MPC Gentrain Course

The Gentrain (General Education Train of Courses) Program has been provided at Monterey Peninsula College since 1974. It is an interdisciplinary course in Western history, and is presented in four four-week courses each fall and spring semester on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.

The entire program can be completed in four semesters. It can be taken for credit (one unit per four-week class) or non-credit. A team of four instructors, each with a specialty, discusses literature/drama, philosophy/religion, history, and art. Guest lecturers are added for science presentations. The Gentrain staff also leads Travel/Study trips to sites that have contributed to the development of Western Civilization.

Textbook
The Humanities, Volumes I & II, by Witt, Brown, Dunbar, Tirro, Witt. (on reserve in the MPC Library)
Here is a link to chapter outlines..
Trial Textbook

Student Learning Outcomes

See each Unit's Schedule

Activities

To master the materials of each Unit and to achieve the objectives above, you should

  1. Make sure that by test time, 10 a.m. last Thursday of each Unit, you have read and studied the textbook.
  2. See each Unit's Schedule for reading assignments.
  3. Take notes in class. If handouts are provided, save them for review, along with your notes, prior to the quiz.
  4. Most questions will be taken from lecture, with a large number directly from handouts. There will be approximately one quarter taken from the text.
  5. You may make a one page, HAND WRITTEN, cheat sheet for the Art Identification questions only.
  6. Feel free to visit Dr. Haffa’s office hours with any questions: M-F 11-12, in SS 204D.

Evaluation

1) The test consists of multiple choices questions drawn from the lectures and the text. It also includes several questions on the Art where you will have to identify the artist, title, era, place, and discuss the work of art and its importance. In addition, there will be several short answer questions from which you will choose two and write one paragraph responses. The short answer questions are worth 9 points each for a total of 50 points 50-43 = A; 42-36= B; 35-29=C; 28-24=D; 23-=F.

If you are taking the three unit, three credit class, you will take an exam at the end of each two week unit and the three grades will be averaged to arrive at your final grade.

DROPPING: If you want to drop the class, it is your responsibility to do so before the end of the second week. If you do not take the final exam, you will receive an F for the class.