Course Syllabus

Gateway to the Humanities

(Spring 2025, section 1, CAS 1573-001, CRN: 46779)

Section I – General Information

CLASS AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

  • Meeting Times: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00 - 10:15 am
  • Meeting Place: Collings Hall 140 (the Education building, on the south oval with the bell out front)
  • Instructor: David Vishanoff
  • Office: Robertson 119 (at the south end of Farzaneh hall on Elm Ave.)
  • E-Mail: vishanoff@ou.edu
  • Web site: https://vishanoff.com
  • Office Hours: I am usually free right after class, and available by appointment at other times.

COURSE INFORMATION

Pre/co-requisites: None

Course Delivery Method:
This course will be 100% in person. All assigned readings are available in Canvas.

Course website: 
Virtually everything you will need for this course will be available on this Canvas site; it includes the class schedule, pdf’s of readings, links to videos, instructions for assignments, and occasional announcements. If you have not taken a class using Canvas before, you may find some helpful hints in this General Orientation to Online Classes, but remember that much of it does not apply to this in-person class.

Course Description:
As a “First Year Experience” this course teaches you about the core values that define membership in the OU community and citizenship in our society at large: Cultural Fluency, Critical Thinking, Civil Discourse, Citizenship, and Community Engagement.

Because these values are at the heart of the academic subjects known as the Humanities, this course brings them to you through an overview of the Humanities at OU. You will encounter them throughout the entire semester, as you think about the questions and works we will study. Here at OU, the Humanities include the following fields:

You will see how these fields explore topics across world cultures and across time, from ancient stories to contemporary media, through the exploration of influential literary, historical, philosophical, religious, and other kinds of works that express the drive to find meaning in our human situation.

That drive leads us to take on some “big questions,” like: What is our origin? What is our place in the Cosmos? What makes for a moral community? Over the semester you will consider responses from different Humanities fields to several such "big questions.” This will help you develop skills and attitudes like critical thinking, close reading of complex texts, and clear communication of your ideas, along with intellectual humility, openness to alternative interpretations of ideas, and respect for cultural difference.

Your reflections on the works and questions the course will equip you to understand and act on the core values of the OU community, by helping you share in its cultural heritage, and teaching you what’s involved in actively participating in it. And they fulfill the goals of the General Education requirement, in particular through your work communicating your ideas, and your exploration of Humanities texts. Thus the course will also prepare and guide you if you choose to do further Humanities course work or pursue a Humanities major. Your experience in the course will help you formulate your own ideas about what it means to be human—the core experience of the Humanities.

This course and Canvas web site are based on a model developed by a team of faculty from several Humanities departments at OU, with enormous help from staff in the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences. Those who contributed are credited here.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Here are the things you should be able to do as a result of taking this course.

  1. Identify and compare Humanities disciplines and summarize key similarities and differences among them.
  2. Clearly and effectively communicate your ideas about the topics of the course.
  3. Demonstrate cultural fluency by identifying and analyzing a range of influential Humanities works that respond to our five big questions.
  4. Exercise critical thinking by reflecting on your responses to the works and questions in the course and revising your ideas as appropriate.
  5. Participate in civil discourse with others about the themes of the course by acknowledging their views and offering acceptable reasons for agreeing or disagreeing with them.
  6. Incorporate ideas drawn from the Humanities into your life as a citizen by applying knowledge of history, appreciation of cultural difference, and ethical values to questions of public concern.
  7. Further your community engagement by bringing ideas from the Humanities into discussions of community issues.

REQUIRED MATERIALS AND SOFTWARE

Required Materials:
All readings and other materials are available on the course Canvas site. Films will not be viewed during class sessions. Where possible, links to free, on-line versions will be posted on Canvas. In other cases, films will be available on streaming services, and may be viewed at home. However, there will also be at least one screening, in case you do not have access otherwise.

Required Software:
You will need to have reliable daily internet access on your computer to access course documents and submit your work. (Please see the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences Student Online Orientation if you need assistance with Canvas.)

