Course Syllabus ~ Humanities 3/Western Civilization 3
Semester/Instructor: Spring, 2009, with Dr. Kaliopi Pappas.
When: Fridays, 8:30-11:20 am. Final exam: Wed., May 20 @ 8 am.
Where: Tracy Center, Room 121.
Course Registration Numbers: 50360 (Civilization) and 51066 (Humanities)
Instructor Email: kpappas@deltacollege.edu. Email is the quickest way to get in
touch with me, though I cannot guarantee a quick response, nor can I guarantee that I
will receive your mail. You may also leave me messages by calling Tracy Center, or
leaving notes for me there. :) I will check my office box about once a week.
Remember, my box is for non-time-sensitive messages ONLY; do NOT leave exams or
assignments with office staff or in my box unless I specifically instruct you to do so.
Thank you.
Texts:
1) R. Matthews and F. DeWitt Platt. The Western Humanities, 6th edition. Boston:
McGraw-Hill. Available at the Delta College Bookstore, on main campus. Also
available through http://bookstore.deltacollege.edu. This is the full edition,
preantiquity-the present.
2) Course reader, compiled by the instructor and available online at
http://www.civ.strangegirl.com/. Both textbook and website readings are
REQUIRED.
About The Course:
From the Valley of the Kings to the Acropolis to the Sistine Chapel to the Alexander
Palace to the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair...
We’re going to experience a whirlwind interdisciplinary journey through the cultural
history of the western world! We’ll be examining bits of literature, art, music, film, and
even a bit of popular culture(!) in order to better understand the cultural traditions which
undergird present-day life in the West today. There’s a lot to cover, but from so many
ideas, there should be plenty to interest you.
Student Obligations:
There will be a LOT of reading, and in-class discussion is expected! :D You must
have regular, weekly access to the course website. You must check your Delta
College student email every day, in case I need to get in touch with you.
Read this syllabus carefully, as it is the administrative backbone of the course. You are
responsible for knowing and understanding the information presented here. That
being said, you should also understand that anything presented here, particularly our
schedule and particular assignments, may be adjusted as we go along. I know this all
sounds very uptight, but once we dispense with the formalities, we can begin to have
fun with the material. :)
Attendance/Enrollment/General Logistics
Refund date 1/26/2009.
Last drop date without a W: 2/6/2009.
Last drop date with a W: 4/22/2009.
If you are currently on the waitlist, I’ll add you as space is available. If you are NOT
registered for the class and NOT officially on the waitlist, you may add yourself to the
waitlist via the Delta online registration site. If you have some sort of hold on your
registration, I cannot add you to the class until that hold is resolved. Realize that there
will be absolutely no adds after the second class meeting.
Remember to CHECK YOUR ENROLLMENT now and periodically over the course
of the semester to make sure you are actually signed up for the class; it’s you’re
responsibility to make sure you are appropriately enrolled (or unenrolled, if you
have to drop). It’s also your responsibility to drop yourself if you need to, for
ANY reason. If you are in ANY doubt over the status of your enrollment, CHECK!
If there’s a problem, contact me and I’ll try to help.
You must attend class regularly, take notes, and participate in discussions and
activities. Participation, and by extension attendance, will affect your grade (See
excused absence policy below). Please be on time, and plan to stay the whole class
period. Yes, that means you’re expected to come back after the break. :) To verify
your attendance, be sure to sign your enrollment name clearly on the attendance
sheet at each class meeting, including test days. This is important!
If you miss any of the first three class meetings for any reason, you may be dropped.
This is pursuant to college Policy 5150, Section A:
“Any student who fails to attend any class session during the first three sessions of the
class at the beginning of a term may be dropped from that class unless the student has
advised and obtained an absence approval from the faculty member.“
Additionally:
“A faculty member shall mandatorily drop a student from class when the student's
absences prior to the end of the fourth week of the semester exceed two weeks of class
time (i.e. 2 X the number of times the class meets per week throughout the semester).”
