Writing Course Review Form (1/12)
I. General Education Review – Writing Course
Dept/Program
Course # (i.e. ENEX
Liberal Studies
LSH 151/152
Subject
200)
Course Title
Introduction to the Humanities
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office.
Please type / print name Signature
Date
Instructor
Stewart Justman and
others
Phone / Email
2432949;stewart.justman
@umontana.edu
Program Chair
Stewart Justman
Dean
Chris Comer
III. Type of request
New
One-time Only
Reason for new course, change or deletion
Change
Remove
RENEWAL of existing certification
IV Overview of the Course Purpose/ Description: Provide an introduction to the subject
matter and course content.
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LSH 151/152 introduce students to major literary and sacred texts of the Western tradition, with
151 covering largely the Bible (both Hebrew Bible and New Testament) and the Greeks and to
a lesser extent the Romans, and 152 selected masterworks from Dante to Dostoevsky and
Tolstoy. LSH 151 is not a prerequisite for 152. These courses share, and in fact epitomize, the
goal of the LS Program itself, which is to foster critical understanding and appreciation of the
texts and traditions that contribute to our common inheritance. Because as many as five or six
sections of 151 and 152 are typically offered, there are many instructors at any one time, and
their syllabi are not identical in every particular. Every instructor of 151/152 possesses and
responsibly exercises academic freedom. Nevertheless, in every case 151 and 152 are writingcentered courses, precisely because they are predicated on the principle that critical
understanding cannot be achieved and true appreciation cannot be demonstrated without being
framed in writing. In token of the importance it places on writing, LS has prepared an explicit,
detailed set of writing standards (incorporated into the appended 152 syllabus).
Learning Goal: To acquire and demonstrate a critical understanding and appreciation of the
Western humanistic tradition.
All courses offered by the LS program centrally involve writing, an incomparably sensitive
measure not only of basic understanding but critical understanding—the ability to marshal
evidence, to make distinctions, to move from the general to the particular and back again, to
navigate uncertainty, and to frame the text as a cultural crux. To judge from their comments,
many LS students have never before had their writing reviewed as carefully as in an LS course.
Grades in all sections of 151/152 are almost entirely determined by writing.
Learning Goal: To write clearly and cogently, with subtlety and accuracy, and to construct
arguments with skill.
All instructors of LSH 151 and 152 adhere to the principle that reading and writing are
correlative acts. It stands to reason that such a reading-centered curriculum as that of LS must
also be writing-centered. While various modes and instruments of assessment are used in LS,
the backbone of assessment in the LS Program is undoubtedly paper-writing. However, other
assignments are also employed. Students may be asked to compose discursive summaries of
the plenary lectures that accompany 151/152; they may be asked to submit an abstract of their
paper before submitting the paper in full; they may be required to submit well-framed questions
in writing regarding the reading. Students entering 151/152 might not know what to make of
the principle that literary understanding entails writing, but as students they are putting that
principle into practice regularly. It is the basis of their course.
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V Learning Outcomes: Explain how each of the following learning outcomes will be achieved.
Student learning outcomes :
Use writing to learn and synthesize new
concepts
Students use writing to work out new concepts
by, for example, composing an essay to work
out their understanding of Job or Hamlet.
Anyone who takes on such a task will soon
come to understand that paper-writing is a lot
more than just putting onto paper ideas that are
already fully formed in one’s head: it means
revising one’s thinking in the act of writing,
and then revising the writing. Precisely
because the ideas students are working on are
new to them, they need to be rethought and
refined in ways that only writing enables.
Writing is an enabling act.
Formulate and express written opinions and
ideas that are developed, logical, and
organized
Because knowledge in the humanities is
qualified with uncertainty, students in 151/152
are encouraged to form and formulate
interpretations for which they can offer
evidence. In other words, they express
opinions. Because a reader cannot be expected
to go along with their opinions in the absence
of supporting evidence, 151/152 students learn
the necessity and value of making their
opinions persuasive to others by backing them
up with textual citations, examples, and other
sorts of documentation.
