HUMANITIES

HUMANITIES - MRS. O'BRIEN
WEST HIGH ENGLISH
SEPTEMBER 1998

CLASS EXPECTATIONS

To provide an overview for you and your parents of what will be expected in this class through this year, noted below is information on homework, grading, make-up and relevant school policies. A clear understanding of this material will enhance our learning experiences together this year in Humanities.


COURSE DESCRIPTION: HUMANITIES (L3) is a full-year honors elective surveying the great ideas of Western Civilization as they are given expression in literature, philosophy and the arts, including painting, sculpture, architecture, music and dance, from ancient Greece to the present. Historical focuses include Classical Greek and Roman, early Christian, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Romantic and Modern.

1. Class text is The Humanities, Vols. 1 & 2 (Witt). Supplemental reading will also be assigned during the year.
   
   
2. Note-taking is expected in class and critical to learning. Students must be properly equipped for each day's class. All students are expected to keep 3-ring binders/notebooks for class notes and handouts. These will be evaluated once each marking period on a PASS/FAIL basis.
   
   
3. Working unit outlines of material and topics to be covered will be distributed periodically to guide and pace students. Weekly assignments and deadlines will be noted on the board. Guidesheets will be provided for major projects.
   
   
4. Homework is integral to this course as a means of developing critical thought, expressing personal response to literature and the arts, and relating the various branches of learning. Students will be called upon to apply their reading to their life experiences, with an emphasis on creativity and analytical skills. Homework will constitute a major portion of the final grade; it will be weighted more than quizzes and count up to 35%. Homework reading or exercises will be assigned daily. Because homework is keyed to weekly lesson plans, late assignments lose their application and generally will not be accepted. Some homework will be graded on a check (75), check-plus (95) and check-minus (67) system.
   
   
5. quizzes for reading checks and comprehension will be scheduled weekly and announced. They will count up to 25% of the final grade and will be graded numerically.
   
   
6. Assigned papers and tests are major components of the course requiring long-term preparation. There will generally be at least one each marking period. Requirements will be detailed well in advance and progress checks made. These will compromise a significant portion of the final grade, approximating 40%. Papers will be evaluated on content, organization, completeness and presentation. Humanities is an English course . Late assignments will lose minimally a grade a day.
   
7. The final exam will count approximately 15% of the term grade.
   
   
8. Class discussion is key to the subject matter of this course. Participation is strongly encouraged; it will be noted for student effort and comprehension and reflected accordingly in the final grade.
   
   
9. In-class activities will include listening assignments, videotape presentations and hands-on art/architecture exercises to train and reinforce appreciation methods and skills.
   
   
10. Extra credit opportunities will be available at the end of each quarter to those students who have turned in all assignments .
    
    
11. Students over 25 minutes tardy to class will be marked absent. School policy sets 6 days per marking period as the limit for absences ; beyond 6 days is an attendance failure. Marking periods close Nov. 6, Jan. 22, April 2 and year-end.
    
    
12. English make-up is on Wednesdav afternoons in Room 324 , or during free periods by appointment. Students absent from class are responsible for all assignments and notes. Please be sure to note that make-up must be completed within 2 weeks of a student's return to school.