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HUMANITIES 101 Syllabus

Detecting Humanities: Or, Everything I Really Needed to Know in HUM 101 I Learned From Sherlock Holmes

Dr. Tracy J. Revels, Wofford College, SC

Objective

  • HUM 101 is designed to help students become better writers and critical thinkers. By using the Sherlock Holmes stories as a springboard, historical world of Victorian England. Students will also be challenged to critique and analyze the stories, as works of literature and as mysteries, and to consider questions of morality and ethics that the stories raise. The central theme of the class will be the power of observation, how it works in stories and in real life. Students will be asked to apply the methods of deductive reasoning to various classroom challenges. Hopefully, students in this course will become better thinkers, more observant of the world around them and more aware of the need for precision in their academic work.

Class Goals

  • Students will read three of the novels and a large selection of the short stories. From this basis, they will become more articulate in classroom discussions. They will also become better writers through a series of short classroom assignments and five formal class papers.

Text

  • Leslie S. Klinger, ed., The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes, Vols. 1-3.

Essays

  • Five essay assignments will be given during the class. The highest four essays will be averaged for the final essay grade. The student may elect to skip one essay (with the exception of the first essay). The student will also have the option of revising one essay for a higher grade (with the exception of the final). All essays are due at the start of the class when they are assigned. Any late papers can receive a grade of no higher than 75. A late final exam will receive an automatic zero.

Final Paper Topics

  1. In A Study in Scarlet, Dr. Watson becomes a friend to the very eccentric Sherlock Holmes. Using a pseudonym for him/her, describe the most eccentric friend that you have and discuss what makes your friendship work.
  2. In the stories we’ve read so far, we have encountered a number of Victorian attitudes that are, by our standards, racist. What group of people do you believe are most commonly and unfairly depicted in today’s entertainment media? Give examples to support your argument.
  3. Is The Hound of the Baskervilles a Sherlock Holmes novel or a Dr. Watson novel?
  4. If you could be magically transported in time back to Victorian London, what aspects of life would you most like to investigate and why? What would you hope to learn?

Group Reports

  • In order to help the students learn more about Victorian England, and teamwork, students will be divided into pairs (or trios) and each group will be responsible for preparing an in-class report on an assigned topic. (See list below and due dates in the syllabus). Students will chose their partners and be given their assignments on the second class meeting. No written report is required, but the pair is responsible for developing a bibliography that documents their sources and presenting a "lesson" to the class. The lesson should be at least 30 minutes long and include some type of audio/visual work and a class exercise (such as a quiz or contest).

Assignments for Group Reports

  • Life and Reign of Queen Victoria
  • The Indian Mutiny
  • Victorian Servants
  • Victorian Sports
  • Spiritualism
  • Victorian Medicine
  • Jack the Ripper

Creative Assignments

  • Each student is expected to complete a work that demonstrates imagination and originality. This can be a parody, a pastiche, an artwork, a skit, or a video. Students may work together in groups of no more than four, but all members of the group will be assigned the same grade.

Final Grades

  • A student’s final course grade will be determined by the following formula:
    • Average of Quiz grades 40%
    • Group Report grade 10%
    • Paper Average 30%
    • Final paper 10%
    • Creative work 10%
  • Class participation, attendance, and enthusiasm will be considered in determining the outcome of a borderline grade.

CLASS SCHEDULE

*Please note that the instructor reserves the right to make changes to this schedule.

Week 1

  • 9/4 – Introduction to the class
  • 9/6 – Discussion of [last assignment](Expect quizzes on all discussion days!!!)
  • 9/8 – Discussion of "The World of Sherlock Holmes," Vol. 1, xvii-lxvii.

Week 2

  • 9/13 – Discuss 1st Half of Study in Scarlet.
  • 9/15 – Discuss 2nd Half of Study in Scarlet.

Week 3

  • 9/18 – Peer review of 1st Paper. Have rough draft typed and printed.
  • 9/20 – Discuss The Speckled Band
  • 9/22 – Discuss The Red Headed League [Paper One is due!]

Week 4

  • 9/25 – 1st Group Report---Life of Queen Victoria
  • 9/27 – View movie
  • 9/29 – Discuss The Crooked Man

Week 5

  • 10/2 – 2nd Group Report – The Indian Mutiny
  • 10/4 – Discussion of The Sign of Four
  • 10/6 – No class meeting. Students are responsible for viewing The Sign of Four in the library.

Week 6

  • 10/9 – Film versus stories discussion
  • 10/11 – Discuss The Greek Interpreter [Paper Two is due!]

Week 7

  • 10/16 – 3rd Group Report – Victorian Servants
  • 10/18 – Discuss The Copper Beeches and A Case of Identity
  • 10/19 – TV episode

Week 8

  • 10/23 – 4th Group Report – Spiritualism
  • 10/ 25 – Discuss Part 1 of The Hound of the Baskervilles
  • 10/27 – Discuss Part 2 of The Hound of the Baskervilles

Week 9

  • 10/30 – Discuss The Devil’s Foot and The Sussex Vampire [Third Paper is due!]
  • 11/1 – 5th Group Report – Victorian Sports
  • 11/3 – Discuss Silver Blaze

Week 10

  • 11/8 – 6th Group Report – Victorian Medicine
  • 11/10 – Discuss The Resident Patient and The Dying Detective

Week 11

  • 11/13 – Discuss The Final Problem
  • 11/15 and 11/17 – No classes (Watch The Final Problem or any other movie on reserve)

Week 12

  • 11/20 – Discuss The Empty House – [Fourth Paper is due!]

Week 13

  • 11/27 – 7th Group Report – Jack the Ripper
  • 11/29 – Discuss A Scandal in Bohemia
  • 12/1 – Discuss The Three Garridebs

Week 14

  • 12/4 – Student’s choice (each student will read a story to comment on).
  • 12/6 – Discuss The Blue Carbuncle. Some creative projects due.
  • 12/8 – Creative projects due. Final paper topic given out.

Final Exams

  • The final paper is due.