Honors 171: The Human Event
(This is a representative syllabus; actual assignments will vary)
Instructor: Dr. Karen Bruhn
Office Phone: 727-6721
Sage South 161
email: kbruhn @asu.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Honors 171 is the first-semester portion of a two-semester interdisciplinary seminar entitled “The
Human Event,” open only to those students who have been admitted to the Barrett Honors
College. This course will center on works that have investigated the nature and purpose of
human experience from earliest times to the present. These writings are drawn from a variety of
disciplines: literature, history, religion, philosophy, political theory, psychology and the sciences.
Hon 171 focuses on texts written from approximately 2000 B.C.E to 1600 C. E.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
To broaden the student’s historical and cultural awareness and understanding
To improve the student’s skill in analyzing written material.
To improve the student’s skill in expressing ideas, both orally and in writing.
To encourage the student to think critically and seriously about the nature of human existence
and to formulate his or her own views and insights regarding ethics, philosophy, religion, history,
literature, etc.
To instill intellectual breadth and academic discipline in preparation for more advanced honors
courses.
Participants are not expected to “memorize” the assignments, although a command of the author
and title, principle ideas, and general context of each work must precede effective analysis of the
works (and will be invaluable in passing the quizzes). The class is conducted as a seminar; I
won’t deliver extended lectures. Participants must come to class prepared to discuss that day’s
assigned reading. Always bring assigned readings to class; if you do not have your text with you
it counts as an absence.
GRADING
Grades will be assigned based on the following criteria:
First Essay
10%
Second Essay
20%
Third Essay
25%
1
Class participation
Quizzes
Group Project
20%
20%
5%
I use the following rubric when assigning grades:
A+
98-100
C+
A
94-97
C
A90-93
CB+
87-89
D
B
83-86
DB80-82
F
77-79
73-76
70-72
65-70
60-64
below 60
PREPARING FOR CLASS
Quizzes: There is a reading assignment for each class (schedule follows). You must read the
assignment before class. Approximately 9-12 quizzes will be given during the course of the
semester. Each quiz will be given at the beginning of class and reflect the reading assignment
for that day. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped before the final quiz grade is computed.
YOU MAY NOT MAKE UP QUIZZES FOR ANY REASON, AND YOU MUST BE
PRESENT FOR THE ENTIRE CLASS FOR THE QUIZ TO COUNT.
Participation: I will provide some historical/cultural background, but the majority of class time is
devoted to discussion of the assigned readings. Discussion can include an analysis and/or
critique of the author’s position, an assessment of how historical and/or cultural context may
have influenced (or been influenced by) a particular text, or a comparison of the assigned work
to another text.
You are graded not on the “correctness” of your position, but rather on your grasp of the material
and your ability to communicate your ideas. You don’t have to be at the center of every debate,
but students who make little or no effort to enter discussions will receive a low participation
grade. You are graded on quality as well as quantity when it comes to your participation. Those
who dominate and/or disrupt discussions can expect a low participation grade. Discussion can
become lively, heated even. Please respect the rights of others. Do not interrupt; give everyone
a chance to express his or her opinions. While other people’s opinions are fair game, other
people are not. When you disagree with someone, be sure to criticize the idea and not the
person.
The following is an example of the criteria I use when grading class participation:
A: The student in this grade range arrives in class each day thoroughly prepared with comments
and questions on the assigned reading. Comments reveal that the student has read carefully; this
student occasionally initiates the discussion without waiting for the instructor to do so. This
student does not, however, try to dominate the class, but listens carefully to the remarks made by
fellow class members, and responds as readily to these as to the instructor’s questions.
B: The student in this grade range participates in most discussions, although not as fully or
reliably as the student described above. There is evidence of having done the reading. This
student pays attention to the comments of the other students
2
C: The student in this grade range participates only intermittently, and is more willing to discuss
broad, general questions than to engage in concrete analysis of an assigned text. Sometimes
unprepared, this student lacks interest in the ideas of other members of the class, neglects to
bring the proper text to class, and is often inattentive.
D or F. The student in this grade range seldom if ever participates.
Things that help your participation grade
 Do the reading.
 Speak up at least once in every class.
 Make connections between the assigned texts and previously discussed texts.
 Respond to other class members’ comments as well as comments or questions from the
professor.
Things that lower your participation grade:
 Sleeping in class
 A ringing cell phone
 Talking to your neighbor/ holding conversations separate from the class discussion
 Failure to bring your text to class.
Attendance: It counts. You get 2 freebies; after that every absence takes ½ grades off your
participation grade. You are expected to be in your seat with your readings in front of you when
class starts. I will take into consideration consistent failure to bring your texts to class when I
compute your grade. Tardiness affects your participation grade, as does leaving early. If you
have to leave early, just do it (don’t inform me beforehand), but please know that I will note it.
Also, if you leave early on a day that a quiz is given, you will not get credit for the quiz.
Essays: Three out-of-class essays are required (See section following the reading and
assignments schedule for specific requirements concerning length and format, grading criteria,
etc.)
