Ancient World / Delahoyde

Humanities 101
Section 1 [HUM] [H]
Fall 2016
SLN 01293
MWF 1:10 – 2:00 pm
Todd Hall 230


Dr. Michael Delahoyde
Avery Hall 355 — Washington State University
Hours: MWF 9:00-10:00, and by appointment.
Phone: 509-335-4832
E-mail: delahoyd@wsu.edu


THE ANCIENT WORLD


Course Description:

This course, Humanities 101, is designed to initiate you into the world of ancient literature, philosophy, history, and art, as humanity was grappling with (as it still is) the eternal questions we face concerning what are we as humans, what should we value, why do we exist? The works, rather than quaint relics of bygone peoples, struggle with issues of human self-definition and the ever-relevant problems in our navigation through the difficulties, sufferings, crises, elations, andecstasies of life.

We will try to tap into the power of these ancient materials — the cultural and psychological implications — that is, their impact on the minds and lives of those who have been influenced by them ever since, especially ourselves.

I’ve come to believe that this material contains real wisdom: better than most “literature,” much more valuable than those cheap one-line adages being bandied about constantly these days, and more healing and affordable than psychotherapy. Join me on this odyssey.


Required Texts:

The Norton Anthology of World Literature, Volume A Third Edition. NY:W.W. Norton & Co., 2012.

[Lots of other crucial and cool materials will be provided through Blackboard, in handouts, and visually in class.]


Student Learning Outcomes:

At the end of the course, students should be achieved the following objectives. The Course Requirements detail how these outcomes will be addressed and evaluated in the class work.

  • Students will gain exposure to basic terms in the study of ancient works that have recorded the human experience and have shaped Western culture, its later arts, and the way we think.
  • Students will increase intellectual maturation and clarification of their own values through examination of ideas and attitudes in cultural contexts and especially through articulation of these in academic discourse.
  • Students will develop skills in careful verbal analysis and critical thinking through reading and communicating (in discussion and writing) about literary and cultural texts and other artistic media, so that they will be able to communicate successfully with other audiences both within and outside the University.

Course Requirements:

A significant part of at least your “job” of being a student this semester (but maybe also part of your life) is focusing on the study of ancient humanities. Responsibly reading and studying the works is not especially demanding, and we have the opportunity to be doing it together as a learning community. The university provides a space and a time in which I, as instructor, do my best to craft an opportunity for engagement and learning (and, truth be told, the thrill of it all). In no strict numerical way, absences will end up affecting your final grade; but worse would be your general “absence”: that is, approaching the class under the assumption that your education is a consumer product being served to you, that you can “multi-task” between class and your phone, that you can coast along with a cursory skimming of Sparknotes, that the experience should be reduceable to some kind of “study guide” (if it were, we wouldn’t need to meet at all). Do you even have the capacity to be present and “plugged in” to the classroom experience? You will never realize how rewarding this can be, especially when it’s this body of material, unless you are.

Because classroom interaction is essential for this to be a valuable experience, and because occasional quizzes and homework writings will be exchanged and in-class voting will take place, absences will affect your grade regardless of reason. Here’s the math:

1) I will frequently ask you for relatively minor homework assignments to be posted to discussion spaces in Blackboard), designed primarily to stimulate subsequent discussion and to practice conventions for writing about humanities. At other times I will ask you to answer questions in writing in class, often ad lib responses to the reading before class discussion begins. Homework assignments and quizzes will receive numerical grades (points) and, although these writings cannot be made up (except for a couple optional writings that can take their place), the final semester totals will be curved if necessary. (30%)

2) Your presence will be required at two exams. No make-ups will be crafted for your convenience. Accompanying the in-class portions of each exam will be a written take-home essay turned in on the same day. Late essays will receive F grades; missing the exams or failure to turn anything in, even late, will result in an F for the course. (Each exam/essay: 30%)

3) Class participation and other service to the learning community will be expected (occasional group work, for example). (10%)

Some introductory advice about succeeding with homework and exams can be found here.
And hereis an explanation of letter grades assigned to class work. No make-up exams or assignments will be constructed. No incompletes will be given.


Students with Disabilities:

I am committed to providing assistance to help you be successful in this course. Reasonable accommodations are available for students with a documented disability. If you have a disability and need accommodations to participate in this class fully, please either visit or call the Access Center (Washington Building 217; 509-335-3417) at the start of the semester to schedule an appointment with an Access Advisor. All accommodations must be approved through the Access Center. For more information contact a Disability Specialist on your home campus.

Academic Integrity:

As an institution of higher education, Washington State University is committed to principles of truth and academic honesty. All members of the University community share the responsibility for maintaining and supporting these principles. When a student enrolls in Washington State University, the student assumes an obligation to pursue academic endeavors in a manner consistent with the standards of academic integrity adopted by the University. Any student plagiarizing on any assignment or cheating on any exam in this class will receive an F for the course and will be reported to the Office of Student Standards and Accountability, who remind us that Washington State University reserves the right and the power to discipline or to exclude students who engage in academic dishonesty. Cheating is defined in the Standards for Student Conduct WAC 504-26-010 (3). It is strongly suggested that you read and understand these definitions.

Safety and Emergency Notification:

Classroom and campus safety are of paramount importance at Washington State University, and are the shared responsibility of the entire campus population. WSU urges students to follow the “Alert, Assess, Act” protocol for all types of emergencies and the “Run, Hide, Fight” response for an active shooter incident. Remain ALERT (through direct observation or emergency notification), ASSESS your specific situation, and ACT in the most appropriate way to assure your own safety (and the safety of others if you are able).


Ancient Humanities Index


Dr. Michael Delahoyde, Clinical Professor, Department of English
delahoyd@wsu.edu
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