WHAT THIS COURSE WILL BE LIKE

Humanities disciplines take on some of the most fundamental questions we face as human beings (what we’re calling the “big questions”). This course is divided into five modules, each dedicated to one big question, in which you will explore works from a range of Humanities fields that bear on that question. As you do you will find yourself working on all the learning objectives in an integrated way: you will gain cultural fluency by thinking critically about the works you study; you will see how they are efforts at civil discourse, and you will engage in civil discourse about them; and you will draw on them to reflect on citizenship and membership in your community.

Your exploration will be shared with the other students in the class—verbally in class discussions and through short written Module Discussions and Responses to them. You should be ready to participate attentively by offering your views and by actively listening to what others have to say. Hearing what others think about the issues of the course is essential to this class. You should expect to disagree with some things other students have to say, but be open to other students’ ideas: you never know who might provide the breakthrough insight into a difficult problem. Most of all, be respectful. I will strive to make sure all students feel that their presence is valued, and you should too. Behavior that makes anyone feel that they don’t belong in the classroom, such as interrupting them or being rude or dismissive about what they have to say, will be corrected gently or forcefully as needed.

Section II – Course work

COURSE SCHEDULE 

The Canvas home page shows the course schedule, with the readings and assignments that are due each day, organized in five modules addressing our five “big questions.”

ASSESSMENTS

Your course grade will be based on your performance on the following assessments. Each task is related to one or more of the learning outcomes. As you will see, writing is a key part of this course. If you would like support on your writing--in general, or for specific assignments--I urge you to take advantage of OU's Writing Center.

Click for information about the Writing Center.

Most universities have a writing center, a place for students, faculty, and staff to meet and talk about writing. The Writing Center here at OU is a resource I encourage you to use. As a writer you will want to seek feedback from many different readers. The writing consultants at the writing center are able to talk with you about your writing--at any stage in the process and for any course you are taking. You can make an appointment (online or in person and you can drop in whenever they are open. The OU Writing Center offers both in-person and online appointments, as well as workshops, retreats, and other services. I urge you to contact the Writing Center for more information (click to schedule an appointment).

Attendance and Participation

  • I will take attendance each day. The percentage of classes you attend will be converted to a letter grade at the end of the semester, and it will be worth 10% of your course grade. If you arrive late or leave early, you will get only partial credit for that day's attendance. If you need to miss a class, you do not need to provide any excuse because I do not distinguish between "excused" and "unexcused" absences; just be sure to attend almost all the classes, and your grade will be fine. The only exception is absence for religious observances, which will not affect your grade at all; please let me know in advance, as soon as you are able to determine that a religious observance may conflict with class or an assignment.
  • I will also give you a grade for your participation in class discussions. At the end of each module you will receive a grade reflecting the quality and consistency of your participation in class discussions throughout that module. You should participate in a way that is thoughtful and constructive, demonstrating clearly that you have done the assigned reading for that day. Together your five module participation grades will be worth 10% of your course grade.

Module Discussions and Responses

  • The Module Discussions are a way of reflecting on the reading you have just done and beginning to spell out some ideas that you will develop in your Term Paper.
  • For each of Modules 1 – 4 you will write (in class, by hand) a one-page Discussion of two works from the module in relation to that module’s big question or theme.
  • Your 4 Module Discussions will each be one hand-written page, written in class on the last day of the module.
  • On the day we write our Module Discussions in class, you will take home with you one other student's Discussion, and before the next class you will write (by hand on the back of the other student's Discussion) a one-paragraph response in which you suggest ways in which the student might further develop their thinking about the readings and the module's theme. You will bring the Discussion, with your hand-written response on the back, to the following class (which will be the first day of the next module).
  • Your Discussions and Responses will be letter-graded; together your four Discussions will be worth 40% of your course grade, and your four Responses together will be worth 10%.
  • This assignment shows your ability to compare Humanities disciplines, to demonstrate cultural fluency, to exercise critical thinking, and to participate in civil discourse.

