Course Syllabus

Spring 2026 | HUM-2200-VP01 - Art & Culture in a Diverse United States

In Person Class

Standard courses meet in person at CCV centers, typically once each week for the duration of the semester.

Faculty

Heath Fuller
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Sarah Maguire

General Education Requirements

Arts and Aesthetics

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This interdisciplinary course offers the opportunity to re-examine 19th-21st century art and culture in the United States through the lens of postcolonial and anti-racist thought. Students examine how a Eurocentric worldview has shaped ideas and concepts of value and beauty. Students explore the value, quality, influence, and integrity of the artistic and cultural expressions of Native American and African American communities and of Americans from immigrant and refugee backgrounds. The course examines short fiction, poems, essays, visual art, and music to see how individual artists and thinkers deliberately tackle and seek to dismantle racist and Eurocentric ways of thinking and seeing.

Essential Objectives

1. Define important terms such as colonialism, postcolonialism, neocolonialism, ethnocentrism, racism, and antiracism.
2. Identify how power structures and systems of thought have shaped perceptions of art and culture.
3. Identify the ways that colonial and ethnocentric perspectives have shaped ideas of beauty and quality to deliberately exclude and denigrate non-European ideas of beauty and quality.
4. Discuss the effect of colonization and systemic racism on the arts and cultures of Native American, African American, and immigrant communities and individuals.
5. Identify the ways that individuals and communities demonstrate resilience, flexibility, and agency through art and culture.
6. Examine how particular art/cultural objects may project a specific, inaccurate, or limited image of a culture.
7. Evaluate how interacting with cultural/art objects through different perspectives can bring about a perceived loss or gain in one’s identity when the lens changes.
8. Critically read, view, analyze, and evaluate selected works as they relate to postcolonial and antiracist thought.
9. Examine the historical, social, economic, political, and cultural circumstances that surround the creation of art.
10. Critically view and analyze short fiction, poems, essays, visual art, music, and elements of culture that overturn and dismantle the colonial narrative.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

HUM-2200-VP01 Link to Textbooks/Resources Information for this course in eCampus.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

• Lectures
• Readings & Other Materials
• In Class Videos and Pocasts
• In Class Discussions and Small Groups
• Art Reflection Essays
• Journals

Evaluation Criteria

• Participation (45 points)

• Reflection Essays (25 points)

• Dialogue Journals (20 points)

• Check In Journals (10 points)

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

You will be expected to participate in all discussions and small groups.Come to class each day with one question and one thought about the material, as well as prepared responses to the discussion prompt.CCV values a safe and respectful learning environment. Please take the time to understand and acknowledge the ideas and opinions of others before responding respectfully.

Missing & Late Work Policy

All assignments are due on the day that they are listed as due.Anything received in the following two weeks will be considered late.Unless you have made a special arrangement with me, assignments that are turned in late will lose five points per week and will not be accepted after they are two weeks overdue.Assignments that are not submitted within two weeks of their due date will receive a zero.Please reach out if you need support. We’reon the same team.

Because life is challenging, I understand that deadlines might not always be met. But, you’re in luck. We're on the same team. Late submissions will be accepted with a penalty for one week after the assignment is due. Don’t want the penalty? Here’s an incentive. If you recognize a due date might be a problem, advocate for your success by following these steps:

1. Identify the problem

2. Contact me to propose a solution

3. Let’s negotiate

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/student-support/accessibility-services/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

Apply Now for this semester.