HUMS 1513 Introduction to Humanities Syllabus W01 Summer 2026

Credit Hours 3.00 Lecture Hours 3 Clinical/Lab Hours 0
Type of Credit
CIP Code
24.0103
Course Meeting Time

The course meets entire online

Course Description

This course is designed to provide students with an interdisciplinary study of selected works of art, music, literature, and philosophy through either a thematic or a genre-based approach. AAS: Humanities elective.

Course Alignment

IAI Number
HF-900
IAI Title
Humanities Survey I
General Education Outcomes

General Education Outcomes are the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the college, including courses, programs, and student services, both inside and outside of the classroom. The General Education Outcomes specifically learned in this course are:

  1. Critical Thinking

Faculty Contact Information

Faculty Name
Scott Kistler
Faculty Email
Faculty Phone
815-802-8706
Faculty Office Number
Room L311
Faculty Student Support Hours

I am available for in-person, telephone, or video conferences by appointment.

I attempt to respond to emails received Monday through Friday within 24 hours. I try to check my e-mail at least once on Saturday, but do not check it on Sundays.

Faculty Information

Scott Kistler

Email: skistler@kcc.edu

Course Information

Course Outcomes

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Analyze, through a variety of assessments, multiple works from each of the four main genres (art, music, literature, and philosophy) using formal terminology, elements, and principles of the genre
  2. Analyze a selected work within its historical context (i.e. political, cultural, social, author intention v. audience interpretation)
  3. Combine formal criticism and personal evaluation in an analysis of a selected work using the appropriate formal terminology
  4. Articulate an awareness of diverse cultural approaches and responses to art, such as non-western and ethnic art
Topical Outline
  1. Philosophy: ontology, epistemology, aesthetics
  2. Art: various elements of composition including line, shape, space, color, balance, etc.
  3. Music: various elements of composition including rhythm, melody, harmony, etc.
  4. Literature: elements of literature including plot, character, theme, setting, language, etc.
  5. Analysis using formal terminology
  6. Critical thinking and Interpretation
Textbook/s and Course Materials

Available in the KCC Bookstore:

  • Aristotle. Poetics. Oxford World's Classics edition. 2013. ISBN: 9780199608362.
  • Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe. Oxford World's Classics edition. 2008. ISBN: 9780199553976

Other materials provided by instructor.

Methods of Evaluation

Check assignments:

  • 7 mini-discussions: 105 points (15 points each)
  • 9 major discussions: 270 points (30 points each)
  • Choose a literary work to evaluate: 5 points
  • Choose artistic and musical works to evaluate: 10 points (five points each)
  • Choose a work to analyze in-depth: 5 points
  • Choose a work to analyze in depth: 5 points
  • Choose a topic to explore: 5 points
  • Exploration paper: 50 points
  • Literature and Philosophy Evaluation (second part): 50 points

Essential Assignments:

  • Syllabus Quiz: 9 points
  • Academic Honesty and Artificial Intelligence Quiz: 5 points
  • Literature and Philosophy Evaluation (first part): 150 points
  • Art Evaluation: 80 points
  • Music Evaluation: 80 points
  • In-Depth Analysis: what are you learning?: 10 points
  • In-Depth Analysis: 250 points

Grading Scale:

  • To get a C, you need to pass each of the Essential Assignments with 70% or more either the first time or improving your score in a revision or retake. The Essential Assignments must be turned in and passed by the dates specified in the Course Policies section below.
  • To get a B, you need to meet the requirements for a C and earn 80-89% of the total points in the class. The Essential Assignments must be turned in and passed by the dates specified in the Course Policies section below.
  • To get an A, you need to meet the requirements for a C and earn 90-100% of the total points in the class. The Essential Assignments must be turned in and passed by the dates specified in the Course Policies section below.
Academic Division

Liberal Arts & Sciences

Dean, Jennifer Huggins; 815-802-8484; R310; jhuggins@kcc.edu; Division Office- W102; 815-802-8700

Course Policies

When do the Essential Assignments need to be turned in if you want to pass the class?

Students must pass all Essential Assignments to pass the class. Students who do not pass the first time are able to revise their work to pass them. Mr. Kistler is glad to help with the revising process.