Compose written documents that are
appropriate for a given audience, purpose and
context
By composing different kinds of writing in
response to different assignments (for
example, a summary of a plenary lecture and
an abstract of their own paper), students learn
to adapt their writing to various purposes and
requirements. They learn by doing, which is
incomparably the most effective kind of
learning.
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Revise written work based on constructive
comments from the instructor
Because revision is a part of writing, perhaps
the essence of writing, students in 151/152 are
expected to revise and refine their work over
time. (Writing is a skill, skill requires practice,
practice requires time.) In a section of 151,
students may evise the first part of their paper
(on the Hebrew Bible) when they hand in the
second (on the Greeks). In a section of 152,
students may translate their abstract into a
paper, incorporating detailed comments and
criticisms by the course instructor.
Find, evaluate, and use information
effectively and ethically (see
Students in 151/152 are expected to use and
synthesize information from many sources:
from the plenary lectures, from the texts they
are reading, from class discussion. In 152
many, perhaps most readings are posted on
ERES; thus students must become familiar
with the use of that resource. (Students unable
to attend plenary lectures may also use CDs of
the lectures in the Mansfield Library.)
Instructors of 151/152 do not generally
encourage students to surf the web for
information, as this may short circuit the
thinking process, and they are mindful of
plagiarism and warn students against it.
http://www.lib.umt.edu/informationliteracy/)
Begin to use discipline-specific writing
conventions
Students in 1511/152 are expected to quote
appropriately and accurately, document their
borrowings, marshal evidence, and write in a
way that impresses not only themselves but an
impartial reader. In these ways among others
they are being introduced to discipline-specific
conventions.. Many students struggle with the
idea that writing must be, in fact,
“disciplined.” Learning comes through
struggling. (Note, however, that most of those
who take LSH 151/152 are not and do not
become LS majors. LSH 151/152 are GenEd
courses.)
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Demonstrate appropriate English language
usage
VI. Writing Course Requirements
Enrollment is capped at 25 students.
If not, list maximum course enrollment. Explain
how outcomes will be adequately met for this
number of students. Justify the request for
variance.
What instructional methods will be used to teach
students to write for specific audiences, purposes,
and genres?
All instructors of 151/152 will point out
common ENEX errors such as misspellings,
faulty agreement, sentence fragments, run-on
sentences, breaks in parallelism, and misuse of
apostrophes. They also let students know that
these things are not just frills and ribbons.
Enrollment sometimes runs to 30 during
registration, but attrition soon drops the
number of attendees to 25 or below.
The essential instructional method is practice.
Students in 151/152 learn by practice to write
in an appropriate voice and at an appropriate
level, in all cases in response to lectures and
readings. Thus their work must reflect the text
or lecture, and must be pitched at an
appropriate level and cast in a suitable voice—
all at once. Such a skill requires practice.
Which written assignments will include revision in In all sections of 151/152 students revise a
response to instructor’s feedback?
paper.
VII. Writing Assignments: Please describe course assignments. Students should be required to
individually compose at least 16 pages of writing for assessment. At least 50% of the course grade
should be based on students’ performance on writing assignments. Clear expression, quality, and
accuracy of content are considered an integral part of the grade on any writing assignment.
Formal Graded Assignments
In the sample 152 syllabus, 100% of grade is
based on formal written assignments. In the
sample 151 syllabus, all but 10% (20% if you
count quizzes) of the grade is based on
written work.
Informal Ungraded Assignments
VIII. Syllabus: Paste syllabus below or attach and send digital copy with form. 
For assistance on syllabus preparation see: http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/syllabus.html
The syllabus must include the following:
1. Writing outcomes
2. Information literacy expectations
3. Detailed requirements for all writing assignments or append writing assignment instructions
Paste syllabus here.
Attached are syllabi for a sample section of LSH 151 and a sample section of LSH 152.
