Course Descriptions

Area IV - Human Expression (RS)

4 Hours Minimum
Select one course:
Area IV requirements will help students develop an intellectual and aesthetic appreciation of significant artistic works and of important literary, religious, and philosophical texts. Students will explore how such works express both personal vision and cultural concerns. They will also examine the specific means writers, composers and creative and performing artists adopt to communicate with their audience.

Great Books (WI)

CLS 204-4 Great Books: Classical Beginnings
Reading, discussion, analysis of selected texts from ancient Greece and Rome; for example, the works of Homer, Sophocles, Plato, Virgil, Cicero, Horace.
ENG 204-4 Great Books: Literature
Introduction to interpreting literature, using works from various periods and cultures, viewed in their social and historical contexts and read for their enduring interest.
PHL 204-4 Great Books: Philosophy
Introduction to selected great books in the history of philosophy. Texts are examined as an exercise in critical thinking and within their historical and cultural frameworks.
REL 204-4 Great Books: Religion
A study of selected Biblical writings viewed in their original cultural contexts and chosen to reflect the varieties of Biblical literature, the Bible’s relationship to various societies, and its role in the development of Western culture.

Fine and Performing Arts

ART 214-4 Visual Art in Western Culture
A general introduction to the visual arts focusing on selected major works of art throughout history. Discusses comparisons across time, basic art media, and the formal characteristics of art.
MUS 214-4* Music in Western Culture
An introduction to the music of Western culture from the Middle Ages to the present. Emphasis on listening skills; elements of music; major styles, genres, and composers; and cultural context.
MUS 290-4 (WI) African American Music: America and Beyond
Survey of the development of African American music from an historical, sociological and economic perspective. Included will be an analysis of the genres, influences, and impact on American and world culture.
TH 214-4 The Theatre in Western Culture
An introduction to the many arts of the theatre, including the role of the actor, playwright, director, designer, critic, and audience. Selected scripts from representative historical periods are examined as an aid in understanding the theatrical event.
MP 131-4 Film Appreciation
Introduction to film appreciation and analysis; examines critical approaches to film and film style including authorship and genre.

* Sequence substitution: MUS 121 and 122.

MUS 121-2 Foundations of Analytical Listening
Aural analysis taught via musical examples from various periods and cultures including non-Western and popular music.
MUS 121-2 Survey of Musical Styles
Principal types of Western music from ca. A.D. 500 to the present. Aural analysis: forms and styles. Prerequisite: MUS 121.

Area Substitution: Honors course UH 201 (WI) for Area IV.

UH 201-4 Studies in the Humanities
Explores the humanities comparatively, stressing similarities and differences in themes, methods, materials, theoretical constructs, and problems. Focuses on such topics as humanity and freedom or the city and the individual.

Additional Courses from Areas II, III, and IV

8 Hours
This component provides students the opportunity for in depth study and thus the opportunity to strengthen understanding and competencies in two of three areas.

Select additional courses from Areas II. III, or IV, one course from two of these three areas. Except for Area II, the course selected must come from a different subcategory than the course(s) chosen to meet the area requirement.