Humanities
Literature is a way of representing the human condition.
It is thought-provoking because of its universality and because of its formal and metaphorical properties. This humanities class provides an introduction to literary forms: lyric, narrative, and epic poetry; drama; short story; and novel.
Humanities I
Foundations of Western Society and the Making of the American Identity
Foundations of Western Society and the Making of the American Identity
The first year of the Humanities course is organized to provide a solid structure for listening, understanding and interacting with the texts, which leads critical thinking and written communication. The selections in year one also provide students with fundamental aesthetics of social engagement in the art of conversation.
Along with opening first-year international students with this English reading curriculum, the readings of this first year open students to the identity of Western philosophy, as it originated in Greek mythology, flourished in the art forms of the Italian Renaissance, and took root in the heart of the American identity. Through this progression of text and analysis, students will be able to recognize and strengthen the thematic links of modern Western thought & aesthetic to its origins, and everywhere in between.
Along with opening first-year international students with this English reading curriculum, the readings of this first year open students to the identity of Western philosophy, as it originated in Greek mythology, flourished in the art forms of the Italian Renaissance, and took root in the heart of the American identity. Through this progression of text and analysis, students will be able to recognize and strengthen the thematic links of modern Western thought & aesthetic to its origins, and everywhere in between.
Goals
Students will significantly increase English vocabulary competencies; students will be able to read and comprehend texts at a faster pace; students will be able to analyze complex ideas; students will be able to discuss their analysis and cite evidence in texts of three pages or longer; students will learn to write essays conforming to academic standards, Students will also learn the proper formats for citing sources of evidence (MLA) in all papers.
Main Texts
Tests and Assessments
In Humanities, the Great Books faculty leaders will work intensively with students on their writing. Short weekly essays and 3 topic papers will be due in this course. A mid-term test and a final comprehensive semester essay test will also be administered.
Grading
Oral Participation (25%) Homework (15%) Essays (20%) Papers (20%) Test Scores (20%)
Student self-assessments in Collaboration and Individual Contribution will also be measured.
Students will significantly increase English vocabulary competencies; students will be able to read and comprehend texts at a faster pace; students will be able to analyze complex ideas; students will be able to discuss their analysis and cite evidence in texts of three pages or longer; students will learn to write essays conforming to academic standards, Students will also learn the proper formats for citing sources of evidence (MLA) in all papers.
Main Texts
- Starting Off Strong: Beginning Shared Inquiry in Your Classroom
- Homer, The Odyssey
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
- Jack London, Call of the Wild
- The Norton Anthology of Poetry
- Plato, “Republic”
- Aesop’s Fables
- Franz Kafka “The Metamorphosis”
- Various American Tall Tales
Tests and Assessments
In Humanities, the Great Books faculty leaders will work intensively with students on their writing. Short weekly essays and 3 topic papers will be due in this course. A mid-term test and a final comprehensive semester essay test will also be administered.
Grading
Oral Participation (25%) Homework (15%) Essays (20%) Papers (20%) Test Scores (20%)
Student self-assessments in Collaboration and Individual Contribution will also be measured.
Humanities II
The Analysis and Deconstruction of "The Other"
The Analysis and Deconstruction of "The Other"
The second year of the YuCai International Department Curriculum in Humanities focuses to further challenge students’ abilities in critical analysis by providing deeper and more complex challenges, posed by larger philosophical questions that require the consideration of several perspectives in order to understand the question and provide the student with an appropriate response.
In addition to reading longer passages and more advanced novels, students will be expected to articulate more sophisticated perspectives based on information in text that both supports and refutes their claims. As a reanalysis of the first year’s focus on the building of identity, the second year will challenge students to analyze the concept of the “other,” or identities outside of the self that can be seen as a foil, a villain, or just plain different. Students will also acknowledge and challenge these notions to understand how to overcome them.
Students will also write frequent short analytical and interpretive essays which increase comprehension, broaden outlooks, and afford practice in writing clearly.
In addition to reading longer passages and more advanced novels, students will be expected to articulate more sophisticated perspectives based on information in text that both supports and refutes their claims. As a reanalysis of the first year’s focus on the building of identity, the second year will challenge students to analyze the concept of the “other,” or identities outside of the self that can be seen as a foil, a villain, or just plain different. Students will also acknowledge and challenge these notions to understand how to overcome them.
Students will also write frequent short analytical and interpretive essays which increase comprehension, broaden outlooks, and afford practice in writing clearly.
