Go To: Course Sequence
Paper Topics Video
Assignment Grade Expectations
Final
Exam Schedule
Foreman's
Homepage
New! Take a look at the Humanities Program Homepage. It has links to dozens of interesting site dealing with the material in HUM 211 and HUM 212. You can even find every one of the readings on-line!
Instructor: Bill Foreman
Office: Faculty Hall 7B13 (go to English Department office
on the seventh floor of Faculty Hall; my office is on the
right-hand side, halfway down the hall to your left)
Office Telephone: 762-4549 (I have an answering machine)
Office Hours: Monday-Friday 9:30-11:30am
E-mail: bill.foreman@murraystate.edu
Catalog Description: An exploration of humanistic themes as reflected in literary and philosophical works prior to the twentieth century.
Purpose: In this course we will read from a number of classic texts from western culture, spanning the period of the ancient Greeks through the 19th century (1800's) and contemplate what they say to us about the concepts of self, other, and community.
Philosophy of the Course: People in any time and place live in a culture that has a history and tradition; they think and live in ways that seem "normal" to them The culture we have grown up in seems like the only possible culture, a seamless fabric customs and philosophies that tells us how to be good individuals and good members of the community. Each generation inherits the culture of its forebearers and imagines that its framework for living is a unified system. In fact, the way we think about the fundamental problems of living is the result of thousands of years of thinking and writing about being human and living in human communities. Many of these writers have disagreed with each other; over time, the ways we think about how to be good human beings has changed. In this course, we will review just a few of the many voices that have contributed to our conception of the ways humans should live.
Among the most prominent of these questions will be:
Instructional Activities: Class activities include discussion of readings and background lectures, small group activities to explore the content and significance of course material .
Resources: You will use your assigned texts and the resources of the Waterfield Library. You may also find useful the links available below in the "course sequence" section of this on-line syllabus.
Assignments: Grades from this course will be fall into four categories: tests, reading checks, papers, and a group project. There are four tests, three spread approximately evenly throughout the semester and a cumulative final exam. You will complete two papers of approximately three typed pages (750 words) on interpretive, analytic, or comparative topics. Approximately twenty times during the semester, quizzes and homework assignments will be given to ensure that everyone keeps up with the reading. In addition, you will work with a group during the second half of the semester to create a class presentation that synthesizes the work of several writers, applies the work of one or more writers to a contemporary problem, or introduces the work of a writer we are not covering this semester. For more guidance about writing these papers, see my step-by-step guide.
Here are several prompts to consider when writing your first paper. Remember that you need write on only one topic; it can be one from this list or another you select in consultation with me. Remember that you will be graded on the following criteria:
• Do you discuss the readings (rather than some other material)?
• Do you compare/contrast/think about the readings?
• Do you follow standard essay (or short story) form?
• Do you use quotations to effectively substantiate claims you make?
• Do you say something interesting?
• Do you adhere to academic style?
• Do you show how the readings reflect contemporary problems/situations?
Choose one of the following prompts:
1. One improtant question we cover during the ancient period is the idea of the hero. What functions do "heroes" play in both the ancient and modern worlds, and what do the heroes of a particular age say about that time period? Write an essay that compares the hero Odysseus to any other hero from the present day or recent past. As you prepare your paper, think about the following points of comparison:
2. A major question contemplated by the ancients was the nature of the material and the spiritual (or "ideal") world. Compare and contrast at least four readings on this point and comment intelligently on which seems most convincing.
3. Another central question in the humanities concerns civic leadership; in other words, how should a group of people govern themselves? Important questions within this issue include:
4. Every culture has a set of values
that help members of that culture interact with each other usefully.
Our culture--for example--admires personal initiative and personal style;
cleverness in the acquisition of wealth; youth and sexual attractiveness;
the kinship ties of the nuclear family, etc. Using two or three works
as evidence, evaluate the values portrayed in classical Greek texts.
Particularly, are there any ways in which the values of Greek culture changed
over time? (For example, do the values of Antigone or Lysistrata
conflict with those of Odysseus?
Please refer to the grading criteria listed for Essay One.