To keep students on track to pass the class and prevent a rush to turn in Essential Assignments at the end of the term, these are the deadlines:

  • By 11:59 pm on Thursday, June 25, the Literature and Philosophy Evaluation (first part) must be turned in. Students not meeting this requirement will receive an F for the class. Please note, students who do not pass an Essential Assignment the first time are able to revise their assignments to get a passing grade. Mr. Kistler is glad to help you pass!
  • By 11:59 pm on Wednesday, July 22, all Essential Assignments must be turned in. Students not meeting this requirement will receive an F for the class. Please note, students who do not pass an Essential Assignment the first time are able to revise their assignments to get a passing grade. Mr. Kistler is glad to help you pass!
  • If you want to avoid getting an Incomplete grade for the class, all revisions of Essential Assignments must be turned in by noon on Thursday, July 23.

Any exceptions to these deadlines must be requested by the student and approved by Mr. Kistler. Documentation may be required.

Late Work Policy

  • You can only earn points for the mini-discussions and the major discussions until the discussion forum on Canvas is closed. Penalties for late posts will be explained in the instructions on the discussion forum.
  • Assignments of 40 points or more: There is an automatic 1-day grace period. After that:
    • Up to 1 week late: 10% of points taken off
    • Up to 2 weeks late: 20% of points taken off
    • And so on, for each additional week late

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism is defined in Code of Conduct in the KCC Catalog as "taking, reproducing, and/or using as one’s own, without proper attribution, the ideas, writings, paraphrases, data, reports, graphic designs, or computer codes of published or unpublished work of another person in completing an academic assignment. Prohibited conduct may also include the unauthorized submission for credit of academic work that has been submitted for credit in another course." All instances of intentional plagiarism on any assignment for this course will lead to the failure of the assignment. The instance of plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Student Development. If the student has a second instance of plagiarism reported to the Dean of Student Development, the student may be suspended from the institution.

Cheating (including using artificial intelligence tools on assignments in ways not allowed by the instructor), fabrication, intellectual property dishonesty, and facilitation of academic dishonesty are also violations of the Code of Conduct and have the same consequence as plagiarism. You can find the KCC catalog here: https://kcc.smartcatalogiq.com/current/Academic-Catalog. Search for the section on "Academic Misconduct."

Penalties for plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, or the inappropriate use of artificial intelligence tools on Essential Assignments or Exploration Papers:

  • First instance during the semester: student receives a zero but can revise the assignment
  • Second instance during the semester: student can receive a maximum grade of C in the course; the student still must revise it to pass
  • Third instance during the semester: student fails the course

Credit Hours and Coursework

This course earns those who complete it 3 credit hours. This means that you would expect to spend about 18 hours per week on work for this course (6 hours that you would normally spend in class and about 12 hours outside of class). It also may vary depending on your specific abilities relating to the class. I did not make up this ratio; it is the standard way of calculating out-of-class work in college-level classes. It's your responsibility to figure out if you have enough time to succeed in this course while also fulfilling your other responsibilities.

Make-Up Policy

If you miss a deadline due to an emergency and need more time to complete the work, you must have documentation and contact me beforehand, if possible, or as soon as possible after the deadline. Those not meeting these requirements will receive a late penalty of one grade or more at the discretion of the instructor.

Questions about Grades

If you have a question about a grade on an assignment or exam, follow the “1 day, 1 paragraph, 1 week” policy: wait one day before you contact the instructor, write one paragraph explaining why your grade should be changed, and contact the instructor within one week of the date on which you received your grade. The instructor will then consider your explanation and get back to you as soon as possible.

Incompletes

Incompletes are designed to help a student who is successfully completing a course deal with a personal emergency that arises at the end of the semester. A grade of Incomplete will only be assigned in the case of emergencies such as a death in the immediate family or an illness that requires hospitalization. The student must currently have a passing grade and must still meet the attendance requirements of the course. Official documentation will be required to verify the validity of the student's need for an incomplete.

Incompletes will NOT be given in the case of vacation plans, job conflicts, apartment lease problems, social engagements, missing too many deadlines, or forgetting to take exams. If you need an incomplete, you must speak with me and provide the necessary documentation so that I can make the decision.

Expectations for Classroom and Online Behavior

Students and instructor are expected to follow the above policies and interact with each other respectfully.

Course Calendar

See Canvas.

College Policies, Resources and Supports

College Policies

For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide. 

Resources

KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:

  • Clubs and organizations
  • Counseling and referral services
  • Office of disability services
  • Student complaint policy
  • Transfer services
  • Tutoring services, etc.