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Humanities 110

Introduction to the Humanities

Syllabus - Fall 2026

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Coming Up

Week 1

Mon 31 Aug

In-Person lecture: 9:00-9:50am in Vollum Lecture Hall

Assignment

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh
  • Students should read the whole of Gilgamesh prior to the first day of class.

Lecture: TBA

Wed 2 Sep

Assignment

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh

Lecture: TBA

Fri 4 Sep

Assignment

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh

Lecture: TBA

Week 2

Wed 9 Sep

Assignment

  • Genesis, Books-1-24

Lecture: TBA

Fri 11 Sep

Assignment

  • Genesis, Books 25-50

Lecture: TBA

Full Schedule

Week 1

Mon 31 Aug

In-Person lecture: 9:00-9:50am in Vollum Lecture Hall

Assignment

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh
  • Students should read the whole of Gilgamesh prior to the first day of class.

Lecture: TBA

Wed 2 Sep

Assignment

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh

Lecture: TBA

Fri 4 Sep

Assignment

  • The Epic of Gilgamesh

Lecture: TBA

Week 2

Wed 9 Sep

Assignment

  • Genesis, Books-1-24

Lecture: TBA

Fri 11 Sep

Assignment

  • Genesis, Books 25-50

Lecture: TBA

Week 3

Mon 14 Sep

In-Person lecture: 9:00-9:50am in Vollum Lecture Hall

Assignment

  • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, Books 1-2

Lecture: TBA

Wed 16 Sep

Assignment

  • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, Books 3-4

Lecture: TBA

Fri 18 Sep

Assignment

  • Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, Books 5-6

Lecture: TBA

Sat 19 Sep

First paper due

Due Saturday, September 19, at 2:00 PM to your conference leader.

Week 4

Mon 21 Sep

In-Person lecture: 9:00-9:50am in Vollum Lecture Hall

Assignment

  • Tale of Sinuhe

Lecture: TBA

Wed 23 Sep

Assignment

  • Herodotus, Histories Book 1.1-105

Lecture: TBA

Fri 25 Sep

Assignment

  • Herodotus, Histories, Book 1.106-216

Lecture: TBA

Week 5

Mon 28 Sep

Assignment

  • Herodotus, Histories Book 2

Lecture: TBA

Wed 30 Sep

Assignment

  • Herodotus, Histories Book 7.1-137

Lecture: TBA

Fri 2 Oct

Assignment

  • Herodotus, Histories Book 7.138-239

Lecture: TBA

Week 6

Mon 5 Oct

In-Person lecture: 9:00-9:50am in Vollum Lecture Hall

Assignment

  • Herodotus, Histories Books 8 and 9.107-122 (Tues. Books 8 and 9.107-122)

Lecture: TBA

Wed 7 Oct

Assignment

  • Apuleius, Golden Ass Books 1-4.27

Lecture: TBA

Fri 9 Oct

Lecture: No reading or lecture

Sat 10 Oct

Second Paper Due

Due Saturday, October 10, at 2:00 PM to your conference leader.

Week 7

Mon 12 Oct

Assignment

  • Apuleius, The Golden Ass 4.28-6

Lecture: TBA

Wed 14 Oct

Assignment

  • Apuleius, The Golden Ass 7-8

Lecture: TBA

Fri 16 Oct

Assignment

  • Apuleius, The Golden Ass 9-11

Lecture: TBA

Sat 17 Oct

Fall Break

October 17 – October 25

Week 8

Mon 26 Oct

In-Person lecture: 9:00-9:50am in Vollum Lecture Hall

Assignment

Lecture: TBA

Wed 28 Oct

Assignment

  • and
  • Ann Macy Roth, “” in Cathleen A. Keller, “The Statuary of Hatshepsut,” in Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh, ed. Catharine A. Roehrig (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005), pp. 9-14.
  • Cathleen A. Keller, “” in Hatshepsut: From Queen to Pharaoh, ed. Catharine A. Roehrig (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2005), pp. 158-173.
  • Gallery

Lecture: TBA

Fri 30 Oct

Assignment

  • Excerpts from Osmund Bopearachchi,
  • Gallery: Gandharan art
  • Lecture: study histories of cross-cultural exchange and trade between Mediterranean world and other regions through Gandharan Buddhist sculpture;

Lecture: TBA

Week 9

Mon 2 Nov

Assignment

  • Rachel Kousser, “,” Art Bulletin 91.3 (2009): pp. 263-282.
  • Gallery:

Lecture: TBA

Wed 4 Nov

Assignment

  • Lecturer’s choice of Persian inscriptions from Kuhrt
  • Gallery (to be composed of images from University of Chicago site and other sources; include Neo-Assyrian palace reliefs for comparison)

Lecture: TBA

Fri 6 Nov

Assignment

  • Carolyn Dean, “,” Art Journal 65, no. 2 (2006): 24-32.

Lecture: TBA

Sat 7 Nov

Third Paper due

Saturday, November 7, 12:00 AM – 12:00 AM

Week 10

Mon 9 Nov

In-Person lecture: 9:00-9:50am in Vollum Lecture Hall

Assignment

  • Cemal Pulak, “,” in Beyond

Lecture: TBA

Wed 11 Nov

Assignment

  • Lecturer’s choice of one of two chapters: J. A. Baird, “,” in The Inner Lives of Ancient Houses: An Archaeology of Dura-Europos (Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 1-38 OR J. A. Baird, “,” in The Inner Lives of Ancient Houses: An Archaeology of Dura-Europos (Oxford University Press, 2014), pp. 155-208.
  • Gallery

Lecture: TBA

Fri 13 Nov

Assignment

  • Christina Riggs, “,” American Journal of Archaeology 106, no. 1 (2002): 85-101.
  •  

Lecture: TBA

Week 11

Mon 16 Nov

Lecture: TBA

Wed 18 Nov

Lecture: TBA

Fri 20 Nov

Lecture: TBA

Week 12

Mon 23 Nov

In-Person lecture: 9:00-9:50am in Vollum Lecture Hall

Lecture: TBA

Wed 25 Nov

Lecture: TBA

Thu 26 Nov

Thanksgiving Break

November 26 – November 29

Week 13

Mon 30 Nov

Lecture: TBA

Wed 2 Dec

Lecture: TBA

Fri 4 Dec

Lecture: No Reading or Lecture

Sat 5 Dec

Fourth Paper Due

Due Saturday, December 5, at 2:00 PM to your conference leader.

