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Art; *Communication Skills; Course Content DOCUMENT RESUME ED 245 769 JC 840 391 TITLE Interdisciplinary Studies Program. Teacher's Guide: Part I. INSTITUTION Valencia Commu5Ity Coll., Orlando, Fla. SPONS AGENCY NationalOidokiment for the Humanities (NFAH), Washington,-D.C. PUB DATE 31 May 84 GRANT EH-20175-82 NOTE 186p.; For related documents, see JC 840 390-394. PUB TYPE Guides Classroom Use Guides (For Teachers) (052) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC08 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Art; *Communication Skills; Course Content; Course Objectives; General Education; *Greek Civilization; *Interdisciplinary Approach; Logic; Mythology; Philosophy; Science History; Sciences ABSTRACT This teacher's guide was developed for the first of four courses in Valencia Community College's Interdisciplinary Studies Program, a 2-year core general education curriculum which chronologically examines the major developments in the evolution of human knowledge. The guide provides an introductory overview of the semester's topic (i.e., the evolution of abstract thinking and critical inquiry during the Classical Greek period); introduces each unit; discusses each topic within each unit, including informationon methodology and main points to be stressed; and provides student papers showing the work in each unit. The units of the course are: (1) Developing Reading, Reasoning, Speaking, and Writing Skills, covering topics such as identifying, defining, and applying concepts; (2) Logic, focusing on the forms and functions of logic and using logic in reading, reasoning, speaking, and writing; (3) the Golden Age of Athens, exploring the ri7Ilitecture, sculpture, philosophy, politics, and literature of ti:it period; (4) the Decline of Athens, looking at the loss of idealism ,as reflected in architecture, sculpture, philosophy, politics 'and literature; (5) Greek Philosophy, drawing together the works of a variety of Greek thinkers and underscoring the theme of Greek rationalism; (6)the Mythic Dimension, contrasting the philosophical approach to life with the mythic approach to life; and (7) Greek Science, sampling works of the earliest Greek scientists through those of the late Hellenistic period. (AYC) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. * ********************************************************************* CT TEACHER'S GUIDE PART Interdisciplinary Studies Program Valencia Community College Orlando, Florida U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUT( OF EDUCATION "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS i HP-;OLICti.ES ,%Foiqr14 10% MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY ,A%1Fci J. L. Schlegel TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." Chairman: J. Louis Schlegel,III Prepared with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities EH-20175-82 May 31, 1984 2 SEMESTES I , 9IPNTENT: The theme of Semester I of the Interdsiplinary Studie': Prt?ixam is Greek rationalism, the first revolution in 'le .ern intellects_ ;:) This theme is approached both thematicay chn,,nologir:A'Ly At c.he s.am time that this theme is explored, inn. time is spe. skills necessary for success in the To:4-;:i,rar, (an6 in othei work). The material covered in this semestl.:z diiied into units allow students to master smalle material ror tests d ato receive more frequent feedback fro-, y-r-LIfer3s. This un importault feature of the success of this setz.?.!.r. !rh,roughout remainin& semesters, units will become more Units 1 and II,"Developing Readin, Reeing, Speaki *mei Writin6 Skills," do just that. Unit 1 closely ,.?:xamin Jonathan Li.14,gs;ton Seag!:0; by Richard Bach.This is an extreme c'ff;1i'e starting 1-A;tf, for sevk./: reasons: 1. It is a simple story which n.t.Fris wealth of ph--)G7hir: ideas unfamiliar to studey.,.., 2. It is a handy tocd for tea0,0:oz .7.1Aents to read , Ziteral level. 3. It introduces ideas which Platonic phii are in the mainstream of Grec! 4. It is a book most students feel ;:.;,74ortble with beif;", they have read it or heard of it z: Tai! Ualnk it in cr,.m* to nnderstand.When they begin to critically analyze discover it isn't as easy to understand as they have led to believe they learn an important lesson in criticzil analysis. 