HUM 110-O Syllabus
Fall 2008
HUM 110 Section O: Introduction to the Humanities I
Beauty, Being and Belonging
Meeting Place:
Grant Hall 401
Meeting Time:
TR 9:40 AM — 11:10 AM
Instructor:
Joseph Trullinger
E-mail:
joseph.trullinger@centre.edu
Office Hours*:
TR 11:20 AM — 1:00 PM
Office Location: 460B Crounse Hall
Office Phone:
(859) 238-6044
* If these times do not work with your schedule, you may e-mail me to set up an appointment
Course Description and Objectives
What are human beings for? In this course, we will not only explore various answers that
were offered in Greek and Roman antiquity, we will also evaluate the extent to which these
answers are valid for our day and age, and understand why this question is worth asking in the
first place. Initially, it strikes us as a strange thing to ask—it seems more appropriate to ask
“What’s this for?” about a knife, rather than a human being—but when explored in depth
through epic, drama, art and philosophy, its importance comes to light.
The purpose of human life is connected to an array of other issues: Do different cultures
have different ideas about what counts as an ideal human being? How do we understand
someone from another culture? Can we do so? Are people concerned about essentially the same
things, regardless of their place in history? Is beauty in the eye of the beholder, as the saying
goes, or is there something everyone finds beautiful? What makes a human being different from
any other animal? What is the nature of love? Are the differences between men and women
natural? How does a good family deal with conflict within the family? What is the point of
education? Are some activities superior to others, and if so, which ones? What does it take to be
virtuous? If we say that a person belongs somewhere, or belongs with someone, what does this
mean? What does it mean for something to be divine?
The variety of texts and objects we will look at means that you are responsible for
strengthening several kinds of skills you already possess. On the one hand, you will develop your
ability to appreciate unfamiliar material on its own grounds, as well as see its relevance to your
life. On the other hand, you will develop your ability to critically evaluate the same material by
accurately assessing its shortcomings and thinking beyond those limitations. You will carry on a
“dialogue” of sorts with the material. This dialogue will be carried out in three ways: 1) as you
study it on your own, 2) as you listen to each other and myself talk about the material in class,
and contribute to the conversation yourself, and 3) in your written assignments. Good dialogue
not only requires that we keep open minds, but also requires that we hold each other accountable
for the things we say, making sure we express our ideas clearly and justify them with good
reasons.
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HUM 110-O Syllabus
Fall 2008
Course Texts
Required:
Recommended:
Homer. The Odyssey (Penguin Classics)
Spivey, Nigel. Greek Art (Phaidon)
Sophocles. Antigone (Hackett)
Aristophanes. Lysistrata (Hackett)
Plato. Five Dialogues (Hackett)
Plato. Symposium (Hackett)
Aristotle. Nicomachean Ethics (Focus Philosophical Library)
Virgil. The Aeneid (Penguin Classics)
Hacker, Diana. Rules for Writers (Bedford)
The Oxford Dictionary of Difficult Words (Oxford)
Requirements and Grades
Short Assignments
15%
Grading Scale:
First Paper
10%
A- = 90-92% ; A = 93-100%
Second Paper
10%
B- = 80-82% ; B = 83-86% ; B+ = 87-89%
Third Paper
10%
C- = 70-72% ; C = 73-76% ; C+ = 77-79%
Midterm
20%
D- = 60-62% ; D = 63-66% ; D+ = 67-69%
Final Exam
25%
E = below 60%
Discussion/Participation
10%
--------------------------------------Total:
100%
Short Assignments: There will be short assignments throughout the semester, the guidelines and deadlines of
which will be announced in class. Each assignment counts equally towards this portion of your overall grade. They
may take the form of a small group project, in-class reflection, in-class presentation, or a 1-2 page essay. More
details about the nature of these assignments will be provided in-class as the semester progresses.
Make-Up Policy: If you miss a session, you are responsible for finding out what you missed. Work will be
accepted late only for students who have their absence excused. All students have only one chance to make
up any particular assignment.
Papers: There are three papers, due on the dates listed on the class schedule. These papers should display clear
organization, competent knowledge of the material, and above all, that you have critically engaged with the issues at
hand. I will hand out a rubric at a later date that will further specify these requirements. Feel free to meet with me
about your paper(s), either by dropping by my office hours or setting up an appointment via e-mail. Papers will be
awarded percentage grades, rather than letter grades.
Late Penalty on Papers: The penalty for a late essay is as follows: for every calendar day (past the due
date) that your essay is late, I will deduct five percentage points from the grade the paper would have
received, had it not been late.
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HUM 110-O Syllabus
Fall 2008
Class Expectations:
1. Come Prepared by 9:40: While the majority of class will be spent in discussion, you still need to come with the
appropriate text(s) and material for taking notes. The more you think about the reading before you come to class, the
more confident you will be about talking in class. If I call on you at random, you should be prepared to answer. You
can have an informed opinion about each reading without having to fully understand it, so failure to understand
difficult material is no excuse for not participating. If it becomes apparent that you have not completed the reading
or thought about the questions relevant to our discussion, your participation grade will suffer.