Week 14

Mon 7 Dec

In-Person lecture: 9:00-9:50am in Vollum Lecture Hall

Lecture: TBA

Wed 9 Dec

In-Person lecture: 9:00-9:50am in Vollum Lecture Hall

Lecture: TBA

Week 15

Mon 14 Dec

Final Exam

Monday, December 14, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Exam Instructions
Exam Website

Course Logistics

REQUIRED TEXTS

  • Apuleius. The Golden Ass. Trans. Sarah Ruden. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2011.
  • Berlin Adele, and Mark Zvi Brettler, eds. The Jewish Study Bible: Tanakh Translation. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press 2014 
  • The Epic of Gilgamesh the Babylonian Epic Poem and Other Texts in Akkadian and Sumerian. Trans. Andrew George. London: Penguin Classics, 2003.
  • Herodotus. The Histories. Trans. Aubrey de Selincourt. London: Penguin, 2003. 
  • Lucretius Carus, Titus. On the Nature of Things. Trans. Walter G. Englert.  Indianapolis: Focus, 2003.
  • “The Tale of Sinuhe” in The Tale of Sinuhe and Other Ancient Egyptian Poems 1940-1640 B.C. Ed. R.B. Parkinson. London: Oxford University Press, 2009. 21-53.
  • Plato, Republic, trans. Reeve (Hackett)
  • Euripides, Euripides I, ed. David Grene and Richmond Lattimore (University of Chicago Press) (this is the one we used before OR this one:
  • ALSO: National Theatre London has a Medea performance that available through the library:
  • )

Additional assigned texts are available on e-reserves accessible via links embedded in the syllabus below. You will need your ÈËÆÞÓÕ»ó username and password to access these texts. Please bring a copy of the day’s reading assignment to class each day. The library has on reserve a limited number of the required books.

​​LECTURES
On most Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays of the semester, a lecture is assigned. On many Mondays (weeks 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14) and on the very first and last Wednesdays of the semester, these lectures are delivered in-person, and for these lectures we will meet in Vollum Lecture Hall at 9:00 am. Please be on time; the moments when we all gather together as a unified class are important. In-person lecture days are flagged on the syllabus. The other lectures will be posted so they can be accessed online; you can review these when it is most convenient to do so, but, obviously, do so before your conference meeting. Some of these lectures have been reused from last year, but, of course, only when still relevant. Lecture are regularly updated.

CONFERENCE ASSIGNMENTS
Humanities 110 is a yearlong course, and students are expected to remain in the same conference throughout the year. In cases of absolutely unresolvable schedule conflicts, students may petition for a change of conference time. Petitions (in the form of an email) should be addressed to Ariadna Garcia-Bryce, including an explanation of the conflict and why it cannot be resolved. Students granted a change of conference time will be assigned to new sections based on available slots and the student’s schedule; requests to move into a particular conference generally cannot be honored.

PAPERS AND WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
Four course-wide papers will be assigned in the fall semester, due at the times designated on the syllabus. Individual conference leaders may assign additional writing. If the due date for an assignment conflicts with a religious holiday or obligation that you wish to observe, please consult with your conference leader. Over the course of the semester, students are also required to submit at least three conference discussion questions, in writing, to their conference leader. Due dates for these questions are determined by individual conference leaders.

DISABILITY ACCOMMODATIONS
If you have a documented disability requiring accommodations, please contact Disability Support Services. Notifications of accommodations on exams, papers, other writing assignments, or conferences should be directed to your conference leader. Notifications of accommodations regarding lectures can be directed to the chair of the course, Ariadna Garcia-Bryce. You are advised to consult with your conference leader about how your accommodations might apply to specific assignments or circumstances in this course.

RESOURCES FOR SUPPORT
Your conference leader is your first line of support for any questions you have about the course. Please also be sure to explore the Hum 110 website for additional information. The Course Resources entries provide brief introductions to upcoming readings and suggestions for how to approach them. The Writing in Hum 110 page provides tips on the writing process.

To support your success in HUM 110, we  encourage you to sign up for tutoring early in the semester. Tutors can help you not only with course content but also with developing essential skills such as critical reading, and analytical writing skills. There are two main tutoring resources available.

  •  : Our writing tutors are here to help you with all aspects of your
    writing, from brainstorming and organizing your ideas to refining your final drafts.
    (Type “Writing” in the search for a course tutor box.)
  •  These tutors are specialized in helping you understand the
    course material and improve your overall study skills. They can assist with both
    content-specific questions and general academic skills. (Type “Hum 110” in the
    search for a course tutor box.)

Students are eligible for one free hour of individual tutoring per course, per week. In addition, they may receive one free hour of one-on-one writing tutoring per week. We recommend scheduling regular sessions with a tutor to build a consistent support system throughout the semester. These sessions can be scheduled well in advance of the papers, for example. Further information on tutoring is available here.

Drop-in Writing Tutors. If you need immediate assistance or have a quick question, there are also drop-in tutoring hours for the Writing Center, with extra hours scheduled around Hum papers. Drop-in hours for the Writing Center are posted here. Drop-in tutoring is free.