Term Paper

  • I have revised and simplified this assignment; please see the new Term Paper guidelines.
  • You will write a term paper, due on the last day of finals week, in which you choose the big question/theme from one module and discuss how your thinking on it has changed over the course of the term in response to readings and class discussions.
  • Your Term Paper will grow out of the Module Discussion(s) you wrote during the semester. You will draw on the Discussion you wrote for the module that you choose to write your Term Paper on, revising and expanding your original thoughts about the theme and readings from that module.
  • Your Term Paper should be around 1,250 words (roughly 5 pages). You will submit it in Canvas by the last day of finals week. We will not have a regular final exam, so you can submit your Term Paper early and head home for the summer.
  • The Term Paper is worth 30% of your course grade.
  • This assignment primarily shows your ability to compare Humanities disciplines, to demonstrate cultural fluency, and to exercise critical thinking.

Academic honesty (all or nothing)

In my estimation, any form of deceit, however “mild,” warrants a final course grade of F (zero). Individual instances of suspected academic dishonesty will be referred to the appropriate University authorities, who will investigate and determine appropriate penalties (which may include grade penalties, extra classes, suspension, expulsion, and/or other penalties). In my estimation, academic dishonesty includes (but is not limited to):

  • turning in writing not created solely by yourself solely for this class on the basis of your own understanding of the subject (assistance from the OU Writing Center is allowed, but not from Artificial Intelligence [AI] or other writing aids)
  • plagiarism (reproducing or paraphrasing someone else’s words or ideas without citing them)
  • failing to document sources as required in an assignment
  • using or submitting text (even in modified form) that was generated in whole or in part by AI-driven text generators such as ChatGPT
    • Here is the relevant policy from OU's Office of Academic Integrity Programs and Integrity Council: "No resource should ever be used to replace original thought or effort. Therefore, all academic work submitted by a student should be the product of the student's own understanding and effort. Unless specifically permitted by the professor, and clearly indicated by the student through proper attribution, it is cheating to submit any academic work that originates from another source."
  • helping other students to avoid doing their own reading or thinking or writing
  • selling a paper or exam essay or sharing it with someone who might use it instead of doing his or her own work
  • using unauthorized materials, sources, or devices for tests
  • sharing tests with others in or outside the class
  • false excuses for absences or late or missed assignments

If you have questions about academic integrity or plagiarism, please ask; my aim is to foster an environment of trust in which you can learn, grow, and try out ideas while being transparent about your thinking and learning. See https://www.ou.edu/integrity/students for information on student rights and responsibilities with regards to academic misconduct.

Section III – Course and University policies

COURSE POLICIES

Communication:
I will communicate mostly by email. You can message me in Canvas if you like, and I will receive your message in my email inbox and respond via Canvas; or else you can just email me directly from your own OU email account.

Late work:
Assignments may or may not be accepted late, at the instructor’s discretion. Unless arranged in advance, any such lateness will be penalized one letter grade for each interval between class periods (or any fraction thereof) that elapses after the scheduled date.

Changes to the syllabus:  
While I will make every effort to follow the plan laid out in this syllabus, it should not be construed as the independent basis of a contract between you and either me or the University. I reserve the right to make adjustments in response to unforeseen circumstances that might come up during the semester. 

UNIVERSITY POLICIES

Land Acknowledgement Statement:
Long before the University of Oklahoma was established, the land on which the University now resides was the traditional home of the “Hasinais” Caddo Nation and “Kirikirʔi:s” Wichita & Affiliated Tribes.

We acknowledge this territory once also served as a hunting ground, trade exchange point, and migration route for the Apache, Comanche, Kiowa and Osage nations. 

Today, 39 tribal nations dwell in the state of Oklahoma as a result of settler and colonial policies that were designed to assimilate Native people.

The University of Oklahoma recognizes the historical connection our university has with its indigenous community. We acknowledge, honor and respect the diverse Indigenous peoples connected to this land. We fully recognize, support and advocate for the sovereign rights of all of Oklahoma’s 39 tribal nations. This acknowledgement is aligned with our university’s core value of creating a diverse and inclusive community. It is an institutional responsibility to recognize and acknowledge the people, culture and history that make up our entire OU Community.

