Practising Ideas - Week 1 Lecture

Introduction to the unit:what is a university?Practising Ideas: Approaches to Theory

Dr Alice Barnaby and Dr Louise Douse

Learning objectives

Upon completing this lesson you will be able to:

•Identify the intellectual aims of the unit

•Explain the broader interdisciplinarity connections within the humanities, sciences and the disciplines

•Draw on a very brief historical overview

•Explain the role of the tutor

•Construct group expectations and individual goal setting

•Identify the lecture schedule

•Identify the assessment details

University of Bedfordshire 2

Practising Ideas: Approaches to Theory

UnderstandingDisciplined curiosity

InterdisciplinarityHumanitiesUniversity

‘the most fertile conditions for stimulating good work in the humanities may have more to do with the range and qualities of the minds an individual scholar engages with and learns from than it does with the concentration of expertise, in its narrow form, in a given sub-field’ (Collini 80, 2012) ‘Introducing students to the study of the humanities is more akin to inciting them to take part in a discussion than it is to equipping them to process information efficiently’ (Collini 81, 2012)

What is a University?

University of Al-Azhar (c. 970 CE) Cairo, Egypt

Nalanda University. Fifth century BCE to 1197 BCE Bihar, India

University of Bologna, Italy. Founded 1088

A university should engage in the ‘cultivation and care of the community’s highest aspirations and ideals.’

Thorstein Veblen on Culture and Society (68, 2003).

The humanities explore what it means to be human: the words, ideas, narratives and the art and artefacts that help us make sense of our lives and the world we live in; how we have created it, and are created by it…they help us to understand ourselves, our society and our place in the world.

Robert Adams (2,2010)

References• Collini, Stefan (2012) What are Universities For? London:

Penguin• Roberts, Adam (2010) ‘Past, Present and Future: The Public

Value of the Humanities and Social Sciences.’ British Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences. http://www.britac.ac.uk/news/news.cfm/newsid/364 Accessed 4/10/14

• Mestrovic, Stjepan(2008) Thorstein Veblen on Culture and Society. London: Sage

http://www.britac.ac.uk/news/news.cfm/newsid/364

What is a lecturer?


Expectations

• What is expected of you as students and us as lecturers?

• Prior to class?

• In class?

• After class?

Expectations

• You have to be here because you want to learn.

• We are here because we want to teach.

• Everything is learning.

• Learning is not easy.

• Learning requires an open mind.

• Learning is your responsibility (you need to want to learn).

• "The goal of teaching is learning, not teaching." (Hugo Rossi)

• We will demand a great deal of you in our class. We will demand a great deal of ourselves as well.

• Harassment of any type will not be tolerated.University of Bedfordshire 14

Goal setting and beliefs


Schedule


Lecture Schedule

Teaching week/Calendar week/Date

Theme, content, title

Lecture preparation(please see BREO for additional subject specific seminar preparation)

Teaching week 1Calendar week 41Week beginning Monday 6th October

Introduction to the unit: what is a university?Alice Barnaby and Louise Douse


What is art?Alice Barnaby

Carey, J. (2005) ‘What is a work of art?’ in What good are the arts? London: Faber and Faber, pp. 1-31.[Available Online – see BREO Guided Learning]


What is theory? What is philosophy?Gareth Farmer

Barry, P. (1995) ‘Theory before ‘theory’ – Liberal Humanism,’ in Beginning Theory. Manchester: Manchester University Press, pp. 34-36. [Available Online – see BREO Guided Learning]


Lecture Schedule





The cultural influence of the BibleProfessor Bob Owens

Carruthers, J. (2006) ‘Literature,’ in Sawyer, J. F. A. (ed.) The Blackwell companion to the Bible and culture, Oxford: Blackwell Publishing, pp. 253-267.[Available Online – see BREO Guided Learning]

Teaching week 5Calendar week 45Week beginning Monday 3rd November

Skills Session 1: Summary and QuotationLouise Douse

Creme, P. and Lea, M. R. (2008) ‘5.5 Reading and note taking,’ in Writing at university: a guide for students. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Open University Press, pp. 58-59. [Available Online – see BREO Guided Learning]

