Columbia College Chicago
600 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60605
Department of Humanities, History, and Social Sciences (HHSS)
Summer Semester 2011
Instructor: Zack Furness
Office: 624 S. Michigan Avenue, #13N
Office Hours: By appt.
Email: zfurness@colum.edu
Office Phone: 312-369-8791
Instructional Resources Fees: None
Course Description
The course surveys the portrayal of metropolitan life in film, television, the press, and other media. Students discuss documentary films and full-length feature films. Local city news coverage (print, television, and radio) is examined for urban stereotypes.
Course Objectives
This course will aim at an interdisciplinary humanities approach to the studying of the city. We will observe and analyze not only how images and meanings are shaped, but also how images and meaning shape us as well. Thus, our course of studies begins with film and media texts and moves us to deeper interdisciplinary analyses of sociological, historical, and philosophical texts in urban issues.
Humanities Credit
This course bears Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) credit for Humanities. By taking this course you will complete three (3) of the required Culture, Values, and Ethics credits needed to graduate from Columbia College. By taking a Humanities course, students will be exposed to the basic ethical questions that have confronted human kind as well as various methods and approaches to these questions. In addition, the course will assist you in achieving the following LAS Core Objectives:
Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) Core Objectives
Students will learn to:
- Read for both comprehension and pleasureWrite as both a communicative and expressive practice
- Conduct research and as part of that process learn to measure, evaluate, and assess
- Reflect on and appreciate human endeavor across cultures and eras
- Consider and examine, historically and comparatively, human behavior, ethical issues and social institutions
- Utilize various tools of analysis to enable critical thinking
- Express themselves orally in a clear and effective manner
Required Texts
- All readings will be provided for free in PDF format.
- There is one paper in the form of a textual analysis and a final exam. No paper will be graded without an approved written proposal.
- There will be a final in-class exam on the last day we are scheduled to meet as a class. There are no multiple-choice exams for this course.
- There will be no extra credit given for any reason.
Attendance and Participation - 20%
Textual Analysis (paper) - 40%
Final Exam - 40%
Course Policies (Our Contract)
These policies are important: PLEASE READ THEM
1. Email
All students are required to make use of their Columbia College email accounts. While I recognize that you all have your preferred email addresses, you will still be expected to check your school email account on a regular basis, and I will use this address to contact you throughout the semester. With respect to our correspondences, please give me up to 24 hours to respond to emails. In addition, make sure to consult the syllabus and any relevant documents (such as paper assignments) on the course blog before emailing me with questions that I have already explained and/or addressed in writing. I am more than happy to answer questions via email, but I receive 20-40 emails a day and strongly prefer not to answer questions about things that are clearly posted online.
2. Attendance
Students are expected to attend all classes and read the assignments so as to be prepared for class discussion. Experience shows that there is a direct relation between attendance and performance in the course. Absences hurt your ability to learn and they hurt your grade. In short, come to class! Signing up for this class indicates that you are committed to being here for the full class period each class meeting. Given the short duration of the summer session, you are not allowed any unexcused absences. Any student who misses more than one class or does not actively participate, should expect to receive an "F" for the attendance part of his or her grade. If you miss class, you are still responsible for whatever was covered in lecture and discussion that day. On a related note, please do NOT email me (if you were absent) in order to ask what you missed in class…just check the course blog.
3. Assignments and Extensions
Assignments will be announced well in advance of due dates. If you know in advance that you can’t make a due date, please discuss it with me beforehand. In all other cases, late papers will not be accepted. Note: Clear and coherent writing is an important factor in your success in this class. I urge you to visit Columbia College's Writing Center (33 E. Congress) and make use of their tutors before you hand in written work. I will also be more than happy to look at rough drafts during my office hours.
4. Academic Integrity
Plagiarism consists of using someone else’s ideas as your own in formal writing. If you use someone else’s ideas, you are expected to cite them. If you use someone else’s exact words, even if it is just part of a sentence, then you must put quotation marks around the phrase or sentence and properly cite the author. I may not be the smartest person in the entire world, but you can rest assured that my research skills, as well as my ability to spot plagiarism, are of a Bruce Lee caliber. In short, plagiarism will not be tolerated. If I catch you doing it, you will receive an automatic ‘F’ for the course and all further discussions on the matter will take place between you and the Chair of HHSS. You will not get a second chance. PERIOD. If you have any questions about plagiarism, please see me and/or consult Columbia College’s undergraduate catalog.
5. Grading Policy
I am eager to help you do well on assignments before they are due. Please visit me during office hours to ask me questions when you are working on an assignment or reviewing material. I grade assignments based on your performance, not your intentions. However, your effort is important and will be recognized in both your participation grade for the course and your overall improvement throughout the semester. Grades will be based on the following scale: A (90-100%) B (80-90%) C (70-80%) D (60-70%) F (59% or below)
Here are the circumstances under which I would change a grade: (a) if I have made an error, or (b) if I have failed to hold you to the same standard as everyone else. In the event that you feel you received an undeserved grade, I will be happy to discuss it with you. An Incomplete final grade (I) for the course can only be issued for an undergraduate student who meets specific criteria. Click here for more information.
6. Students with Disabilities
Columbia College seeks to maintain a supportive academic environment for students with disabilities. Students who self-identify as having a disability should present their documentation to the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office. After the documentation has been reviewed by the SSD office, a Columbia College accommodation letter will be provided to the student. Students are encouraged to present their Columbia accommodation letters to each instructor at the beginning of the semester so that accommodations can be arranged in a timely manner by the College, the department, or the faculty member, as appropriate. Accommodations will begin at the time the letter is presented. Students with disabilities who do not have accommodation letters should visit the office of Students with Disabilities, Room 304 of the 623 S. Wabash building (312-369-8296).
7. Nondiscrimination Statement
As a professor at Columbia College Chicago, I value equality of opportunity, human dignity, and racial/ethnic/cultural diversity. Be assured that I will promote a safe and conducive environment for learning. In accordance with college policies, I will not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, marital status, familial status, sexual orientation, disability, etc. In addition to the Columbia’s policies, and within the bounds of the course, I do not discriminate on the basis of political creed. In the simplest terms possible, this means that you do not have to agree with me in order to do well in this course. So long as you demonstrate an understanding of (and engagement with) the course material, you are under no obligation to agree with myself, your classmates or anything we read (you don’t even have to agree with yourself, for that matter). If there is something I can do to make the class more hospitable, please let me know.
8. Compliance
By staying enrolled in this class, you acknowledge that you understand – and agree to abide by – the following rules and regulations and Columbia College’s policies (i.e. the accepted codes of conduct and academic integrity). Failure to follow the letter and the spirit of these reasonable guidelines can result in a reduction of your final grade, failure of the course, and/or other penalties as set by the college.
A Quick Note about the Schedule
- The schedule is subject to change and students will be notified in advance of any changes (via email)
- Suggestions for further reading and research will be posted each week on the blog along with reading assignments and supplementary materials (these are very helpful for papers!)