Exams: There is no midterm. The third essay is treated as a take-home final exam.
Laptop computers are not allowed in the classroom.
3
Unless otherwise stated, you are required to get the exact edition listed below.
There are two reasons for this:
You will not be able to participate in text-based discussions if your page numbers are different
from everyone else’s.
Virtually all of the texts were read in this class were written in a language other than English. I
have chosen the translations carefully and deliberately for accessibility and what I consider to be
their academic integrity.
Please do not purchase the texts from publishers other than the ones listed.
Required Texts
The Oresteia Aeschylus, trans., Robert Fagles (Penguin Classics)
The Analects Confucius (any edition that includes paragraph numbers)
Tao te Ching. Lao Tzu. (any edition)
Gilgamesh (David Ferry, translator)
The Republic of Plato F. M. Cornford, trans.
Everyman, Dover Thrift Edition
Doctor Faustus Christopher Marlowe (Dover thrift edition)
Hamlet (Any edition that includes line numbers)
In addition to the texts listed above, there will several texts posted on the Blackboard site for this
class. Unless otherwise instructed, you are required to read, print, and bring to class the texts
posed on Blackboard. I realize this costs money, but it doesn’t cost you as much as if I had put
the texts into a course reader and required you to purchase the course reader.
Class Assignments
Week 1
Th:
Intro and “Creation Stories” (on Blackboard)
Week 2
T:
“Theogony” (on Blackboard)
Th:
“Enuma Elish” (on Blackboard)
Week 3
T:
Required background on the Iliad and the Oresteia (on Blackboard), “Agamemnon” and
“The Libation Bearers” in The Oresteia
Th:
“The Eumenides” in The Oresteia
Week 4
T:
Plato’s The Republic Chapters 1-9 ( pp.1-80)
Th:
Plato’s The Republic Chapters 10, 12, 14, 16-18
4
Week 5
T:
Plato’s The Republic Chapters 19-20, 23-25
Th:
Selections from Aristotle’s Ethics and Politics (on Blackboard) Paper workshop
Week 6
T:
Gilgamesh Tablets I-XI (pp.3-82) Do NOT read Tablet XII
Th:
Selections from Hebrew Bible (on Blackboard)
First paper due Friday.
Week 7
T:
NO CLASS
Th:
Required background on Chinese Religions (on Blackboard) and selections from
Confucious’ Analects: Books 1-4, 12-15, 17, 20
Week 8
T:
Selections from Lao Tzu’s Tao te Ching: 1-38, 42-44, 52-57, 76-78
T:
Christian origins (on Blackboard)
Week 9
T:
Martyr Accounts (on Blackboard)
Th:
Augustine (on Blackborad)
Week 10
T:
selections from The Koran (on Blackboard)
Th:
selections from Dante’s Inferno (on Blackboard)
Week 11
T:
Dante con’t. Peer Review of 2nd paper
Th:
Everyman Read only this play—you do not have to read the other plays in the volume.
Second paper due Friday.
Week 12
T:
Renaissance texts (on Blackboard)
Th:
selections from Marguerite de Navarre’s Heptameron (on Blackboard)
Week 13
T:
Machiavelli (on Blackboard)
Th:
NO CLASS
Week 14
T:
Presentations of Class Project
Th:
Reformation Texts (on Blackboard)
5
Week 15
T:
Dr. Faustus
Th:
NO CLASS
Week 16
T:
Hamlet (we will take 2 days to discuss this text, but you must have read all of it by this
date)
Th:
Hamlet
Week 17
T: Conclusion
Final Papers are Due Friday .
Essays for Honors 171
Three out-of-class essays are required (the topics for these essays are handed out approximately
2 weeks before the due date). These are to be critical, evaluative essays that develop a clear
thesis in response to the issue being investigated. The essay needs to offer a coherent and
logically-presented argument, each paragraph adding a relevant contribution or qualification to
your thesis (An outline can provide invaluable help in achieving this). This is not a research
project; please confine your sources to those assigned in class. While some summary is
necessary, the essay will do much more than summarize the work. You will offer an argument
about the work, one reached by careful analysis of the text at hand. You will be graded on the
quality of the writing, the clarity and rationality of your arguments, and the coherence and
originality of your essay as a whole. If you have any questions about the nature of the
assignment or have trouble getting started, please see me as soon as possible.
Essay Requirements: All essays are to be typed double spaced. Use one-inch margins and 10 or
12 point font. Provide a title page that includes your name, the date, the title of the course, the
instructor’s name, the title of your essay (“Essay #1" is not a title), and the time and day when
your section meets. Number all pages except the title page. Do not include a table of contents.
All quotations must be cited; use parenthetical documentation rather than endnotes or footnotes.
Make sure quotations are exact and from the assigned texts (I’ll check for accuracy). For
quotations longer than three lines, indent and single-space the quotation. Paraphrasing is
allowed, desired even, but must also be cited.