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Dr. Nathaniel Levtow
Office: LA 156
Office phone: 243-2845
Email: nathaniel.levtow@umontana.edu
Office hours:
Tu Th 8:00 - 9:30 am
& by appointment
LSH 151L: Introduction to the Humanities
Fall Semester 2011
Section 80 (71626): T Th 12:40 – 2:00 pm (DHC 117), Th 11:10-12:00 (NUULH)
Welcome to LSH 151, Introduction to the Humanities. In this course we will read and
discuss a selection of highly influential texts from the ancient world. We will explore how their
authors encountered and responded to enduring human themes and problems including but not
limited to: humanity and deity; knowledge and ignorance; virtue and justice; fate and human
destiny; life and death; friendship and love; individual and society; weakness and power; sex and
gender; war and peace; happiness and suffering; good and evil; myth and history; exile and return;
truth and change.
Course outcomes: The goals for this course include the development of critical reading skills,
through close readings of ancient texts with a focus on their historical and literary contexts, and the
development of writing skills, through an evaluated process of composition and revision.
Textbooks
Required unless noted. Purchase only the indicated translations (available at the UM Bookstore):
The Epic of Gilgamesh (translation by George; Penguin, 2003)
The New Oxford Annotated Bible (NRSV translation) (Oxford, 2001)
Homer, The Odyssey (translation by Fagles; Penguin, 1996)
Sophocles I (Oedipus Cycle) (translation by Grene; Chicago, 1991)
Plato, Five Dialogues (translation by Grube; Hackett, 2002)
St. Augustine, The Confessions (translation by Boulding; Vintage, 1997)
*Greek Lyric (translation by Miller; Hackett, 1996) (this is an optional purchase)
E-reserve: e-reserve documents may be accessed through the Mansfield Library Course Reserves
website (http://eres.lib.umt.edu/eres/) using the course password “LS151”
Grading:
1. Attendance and class participation: 10%
2. Quizzes: 10%
3. Presentations and written responses: 5%
3. Essays: 45% (3 x 15%)
4. Midterm (essay) exam: 15%
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5. Final (essay) exam: 15%
Learning Goals
*To achieve an understanding of the foundations of the Western humanistic tradition by critical
reading of the Bible and selected masterworks of the ancients
*To be able to read masterworks of different times, places, genres, and categories with
understanding.
*To be able to place diverse literary and religious works in a tradition.
*To appreciate the influence of this tradition on one’s own ways of thinking and seeing.
*To learn to ask good questions of and write cogently about literary and other texts.
Learning Outcomes
*To demonstrate in writing an understanding of the foundations of the Western humanistic
tradition
*To demonstrate in writing the ability to read masterworks with understanding
*To demonstrate in writing the ability to place works in a tradition
*To demonstrate in writing the ability to appreciate the influence of tradition
*To demonstrate in writing the ability to ask good questions of a text
Course Requirements:
1. Attendance: Required for all class meetings and for all weekly plenary lectures.
2. Readings: Complete all readings before the class on which they are assigned, and be prepared to
participate in our discussion about them. Always bring the assigned text to class with you.
3. Quizzes: Two quizzes will be given (#1 on September 25, #2 on November 8) on class
readings, class discussions, and plenary lectures. These quizzes are designed to test whether you
have been reading the assignments and attending class. They will focus on the assigned texts and
on information communicated in class lectures and discussions.
4. Brief presentations and written responses (1-2 pp typed, double-spaced) to assigned class
readings and plenary lectures will be required from students from time to time.
5. Essays: There will be three essay assignments in this class:
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i. An essay of 5 pages will be due in class on October 2.
ii. An essay of 5 pages will be due on November 5.
iii. A revision and expansion (7 pages) of the second essay will be due on December 4.
These essays will focus on selected assigned readings and will be based on a set of topics
distributed and discussed in class. The essays must (a) address selected texts/topics (b) have a
clear thesis/argument (c) support the argument with textual evidence and (d) adhere to the
conventions of academic writing, including correct grammar and syntax. They must be typed,
double-spaced w/1-inch margins, page-numbered, and stapled, with the student’s name on page 1.
6. Exams:
i. A midterm exam will be given in class on Tuesday October 16.
ii. A final exam will be given in class on Thursday December 13, 10:10 am – 12:10 pm.
