2010-2011 HBU Catalog - Houston Baptist University

MLA 6363 Men‘s Visions in Literature and Art
This course will examine a variety of 20 th century male perceptions, values, visions, and art forms. Western world
literature celebrates the courage, competitions, and conquests of men in conflict with one another, nature, God, and
themselves. Men who lose such conflicts consider themselves failures, and the literature about them is tragic. But when
a man wins those conflicts, he often destroys, damages, or diminishes his antagonists, the natural world, his God and
his own humanity, dignity, satisfaction and joy.
MLA 6366 Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Period
This course will focus on the life of Alexander, his impact on the Greek and Eastern Mediterranean world, and the
forces which he unleashed in the Hellenistic Period.
MLA 6368 Power in the Middle Ages
The question of what power is and who should wield it became particularly acute in the disorder of the Middle Ages.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire kings, nobles, and the church all attempted to maintain or expand their
authority. Women and intellectuals carved their own niche in the life of the time. We will examine how their battles for
power and the solutions they worked out in the heat of the moment not only built their institutions of government but
also laid the foundations for our own government and some of the ideas of liberty we hold most dear today.
MLA 6369 The World of Charles Dickens
This course will provide an overview of the life, world, and work of Charles Dickens, the ―Shakespeare of the English
novel.‖ His development as a writer will be traced through his major novels: Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Dombey
and Son, Little Dorrit.
MLA 6370 Women of the Medieval World
This course examines both the restrictions women faced in the medieval world and their creativity in overcoming them.
The lives of Hilda of Whitby, a major saint of Anglo-Saxon England; the treacherous Queen Fredegund of Frankish
Gaul; Queen Matilda, consort of William the Conqueror; and Eleanor of Aquitaine are examples of some of the
medieval women that will be examined.
MLA 6371 Music in the Theatre
The major emphasis of this course will be a presentation of the characteristics and differences between the Operetta and
the Broadway show. Discussion of the components of the operetta will use as illustrations Lehar, Strauss, and Victor
Herbert; the section on Broadway shows will feature standard composers such as Rodgers and Hammerstein and Lerner
and Loewe; and including, finally, the contemporaries such as Bernstein, Bacharach, Herman, and Sondheim.
MLA 6375 Van Gogh and the Post Impressionist Movement
The course deals with the major formative phase of the modern movement in art. Both Impressionist and Post
Impressionist styles and artists will be examined. The focus of the course is concerned with the expressive and lively
paintings of this modern master. His style will be traced from his early days in his native Holland, through his contact
with the Impressionists in Paris, to his final days in Southern France.
MLA 6376 Michelangelo and Leonardo
This course is concerned with a study of the art of two of the great masters of the High Renaissance in Italy -
Michelangelo Buonarroti and Leonardo da Vinci. These two great individuals, who have had a tremendous impact on
western culture from their own times through our own era, will be studied through a variety of their works.
MLA 6377 Contemporary Art Movements
This course is designed to provide an overview of the major visual art movements of the 20th century and to extend an
investigation into the current art scene. An introduction will begin with study of the influence of late 19th century
movements such as Impressionism, Postimpressionism, and Art Noveau.
MLA 6378 The Gothic Cathedral
This course examines the architectural development of the Christian Basilica from the middle of the twelfth through the
sixteen centuries. The Gothic Cathedral is an enduring symbol of the Middle Ages and provides one of the most
important links between ancient and modern times.
MLA 6385 Modern Architecture
This course is designed to provide an overview of the major developments of architecture of the 20th century pioneers.
The study will include the following: the innovations of the tall buildings in America, the Bauhaus in Germany, the
development of major masters of the 20th century, and new forms from new materials. An important objective of the
course is to explore current architects and their contemporary efforts, and a substantial part of the course will include an
investigation of the architecture of the metropolitan Houston area.
2010-2011 HBU Catalog www.hbu.edu/catalog Page 278