3 - Integrated Studies 1
View Current Version
Delivery Mode: Grouped-Study
MAIS 601 provides students with an opportunity to explore the origins and roles of the various theories that inform the contemporary arts and social sciences-it provides the foundation for subsequent studies in the Program.
The first half of the course is sociohistorical in nature and introduces students to the foundational role theory played in shaping understanding, framing debates, and resolving differences during a crucial period of Western development: the Middle Ages.
The second half of the course invites students to reflect upon the first from the vantage point of interpretive, critical, and post-modernist perspectives that have called into question the modernist worldview that informed Western thought from the seventeenth century on. Through a careful consideration of the theories that inform modern educational practice and literary studies, students will be provided an opportunity to learn that the issues at stake in contemporary theoretical debates are far from new, many having been sources of dispute during, and even prior to, the Middle Ages. This is a required course.
Making Sense of Theory in the Arts and Social Sciences has two central goals. One goal is to familiarize students with the foundations of contemporary theory in the arts and social sciences. The second goal is to promote thinking, dialogue, and writing about theory in an interdisciplinary manner. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to
Students should be prepared to devote the time necessary to complete the various activities in this course: reading actively and critically; writing succinct, critical commentaries and posing insightful questions; moderating online discussions; researching and writing academic papers that are both critical and integrative. To help students develop these skills, the course professor will provide feedback on each activity. Students are expected to demonstrate a willingness to work.
In this foundation course, students will be assessed on a pass / fail basis. To help students plan their individual study schedules, each activity is weighted proportionately. Your work in this course will be evaluated according to style, thesis/argument, research, background/context, conclusion and grammar/mechanics.
To receive credit for Making Sense of Theory in the Arts and Social Sciences, students will be required to complete successfully each of the following activities.
The course materials for Master of Arts-Integrated Studies 601 include the items listed below. If you find that any of these items are missing from your course materials package, please contact Course Materials Production of Athabasca University at (780) 675-6366, or 1-800-788-9041, ext. 6366 (toll free from anywhere in Canada or the United States). You may also write in care of Athabasca University, 1 University Drive, Athabasca AB T9S 3A3; or direct your e-mail to cmat@athabascau.ca.
Course Guide: contains the course introduction, objectives, reading assignments, participation activities, assignments and evaluation criteria, and other information students will need to complete the course successfully. The "Course Schedule" identifies the course activities and assignments that students are to follow each week. The Assignment File section at the back of the Course Guide explains the assignments you will have to complete to get credit for the course. Students should take time to review the information in this document in order to become familiar with the design of the course.
Reading File: The assigned readings, which supplement the course textbooks, are included in the Reading File. The Study Schedule in the Course Guide will direct you to each of the readings.