The 20th Century was a period of immense transformation and upheaval in various aspects of human life, making it a particularly fascinating and dynamic era for studying the humanities. It experienced cultural and artistic revolutions, World Wars and political upheavals, and Scientific and technological advancements!
Who can forget significant cultural clashes and the rise of identity politics?! Issues surrounding race, gender, sexuality,
and class became prominent topics of discussion and activism.

If this doesn't create an existential and philosophical crisis when looking at Abuela's photo album, maybe instead, the Renaissance class is for you!

COURSE SUBJECT MATTER: 

(but not limited to)

• The Freudian Revolution and the Discovery of the Unconscious Mind

  • Surrealism and Art Theory 

  • Factors Leading to Modernism

• The Advent of Modernism

  • The Modern Gender Identity Revolution

  • Grandma, Archived Newspapers, & Table of Dates

• The impact of the two World Wars on artistic expression and the development of ideas.

  • WWI & WWII: Race to Kill Humanity

    • War and Propaganda

    • Rise of Fascism 

  • Civil Rights Movement & Separate but Equal

  • Counterculture Hippies, Beatniks, and Disco

• The recognition of cultural and individual identity in the Modern and Postmodern World.

  • The Postmodern Identity

  • Rise of Horror & Conspiracy Theories

  • Iranian Revolution in 1979 & Hearing my Arab Voice after 9/11 

• Globalization and technology's impact on world cultures.

  • Space Race & Cold War: Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Russia

  • AIDS Global Epidemic

  • Global Medical Advancements

  • Birth, Evolution, and Death of the Internet

  • The Rise of Populism, Nationalism, and Multiculturalism: Good or Bad? 

  • Recreating Humanity through AI

Valencia College students must demonstrate college-level writing skills in this Gordon Rule course through multiple writing assignments. To satisfy the Gordon Rule, a minimum grade of C is required.

Sample Lesson Plan and Assignment

Sample Lesson Plan

2.1 Assignment: The Modern Self Profile

ETC: (1) one solid day of researching, reading, and writing

Bottom Line: 

Students will read about a person's struggle to find their identity.
Then, in 2 - 3 paragraphs, discuss their struggles compared to Modernity. 

Objective:

• Analyze critical characteristics of the early 1900s Modernity Movement. 

• Identify and explain the emancipation of the individual from oppressive authority figures.

• Discuss the different mentalities streaming from all persons about the ​​Conditions of the Modern Self.

Why it Matters:

This lesson explores the social, political, and economic changes as they moved away from the traditional ethical and political systems of the 1800s. Additionally, students will be asked to think about their experiences of exponential movements and answer how we behave when thrust into an unfamiliar world that they may not perceive as safe as our home or community. One of the things you need to do as a student in a 1900s Humanities class is articulate the characteristics of Modernism and how they relate to forms of expression. This assignment will dive into many different aspects of communication, namely the novel Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. You will discuss this aspect of Modernity on the quiz.
Key Concepts: The New Woman, The New Negro, Emancipation of the races, sexes and individuals from national identities, The Global Community, Identity and Gender Norms, Existential Angst

Materials

This is a suggested list of materials to assist with completing the assignment. Students are free to use module slides, lectures, or any other source of information. 

Lecture:

• Lecture: Analyzing Primary Sources

Video

• HISTORY OF IDEAS - Modernity (video 11 mins)

  • Discusses the many characteristics of Modernity.

Text / Websites

• Daughters of decadence: the New Woman in the Victorian fin de siècle (website)

• The Invisible Man (Entire Novel) is a Wonderful book from the first person account of a Black man invisible to the world because he is black. 

• Freud’s Model of the Human Mind (website) Details Freud’s influential account of the human mind, which allowed individuals to seek mental help when it was frowned upon. 

• Characteristics of Modernity (website) This website explains the basics of Modernity, the autonomous self, and Modernity as hope and doom. 

Instructions:

Pick a person from the list (or if you have an idea for someone else, message me)

Then, in 2 - 3 paragraphs, describe their upbringing and lives, and conclude with the main features of their life that involve suppression, i.e., how they felt trapped in the traditional views of the past. Then, describe the aspects of their lives that align with ideas of Modernity, i.e., their struggle to live their lives as they push forward as authentic selves despite the norm rejecting them.  Finally, your comments on the situation as it connects to our present environment. 

