FDN 111 Syllabus 1
REVOLUTION AND RENAISSANCE--FDN 111 A
Georgetown College Foundations and Core Program—Fall 2011
Section A: MWF 9:00-9:50a.m., PH 203
Instructor: Brad Hadaway
Office: Pawling Hall 307
Telephone: 863-8081 [O] 570-9537 [H]
Office Hours: M 2-6p.m.; Th 1-2p.m.; and by appointment
Email: Bradford_Hadaway@georgetowncollege.edu
Course Description from the Catalog:
Foundations 111 (3 hours)
This course is designed to equip students with foundational skills in academic inquiry, analysis (of both written
materials and quantitative data), argument, critical thinking and discussion, and expression of ideas. Students will
cultivate these skills while exploring a set of significant works from literature, philosophy, religion, the natural
and social sciences, and the fine arts. The course materials will be historically organized and will engage issues
within a theme of perennial or pressing concern.
Foundations 111 Theme:
Regarding the theme Revolution and Renaissance, the basic concept is that cultural renaissances are typically
the product of a conflict between established and newer ways of seeing the world. They are the “rebirth” that
emerges from a period of revolution. The purpose of this course will be to demonstrate to students that Western
cultural history can be understood as a sequence of epochs associated with ideological conflict, and that it is
difficult to appreciate the creative life of past cultures without taking into account the worldviews that inspired
this creativity.
 This course will explore the theme in five historical eras of revolution and rebirth, each characterized by a
conflict between established and newer ways of thinking.
o Era 1—The Classical Period (ca. 500 BCE to 450 CE): The conflict between an ancient
worldview rooted in myth (ca. 1700-900BC) and a classical worldview that emphasizes reason
and natural causes
o Era 2—The Medieval Period (ca. 450 to 1300/1500): The transition from late Roman classicism
to the hierarchical and God-centered worldview of the Christian Middle Ages
o Era 3—The Renaissance/Enlightenment Period (ca. 1300/1500 to 1800): The transition from
the Medieval worldview to the increasingly secular, humanistic and scientific worldview of the
period from the Renaissance through the Enlightenment
o Era 4—The 19th Century (ca. 1800-1900): The conflict between a now dominant tradition of
scientific rationalism and a counter-Enlightenment backlash represented by movements such as
Romanticism and early Modernism
o Era 5—The 20th Century (ca. 1900 to the present): The conflict between a worldview rooted in
the Western intellectual and religious tradition and a radically skeptical Modernism seemingly at
odds with every vital element of this tradition
The readings and other works selected from each revolutionary era will engage one or more of the following
questions:
 “What is the nature of the Divine?” (D)
 “What does the universe look like?” (U)
 “How do we understand and order our life together?” (S)
 “How do I conceive of myself and of a meaningful life?” (I)
FDN 111 Syllabus 2
Foundations 111 Objectives:
At the end of FDN 111, students shall be able:
 to read (that is, to examine carefully and evaluatively) written and other kinds of texts for
content and meaning, and, to some degree, to attend to questions of structure and form as they
impact and/or shape meaning.
 to compose logical, original, and critical (that is, objective, evaluative, and analytical) responses to texts,
problems, and questions.
 to argue coherently and persuasively, displaying knowledge of the elements and inner workings of
argument--that is, using logical organization, adequate support, independent thought, and sound
reasoning, as modeled in many of the arguments in course readings.
 to engage, deeply and meaningfully, with course material—including texts, problems, and questions—
and with others in critical discussions of that material, both in the sense of participating in college‐level
class discussions, and in the sense of entering into written and other kinds of larger cultural discourses at
a pre‐disciplinary level.
 to self-assess by reflecting thoughtfully on both their understanding of course content and their
development of target skills; in other words, self-assessment here refers to the skill of “knowing when we
know something.”
Required Texts
1) Course Pack of primary sources
2) Skills Handbook
Georgetown College’s Statement on the Handbook: “The Skills Handbook is a required text for the Foundations
and Core program. In addition, professors outside of the Foundations and Core program may expect you to use it
in their courses. For this reason, you should keep this text and expect to use it for the next four years. You will not
be able to sell this text back to The Store, as it is expected to be a resource for you throughout your college
career.”
3) An appropriate dictionary
Course Requirements
To satisfy the requirements of FDN 111, you must attend class consistently; turn in assignments on time;
participate constructively in class activities; achieve the objectives stated above; produce a portfolio (described
below); and successfully complete assignments located in this syllabus in a manner that allows for the earning of
at least a grade of D or better.