Course Policies:
1) There will be no make-up quizzes or exams unless the student has made arrangements at least
a week ahead of time. Except in the case of a documented emergency, late papers will result
in a decrease of one letter grade per day.
2) Students are allowed two cuts, no penalties or questions asked. Each additional cut (including
early departures from the classroom) will reduce the attendance and participation grade by 10%
(that is, 1.5% of your final grade). More than 8 absences will result in failure for the course. If
you miss a class meeting, it is then your responsibility to obtain from a classmate any class notes
and other assignment and scheduling information discussed during your absence.
3) Plagiarism – the presentation of others’ work as your own – is an offense punishable by
course failure and/or expulsion. All work submitted in this class must be your own, and all
references to ideas from books, articles, or other sources must be cited correctly. If you do
not know how to properly reference your work, or you are in doubt whether or not you should
cite material, refer to the University guidelines, or make an appointment to see the instructor
to discuss the problem. Anyone found guilty of plagiarism, cheating, forgery, falsification or
any other form of academic dishonesty will fail this course and the incident will be reported to
the Dean.
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Class Schedule:
*Note: Our schedule may change as our course develops (dates, assignments, etc.); regular
attendance will ensure that you are informed of any changes.
§ I. The Ancient Near East: Gilgamesh and the Hebrew Bible
(Week 1)
Tu 8/28
Introductions
Th 8/30
The Epic of Gilgamesh, tablets I-V (pp. 1-47)
Th 9/1: Plenary Lecture 1: Introduction to the Humanities—Justman, LS
(Week 2)
Tu 9/4
The Epic of Gilgamesh, tablets VI-XI (pp. 48-99)
Th 9/6
Genesis 1-11
Th 9/6: Plenary Lecture 2: The Bible in the University; Intro. to the Pentateuch—Levtow, LS
(Week 3)
Tu 9/11
Exodus 1-15:21 (focus on Exodus chapters 3, 14, 15); Psalm 114
Th 9/13
Exodus 19-24, 32-34; Deuteronomy 4:44–5:33; Matthew 5:17-20
Th 9/13: Plenary Lecture 3: Prophets and Prophecy—Levtow, LS
(Week 4)
Tu 9/18
Amos 1–5, 7, 9:11–15; Hosea 1–4, 6, 11; Isaiah 1, 6, 40, 43:14–21;
Ezekiel 1-4, 37:1-14
Th 9/20
Proverbs 1, 8, 10; Ecclesiastes; Job 1-7, 38-42
Th 9/20: Plenary Lecture 4: Wisdom—Hanson, LS
(Week 5)
Tu 9/25
*Quiz #1: Gilgamesh, Hebrew Bible*
Essay writing workshop
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§ II. Archaic Greece: Homer and Greek Lyric
Th 9/27
Homer, Odyssey, Bks. 1-4
(book presentations)
Th 9/27: Plenary Lecture 5: Intro. to Greek Civilization—Semanoff, MCLL
(Week 6)
Tu 10/2
*Essay #1 due in class*
Homer, Odyssey, Bks. 5-8
(book presentations)
Th 10/4
Homer, Odyssey, Bks. 9-12
(book presentations)
Th 10/4: Plenary Lecture 6: Hero and Anti-hero in Homer—Justman, Liberal Studies
(Week 7)
Tu 10/9
Homer, Odyssey, Bks. 21-24
(book presentations)
Th 10/11
Greek Lyric: Archilochus, Sappho [e-reserve]
Review
Th 10/11: Plenary Lecture 7: Sappho and Greek Lyric—Vanita, LS
(Week 8)
Tu 10/16
*Midterm Exam*
§ III. Classical Athens: Sophocles and Plato
Th 10/18
Sophocles, Oedipus Rex
Th 10/18: Plenary Lecture 8: Tragedy—Semanoff, MCLL
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(Week 9)
