Taught at the Japan Center for Michigan Universities, Hikone, Shiga, Prefecture, Japan. (W).

Prerequisite(s): HUM 395

HUM 398     Independent Studies in Hum     1 to 3 Credit Hours

Readings or analytical assignments in the humanities in accordance with the needs and interests of those enrolled and agreed upon by the student and advising instructor. (F,W).

HUM 399     Independent Studies in Hum     1 to 3 Credit Hours

Readings or analytical assignments in the humanities in accordance with the needs and interests of those enrolled and agreed upon by the student and advising instructor. (F,W).

HUM 403     Making Film History     4 Credit Hours

Learn film history by making film history. This course introduces students to the major developments in the history of cinema from early animation toys through the Hollywood Studio System up to the transition to streaming services and video apps. Students will also learn about the key theories of cinematic language that have emerged and evolved over time. Along the way, students will apply their understanding of historical movements and theories by making small creative projects that reflect their learning - you’ll be making film history. (W, YR).

Restriction(s):
Cannot enroll if Class is Graduate

HUM 415     Existentialism and Its Sources     3 Credit Hours

An exploration of existentialism through the study of literary and philosophical texts. Particular themes such as freedom, commitment, alienation, and death will be considered in an attempt to formulate an existential conception of the human condition. (OC).

Prerequisite(s): PHIL 100 or PHIL 120 or PHIL 233 or PHIL 234 or PHIL 240 or PHIL 301 or PHIL 302 or PHIL 303 or PHIL 304 or PHIL 305 or PHIL 310 or PHIL 315 or PHIL 320 or PHIL 335 or PHIL 340 or PHIL 350 or PHIL 365 or PHIL 369 or PHIL 370 or PHIL 375 or PHIL 380 or PHIL 390 or PHIL 441 or PHIL 442 or PHIL 445 or PHIL 485 or PHIL 490

HUM 433     Writing Women in Renaissance     3 Credit Hours

This course will be taught in English, and will focus on the influence of Italian literary models for the construction of female literary types as well as female voices in France and Italy from 1300 to about 1600. Italian authors studied include three very influential Florentines, Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio, as well as Castiglione and Ariosto. We will read women poets, patrons, prostitutes and queens from Italy and France such as Veronica Gambara, Isabella di Morra, Vittoria Colonna, Christine de Pizan, Louise Labe, and Marguerite de Navarre. At issue will be women's roles and women's images in city and court culture during the early modern period, and the interaction of their writings with the literary canons of Italy and France. (OC).

Restriction(s):
Can enroll if Level is Undergraduate

HUM 467     Script-Writing Workshop     4 Credit Hours

This writing intensive course will train students to compose media scripts, focusing on the substance, structure, and style of both non-fiction documentary scripts and narrative screenplays. The course is conducted as a workshop in which students study classic scripts, then model scenes and sequences on the principles of these texts. Finally, students write their own complete script in accordance with the appropriate narrative structure. (YR).

Prerequisite(s): JASS 310 or COMM 310 or COMP 310 or ENGL 310 or JASS 248 or HUM 248

HUM 4705     Black Women / Lit, Film, Music     4 Credit Hours

This course will examine works produced by Black women authors, activists, filmmakers and musical performers in order to determine the methods they have incorporated in order to challenge and eradicate the prevailing stereotypes about Black women while advancing their own personal and racial agendas. It will also focus on the extent to which race, gender and class have shaped the creative work of Black women. Students will be required to read, discuss, analyze and write their own responses to the works of such firebrands as author Zora Neale Hurston, activist Ida B. Wells, filmmaker Julie Dash, and singer Billie Holliday.

Prerequisite(s): FILM 240 or FILM 248 or FILM 385 or AAAS 239 or AAAS 275 or HUM 303 or HUM 221 or HUM 222 or HUM 223 or HUM 248 or ENGL 200 or ENGL 205 or ENGL 206 or ENGL 231 or ENGL 232 or ENGL 233 or ENGL 237 or ENGL 238 or ENGL 239 or ENGL 248 or JASS 248 or ANTH 303 or PSYC 303 or SOC 303 or WGST 303

Restriction(s):
Cannot enroll if Class is
Cannot enroll if Level is

HUM 477     Ethnographic Film     3 Credit Hours

This course will analyze ethnographic films as a medium for the construction of meaning in and across cultures. It will teach students to understand how the putatively "real" content of documentary film creates a mixture of fantasy, news and "science." Covering texts as varied as National Geographic photographic layouts, traditional ethnographic films made by anthropologists, and auto-ethnographies of cultural groups such as native Americans and the Trobriand Islanders of Papua, New Guinea, the course will aim to deconstruct such oppositions as indigene vs. alien, us vs. them, and self vs. other. Students cannot receive credit for both HUM 477 and HUM 577. (YR).

Prerequisite(s): FILM 248 or ENGL 248 or HUM 248 or ANTH 101 or JASS 248

HUM 485     Internship     3 to 6 Credit Hours

The Humanities Internship offers students experience in types of work available to liberal arts graduates. Attendance at individual conferences with the director and regular meeting of the Humanities/History Internship seminar is required. Credit applies to the degree as general elective and does not apply to concentrations, with the exception of Communications (3 credits if internship required toward major), Journalism and Screen Studies (3 credits if internship required toward major, with an additional 3 credits accepted as partial fulfillment of requirements in genres, modes and contexts), International Studies (3 credits of internship count toward cognate requirement), and Museum Studies (3 credit of internship count toward cognate requirement). Maximum total hours credit: 12. Graded Pass/Fail, (F, W, S)

Restriction(s):
Can enroll if Class is Sophomore or Junior or Senior

HUM 490     Topics in Humanities     3 to 4 Credit Hours

Examination of problems and issues in selected areas of the humanities. Title as listed in Schedule of Classes will change according to content. Course may be repeated for credit when specific topics differ. (OC).

HUM 497     Independent Studies in Hum     1 to 3 Credit Hours

Readings or analytical assignments in humanities in accordance with the needs and interests of those enrolled and agreed upon by student and advising instructor. (YR).