Humanities 1600: Readings from
Western Cultures
MWF 11:30-12:20
TR 11:20-12:35
HUMA 1600 is an
examination of persistently contested ideas in the history of Western cultures.
The course involves readings from primary texts, discussion of ideas in the
texts both orally and in writing, and instruction in analytical and
argumentative writing. Offered to first-year students as an alternative to the
First-Year Seminar (GNED 1300) and Writing Workshop (ENGL 1302), Humanities
1600 satisfies the Common Curriculum requirements for both courses.
HUMA 1600 meets five
days a week. On Tuesdays, all sections will meet together in Chapman
Auditorium, Chapman Center (CC), where an invited lecturer will speak on the
reading assigned for that week. On MTh/WF, students will meet in their
classrooms alternating between writing workshop and seminar instructors.
Texts:
1.
Homer. Iliad. Trans. Stanley Lombardo.
Indianapolis: Hackett, 1997. ISBN 0-87220-352-2.
2. Aeschylus. Aeschylus I: Oresteia. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1984 ISBN 014-044333-930778-6.
3.
Thucydides. History of the Peloponnesian War. Trans.
Rex Warner. New York: Penguin, 1972.
ISBN 0-14-044039-9.
4.
Euripides. Bacchae. Trans. Paul Woodruff.
Indianapolis: Hackett, 1998. ISBN 0-87220-392-1.
5.
Aristophanes.
Aristophanes 2: The Frogs. Trans. Alfred Corn. Philadelphia: University of
Pennsylvania Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8122-1662-8.
6.
Plato. Symposium. Trans. Alexander Nehamas and
Paul Woodruff. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1989. ISBN 0-87220-076-0.
7.
Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. David West. New York:
Penguin, 1990. ISBN 0-14-044457-2.
8.
Apuleius. The Golden
Ass. Trans E.J. Kenney. New York: Penguin, 1998. ISBN 0-14-043590-5.
9.
Augustine. Confessions. Trans. R. S. Pine-Coffin.
New York: Penguin, 1961. ISBN 0-14-044114-X.
Schedule:
Th Aug 25 Lecture:
Introduction to HUMA 1600: Erwin Cook
Greece
in the Bronze and Iron Age: Nicolle Hirschfeld
F Aug 26 Seminar:
Introduction
Week 1
M Aug 29 Writing
Workshop: Iliad
Tu Aug
30 Lecture:
Iliad: Tom Jenkins
Bks.
1, 3, 6, 9, 16, 18, 22-24
W Aug
31 Seminar:
Iliad
Th Sept
1 Writing
Workshop: Iliad
F Sept
2 Writing
Workshop: Iliad
Week 2
M Sept
5 Labor
Day Holiday
Tu Sept
6 Lecture:
Iliad: Erwin Cook
W Sept 7 Seminar: Iliad
Th Sept
8 Writing
Workshop: Iliad
F Sept
9 Seminar:
Iliad
Week 3
M Sept
12 Writing
Workshop: Iliad
Tu Sept 13 Lecture: Oresteia – Agamemnon: Tom Jenkins
W Sept
14 Seminar: Agamemnon
Th Sept
15 Writing
Workshop: Agamemnon
F Sept
16 Seminar:
Agamemnon
Week 4
M Sept
19 Writing
Workshop: Agamemnon
FIRST ESSAY (4-6 pages) DUE
Tu Sept 20 Lecture: Oresteia – Libation Bearers and Eumenides:
Mark
Garrison
W Sept
21 Seminar:
LB and Eumenides
Th Sept
22 Writing
Workshop: LB and Eumenides
F Sept 23 Seminar:
LB and Eumenides
Week 5
M Sept 26 Writing
Workshop: LB and Eumenides
Tu Sept
27 Lecture: History of the Peloponnesian War: Nicolle
Hirschfeld
Bk. 1, pp. 35-123; Bk., 2, Funeral
Oration, Plague, Pericles’ policy, 143-164; Bk. 3, Civil war in Corcyra,
236-245; Bk. 5, Melian dialogue, 400-408; Bk. 6, launching of the Sicilian
Expedition, 414-429; Bk. 7, destruction of the Expedition, 525-537
W Sept 28 Seminar: Peloponnesian War
Th Sept 29 Writing
Workshop: Peloponnesian War
F Sept 30 Seminar: Peloponnesian War
Week 6
M Oct
3 Writing
Workshop: Peloponnesian War
SECOND
ESSAY (4-6 pages) DUE
Tu Oct
4 Lecture: The Bacchae: Tom Jenkins
W Oct
5 Seminar:
Bacchae
Th Oct
6 Writing
Workshop: Bacchae
F Oct
7 Seminar: Bacchae
Week 7
M Oct
10 Writing
Workshop: Bacchae
Tu Oct
11 Lecture: Aristophanes: Frogs: Erwin Cook
W Oct
12 Seminar:
Frogs
Th Oct
13 Writing
Workshop: Frogs
F Oct 14 Mid-semester
recess
Week 8