Tu 10/23
Sophocles, Oedipus Rex
Th 10/25
Plato, Meno
Th 10/25: Plenary Lecture: 9: Plato and Greek Philosophy—Muench, Philosophy
(Week 10)
Tu 10/30
Plato, Republic Book VII (the cave, the divided line) [e-reserve]
Th 11/1
Plato, Republic Book VII (the cave, the divided line) [e-reserve]
Th 11/1: Plenary Lecture 10: Gospels and New Testament—Levtow, LS
§ IV. The Hellenistic World, Rome, and the New Testament
(Week 11)
*Essay #2 due in my mailbox by 4:00pm on Monday November 5
Tu 11/6
Election day
Th 11/8
*Quiz #2: Sophocles, Plato*
The Gospel of Mark
Th 11/8: Plenary Lecture 11: Paul and His Contexts—Hanson, LS
(Week 12)
Tu 11/13
1 Corinthians; Acts 18:1-3
Th 11/15
Galatians; Acts 9:1-31
Th 11/15: No plenary lecture
(Week 13)
Tu 11/20, Th 11/22
*no classes (academic conference; Thanksgiving)*
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§ V. Late Antiquity and Christendom: Augustine
(Week 14)
Tu 11/27
Augustine, Confessions, Bks. I-III
Th 11/29
Augustine, Confessions, Bks. IV-VI
Th 11/29: Plenary Lecture 12: Early Christian Art—Dietrich, LS
(Week 15)
Tu 12/4
*Essay #3 due in class*
Augustine, Confessions, Bks. VII-IX
Th 12/6
Augustine, Confessions, Bks. X-XIII
Th 12/6: Plenary Lecture 13: Augustine’s Confessions—Dietrich, LS
*Final Exam: Thursday December 13, 10:10 am – 12:10 pm *
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LS 151 Plenary Lectures: 2012
Lectures are given on Thursdays from 11:10-12:00 in North Underground Urey
Lecture Hall. They are not repeated. Attendance is mandatory, as the lecture series
accounts for the fourth credit of LS 151.
Aug. 30: Introduction to the Humanities—Justman, LS
Sept. 6: Bible in the University: Introduction to the Pentateuch—Levtow, LS
Sept. 13: Prophets and Prophecy—Levtow, LS
Sept. 20: Wisdom—Hanson, LS
Sept. 27: Introduction to Greek Civilization—Semanoff, MCLL
Oct. 4: Hero and Anti-Hero in Homer—Justman, LS
Oct. 11: Sappho and Lyric—Vanita, LS
Oct. 18: Tragedy—Semanoff, MCLL
Oct. 25: Plato and Greek Philosophy—Muench, Philosophy
Nov. 1: Gospels and New Testament—Levtow, LS
Nov. 8: Paul and His Context—Hanson, LS
Nov. 15: No lecture
Nov. 22: Thanksgiving
Nov. 29: Early Christian Art—Dietrich, LS
Dec. 6: Augustine’s Confessions—Dietrich, LS
LS 151.8 Levtow, Paper Assignment #1
The Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis 1-11: Parallels
Identify a key parallel between the Epic of Gilgamesh and Genesis 111. Focus on a few short, specific passages in both books: specify and
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explain their similarities and differences.
LS151.8 Paper #1 outline
5 pages, typed, double spaced, 12 pt font, stapled with your name on it. Due at
the beginning of class on Tuesday October 2.
Outline of required paper structure:
Introduction. Body. Conclusion. (“Say what you are going to say. Say it. Say
what you said.”)
I. Introduction (first paragraph)
Your first paragraph MUST identify the
following three things clearly:
1) Texts: Identify your focal passages (by
tablet/chapter and verse)
2) Topic: Identify 1) the general topic of your chosen
passages and 2) the specific topic of your paper 3) Argument or question:
 Identify what specific point (about your texts) you will make in your paper 
 Or, ask a specific question (about your texts) that your paper will answer II.