Copyright Statement: 
You must request my permission before you record or livestream a class session. I may or may not give it, but whether or not you seek my permission, the content of any recordings is my intellectual property and may not be shared or reproduced without my explicit, written consent. In addition, privacy rights of others such as students, guest lecturers, and providers of copyrighted material displayed in the recording may be of concern. Students may not share any course recordings with individuals not enrolled in the class, or upload them to any other online environment.

Religious Observances: 
It is the policy of the University to excuse the absences of students that result from religious observances and to reschedule examinations and additional required classwork that may fall on religious holidays, without penalty. [See Faculty Handbook 3.15.2]

Mental Health Support Services:
Support is available for any student experiencing mental health issues that are impacting their academic success.  Students can either been seen at the University Counseling Center (UCC) located on the second floor of Goddard Health Center or receive 24/7/365 crisis support from a licensed mental health provider through TELUS Health.  To schedule an appointment or receive more information about mental health resources at OU please call the UCC at 405-325-2911 or visit  University Counseling Center. The UCC is located at 620 Elm Ave., Room 201, Norman, OK 73019.

Title IX Resources and Reporting Requirement: 
The University of Oklahoma faculty are committed to creating a safe learning environment for all members of our community, free from gender and sex-based discrimination, including sexual harassment, domestic and dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, in accordance with Title IX. There are resources available to those impacted, including: speaking with someone confidentially about your options, medical attention, counseling, reporting, academic support, and safety plans. If you have (or someone you know has) experienced any form of sex or gender-based discrimination or violence and wish to speak with someone confidentially, please contact OU Advocates (available 24/7 at 405-615-0013) or University Counseling Center (M-F 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 405-325-2911) 

Because the University of Oklahoma is committed to the safety of you and other students, and because of our Title IX obligations, I, as well as other faculty, Graduate Assistants, and Teaching Assistants, are mandatory reporters. This means that we are obligated to report gender-based violence that has been disclosed to us to the Institutional Equity Office. This means that we are obligated to report gender-based violence that has been disclosed to us to the Institutional Equity Office. This includes disclosures that occur in: class discussion, writing assignments, discussion boards, emails and during Student/Office Hours. You may also choose to report directly to the Institutional Equity Office. After a report is filed, the Title IX Coordinator will reach out to provide resources, support, and information and the reported information will remain private. For more information regarding the University’s Title IX Grievance procedures, reporting, or support measures, please visit Institutional Equity Office at 405-325-3546.

Adjustments for Pregnancy/Childbirth Related Issues:
Should you need modifications or adjustments to your course requirements because of documented pregnancy-related or childbirth-related issues, please contact the Accessibility and Disability Resource Center at 405/325-3852 and/or the Institutional Equity Office at 405/325-3546 as soon as possible. Also, see the Institutional Equity Office FAQ on Pregnant and Parenting Students’ Rights for answers to commonly asked questions.

Reasonable Accommodation: 
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is committed to the goal of achieving equal educational opportunity and full educational participation for students with disabilities. If you have already established reasonable accommodations with the Accessibility and Disability Resource Center (ADRC), please submit your semester accommodation request through the ADRC as soon as possible and contact me privately, so that we have adequate time to arrange your approved academic accommodations.

If you have not yet established services through ADRC, but have a documented disability and require accommodations, please complete ADRC’s pre-registration form to begin the registration process.  ADRC facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations for students at OU.  For more information on ADRC registration procedures, please review their Register with the ADRC web page.  You may also contact them at (405)325-3852 or adrc@ou.edu, or visit www.ou.edu/adrc for more information.  

Note: disabilities may include, but are not limited to, mental health, chronic health, physical, vision, hearing, learning and attention disabilities, pregnancy-related. ADRC can also support students experiencing temporary medical conditions.

Final Exam Preparation Period: 
Pre-finals week will be defined as the seven calendar days before the first day of finals. Faculty may cover new course material throughout this week. For specific provisions of the policy please refer to OU’s Final Exam Preparation Period policy.

