Introduction to Humanities II

Course Description

HUM2020 – Introduction to Humanities II is a 3-credit lecture-discussion course that continues the interdisciplinary humanities survey introduced in HUM1020, typically focusing on the modern period (the 17th or 18th centuries through the 21st century) or, at some institutions, on global humanities traditions complementing HUM1020's Western emphasis. Students engage with art, music, literature, philosophy, religion, theatre, and architecture in their historical, cultural, and intellectual contexts. Most institutions structure the course as a chronological survey from the Baroque or Enlightenment through Modernism and Postmodernism, with significant attention to non-Western traditions; some institutions take a more thematic approach.

The course sits within the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS) under Humanities > Humanities: General and is offered at approximately 21 Florida public institutions. HUM2020 is designated under Florida State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.030 ("Gordon Rule") as a writing-intensive humanities course at most institutions; a grade of C or higher is required for the course to satisfy Gordon Rule requirements at most institutions. HUM2020 satisfies the humanities general-education requirement at every Florida public institution.

HUM2020 is the chronological complement to HUM1020 (Introduction to Humanities). The two courses can typically be taken in either order. Many students take HUM1020 and HUM2020 together as their two humanities courses for the AA degree. Some institutions also offer specialized period-focused humanities courses (HUM2210 The Humanistic Tradition, HUM2220 The Humanistic Tradition II, HUM2230 Twentieth-Century Humanities, HUM2410 Asian Humanities, HUM2461 African Humanities) that may serve as alternatives or complements.

Learning Outcomes

Required Outcomes

Upon successful completion of HUM2020, students will be able to:

• Identify and describe the major epochs covered in the course (typically the Baroque/Enlightenment through Postmodernism, often with significant non-Western coverage) and their characteristic artistic, philosophical, and intellectual developments.
• Analyze and interpret representative works of art, architecture, music, literature, theatre, and philosophy from each epoch using appropriate methods of formal and contextual analysis.
• Apply critical thinking to humanities texts: distinguishing primary from secondary sources; evaluating multiple interpretations; constructing reasoned interpretations.
• Trace the continuation and transformation of major humanistic ideas (the self, the community, the divine, beauty, justice, truth, freedom, identity) across modern epochs.
• Connect humanities works to their historical, political, social, scientific, and economic contexts: the political revolutions; industrialization; imperialism and decolonization; world wars; civil rights and social movements; globalization; the digital age.
• Engage with non-Western humanities traditions: Asian, Islamic, African, Latin American, Indigenous American, and Pacific traditions of art, music, literature, philosophy, and religion.
• Demonstrate college-level writing through critical analysis essays, response papers, and/or research papers (typically 6,000+ words across the semester to satisfy Gordon Rule).
• Use discipline-specific vocabulary for visual arts, music, literature, theatre, philosophy, and humanities scholarship.
• Engage thoughtfully with works that challenge familiar assumptions: works from unfamiliar cultures or with provocative content; works that require extended attention or multiple readings.

Optional Outcomes

Depending on instructor approach and institutional emphasis, students may also:

• Apply contemporary critical approaches to humanities texts: feminist, postcolonial, Marxist, psychoanalytic, structuralist, queer-theory, and ecocritical approaches.
• Engage with cultural studies and identity-based analysis: race, gender, sexuality, and class in humanities works; canon formation and revision.
• Conduct scholarly research using library databases and produce a research paper applying humanities methods.
• Engage in sustained close reading or close looking: extended critical analysis of single works.
• Visit museums, galleries, theatre productions, or concerts as part of course experience.
• Engage with contemporary humanities issues: humanities in the digital age; AI and creativity; cultural appropriation; canon revision; the role of humanities in public life.
• Engage with creative production: original creative work in response to course themes.

Major Topics

Required Topics

The specific topical structure of HUM2020 varies considerably by institution and instructor. Below is a representative chronological framework; instructors may rearrange, expand, or contract specific units, and may add substantial non-Western coverage.