Body
A. Description of texts Before you try to explain your texts, first
simply describe them 
1. Describe the passages you will discuss in Gilgamesh
o summarize them in your own words, quoting occasionally if you wish
o focus on the specific verses you will discuss 2. Describe the passages you will
discuss in Genesis 1-11
o summarize them in your own words, quoting occasionally if you wish
o focus on the specific verses that you will discuss
3. Compare the two passages
(in Gilgamesh and Genesis 1-11)
o Identify key similarities between the two texts o Identify key differences
between the two texts
B. Explanation
Now develop your “argument” about these similarities and
differences
Explain these similarities and difference between the Epic of Gilgamesh
and Genesis 1-11 o Support your explanation with textual evidence from your
chosen verses
o Be sure to develop one overarching argument that answers one
clear question
o The less general and more specific you are, the stronger your
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paper will be
III. Conclusion
Restate your main argument or answer to the question that you
asked in your introduction
Levtow, Paper #2 Guidelines
LS 151.8: Autumn 2012
Human Themes
The texts we are reading in this class touch upon a wide range of
questions and problems arising from the human experience. This
includes “human themes” such as: war and peace; childhood and
adulthood; parents and children; individual and society; men and
women; sex and sexuality; humanity and deity; exile and home; foreign
and domestic; good and evil; laws and treaties; heroism and virtue;
order and chaos; freedom and slavery; kingship and civic life; creation
and destruction; sacrifice and ritual; the causes of strife and conflict;
the keys to a good and successful life; death and the afterlife; nature
and culture; virtue and justice; etc.!
For the second paper, I would like you to discuss how one of these
“human themes” is addressed in our class texts. To do so, choose one
brief, specific passage from two different texts (thus, two different
focal passages total) we will have read in class (Gilgamesh, Hebrew
Bible, Odyssey, Sophocles, Plato) and discuss the way these two
different texts address and represent the same “human theme.”
I am asking you to focus on two short primary texts to explore one
larger (yet focused) topic.
You have considerable freedom in your choice of texts and topics. The
main thing is to choose two specific passages to discuss one specific
topic. You should certainly not, for example, try to discuss all of the
topics noted above, and you may discuss another theme you have
identified.
The key to this assignment is to 1) select two specific texts (no longer
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than a few paragraphs); 2) select one specific issue or problem that
those texts address; and 3) make a focused, clear argument about how
those two different texts address this same problem or theme.
Do not generally discuss what you think or feel about the question –
tell me instead what the ancients authors wrote about it. Keep the
authors in mind, even if they are anonymous, and refer to them in
your paper.
You must firmly anchor your essay in the texts you write about.
Quote from the texts whenever you make a statement about them, and
cite the location of your quote in parentheses (e.g. Gen 1:26; Odyssey
X:132-42). You may refer to other passages in our class texts in order
to strengthen and support your argument. But remember, focus only on
two limited passages.
Essay structure: Follow the outline distributed for Essay # 1. Say what
you are going to say. Say it. Then say what you said. Begin with an
introductory paragraph where you identify your focal texts, topic,
and argument or question. Then describe each text. Then compare
them both. Then make your argument about how the address the theme.
Conclude with a restatement of your argument.
Ca. 5 pages. Your paper must be typed, double-spaced, and stapled
with your name on it. Late papers will receive a deduction of one letter
grade per day overdue.
DUE in my mailbox in LA101 by 4pm Monday November 5.
Note: Paper #3 asks for a revision and expansion of paper #2.
Use of this document, and all documents related to it, including student
submissions, is restricted to writing assessment staff at the University of
Montana during the 2012-2013 academic year
Introduction to the Humanities (LS 152): Spring 2013
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The second course in the Introduction to the Humanities sequence (though 151 is not a prerequisite), LS
152 examines selected works of literature and political and philosophical thought from the later Middle
Ages to the twentieth century. The course is intended to give students a sense of the contours of
Western culture and history over the past seven or so centuries, with emphasis on Dante’s Divine
Comedy, so notable for its fusion of imagination and intellect; the return to the roots of piety known as
the Reformation; the revival of classical culture known as the Renaissance; the scientific revolution of the
seventeenth century; the Enlightenment and French Revolution; the rise of romanticism and the triumph
of the novel in the nineteenth century; and the shock of totalitarianism in the twentieth. In a sense, the
course is bounded by Dante’s vision of hell on the one side and the living hell of the Holocaust on the
other.