(Policy 5150, Section B)
However, if you need to drop the course at any time during the semester, please use
the appropriate official channels to do so. DO NOT simply stop coming to class; I will
not automatically assume you aren’t coming back. And once you do drop, please notify
me so I’ll know to drop you from my roll. It is always your responsibility to drop the
course if you cannot continue at any time for any reason. If your schedule or
personal life is too hectic for you to be able to do course assignments (including
readings), attend class regularly, and turn in assignments/take exams on time,
then you should seriously consider dropping the class.
No Late Work/No Makeups Policy and Excused Absences
Be aware that I do not accept late work or schedule makeup exams except in very rare
and exceptional circumstances usually involving EXCUSED ABSENCES (see below).
So, for all intents and purposes, my policy is: NO LATE WORK ACCEPTED! NO
MAKEUP EXAMS! COME TO EVERY CLASS MEETING! DO NOT EXPECT OR
ASSUME ANYTHING!
The vast majority of my students have been conscientious and honest, but there have
been some exceptions. There are people who will push for late credit, exam retakes, or
excused absences after the fact, for no justifiable reasons. This is not only rude, it’s
completely unfair to the students who work hard to come to class and turn things in on
time, regardless of their personal circumstances. This is why I don’t normally accept
late work or schedule makeups. This is also why I expect you to let me know when and
why you cannot make it to class, whether or not the absence is excusable.
Please understand that by notifying me, however, you are not automatically excused
from participation, as your reasons may not warrant an excuse. Also understand that if I
say something like, “Okay, thanks for telling me,” you should not take my response as
proof of excuse, nor of proof of my intent to excuse you. Even with an excused
absence, you are still responsible for class activities taking place on missed days, as
well as for completing and turning in (on time!) assignments/exams done/due on missed
days. An excused absence does not automatically mean you get an assignment
extension or exam makeup. If you think you deserve an excuse - particularly an
excuse that involves late work or exam makeups - you’ll need to talk to me about it
specifically, and ASAP. I can’t make any guarantees, but I’ll try to work with you if I
can.
Excused absence types:
1) Board-Sanctioned Excuses - If you have a college board policy-sanctioned excuse
(official school field trips and jury duty ONLY) and MUST miss class, please let me
know (and provide official documentation) IN ADVANCE, as soon as possible. On
normal class days when there are no assignments due nor films/presentations/exams
scheduled, your absence will likely not be much of a problem, so long as you’ve been
attending class regularly and doing your readings. If you’re going to be missing class
on an assignment due date, you’ll need to arrange with me to turn in your assignments
early, or to have someone bring it to class for you. If you’ll be missing an exam day,
you must arrange with me an alternate time to take your exam early at the Writing
Center in Holt Center on Main Campus. No assignment extensions or late (i.e., after
the regularly-scheduled exam is over) exam makeups will be granted for this kind
of excused absence.
2) Absences due to unforeseen Medical emergencies in your immediate family may
be excused at my discretion, with no guarantees, on a case-by-base basis, and only if
you provide official documentation in a timely manner. Depending on the
circumstances involved, I may grant one-time assignment extensions or late makeup
exams in these cases. Realize that I can make no guarantees. Get in touch with me
ASAP to talk about it. If something happens to knock you out of commission for
more than a few weeks or for the rest of the semester, be prepared to drop (this is
your responsibility...don’t wait for me to tell you to do it!). If it is too late to drop,
ask me ASAP about the possibility of an incomplete grade. No guarantees!
3) Absences due to other serious, extenuating circumstances (like car accidents,
medical appointments, unavoidable work commitments, planned surgeries/outpatient
procedures, or funerals) MAY be excused (with timely documentation) at my discretion,
with no guarantees. In every case, when you have advance notice of some sort of
excusable appointment or commitment, I need to know BEFORE you miss class so we
can arrange an alternate means of turning in your work (on time or early) or scheduling
a time for you to take your exam early. I will not grant assignment extensions or
late exam makeups for this kind of excused absence except in very, very rare
emergency instances (i.e., your car was stolen the morning the morning of class, and
inside it were your paper AND the laptop on which you wrote it; yes, this did happen
once, and the student could back it up with a police report). NO guarantees! Get in
touch with me as soon as possible.