People of interest:

Kate Chopin (American)

Olive Schreiner (Euro-South American)

Mary Church Terrell (African American)

Zora Neale Hurston (African American)

Audre Lorde (A self-described black lesbian mother)

Dr. Carole Boyce Davies (Caribbean-American)

Bell Hooks (African American)

Mary Shelley (English)

Grace Kyungwon Hong (Asian American)

Alice Walker (African American)

Sui Sin Far (Chinese American)

Gabriela Mistral (Chilean)

Ryka Aoki (transwoman, Hawaiian- American)

Rafaela Chacón Nardi (Cuban)

Jhumpa Lahiri (American Indian-British)

Maxine Hong Kingston (Chinese American) 

Porochista Khakpour (Iranian American)

Celeste Ng (Hongkongese American)

Esmé Weijun Wang (Taiwanese-American)

Nazanine Hozar (Iranian Canadian)

Anita Desai (Indian)

Shokoofeh Azar (Iranian-Australian)

Arundhati Roy (Indian)

Hieu Minh Nguyen (Vietnamese-American)

Alain Locke (African American)

Countee Cullen (African American)

Alexander Chee (South Korean)

Justin Chin (Malaysian-American)

Langston Hughes (African American)

Claude McKay (African American)

Jean Toomer (African American)

Eric Walrond (Afro-Caribbean)

Yanyi (Asian American)

Eduardo Porter (Latino American)

Marcelo Hernandez Castillo (Mexican American)

Roberto Lovato (Latino American)

Aravind Adiga (Indian)

Vikram Seth (Indian)

Required elements to include in your summary: (Please retain the heading structure, removing the italicized explanation. Aim for a minimum of two sentences per sub-bullet required because this will help you talk it out. Then, the last section is yours to express yourself.)

1. Who did you pick and Why? (in as close to one sentence as possible, explain who you picked and why?)

2. What was their upbringing? (describe their life and how society expected them to act.)

3. What was their struggle? What does the person claim were the traditional views they were trying to break away from, and why? Were they impacted by the continuing ideas of Modernity or a new form of Modernity?

4. Quote (adequately attributed and cited): use the person’s words to illustrate their struggle. Then, In as close to one sentence as possible, explain the quote’s significance (how does it convey the person's struggle.

5. How did they break away from Tradition? (in as close to a few precise sentences as possible, explain where they are now and how they have grown into their new self.)

6. What are your thoughts about them? Observations, informed reflections, connections between this reading and their own life?

Explaining the Rubrics:

By thoroughly analyzing bullets 1 - 5, we will hit the GenEd-HUM1020-CH-V1 requirement. ‘Thoroughly’ means that after reading your statement, it was clear that the dialectical method discussed in the Analyzing Primary Sources lecture was used. We made sure to accurately reiterate the content, ensure our sentences were well-rounded, and not leave anything up for questioning. (You could get up and teach it to the class now.)

By inserting the Personal Commentary portion, you will fulfill the “connect personal perspectives to the broader themes of the course’ of the rubrics. This is your chance to offer your slow-down thoughts on paper. Remember you are not in a conversion; you need to express yourself in a way I would not question you later. Read it to a friend and see if they come at you for any reason. 

• (4) 95 - 100%: Dialectical Method achieved: Student completed the required response length at a college level. Students thoroughly analyzed an individual, an event, or a work of art or literature in their historical, geographical, and/or cultural context. In addition, analyze a work of art or artistic expression and connect personal perspectives to the broader themes of the course. (what does that mean?) 

• (3) 89 - 94%:  Dialectical Method achieved, but some of the required ideas needed more explanation and detail, but the main ideas were present. Points may have been deducted for spelling and grammar. The assignment is eligible for a redo.

• (2) 79%: More of a Socratic conversion with the post leaning heavily on opinion with no sources and little effort displayed past a sentence or two for each header. Students are advised to review the objectives and feedback from the professor. The assignment is eligible for a redo.