UH 201 Section 001: Classics & West Culture
Fall, 2009
3 Credit Hours
Primary Instructor: William Ulmer
Core Designation: University Honors, Humanities
UH 201-001 Professor William A. Ulmer
MWF
Classroom: Nott 292 EN office: 348-5065
Office hours right after class and by appointment.
Prerequisite: memebership in the University Honors Program
Course Description and Pre-requisites: UH 201 This course is broad in scope and content. It provides a perspective on the western literary tradition from Homer to the Medieval period. It carries a Core HU.
Course Objectives: Student Learning Outcomes. At the end of the course, students will know some of the characteristic concerns of the Classical tradition; they will also understand the problems that arose when that tradition was “reborn” in the Christian literary culture of Medieval Europe; finally, they will be able to write argumentative essays closely controlled by the evidential needs of a central idea.
Syllabus: Note: both reading assignments and discussion foci may change to accommodate class
dynamics.
Jan. 11 Introduction to class
13 Homer, Iliad 1-2
15 Iliad 3-6
18 No class: MLK Day
20 Iliad 7-12
22 Iliad 13-17
25 Iliad 18-19
27 Iliad 20-24
29 Odyssey 1-4
Feb. 1 Odyssey 5-8
3 Odyssey 9
5 Odyssey 10-12
8 Odyssey 13-19
10 Odyssey 20-24
12 Discussion of Essay Writing
15 Introduction to Greek Tragedy
17 Sophocles, Antigone. First paper due.
19 Sophocles, Oedipus the King
22 Oedipus the King (cont.)
24 Oedipus the King (cont.)
26 Euripides, Hippolytus
March 1 Hippolytus (cont.)
3 Euripides, Medea
5 Euripides: The Bacchae
8 The Bacchae (cont.)
10 Virgil, The Aeneid 1
12 Aeneid 2
22 Aeneid 3
24 Aeneid 4 Second paper due
26 Aeneid 5-6
29 Aeneid 7-8
31 Aeneid 9-10
April 2 Aeneid 11-12
5 Lecture: Introduction to Dante
7 Dante, Inferno 1
9 Inferno 11
12 Inferno 2-5. Focus: Paolo and Francesca (Canto 5).
14 Inferno 6-10. Focus: entering Dis, Farinata and Cavalcante (Cantos 9, 10)
16 Inferno 6-10 (cont.)
19 Inferno 12-16
21 Inferno 12-16 (cont.)
23 Inferno 17-30
26 Inferno 17-30 (cont.)
28 Inferno 31-34
30 Inferno 31-34 (cont.)
May Final Exam, Friday 5/7,
me your final essay as an attachment by
Assignments and Grading: there are three 5-page, non-researched papers in this class (12 point, Times New Roman). Each essay comprises 30% of a student’s grade. The remaining 10% of the course grade comes from reading quizzes: 5-question quizzes given at the beginning of class at virtually every meeting. Missed quizzes will counts as 0s, but everyone’s three lowest quiz grades will be dropped. Since quizzes are given partly as an attendance incentive, students may not come to class to take the quiz but then leave. Impressive class participation can raise borderline grades, but quiet students will not be penalized for their quietness. Students will receive numerical grades on all assignments. Students will choose their own paper topics. I will provide guidance regarding both content and form, and our March 10 class will review essay writing and the essay assignments. The papers in here are conceived as exercises in independent thought in which students use class notes, certainly, but also think their way beyond them by developing their own independent perspectives. If you just summarize class notes, your paper will fall into the B’s for me, at the best. Due dates are noted on the syllabus. While it is clearly best to turn you paper in to me in class, you may also send it as an email attachment; if you do that, however, you are responsible for all problems of transmission, even if they involve technological matters beyond your control. I do not expect to receive late papers from Honors students, but if I do, unexcused late work will be penalized out of fairness to students who met the deadline. Since research is prohibited in these essays, there should be no question or possibility of unacknowledged secondary material incorporated in student writing. Students who use bad judgment and resort to plagiarism will be prosecuted through official channels. It is the student’s responsibility to understand plagiarism; see me if you’re unsure.
See "Exams and Assignments" section just above.
Missed reading quizzes may not be made up. . I do not expect to receive late papers from Honors students, but if I do, unexcused late work will be penalized out of fairness to students who met the deadline.
Attendance Policy: encouraged but not required. Attendance is necessary for success in the class.
Additional Information: Students are responsible for all information presented in class, both substantive lecture-material and announcements about assignments and policies. Students are also expected to observe the usual courtesies: arriving on time, turning off cell phones, staying in their seats once class begins, and in general treating the material and fellow classmates respectfully. You should bring your text to class without fail—I have the right to ask you to read aloud—and may not sit in my classroom and study for some other class. If you need to contact me, my and e-mail address appears on p. 1 of this syllabus. Please do not leave me messages asking me to call you. Also, I get asked to write a lot of letters of recommendation for students; if you think you might want such a letter from me down the line, keep your papers so that I can refresh my memory and write a better, more detailed letter. Many Honors students, even those headed for med school, seem to want recommendations from Humanities faculty, and I would be happy to help you on your way.
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The Academic Misconduct Disciplinary Policy will be followed in the event of academic misconduct.
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