Know that in all cases, the absences/emergencies MUST be officially and
satisfactorily documented in a timely manner. More, you MUST be in direct,
ongoing, and timely contact with me regarding the absence(s)/emergencies at
issue, otherwise I can’t help you. I do not give blanket excuses, so do not expect
that because I excuse your participation or grant an extension once that I will do
it again. Absence excuses, makeups, and extensions are one-time only
occurrences; further absence excuses, makeups, and extensions, even due to
ongoing circumstances of which I am aware, are not guaranteed, and must be
separately and expressly granted by me in a timely manner. DO NOT ASSUME
ANYTHING.
Once again, please also note that even an excused absence does not
automatically mean you have permission to turn in an assignment late, or make
up an exam at a time of your choice; depending on the reasons for the excused
absence, the situation in general, and the time available in the interim, you may be
required to complete and submit work early, or on time via an alternate form of
submission (ultimately my choice). Also, keep in mind that if you wait too long to
inform me of an absence, even an excused one, I may not be able to
accommodate you. This is particularly true at the end of the semester; once
grades are in, they’re in, and that’s that.
If you believe you have good reason to request an excused absence/makeup
exam/assignment extension, you MUST get in touch with me ASAP to make your
specific request, and you must understand that I can make NO GUARANTEES. You
must also follow my specific instructions on how to proceed, or I can’t help you. Do not
make assumptions, either; if you are unclear as to what to do, ask me to clarify for you.
Please also note that ALL assignments and exams are required - if you do not
turn in an assignment or take a test, you will not receive points for the missed
work, nor will you be “excused” from turning in the assignment or taking the test.
Assignments/Tests
You must complete assigned readings on time (textbook AND readings on the
website). Since we have so much to cover, you cannot rely on lectures alone to
familiarize yourself with all of the material. You MUST do the readings. The primary
source readings on the website are particularly crucial. Yes, I know there’s a lot of
reading. Yes, I realize that some of the original source documents on the website may
be difficult to understand at first blush, but we need to tackle these to authentically
experience the thoughts, values, and experiences of people who actually influenced life
and culture throughout western history. There’s no way around it. If you can’t commit
to reading significant chunks of material every week, then perhaps this course is not for
you. If you cannot access the course website at least once a week, perhaps this course
is not for you. Fair warning. :)
Also, be advised that this information sheet provides a tentative schedule, which may
be adjusted as we go along. :) Stay tuned in class and keep watching (remember to
refresh the course pages, and dump your browser caches!) the website for updates.
We’ll have one in-class midterm, a cumulative in-class final, and two papers
covering various readings you’ve done at home and/or viewings we’ve done in class.
- The in-class midterm and final exam are to be handwritten legibly, in pen, doublespaced, on clean (i.e., no previous notes or writing on the pages before you begin the
exam) 8.5”x11” paper (in a bluebook or stapled packet of binder paper). The in-class
exams will be open-note and open-book, but you may ONLY bring and use your
textbook, your class notes, and the material provided on the course website for these
exams. NO outside material may be used. Remember to DIRECTLY address the
prompts given. More, if you use phrases, sentences, or ideas from the textbook
or website readings, you must appropriately quote and cite the source. Do NOT
copy ANYTHING without specifically telling me where you got it. Do NOT quote
more than a line or two at a time; I want your papers and exams to show YOUR
thoughts in YOUR OWN words.
- Exam prompts will not be provided ahead of time. The exams will be cumulative
(everything we’ve read/covered so far in class will be fair game), but open-ended. As a
result, you should be familiar with all of the material assigned to date, but understand
that there will be no “set right answer” in most instances. Also realize that you WILL be
required to significantly analyze the primary source materials from the website.
- If you have a learning disability that is accommodated by college policy and
procedure, you may be eligible for extra time during exams. In order to qualify, you
must get approval to obtain services from the Disability Support Programs and
Services office in 120 Cunningham on main campus. For information on how to
document your disability and obtain clearance for services, call the DSPS office or visit
their web site at http://www.deltacollege.edu/dept/dsps/howdoiqualify.html. Please
understand that if you expect to utilize extra time allowances for an exam, you must
plan to take the exam at the DSPS office on main campus. You must also provide me
with official DSPS documentation AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, and well in advance of the
exam in question, so that I can plan to have your test prompts delivered to the DSPS
office on time. You will be required to take the exam on the regular exam date, or as
close to it as possible. Once you have arranged with me to take the exam at DSPS,
you must then call DSPS to arrange your exam appointment.