Emphasis in LS 152.80 is on critical thinking, close reading of primary sources, analytical writing, and
historical understanding.
Learning Goals
*To achieve an understanding of the shape of the Western humanistic tradition from the later Middle
Ages through the 20th century by reading selected masterworks of the tradition from Dante to Dostoevsky
(or Tolstoy) and beyond.
*To be able to read masterworks of different times, places, genres, and categories with understanding.
*To be able to place such diverse literary and philosophical works, whether the Inferno or Descartes’s
Discourse on Method, in a tradition.
*To appreciate the influence of this tradition on one’s own ways of thinking and seeing.
*To learn to ask good questions of and write cogently about literary and philosophical texts.
Learning Outcomes
*To demonstrate in writing an understanding of the shape of the Western humanistic tradition
*To demonstrate in writing the ability to read masterworks with understanding
*To demonstrate in writing the ability to place works in a tradition
*To demonstrate in writing the ability to appreciate the influence of tradition
*To demonstrate in writing the ability to ask good questions of a text
Writing Goals
*To formulate, state and support a sound thesis
*To organize and develop ideas logically
*To cite evidence persuasively
*To employ correct and appropriate usage of the English language
Consult the Liberal Studies Writing Standards (to be distributed)
Texts
Dante’s Inferno
More, Utopia
Machiavelli, The Prince
Shakespeare, Hamlet
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Descartes, Discourse on Method
Rousseau, Discourse on Inequality
Blake, Poems (Dover edition)
Wordsworth, Poems (Dover edition)
Tolstoy, Death of Ivan Ilych
Additional Readings
Many additional readings are posted on electronic reserve (ERes), for which the password for LS 152 is
“erasmus.” Interspersed among the readings from our texts, we will read selections from the following
authors (probably in this order): Pico, Erasmus, Luther, Montaigne, Donne, Marvell, Swift, Madison,
Wollstonecraft, Arendt. The reading schedule for each week, including ERes readings if any, will be given
in class.
Plenary Lectures
On each Thursday from 11:00 to noon, a lecture is presented to all sections of LS 152 in the NORTH
Underground Lecture Hall (Urey). Lectures are more or less synchronized with our readings. Attendance
is mandatory, if only because the lectures constitute the fourth hour and fourth credit of this four-credit
course.
Requirements
1. Attendance, including at Thursday lectures. Students are allowed three absences per term; a paper
will be lowered one grade for each absence over the maximum. Use your absences wisely.
2. Each week, on Monday if you are A-H, Wednesday if you are I-P, Friday if you are Q-Z, you are to
submit four typed questions regarding the reading for that day. I will credit questions only if they’re
written in clear and correct English, properly spelled, and cogent. If your questions aren’t credited on any
given week, don’t take it personally but simply try to do better the next time. At the end of the term I will
total your credits, with 10 or more counting as an A, 8-9 as a B, 6-7 as a C, 4-5 as a D, and less than 4 as an
F. This is a W (Writing) class. Take the composition of questions seriously and consider it as part of the
course’s W component. I will teach to the questions to a good degree.
3. The philosopher Colin McGinn has observed of Hamlet that he “seems to transform himself almost
every time he appears on the stage, so variable is his temperament.” On March 13, submit a doublespaced paper of at least 1500 words on this observation. Writing must be clear and correct. Quote the
text accurately, taking care to cite verse as verse (with line breaks) and prose as prose (no line breaks).
Students may submit a revision within five days of the paper’s return, though grades will be revised
only if revision is appropriately substantial.
4. On May 8, submit a paper, also of at least 1500 words, examining what Tolstoy seems to be saying in
The Death of Ivan Ilych about the way a human life is to be lived.
5. A final exam consisting of ten short essays (approximately 250 words each) will be given at the
scheduled time. Your weekly questions, first paper, second paper, and final exam will each count for ¼ of
your grade. Note that in one way or another all of your grade depends on writing.