Academic Honesty
All students are responsible for understanding and complying with the College’s Honor System. Students who
break this policy will be reported according to Honor Code policy and may fail the course or receive another
penalty, such as a grade reduction, depending on the severity of the offense. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Students who are unsure about how to consult sources, respond to an assignment, or integrate source material
should be sure to ask the professor for help.
Late Paper Policy
Late papers will NOT be accepted and assignments or examinations will NOT be taken late unless the instructor
is informed ahead of time of a problem or there is a documented emergency (e.g. illness with Doctor’s note) that
prevents you from informing the instructor in advance. By itself, your claim that you had an emergency is not
sufficient. You need to provide some form of verification. If you have not notified the instructor of a problem
ahead of time or if you are unable to provide documentation/verification of your emergency, you will receive a
non-negotiable zero. Assignments can always be turned in or taken early.
FDN 111 Syllabus 3
Moodle Resources and Email
During the course of the semester, I will post assignments, updates, and other helpful resources for the class on
the Moodle site. I will also frequently communicate with the class via email. Please let me know if you need
assistance in utilizing online resources.
Course Expectations
- Class participation and preparation is expected of each student. Therefore, it is expected that assigned readings
will have been read by the posted due date.
- Attendance is vital for student success in this class. You are allowed six unexcused absences before your grade
is affected. Beginning with the seventh, each unexcused absence will incur a one point reduction in your final
point score. For example, a student with 15 unexcused absences (roughly 1/3rd of the course) will have his or her
final score reduced by 9 points. The final score can be further reduced if a student repeatedly demonstrates a lack
of preparation for class. I will frequently begin class with questions designed to check your preparation.
- Keep all returned graded assignments. All students will be encouraged to keep all their graded assignments in
order to complete the Self-Reflection Essay and Portfolio requirement.
- Disabilities. If accommodations are needed for a disability, please notify me during the first class period or as
soon as possible.
- The syllabus is subject to change.
Assessment Methods
The course comprises the following assignments and papers designed to achieve the objectives of the course:
 Ongoing Assignments – 35%
o Reading Questions – 10%
Reading Questions are assigned periodically to strengthen students’ abilities to contextualize, to
comprehend, to discern structure, to read closely and interpret, and/or to think critically and
creatively. Some of the reading questions may be undertaken collaboratively in group work.
(Objectives: to read, to engage, to argue)
o Skill-building Exercises – 15%
For Skill-building Exercises, students will be given a variety of assignment types which develop
foundational skills. Some of the Skill-building Exercises may be undertaken collaboratively in
group work.
(Objectives: to read, to compose, to engage, to argue)
o Ideas Notebook – 10%
The Ideas Notebook will allow students to write in response to an engaging question for a
reading, a collection of readings, or out of class experiences. Some of the ideas notebook
assignments may be undertaken collaboratively in group work.
(Objectives: to compose, to engage, to self-assess)
 Formal Papers – 55%
o Exploratory Essay – 20%
Students will write a paper in which they explore their intellectual journey toward understanding
one or more readings. (900 -1200 words).
(Objectives: to read, to compose)
o Thesis Driven Essay – 25%
Students will respond to a given assignment with a fully developed thesis (1500-2000 words).
(Objectives: to read, to compose, to argue)
FDN 111 Syllabus 4
Self Reflection Essay – 10%
Students will write an essay in which they reflect on their own skill-development throughout the
semester. (1200-1500 words).
(Objectives: to engage, to self-assess)
Class Discussions & Participation – 5%
Students will be expected to participate fully in class discussions, required experiences, and
conferences as well as to contribute to the overall intellectual atmosphere of the course. (See
handout)
(Objectives: to engage, to argue, to self-assess)
Post Assessment – 5%
Students will participate in a final reading and writing assessment for comparison with the
semester’s pre-test reading and writing assessment.
(Objectives: to read, to compose, to self-assess)
Portfolio – Ungraded but required in order to pass the course
Students will submit the three major essays along with at least four other assignments (as
explained in the Self-Reflection Essay assignment) as their portfolio requirement. This portfolio
will not be returned.
(Objective: to self-assess)
o
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Grading Scale
A Course percentage >= 92.5
AB 87.5 <= Course Percentage < 92.5
B
82.5 <= Course Percentage < 87.5
BC 77.5 <= Course Percentage < 82.5
C
70 <= Course Percentage < 77.5
D 60 <= Course Percentage < 70
F
Course Percentage < 60
**Note: Scores for each individual assignment will be given as a letter grade which will correspond to the following
numerical score:
A+ = 98; A = 95; A- = 93; A/B = 90; B+ = 87; B = 85; B- = 83; B/C = 80; C+ = 77; C = 75; C- = 71; D+ = 68; D = 65; D- =
61; F = 55
So if you receive a “B-” on a paper or exam, that score is treated as an “83” when figuring your average.