Goals
Students will be able to read and comprehend texts at a faster pace and retain English vocabulary competencies; students will analyze complex ideas, discuss their analysis and cite evidence in texts of three pages or longer; students will learn to write essays conforming to academic standards. Students will learn the specific editing tools for writing papers, citing sources of evidence (MLA), and developing proof-reading skills in all written homework.
Main Texts
Tests and Assessments
In Humanities, the Great Books faculty leaders will work intensively with students on their writing. Short weekly essays and 3 topic papers will be due in this course. A mid-term test and a final comprehensive semester essay test will also be administered.
Grading
Oral Participation (25%) Homework (15%) Essays (20%) Papers (20%) Test Scores (20%)
Student self-assessments in Collaboration and Individual Contribution will also be measured
Students will be able to read and comprehend texts at a faster pace and retain English vocabulary competencies; students will analyze complex ideas, discuss their analysis and cite evidence in texts of three pages or longer; students will learn to write essays conforming to academic standards. Students will learn the specific editing tools for writing papers, citing sources of evidence (MLA), and developing proof-reading skills in all written homework.
Main Texts
- Free At Last: The Struggle for Civil Rights
- The Harlem Renaissance
- S.E. Hinton, The Outsiders
- Seamus Heaney’s translation of, Beowulf
- Robert Louis Stevenson, Treasure Island
- The Exodus
- Bibliotheca Historica
Tests and Assessments
In Humanities, the Great Books faculty leaders will work intensively with students on their writing. Short weekly essays and 3 topic papers will be due in this course. A mid-term test and a final comprehensive semester essay test will also be administered.
Grading
Oral Participation (25%) Homework (15%) Essays (20%) Papers (20%) Test Scores (20%)
Student self-assessments in Collaboration and Individual Contribution will also be measured
Humanities III
A Working Utopia: The Literature of a Community
A Working Utopia: The Literature of a Community
Year three of Humanities reanalyzes the themes of the previous two years in order for students to create the perfect community. The first year focused on how identity is forged; the second year focused on the comparison and evaluation of the self, versus the other. Every reading, discussion, and thought-provoking question culminates in the third year, in order to inspire students to become the citizens of progress for a better world.
Starting with the concept of Utopia, students will critique variations of a “perfect” world, as created by various Western authors and philosophers. After students analyze the merits, structures, triumphs, and failures of each idealized world, students will apply these themes in order to formulate their own ideal version of society, based on the principles of maintaining individuality within the support of a strong community.
As a final preparation for college-level coursework, students will read, analyze, and articulate about the most advanced readings and novels that the YuCai International Department has to offer. Included in this final year will be an extended research paper that will serve as the student’s final artifact of their growth through the curriculum.
Starting with the concept of Utopia, students will critique variations of a “perfect” world, as created by various Western authors and philosophers. After students analyze the merits, structures, triumphs, and failures of each idealized world, students will apply these themes in order to formulate their own ideal version of society, based on the principles of maintaining individuality within the support of a strong community.
As a final preparation for college-level coursework, students will read, analyze, and articulate about the most advanced readings and novels that the YuCai International Department has to offer. Included in this final year will be an extended research paper that will serve as the student’s final artifact of their growth through the curriculum.
Goals
Students will be able to read and comprehend texts at advanced levels and able to write longer papers with interdisciplinary perspectives; students will lead roundtable discussions without the reliance of the classroom teacher; students will create fictional worlds reflective of the global community, and by doing so, will expose the challenges of society and a proposal to overcome them.
Main Texts
Tests and Assessments
In Humanities, the Great Books faculty leaders will work intensively with students on their writing. Short weekly essays and 3 topic papers will be due in this course. A mid-term test and a final comprehensive semester essay test will also be administered.
Grading
Oral Participation (25%) Homework (15%) Essays (20%) Papers (20%) Test Scores (20%)
Student self-assessments in Collaboration and Individual Contribution will also be measured
Students will be able to read and comprehend texts at advanced levels and able to write longer papers with interdisciplinary perspectives; students will lead roundtable discussions without the reliance of the classroom teacher; students will create fictional worlds reflective of the global community, and by doing so, will expose the challenges of society and a proposal to overcome them.
Main Texts
- Aldous Huxley, Brave New World
- John Steinbeck, Of Mice and Men
- Eli Wiesel, Night
- Grimm’s Tales
Tests and Assessments
In Humanities, the Great Books faculty leaders will work intensively with students on their writing. Short weekly essays and 3 topic papers will be due in this course. A mid-term test and a final comprehensive semester essay test will also be administered.
Grading
Oral Participation (25%) Homework (15%) Essays (20%) Papers (20%) Test Scores (20%)
Student self-assessments in Collaboration and Individual Contribution will also be measured