The prompts:
1. Explain and contrast the philosophies of Hobbes and Locke. Then, show how at least three issues in American politics can be seen in light of these two thinkers.
2. Most of the readings in this course deal with the problem of self-interest and community. Each of us as a human wants what is best for the self, but in order to be safe and prosperous, we have to live together in communities. Applying several of the readings, compare the ways various readings suggest we cope with the tension between our own individual desires and the needs of our community.
3. Write a satire that: a)criticizes a current element of the status quo by making it seem evil or ridiculous, and b) points to a better way
4. Several of the readings deal with
the problem of hypocrisy--the tendency of humans to set ideals for themselves
that they then fail to live up to. Write a paper in which you demonstrate
how hypocrisy is an eternal human problem (or how we can solve this problem).
Cite from several readings and at least two contemporary situations
Assignments will be weighted as follows:
Assignment Value Content
Test One
100 points Classical Literature (take home)
Test Two
100
Ancient Philosophers
Test Three
150
Unit Two only
Final
Exam
200
Cumulative (UnitThree emphasized)
Paper
One
100
Synthesis of Unit One
Paper
Two
100
Synthesis of Units Two and Three
Reading Checks
50
Quizzes and Homework
Group
Presentation 100
Video Project
Participation
100
Contributions to class discussion
Total
1000 points
Grades: Personally, I wish we could do without grades. School is different from any other occupation because, rather than receiving feedback like getting paid, promoted, or fired, you get an artificial "mark" that is supposed to somehow stand as a complete evaluation of your efforts and achievement. This seems rather counterproductive to me. On the other hand, everyone wants them. Students want them so they know how they are doing and what is expected of them. Everyone else wants them because they fold neatly into numerical summaries of your college work in the form of grade point averages.
I don’t give easy grades. On the other hand, students who do what everyone knows students are supposed to do—show up for every class, pay attention, take notes, ask questions and participate in discussions, see me in my office when they don’t understand something, turn in all the work on time, and make a real effort—rarely fail (and most do pretty well). Students who don’t do as well as they might like to usually don’t do one or more of the above. In general, I try to have a "bell curve" grading outcome for the class, with a more C’s than B’s, more B’s than D’s, and more A’s than D’s. In a typical semester, the average grade in a HUM class will be a B-.
Grading Standards for HUM 211: Here is a brief explanation of my standards for various levels of acheivement in this course. When I assign grades for various parts of the course, these are the standards I have in mind.
A This student does everything the "B" student does, but more so. This student consistently exhibits a superior ability to relate ideas together, not just in a general way but demonstrating a grasp both the specifics of ideas and the relationships between them. This person can not only understand the course material but can use it creatively. This person can not only answer the questions asked by the course, but poses questions of her or his own.
B This student not only understands the material as individual parts, but can synthesizethose parts, compare one reading to another, evaluate readings in comparison to their own values in a mature way, place the ideas of the reading(s) into a larger context, and apply the ideas of the course to current questions. This student is able to explain the features and meaning of readings easily, cogently, and expeditiously.
C This student understands all or most of the basic elements of the material as individual parts. He or she can explain at a basic level the features and meaning of the reading(s), knows the most important specific ideas from the reading, turns work in on time, can recount accurately the important phrases and/or ideas in the reading.
D This student does some of the things the "C" student can, but does them less consistently. While the "C" student can identify individual elements of the reading all or most of the time, this student sometimes explains things inaccurately or does not make him or herself clear. This student sometimes does not turn in work on time. This student confuses the readings or demonstrates a lack of clear understanding. Still, this student understands at least 60% of the material accurately.
E This student fails to demonstrate an adequate understanding of the material, is inaccurate in her/his explanations the material, often turns in work late or not at all, and/or misses class often. Failing work usually reflects a lack of preparation, a significant lack of understanding, a less-than-conscientious approach the course. Also included in this category are those who cheat or plagiarize or who do not follow the conventions of academic work (attending regularly; contributing positively to the class; showing respect for the instructor, the material, and other students).
Attendance Policy: You will need to sign the class attendance list during every class meeting. Since nearly everyone will be sick or have an emergency or just need a mental health day once in a while, you may be absent up to three times during the semester, for whatever reason. For each additional absence, three percent (3%) will be deducted from your final course grade. I try everyday to begin and end my classes on time; please be here when we begin.
