STANDARD COMPETENCIES:

 

 I.      Think analytically and critically about the arts (visual, performing, written) by

         A.      describing the basic elements and their effects on individual works of art.

         B.      evaluating the effects of geography, economics, politics, religion, philosophy, and science on the values of a culture and the stylistic features of the arts.

         C.      relating the major values and concerns of a historical era to the art forms of the period.

         D.      interpreting their themes or expressive content.

 II.     Recognize and describe structural, stylistic and aesthetic relationships among the arts.

 III.    Compare and contrast some cultural attitudes and values of specific eras of the past to those of the present in order to

         A.      demonstrate an awareness of the legacy of various civilizations, including non-western and western perspectives.

         B.      identify the perspectives about life that advance or hinder creative energies.

         C.      promote understanding for different ways of dealing with common issues.

 IV.     Write and speak clearly and logically, in presentations and essays, about topics studied in humanities courses.

 V.      Read, comprehend, and think critically about new situations and written material related to the study of Humanities.

 TOPICAL OUTLINE:

 

 I.      The Arts in America, 1865-1905 (background)

         A.      Explain how H.H. Richardson, the Chicago school and the World Colombian Exhibition affected architectural styles.

         B.      Describe Louis Sullivan¿s architectural theory ¿form follows function¿ and explain how it was used in the buildings created by Sullivan and F. L. Wright.

         C.      Describe the contributions of Thomas Eakins and Winslow Homer to a uniquely American Style of painting.

         D.      Describe Reverend Lawrence¿s attitude toward wealth. Are any American myths reflected in his attitude?

         E.      Describe the four musical forms which contributed to the development of blues and jazz.

         F.      Describe the major basic elements in a given piece of blues, ragtime, and popular music.

 II.     The Arts in America, 1905-1919

         A.      Describe the industrialist¿s attitude toward the worker as it appears in The Jungle.

         B.      Compare and contrast the plight of the immigrants in The Jungle and Broken Blossoms.

         C.      Describe some of the major attitudes toward women held during the teens and twenties, and explain how and why they change during the thirties.  Explain how those attitudes are reflected in the arts, particularly the movies and music.

         D.      Explain why ¿The Eight¿, although their styles differ considerably, formed a group.

         E.      Explain how the Armory Show in 1913 affected American attitudes toward painting.

 III.    The Arts in America, 1920-1929

         A.      Explain how the literature of the 20¿s reflects loneliness and alienation.

         B.      Explain how Freudian doctrines might have affected the subject matter and styles of the Stieglitz group of painters.

         C.      Identify some of the characteristics of Chicago Style Jazz, the California Ramblers, Edgar Varese, and the blues and jazz combinations.

         D.      List several of the tenets of Frank Lloyd Wright¿s program for single family dwellings.

         E.      Explain how W.C. Field¿s Pharmacist reflects attitudes held by the small enterprising businessman during the1920¿s.

         F.      Describe some of the attitudes held about business and salesmen during the 1920¿s.

 IV.     The Arts in America, 1929-1939

         A.      Cite some of the benefits to American painters produced by the WPA program for artists.

         B.      Explain how the Regionalist and Social Realist painters deal with some of the American myths.

         C.      Explain what 1930¿s concerns and attitudes are reflected in the paintings of the Magic Realists and those of Stuart Davis.

         D.      Trace the development of the three major characters in Blonde Venus.  How do these characters compare to stereotypical views of men and women?

         E.      Compare and contrast the major characters in the short stories studied in class.

         F.      Identify characteristics of urban blues, musical theatre (Gershwin), Swing music, and Woody Guthrie¿s songs.