- The papers should be typewritten, double spaced, and stapled. The papers must
each be at least four typed, double-spaced pages (normal margins and standard
12 point fonts, please), and will require you to present your own thoughts and
conclusions. They won’t require any formal research, though they should directly
address the prompts provided using only facts and information from the relevant
lectures, readings, and videos presented. Grammar, spelling, and organization will
count. More, if you use phrases, sentences, or ideas from the textbook or
website readings, you must appropriately quote and cite the source. Do NOT
copy ANYTHING without specifically telling me where you got it. Do NOT quote
more than a line or two at a time; I want your papers and exams to show YOUR
thoughts in YOUR words.
- The paper prompts will be provided the week before the papers are due, via paper
handouts in class and/or on the course website. Don’t rely on the fact that I may post
the prompts to the site, though - go to class on the appropriate day to pick up the
prompts!
- In addition, all coursework should be well-organized, well-written, error free (in the
case of the in-class exams, this is relative), and completely original to you. Do not
copy other students. Do not copy the textbook. Do not copy any book or website or
essay or whatever you happen to come across. If you do not understand the concept of
plagiarism and what it entails, visit the Writing Center on the second floor of Holt Center
at Delta’s main campus in Stockton and ask. Or, ask me.
Papers MUST be submitted in class, at the beginning of class, on the due date
scheduled, and MAY NOT be rescheduled except under very rare circumstances (see
previous section above). In-class exams must be completed in class, within the time
allotted, and turned in to me when time is called. If you do not submit your exam to me
by the end of the testing period, I cannot accept the exam, and you won’t get a score for
it. If you have a time conflict and cannot attend class on the day a paper is due/an
exam is administered, you may under very rare and particular circumstances (see
previous section above) arrange with me to submit the assignment in advance or take
the test early. Late papers and exams will not be accepted except under very rare
circumstances (see previous section above), and ONLY with my express and
specific permission. Do not email me your papers unless specifically instructed
by me to do so. Do not hand in diskettes. Do not leave assignments/exams at
the Tracy or Division offices. Do not leave assignments/exams in my box. No
rewrites. No re-scores.
All exams and papers should be turned in stapled or bound in some manner, to avoid
losing pages. DO NOT email me your assignments or hand in disks.
All examinations and papers are open book/open note, but should NOT involve
additional outside research (yes, this means NO internet). Do not quote, copy, or refer
to outside material in your exams or papers.
Once I have graded an assignment or exam, I will return it to you in class. Normal
grading turnaround time is about 2 weeks, though it may take less/more time depending
on our calendar and other circumstances. If you do not come to class on the day(s) I
pass an assignment back, you must make arrangements to pick it up from me.
Originals will be destroyed if you do not pick them up from me within two weeks of
grading. I will not keep copies, nor will I store the originals for you. Final exams will not
be returned.
Other Obligations
Please be courteous, pleasant, and generally group-adaptable when dealing with
classmates and the instructor. :) In other words, play nice.
Disruptions, inappropriate behavior, eating, drinking, smoking, sleeping, whispering,
chatting, talking, manipulation games, playing on your cell phone or other device, and
flash photography are strictly prohibited. If you have cell phones, pagers, or anything
else electronic that could be construed as noisy or annoying, please turn it off or set it to
silent mode before class. Don’t plan on text messaging or putting on makeup during
class either. Repeated disruptions will result in your removal from the class (perhaps
permanently).
Also, realize that according to Delta College policy, unenrolled persons are absolutely
prohibited from attending classes or otherwise being present in the classroom. This
means no children and no guests. Thank you.
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated. If you copy another person’s work,
whether it’s a student essay, a unique turn of phrase borrowed from a source without
appropriate citation, or whole sentences/paragraphs/pages taken from the textbook
without quotation or full citations, you are guilty of plagiarism. Plagiarism and cheating
will result in a “zero” for the assignment or exam at issue, and possibly more. If you
have questions as to what constitutes plagiarism, ask me. You can also learn more at
the Writing Center in Holt.