Emergency Protocols: 
During an emergency, there are official university procedures that will maximize your safety.

Severe Weather: 

If you receive an OU Alert to seek refuge or hear a tornado siren that signals severe weather.

  1. Look for severe weather refuge location maps located inside most OU buildings near the entrances.
  2. Seek refuge inside a building. Do not leave one building to seek shelter in another building that you deem safer. If outside, get into the nearest building.
  3. Go to the building’s severe weather refuge location. If you do not know where that is, go to the lowest level possible and seek refuge in an innermost room. Avoid outside doors and windows.
  4. Get in, Get Down, Cover Up
  5. Wait for official notice to resume normal activities.

Additional Weather Safety Information is available through the Department of Campus Safety.

Active Threat Guidance: 

The University of Oklahoma embraces a Run, Hide, Fight strategy for active threats on campus. This strategy is well known, widely accepted, and proven to save lives. To receive emergency campus alerts, be sure to update your contact information and preferences in the account settings section at one.ou.edu.

RUN: Running away from the threat is usually the best option. If it is safe to run, run as far away from the threat as possible. Call 911 when you are in a safe location and let them know from which OU campus you’re calling from and location of active threat.

HIDE: If running is not practical, the next best option is to hide. Lock and barricade all doors; turn of all lights; turn down your phone’s volume; search for improvised weapons; hide behind solid objects and walls; and hide yourself completely and stay quiet. Remain in place until law enforcement arrives. Be patient and remain hidden.

FIGHT: If you are unable to run or hide, the last best option is to fight. Have one or more improvised weapons with you and be prepared to attack. Attack them when they are least expecting it and hit them where it hurts most: the face (specifically eyes, nose, and ears), the throat, the diaphragm (solar plexus), and the groin.

Please save OUPD’s contact information in your phone.

NORMAN campus:  For non-emergencies call (405) 325-1717. For emergencies call (405) 325-1911 or dial 911.

TULSA campus:  For non-emergencies call (918) 660-3900. For emergencies call (918) 660-3333 or dial 911.

Fire Alarm/General Emergency: 

If you receive an OU Alert that there is danger inside or near the building, or the fire alarm inside the building activates:

  1. LEAVE the building. Do not use the elevators.
  2. KNOW at least two building exits
  3. ASSIST those that may need help
  4. PROCEED to the emergency assembly area
  5. ONCE safely outside, NOTIFY first responders of anyone that may still be inside building due to mobility issues.
  6. WAIT for official notice before attempting to re-enter the building.

OU Fire Safety on Campus

UNIVERSITY RESOURCES

Sometimes we need additional support. If you are experiencing issues outside of the classroom that may be impacting your ability to focus on your educational experience, in addition to the resources listed above, such as counseling, I would like to encourage you to connect with and utilize the following resources as appropriate:

  • Student Success and Advising Center (SSAC) – SSAC (known as "the Dodge") is a resource for majors in the Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences. It can assist students with general questions, academic success strategies, finding campus involvement opportunities, major/internship/career exploration and planning, navigating campus resources, student advocacy, and overcoming financial or logistical barriers to attaining their goals.
  • Compass Network – You can self-refer to this network of support, which will get you connected to someone who can help you consider how to navigate a range of personal challenges.
  • International Student Services – International students may connect with their advisor or the range of programs and events that will help build community.
  • OU Food Pantry – All you need is an OU ID to access the food pantry, which provides free food, clothing, menstrual products, and books. Please visit their website to stay up to date with their open hours and location.
  • Project Threshold – If you are a first generation college student, economically disadvantaged (per federal guidelines) or disabled (with appropriate documentation), you may benefit from connecting with Project Threshold for advising or tutoring.
  • Veteran Support Alliance – If you are active military, veteran, or military service-connected, the Veteran Support Alliance has information about resources and support to help you be successful.
  • 24-Hour Reporting Hotline – If you are experiencing, have experienced, or witnessed bias, discrimination, or harassment, please notify the university. You may also file a report through an online form with Institutional Equity.