• The Baroque and Enlightenment (c. 1600–1800): Baroque art and architecture (Caravaggio, Bernini, Rembrandt, Vermeer); Baroque music (Bach, Vivaldi, Handel); the Scientific Revolution; the Enlightenment philosophers (Locke, Voltaire, Rousseau, Kant); Neoclassical art and music; the political revolutions (American, French).
• Romanticism (late 18th–mid 19th centuries): Romantic philosophy and aesthetics; Romantic visual art (Friedrich, Turner, Delacroix, Goya); Romantic literature (Wordsworth, Coleridge, Keats, Shelley, Byron, Goethe); Romantic music (Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Berlioz, Wagner); revolutionary and Promethean themes.
• Realism, Impressionism, and Industrial-Age Humanities (mid–late 19th century): Realism in art and literature; the social novel (Dickens, Tolstoy, Zola); Impressionist painting and music; Wagner and the late-Romantic synthesis; Marx and the philosophy of social transformation; Darwin and evolutionary thought; Nietzsche.
• Modernism (early 20th century): The shock of the new; Cubism (Picasso, Braque); Expressionism; Futurism; Dada and Surrealism; modernist literature (Eliot, Joyce, Woolf, Kafka); modernist music (Stravinsky, Schoenberg, jazz); the impact of WWI; Freud and psychoanalysis.
• Mid-20th Century: Existentialism (Sartre, Camus); Abstract Expressionism; the impact of WWII and the Holocaust; Cold War humanities; jazz and American popular music; civil rights and the arts; postcolonial voices.
• Postmodernism and Contemporary Humanities (late 20th century–present): Postmodern art, architecture, and literature; the questioning of grand narratives; identity-based art and literature; the contemporary art world; world music; globalization; the digital age; AI and the arts.
• Non-Western Traditions (integrated throughout): Selections from Asian humanities (Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Southeast Asian); Islamic civilization; African and African-diasporic humanities; Latin American humanities; Indigenous American traditions; Pacific traditions.
• Critical Methods: Formal analysis of visual works; close reading of texts; contextual and historical analysis; comparison and synthesis across cultures and periods.
• Writing in the Humanities: Critical essays; response papers; research papers; documentation (typically MLA or Chicago).

Optional Topics

• Critical and Theoretical Approaches: Feminist criticism; postcolonial criticism; psychoanalytic criticism; Marxist criticism; structuralism, post-structuralism, and deconstruction; reader-response theory; ecocriticism; queer theory.
• Specific Tradition Deep-Dives: One or more non-Western traditions covered in greater depth (Chinese; Japanese; Indian; Islamic; African; Latin American; Indigenous American).
• Contemporary Issues: Cultural appropriation; canon revision; the role of humanities in public life; humanities and the climate crisis; AI and creativity.
• Museum/Concert/Theatre Experience: Direct engagement with cultural institutions; reflection on live and direct experience.
• Creative Response: Original creative work in response to course themes.
• Florida Cultural Resources: Local museums and cultural institutions as part of course experience.

Resources & Tools

• Most-adopted textbooks at Florida institutions: Landmarks in Humanities by Gloria K. Fiero (McGraw-Hill); The Humanistic Tradition (six-volume series) by Fiero (McGraw-Hill) — the most widely-adopted multi-volume humanities series; The Western Humanities by Matthews and Platt; Culture and Values: A Survey of the Humanities by Cunningham and Reich (Cengage).
• Open-access alternatives: Several Florida institutions have moved toward instructor-curated readers and open educational resources to reduce textbook costs. Project Gutenberg (free public-domain texts), Khan Academy Smarthistory (free art history), Naxos Music Library (typically via institution subscription), and the Metropolitan Museum's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History are widely used.
• Online learning platforms: McGraw-Hill Connect (paired with Fiero); Cengage MindTap; institution-specific Canvas modules.
• Image and audio resources: Smarthistory; Met Museum Heilbrunn Timeline; Naxos Music Library; IMSLP (free public-domain music scores); Project Gutenberg; Google Arts & Culture; the Royal Academy of Arts; the National Gallery of Art (free image collection).
• Florida cultural institutions (for museum visits and live performances): The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (Sarasota); the Salvador Dalí Museum (St. Petersburg); the Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM); the Norton Museum of Art (West Palm Beach); the Cummer Museum (Jacksonville); the Harn Museum at UF; the Tampa Museum of Art; the Mary Brogan Museum (Tallahassee); the Orlando Museum of Art; Florida Orchestra (Tampa Bay); Sarasota Orchestra; Orlando Philharmonic; Asolo Repertory Theatre (Sarasota); Orlando Shakes; the Adrienne Arsht Center (Miami).
• Reference texts: Bullfinch's Mythology; the Norton Anthology of World Literature; The Oxford Companion volumes for various disciplines.
• Tutoring and support: Institution writing centers (especially important for Gordon Rule essays); humanities librarians.