Length: Essays should be between 1500 and 1900 words. Essays of fewer than 1500words will
receive a reduced grade as will essays of over 1900 words.
Plagiarism: I define plagiarism as the act of turning in work that you know is not your own. This
includes looking over a neighbor’s shoulder during a quiz, buying a paper over the Web, using
your brother’s/sister’s/friend’s paper, or turning in a paper that you have composed for another
class. This is an Honor’s College, and I expect honorable conduct. Any plagiarized assignment
will result in a grade of zero with no opportunity to make it up. Furthermore, I reserve the right,
6
in accordance with University policy, to award a grade of XE (failure due to academic
dishonesty) to any student who is caught cheating. NOTE: Since these essays are not research
papers, it is assumed that other secondary works will not be used. Do not use secondary material
unless you have cleared it with me beforehand.
As a safeguard against plagiarism, I require that all essay papers be deposited in “Safe
Assignment” on Blackborad.
Important Notes and Considerations
An outline is not required, but can prove enormously helpful. It is particularly useful if you wish
to discuss your work-in-progress with the instructor.
Late papers lose 5 points a day (not a class). While computers and word processing have
provided us with many shortcuts, they also present problems. Hard drives crash, disks erase,
printers fail. You are responsible for backing up your work and allowing adequate time for your
work to print. Computer mishaps are not a valid excuse for late papers.
This is a formal essay. Traditional rules of grammar and sentence structure apply, and careful
proof reading is essential. Don’t rely on your Spell Check; it can knot awl weighs bee truss Ted.
Underline or italicize titles of books, long poems, and plays. Use the active voice whenever
possible, i.e. “Gilgamesh states. . .” is easier to read than “It is stated in Gilgamesh. . .”
Write from an objective point of view. No doubt, your religious, political, and philosophical
beliefs will influence your attitudes toward the material, but try to neutralize these beliefs for the
duration of the paper. Above all, do not parade these beliefs uncritically before the reader as
unquestioned truths. Do not try to prove a point simply by citing “the authority.” When
presenting a critical argument you can not present a statement as true simply because the Bible or
Charles Darwin says it is. Back up your claims with evidence and reasoned argument.
The introduction
The introduction needs to indicate the topic under discussion, the specific issues involved, and
your thesis. Every essay your write for this class must have a clear thesis that sets forth your
argument in detail and indicates the order in which you will address specific points. You need
not keep your thesis to one sentence; it is permissible to have a thesis comprised of two or even
three sentences.
The body
The main portion of your essay defends your thesis. Each paragraph should be organized around
a specific aspect of your overall argument. Each paragraph needs to have a topic sentence (near
the beginning of the paragraph) that states the specific aspect, and everything in the paragraph
needs to relate to that topic sentence. When you edit your paper ask yourself after every
paragraph, “Is it clear how this paragraph supports my thesis?”
The number and length of paragraphs will vary, but aim for one or two paragraphs a page. If
notice a tendency to have more than 2 paragraphs, you probably are not developing (explaining,
justifying, citing evidence for) the main idea in each paragraph. Exceptionally long paragraphs
may indicate that you have drifted from your topic sentence.
7
Conclusion
A good conclusion summarizes the evidence that you have used to support your thesis, and then
restates the thesis in a more insightful and/or more forceful way. The best conclusions make
note of the larger implications that the essay brings to light.
Criticism and Grading of Essays
Barrett is committed to very high standards of writing and critical inquiry in all honors courses.
Standards in HON 171-272 exceed those in non-honors freshman sections. You should,
therefore expect a great deal of critical input on your papers when they are returned. This
criticism is meant to be constructive; I assume that you possess the academic accomplishment
and the emotional maturity to understand the importance of such input, and hope you will
consider my serious (and time-consuming) attention to your work a compliment to your
academic potential. These criticisms are given in the expectation that they will help you improve
your subsequent work.
The Barrett Writing Center
The Barrett Writing Center is available to assist all Barrett Honors College students. Directed by
BHC faculty and staffed by BHC writing tutors who themselves have completed both HON 171
and 272/3/4, the Barrett Writing Center offers small group workshops and individual tutoring on
writing papers for your HON courses. Its goal is to help you improve your lifelong writing and
critical thinking skills, so please take advantage of its services. Go to the BWC web site at
http://honors.asu.edu/ and click on Writing/Computer Support. Under Barrett Writing Center,
you then can access updated tutoring and workshop schedules, appointment information,
academic background on the staff, and internet links related to academic essay writing.
Grade Disputes
The Honors College follows an established procedure regarding any student grievances over
his/her final grade. Before formal proceedings start, however, the student must follow an
“informal” process in which he/she contacts the instructor no later than the semester following
the posting of the disputed grade. If no resolution can be reached, the student must then meet
with the College Ombudsman, who will try to mediate an agreement. If this is not successful,
then formal proceedings begin. For a complete description of both the informal and formal
processes, go the The BHC Website and follow the “Forms/Documents” link.
8