Please also note that quoting huge rafts of material even WITH citations is usually a
violation of U.S. copyright laws, and a bad way to put together a paper. In your
assignments and tests, you must make your own points in your own words. Quotations
and cited paraphrases are often necessary in a well-researched paper, but please keep
them to less than two lines apiece, and make sure you contextualize them with your
own words. Citations should be used to back up your own points, not to make points on
their own. Also remember that you may NOT use outside sources in your papers and
exams.
Keep in mind that if something you write doesn’t seem like your style, I can easily do a
Google search to find out where you actually got it. :)
Stay tuned for more details. I reserve the right to clarify or change sections of
this syllabus - including my course policies - to better serve the needs of the
class as a whole.
Grades:
If you want to figure out how you’re doing in the class, or find out what you have to
score on remaining assignments to get a particular grade, here’s the basic point
breakdown:
- Midterm: 75 points
- Final Exam: 100 points
- 2 Papers: 100 points (50 points each)
- Participation: 25 points
- Total: 300 points
Overall letter grades are determined by the usual 0-100% scheme. 90-100%=A, 8090%=B, 70-80%=C, 60-70%=D, and below 60%=F.
If you don’t turn in an assignment, you won’t get credit for it. Simple as that. No
retakes, rescores, makeups, or late work.
Schedule:
This is a list of topics, by class meeting, and the tentative assignments to be discussed
during each period. This is only a general guide. We may extend/ contract discussions,
or add/subtract reading materials as we go along. Pay attention in class and ALWAYS
go to the course website for updates and specific assignments.
The assignments in parentheses, bolded, will be discussed on that day:
Week 1 - January 16 - Class Intro.
Week 2 - January 23 - The Near East (Ch. 1 in text; Gilgamesh excerpts on website)
Week 3 - January 30 - Aegean Civilizations & Archaic Greece (Ch. 2 in text; Odyssey
excerpts on website)
Week 4 - February 6 - Classical Greece 1: The Hellenic Age/FILM: Greek Theatre (Ch.
3 in text; Sophocles & Plato excerpts on website)
NO CLASS ON FEBRUARY 13 - HOLIDAY
Week 5 - February 20 - Classical Greece 2: The Hellenistic Age (Ch. 4 in text;
Epicurus on website) - MINI-PAPER ONE ASSIGNED
Week 6 - February 27 - Pre-Christian Rome (Ch. 5 in text; Vergil and Ovid excerpts
on website) - MINI-PAPER ONE DUE
Week 7 - March 6 - Christian Rome and Judaism (Ch. 6 in text; Tertullian)
Week 8 - March 13 - Late Rome, Byzantium, and the Early Midaeval West (Chs. 7 & 8
in text; Augustine “Confessions” and Beowulf excerpts on website)
Week 9 - March 20 - High Middle Ages (Ch. 9 in text; Lancelot and Hildegard von
Bingen on website)
Week 10 - March 27 - Late Middle Ages/Early Renaissance (Chs. 10 & 11 in text;
Chaucer and Alberti excerpts on website)
Week 11 - April 3 - High Renaissance/Northern Renaissance (Ch. 12 & 13 in text;
Machiavelli & Castiglione excerpts on website)
NO CLASS APRIL 10 - SPRING BREAK!
Week 12 - April 17 - MIDTERM EXAM - Baroque Age (Chs. 14 & 15 in text; De la Cruz,
Hobbes, and Locke excerpts on website) - exam first, then class lecture/discussion.
Week 13 - April 24 - The Age of Reason/Revolution (Chs. 16 & 17 in text;
Wollstonecraft, Austen, Jefferson, Madison, excerpts on website)
Week 14 - May 1 - The Triumph of the Bourgeoisie/Early Modernism/FILM: Metropolis
(Chs. 18 & 19 in text; Marx & Engels excerpts on website) - PAPER TWO ASSIGNED
Week 15 - May 8 - Modernism and Beyond/FILM: Disneyland Goes to the World’s Fair
(Chs. 20 & 21 in text; Lawrence, Orwell, Imperial Letters, and World’s Fair excerpts on
website) - PAPER TWO DUE!
Week 16 - Final Exam: Wed., May 20, 8-9:50 am!