Teaching week 6Calendar week 46Week beginning Monday 10th November

Ideas of AntiquityGiannandrea Poesio

Reading: Anderson, B. (2014) The invention of Antiquity.[Available Online – see BREO Guided Learning]


The RenaissanceMichael Faherty

Greenblatt, S. (2011) ‘The answer man,’ The Newyorker, 8 August [Available Online – see BREO Guided Learning]


Lecture Schedule





The EnlightenmentNicola Darwood

Kant, I. (1784) What is Enlightenment?[Available Online – see BREO Guided Learning]

Teaching week 9Calendar week 49Week beginning Monday 1st December

RomanticismGiannandrea Poesio

Wu, D (ed.) (2012) ‘Introduction’ and ‘Timeline,’ in Romanticism: an anthology, Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, pp. xxxii-xliv and pp. li-lxxix respectively.[Available Online – see BREO Guided Learning]

Teaching week 10Calendar week 50Week beginning Monday 8th December

Skills Session 2: Analysis and Annotated BibliographyLouise Douse

Creme, P. and Lea, M. R. (2008) ‘6.4 Considering your argument: working out your ‘story’ and getting your central idea,’ in Writing at university: a guide for students. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Open University Press, pp. 82-88. [Available Online – see BREO Guided Learning]


Assessment 1 - Portfolio

• When

• Friday 9th January 2015, electronic version through turnitin must be submitted.

• What

• This assessment requires you to compile a portfolio of all set writing tasks. This will include a commentary on a quotation, a summary of an article, a close analysis, and an annotated bibliography.

• Weighting of the assessment

• This assessment forms 30% of the unit.



• Commentary on a quotation

• Write a 250 word commentary on the following quotation:

• What is your aim in philosophy? – To shew the fly the way out of the fly-bottle.

Wittgenstein, L. (1956) Philosophical investigations. Translated by G. E. M. Anscombe. Oxford: Blackwell, p.103

• Summary of an article

• Write a 250 word summary of the following article, available on BREO:

• Carey, J. (2005) ‘What is a work of art?’ in What good are the arts? London: Faber and Faber, pp. 1-31.



• Close analysis

• Write a 500 word close analysis on one of the following texts:

• Night Journey by Martha Graham (Dance)

• Oedipus Rex / King Oedipus by Sophocles (Theatre)

• Romeo and Juliet by Baz Lehrmann (Performing Arts)

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (English)

• Annotated bibliography

• Produce an annotated bibliography with a minimum of five entries based on reading you have undertaken for this unit.


Assessment 2 - Essay

• When

• Friday 17th April 2015, electronic version through turnitin must be submitted.

• What

• This assessment requires you to individually produce a written essay of 1,500 words including quotations. You may select one of the practitioners/ authors/ playwrights that you have studied on this unit from your subject area.




Assessment 3 – Poster Presentation

• When

• Friday 1st May 2015, electronic version through turnitin must be submitted.

• What

• This assessment requires you to submit a poster presentation, you will also have the opportunity to deliver these presentations in groups during seminar time for feedback before submission. You will be provided with one texts from a possible four in your particular field.




Summary

25University of Bedfordshire

Next Lecture



What is art?Alice Barnaby

Carey, J. (2005) ‘What is a work of art?’ in What good are the arts? London: Faber and Faber, pp. 1-31.[Available Online – see BREO Guided Learning]

Weekly Musical Theatre Film Showing

• When: Tuesday 7th October at 6:30pm

• Where: Main Theatre

• What: The 1989 cult classic SING (running time: approximately 90 minutes)

• Synopsis:

• A woman returns to her high school as a teacher and convinces the school punk to become involved in the schools annual production "sing". When the board of education decides to close the school and refuses to allow the annual event to be held, the neighborhood and students come together to put the event on one last time. A cross between "Fame" and "Footloose".


Practising Ideas - Week 1 Lecture

Education

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