Career Pathways

HUM2020 is a foundational humanities course supporting nearly every field involving cultural literacy, critical thinking, and clear writing. Florida-relevant pathways include:

• K–12 Teacher (Social Studies, English, Art, Music) — pathway through Florida education programs.
• Museum Educator / Curator / Cultural Programmer — Florida's substantial museum and cultural-institution sector.
• Arts Administrator / Cultural-Sector Professional — Florida's performing arts, museums, and arts agencies; the State of Florida Division of Arts and Culture.
• Journalist / Content Writer / Editor — humanities skills support clear, contextual writing.
• Tourism and Hospitality (with cultural focus) — Florida's heritage tourism, cultural travel, and theme-park entertainment design.
• Lawyer (long-term) — humanities preparation supports legal study.
• Marketing, Advertising, Communications — humanities-trained writers and analysts are valuable in creative industries.
• Library Science, Archival Work, Records Management — Florida public libraries, university archives, state and county historical societies.
• Counseling, Social Work, Public Service (long-term) — humanities builds foundational understanding of human experience.
• Higher Education / Academia (with graduate study) — pathway into humanities graduate programs.

Special Information

Articulation and Transfer

HUM2020 articulates to all Florida SUS institutions and satisfies the humanities general-education requirement at every Florida public institution. A grade of C or higher is required for the course to count toward Gordon Rule satisfaction. HUM2020 typically counts as one of the two humanities courses required for the AA degree.

The Gordon Rule

HUM2020 is designated as a writing-intensive course under Florida State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.030. The total writing volume across formal essays typically meets or exceeds 6,000 words. Common assignment types include short response papers (250–500 words), critical analysis essays (750–1,500 words), comparative essays (1,000–1,500 words), and at least one research paper (1,500–2,500 words).

Companion Course: HUM1020

HUM1020 (Introduction to Humanities) typically focuses on humanities from antiquity through the early modern period (Fertile Crescent through the Renaissance). HUM2020 picks up from the Baroque or Enlightenment forward and gives more attention to non-Western traditions. The two courses can typically be taken in either order; students who take both will have completed a substantial humanities foundation.

Other Florida Humanities Courses

Several specialized humanities courses exist as alternatives or complements:

• HUM2210 / HUM2220 — The Humanistic Tradition I / II (period-focused surveys at some institutions).
• HUM2230 — Twentieth-Century Humanities.
• HUM2410 — Asian Humanities (regional focus).
• HUM2461 — African Humanities (regional focus).
• HUM2480 — Latin American Humanities.

Students should consult their advisor about which humanities courses best satisfy their major and gen-ed needs.

Course Format and Workload

HUM2020 is typically a lecture-discussion course meeting three hours per week, often offered in face-to-face, hybrid, and fully online formats. Expect substantial reading (a chapter per week from the primary text plus selected primary sources and supplementary materials), regular short writing assignments, 2–4 major essays, and 2–4 exams (often a mix of objective and essay questions). Out-of-class workload typically runs 6–9 hours per week. Successful students engage with primary sources directly rather than relying solely on textbook summaries; museum and concert/theatre attendance enrich the experience substantially.

Course Code Variations

Florida institutions title this course "Introduction to Humanities II," "Humanities II," or "The Humanistic Tradition II." The course is consistently 3 credits across institutions. Coverage varies more than HUM1020 — some institutions emphasize the Western chronological survey (Baroque through Postmodernism), others emphasize global and non-Western traditions in counterpoint to HUM1020's Western focus. Students should consult their specific section's syllabus.