Texts and References:
Davis, et. al. Western Literature in a World Context, Vol. 1.
(WLWC)
Humanities 212 Supplementary Text. (Supp.)
Austen, Pride and Prejudice.
Voltaire, Candide.
Prerequisites: None
Academic Integrity: The MSU policy on academic honesty reads as follows: "Cheating, plagiarism (submitting another person’s material as one’s own), or doing work for another person which will receive academic credit are all impermissible. This includes the use of unauthorized books, notebooks, or other sources in order to security or give help during an examination, the unauthorized copying of examinations, assignments, reports, or term papers, or the presentation of unacknowledged material as if it were the student’s own work. Disciplinary action may be taken beyond the academic discipline administered by the faculty member who teaching the course in which the cheating took place." The standard penalty for dishonest work is failure of the assignment or the course, at the teacher’s discretion. Please review the pink sheet that came with your printed syllabus.
Course Sequence and Reading Assignments
(all dates are tentative and subject to change)
Unit One – The Ancient World
August 22 – Introduction to the themes of the course, filling out forms,
general torture.
August 24 – Homer, Odyssey, Books 1, 3-4. (WLWC 8-14, 156-205)
August 29 – Homer, Odyssey, Books 5, 9-10. (205-46)
August 31 – Homer, Odyssey, Books 11-12, 19. (246-90)
September 5 – Homer, Odyssey, Books 21-24. (290-326)
September 7 – Sophocles, Antigone. (WLWC 409-45)
September 12 – Aristophanes, Lysistrata. (WLWC 481-512) Test
One (take home) given
September 14 – Plato, "Allegory of the Cave." (WLWC 513-15-534-39);
Test
One Due
September 19 – Plato, Apology and Phaedo (excerpt) (WCLC
516-34)
September 21 – "Sermon on the Mount." (WLWC 15-18, 765-68)
Ecclesiastes (Supp. 37-41)
September 26 – Confucius, Analects. (WLWC 870-74), "The Tao of
Pooh" (on-line),
Lao-Tzu
(WLWC 828-832)
September 28 -- Bhagavad Gita (WLWC 841-858), Epicurus (Supp. 18-26)
October 3 -- Epictetus (Supp. 27-36)
October 5 -- Test Two, in class.
Unit Two – The Middle Ages and the Renaissance
October 10 – Everyman (WLWC 1391-1418)
October 12 – Chaucer, “General
Prologue.” (WLWC 1304-24)
October 17 – Chaucer, “Wife
of Bath’s Prologue & Tale.” (WLWC 1324-48) Paper One Due
October 19 – Chaucer, “Pardoner’s Prologue & Tale.” (WLWC 1348-60)
October 24 – Shakespeare,
The
Tempest.. (WLWC 1822-59) Get a synopsis
of the play.
October 26 – Shakespeare, The Tempest. (WLWC 1859-88)
October 31 – Machiavelli, The
Prince (WLWC 1627-43) (Evian's
Speech)
November 2 -- Test Three (covers Unit Two only)
Unit Three – The Enlightenment and Romantic Periods
November 7 – Election Day (NO CLASS)
November 9 – Hobbes,
Leviathan.
(Supp. 59-69) Background
for Hobbes and Locke
November 14 -- Locke, Second Treatise of Government; Jefferson,
“Declaration of Independence” (Supp. 70-87).
November 16 – Voltaire, Candide, Chaps. 1-18 (1-47)
November 21 – Voltaire, Candide, Chaps. 19-30 (48-87) Paper Two Due
November 28 – Austen, Pride and Prejudice (1-87)
November 30 -- Austen, Pride and Prejudice (87-178)
December 5 – Group
Presentations
December 7 -- Group Presentations
Final Exams:
HUM 211-19 (TTh 12:30-1:45)
Tuesday, December 12 -- 1:30-3:30pm
HUM 211-21 (TTh 2:00-3:15)
Thursday, December 14 -- 1:30-3:30pm
(Click
here for a sample Final Exam)