5. The length and simplicity of the book make it possilT.e to concentrate on important initial skills. This unit also introduces students to the texts, The Little, Brown Handbook by H. Ramsey Fowler, 2nd ed., (Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1983) and The Bedford Reader, X.J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy, eds., (New York: St. Martin's Press, 1982). which they will use throughout the "grogram. This text emphasizes the communication skills stressed throughout the program. Unit II continues the emphasis on skills begun in Unit I by concentrating on gaining a basic knowledge of logic and using this in reading, reasoning, speaking and writing. Students learn to identify an author's argument, recognize its form and separate its premise from its conclusion. While Units I and II are organized thematically, Units III and IV are organized chronologically. Unit III explores the architecture, sculpture, philosophy, politics, and literature of the Golden Age of Athens. These disciplines are examined in light of three Greek ideals, arete, sophrosyne, and kalokagathia, as well as in light of hubris. The material covered in Unit 1II in: The Graeco-Persian Wars Greek Democracy Greek Idealism The Memorial Oration of Pericles The Parthenon Greek Sculpture Antigone by Sophocles Unit IV explores the Decline of Athens. It looks at the loss of idealism as reflected in architecture, sculpture, philosophy, politics, and literature from the Peloponnesian War to the time of Alexander the Great. Topics in Unit IV include: The Peloponnesian War Athen's Failure The Apology by Plato The Crito by Plato The Clouds by Aristophanes Greek Sculpture Alexander the Great The Hellenistic World The Altar of Zeus at Pergamum The last the units return to the thematic approach. Unit V, Greek Philosophy, draws together a variety of Greek thinkers and underscores the theme of the semester, Greek rationalism. This unit also includes some Roman writers who drew ou Greek sources. The topics in Unit V are: "Levels of Reality:The Thebry of the Divided Line and the Allegory of the Cave" by Plato "The Golden Mean" by Aristotle Epicurean Ethics "Letter to Menoeceus" by Epicurus The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius The Manual by Epictetus "On Providence" and "On Suicide" by Seneca Unit VI allows us to contrast the philosophic approach to life with the earlier, mythic approach to life. This unit, "The Mythic Dimension," analyzes The Odyssey by Homer in light of the hero cycle.outlined by Joseph Campbell in The Hero With A Thousand Faces. After studying The Odyssey 'in depth, students examine Euripides' play, The Bacchae in light of the dialectical interplay of the rational and irrational aspects of human nature. The last unit, Unit VII, is about Greek science. This unit reaffirms the value of Greek rationalism and prepares students to see the extreme contrast between this approach and the Christian/Medieval approach with which Semester II begins. The material covered in this unit ranges from 22 the earliest Greek scientists through those of the lateHellenistic period. Included are: "The Values of Science" by Richard Feynmann "An Overview of Greek Science" by Fritjof Capra The Philosophy of Charge--Heraclitus The Philosophy of Permanence--Parmenides The Philosophy of Accommodation--Democritus On the Nature of Things by Lucretius Aristotle's Science The Ptolemaic System SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES: During this semester, students are introduced to the skills necessary for critical analysis and evaluation, and skills necessary for academic success. Nine of the eighteen competencies students are expected to master in the program are introduced in this semester.These are: 1. The ability to locate key ideas, thesis statements and/or topic sentences. 2. The ability to paraphase key ideas or key passages (without distorting the idea and taking into account the context of the idea). 3. The ability to comprehend a literal meaning and then move to a symbolic or implied meaning. 4. The ability to separate evidence from inference and to iden- tify the kinds of evidence provided. 5. The ability to recognize underlying assumptions. 6. The ability to recognize the different types of reasoning: inductive, deductive, intuitive. 7. The ability to view an idea and its exposition as a whole. To see the relationship of key ideas to their medium of expression. 8. The ability to grasp the symbolic nature of language (verbal or representational). 9. The ability to translate from one form of expression into another. 13. The ability to evaluate the clarity of other's work as well as one's own.The ability to judge when sufficient information is presented and when information is pre- sented clearly. 17. The ability to express one's own ideas in a variety of modes (i.e. essay, poem, speech). 18. The ability to choose and affirm ideas which are found per- sonally satisfying. Timing is extremely important in mastering these skills.The work must be paced so that students will not be overwhelmed, yet fast enough tohold their attention. Unit I, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, emphasizes heavily competencies #1, 2,3, 5 and 18. Unit II, Logic, adds 4 #4 and 6. In Units III and IV, The Golden Age and The Decline of Athens, studentsbegin to master #8 and 9. Therefore, by mid-term students have been asked to show some degree of competence in each of the
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