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General Instructions for Paper Assignments
Your paper should be structured as follows:
Introduction. Body. Conclusion. (“Say what you are going to say. Say it. Say what you said.”)
1. Introduction (first paragraph). Among the most important decisions you will make in writing a paper is
choosing the topic. A good topic is a fruitful one, enabling you to open a line of investigation and reach an
interesting conclusion. The first paragraph should introduce this topic in general terms and conclude by
stating it specifically. Be sure that your wording is clear; presenting an unclear thesis is like giving
someone who is lost vague directions. At this point the reader should know where the paper is going, and
the writer should be able to keep the paper on course because the course has been set. By the same
token, a paper without a thesis will go nowhere. In every case, the thesis must be such that it can be
confirmed by evidence—in this case, textual evidence.
2. Body. The body—the main portion of your paper—is dedicated to arguing out the thesis by unfolding
it in detail and following out its implications, supporting all claims with evidence. A well-presented paper
“proves” the thesis, or at least makes it very plausible, by the appropriate use of evidence. Remember
that the reader needs to be persuaded. The burden of proof is on the writer, and the body of the paper is
where the burden is met.
3. Conclusion. Restate your claim or thesis without using the very same words used in introducing it. You
might think of the last paragraph as your paper’s capstone, completing the entire structure by adding an
element that would be missing otherwise.
Writing Standards
An A Paper
Has a sound, original thesis
Supports the thesis with textual evidence
Handles quotations well; does not quote excessively or sloppily
Features developed (not meager) paragraphs
Flows from sentence to sentence without disruptions of logic
Varies the length and construction of sentences
Uses apostrophes correctly; observes parallel structure, rules of agreement, and the like
Is not dogmatic
Avoids jargon and clichés
May use ironic or figurative expressions
Respects the craft of writing
Does not patronize the past
Delights and persuades the reader
A B Paper
Has a sound thesis
Supports the thesis with textual evidence
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Handles quotations well as a rule, but may quote excessively or fail to integrate quoted passages
Features some developed and some ill-developed paragraphs
Flows from sentence to sentence with occasional breaks in logic
Tends toward uniform sentence length and construction
Mistakes an apostrophe or two, commits the odd spelling error, but generally handles mechanics
correctly
Slips now and then into repetition, but is not dogmatic
Slips now and then into jargon or cliché, but knows better
Respects the craft
Falls occasionally into anachronisms or patronizing judgments of the past
More or less persuades the reader
A C Paper
Has a thesis barely worthy of argument
Offers some textual evidence
Handles quotations with some carelessness
Features undeveloped paragraphs
Features poor transitions and/or sentences that do not follow
Locks itself into a pattern of sentence construction; is choppy
Shows some fragments, run-on sentences, misused apostrophes, breaks in parallelism and agreement
Repeats
Uses jargon and clichés
Shows little respect for the craft
Falls into anachronisms; makes vast historical judgments
Fails to persuade the reader
A D Paper
Has a thesis unworthy of argument
Offers little or no textual evidence
Misquotes, quotes excessively as a way of dodging work, puts quotations anywhere and everywhere
Features underdeveloped paragraphs, often in no particular order
Is strewn with poor transitions and/or sentences that don’t follow
Is written not only in choppy but defective sentences
Is marred with fragments, run-on sentences, misused apostrophes, faults of parallelism and
agreement
Is repetitive and dogmatic
Relies on jargon and clichés
Shows no respect for the craft
Falls into anachronisms; makes absurd historical judgments
Fails to persuade the reader
Caveat
Don’t pluck information about the readings off the Web. By no means is everything posted on the Web
reliable. Academic books, like scientific articles, undergo a peer-review that postings on the Web bypass
completely. Additionally, the date and even the author of information posted on the Web aren’t always
clear.
Plagiarism
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Strictly forbidden. See the prohibition of plagiarism in the UM Catalog.
Stewart Justman
Director, Liberal Studies Program; x5793
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