2. End of Class: Although I will do my best to end each class at 11:10 a.m., I may occasionally go a few minutes
over when the material demands it. Class ends when I say it ends. It is disruptive to pack up your things before class
has ended; if you have to go early, let me know before class begins.
3. Tardiness: If your tardiness causes you to come into an ongoing activity late or to miss it altogether, I will not
give you any extra time to complete it. You are responsible for finding out what you missed.
4. Electronic Devices: Please turn off and put away all electronic devices before class begins. This includes laptop
computers, cell phones, iPods, headphones, etc. Texting in class warrants dismissal from class for the day.
Miscellaneous
1.
Revision: This syllabus is open to revision as the semester progresses.
2.
Cheating/Plagiarism: Ignorance of the university guidelines on what constitutes cheating and
plagiarism is no excuse. If you have any doubts about what counts as plagiarism, contact me and I will
be happy to explain. It is far better to turn in an assignment late than to plagiarize. I reserve the right to
use turnitin.com if necessary.
3.
Accommodations: If you require accommodations (for example, if you have a learning disability),
you must let me know that (and show me the necessary documentation) within two weeks of the
beginning of classes, and I will do my best to accommodate you throughout the semester. Otherwise
my ability to accommodate you may be compromised.
4.
Progress in the Course: You are responsible for keeping track of your own progress in the course;
this means that you should only ask me what your current grade in the course is if you’ve already
calculated it and are wondering whether you’ve made a mistake.
5.
Extra-Credit: Extra-credit possibilities are only open for students with a good participation record.
The total points possible for extra-credit will not exceed 5% of the overall grade. The nature of these
assignments will be determined by the instructor at a later date.
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HUM 110-O Syllabus
Fall 2008
◘ HUM 110-O CLASS SCHEDULE ◘
Te totum applica ad textum, textum totum applica ad te.
“Apply yourself totally to the text; apply the text totally to yourself.”
—Johann Albrecht Bengel
Each entry on this schedule lists which readings are scheduled for us to discuss at that class
meeting. You must finish each page of the assigned reading for any class before it meets.
9/2
9/4
T:
R:
Introduction, Syllabus, Background.
Homer, Odyssey, Books 1-5
9/9
T:
9/11
R:
Homer, Odyssey, Books 6-10
Spivey, Greek Art, Introduction and Chapter 1 (selections)
Homer, Odyssey, Books 11-17
9/16
T:
9/18
R:
9/23
T:
9/25
R:
9/30
10/2
T:
R:
Spivey, Greek Art, Chapter 3 (selections)
Spivey, Greek Art, Chapter 4 (selections)
first paper due in-class
10/7
10/9
T:
R:
Spivey, Greek Art, Chapter 5 (selections)
Plato, Apology, in Five Dialogues, pp. 21-44
Protagoras, fragments, in A Presocratics Reader pp. 97-8 (handout)
Homer, Odyssey, Books 18-24
Spivey, Greek Art, Chapter 2 (selections)
Sophocles, Antigone, lines 1-780, pp. 1-34
Sophocles, Antigone, lines 781-1353, pp. 35-58
draft of first paper due
Aristophanes, Lysistrata, lines 1-705, pp. 1-73
10/14 T:
10/16 R:
Midterm (in-class)
Fall Break—read ahead in Plato’s Euthyphro
10/21 T:
10/23 R:
Plato, Euthyphro, in Five Dialogues, pp. 1-20
Plato, Symposium 172a-178a and 189d-201c, pp. 1-8 and 25-44
draft of second paper due
10/28 T:
10/30 R:
Plato, Symposium 201d-212c, pp. 45-60
Plato, Republic 504d-509b and 514a-521c, pp. 170-82 and pp. 186-93 (handout)
second paper due in-class
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HUM 110-O Syllabus
Fall 2008
CLASS SCHEDULE (CONTINUED)
11/4
T:
11/6
R:
11/11 T:
11/13 R:
11/18 T:
11/20 R:
11/25 T:
11/27 R:
12/2
12/4
Ω
T:
R:
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book I.1-10 and I.13, pp. 1-18 and 19-21
Aristotle, Politics, Book II.2, pp. 1127-30 (handout)
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book II.1-9 and III.10-12, pp. 21-36 and 54-58
Aristotle, Physics, Book II. 1-3, pp. 236-42 (handout)
Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, Book IV.3, IV.8, VIII.1-3, VIII.12-14, IX.9-12
pp. 66-72, 76-78, 143-48, 158-62 and 174-80
Spivey, Greek Art, Chapter 7 (selections)
Roman Art
third paper draft due
Virgil, Aeneid, Books 1-2
Virgil, Aeneid, Books 3-4
third paper due in-class
Thanksgiving—read ahead in Virgil’s Aeneid
Virgil, Aeneid, Books 5-6
Tying It All Together.
final day of class
The final exam will be held on Monday, December 8th from 8:30-11:30 AM
Ω
“The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.”
—attributed to Aristotle
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