M Oct 17 Writing
Workshop: Frogs
THIRD
ESSAY (4-6 pages) DUE
Tu Oct
18 Lecture:
The Symposium: Stephen White
W Oct
19 Seminar: Symposium
Th Oct
20 Writing
Workshop: Symposium
F Oct
21 Seminar: Symposium
Week 9
M Oct 24 Midterm exam
Tu Oct 25 Lecture: The Aeneid, Bks. 1-6: Tim O’Sullivan
W Oct
26 Seminar: Aeneid
Th Oct
27 Writing
Workshop: Aeneid
F Oct
28 Seminar: Aeneid
Week 10
M Oct
31 Writing
Workshop: Aeneid
Tu Nov
1 Lecture:
Aeneid, Bks. 7-12: Tim O’Sullivan
W Nov 2 Seminar: Aeneid
Th Nov
3 Writing
Workshop: Aeneid
F Nov
4 Seminar:
Aeneid
Week 11
M Nov
7 Writing
Workshop: Aeneid
FOURTH
ESSAY (4-6 pages) DUE
Tu Nov 8 Lecture: The Aeneid: Joseph A. Farrell, U. of Pennsylvania
W Nov
9 Seminar:
The Golden Ass
Th Nov
10 Writing
Workshop: The Golden Ass
F Nov
11 Seminar:
The Golden Ass
Week 12
M Nov
14 Writing
Workshop: The Golden Ass
Tu Nov
15 Lecture:
The Golden Ass: John Hutton
W Nov 16 Seminar: The Golden
Ass
Th Nov
17 Writing
Workshop: The Golden Ass
F Nov 18 Seminar:
The Golden Ass
Week 13
M Nov
21 Writing
Workshop: The Golden Ass
FIFTH
ESSAY (4-6 pages) DUE
Tu Nov
22 Lecture:
Confessions, Bks. I-IX: TBA
W Nov
23 Seminar:
Confessions
Th Nov
24 Thanksgiving
(no class)
F Nov
25 Thanksgiving
(no class)
Week 14
M Nov 28 Writing
Workshop: Confessions
Tu Nov
29
Lecture: The Martyrdom of Perpetua and Early
Christianity: Tim O’Sullivan
For
the lecture, please consult reading posted on Blackboard
W Nov 30 Writing Workshop:
Confessions
Th Dec 1 Writing
Workshop: Confessions
F Dec
2 Seminar:
Evaluations
Week 15
M Dec
5 Writing
Workshop: Evaluations
SIXTH
ESSAY (4-6 pages) DUE
Tu Dec
6 Review
W Dec
7 Reading
Day
Th Dec
8 Reading
Day
Final Exam:
Assignments:
Students will be
responsible for asking questions of the guest lecturers immediately following
each Tuesday lecture.
Writing Workshop Sub-Section
The Writing Workshop component of the course will focus on critical reading, writing, and thinking skills, emphasizing writing as a persuasive analytical activity. We will concentrate on close reading, carefully developed argument, critical analysis, and editing techniques in an attempt to foster the kinds of writing that you will be asked to do throughout your academic career.
Requirements: 6 essays
(4-6 pp.). All assignments, readings and papers are due at the beginning of class
on the assigned dates and must be completed in order to pass the course. Please
take note: no late papers will be accepted.
Seminar Sub-Section
Students will hand in a
two-page paper every week. The topics of these brief papers will deal with the
reading assignments and the lecture content. Since the ideas for the papers
will grow out of class discussion and lectures, attendance and active,
intelligent class participation are mandatory and will be considered in the
final course grade.
Oral participation is an
integral part of the course and gives the students an opportunity to try out
ideas for the paper assignments. Students should also arrive at the seminars
armed with questions about the texts under discussion.
There will be one
midterm examination during the course of the semester and a cumulative final
exam, all involving short essays and identifications.
No unexcused late work
will be accepted.
Rules:
Read the assignment
carefully and come to class prepared. Please bring the readings to all classes
and lectures so that we may refer to them.
Attendance: Attendance
is required for all classes and lectures. Unexcused absences will be penalized.
Academic Integrity: We expect students to abide by the Honor Code
to which they pledged upon enrollment.
In the event that a student violates this code, we will follow the
protocol outlined in the Student Handbook and will turn the matter over to the
Honor Council.
Peer Tutors:
Each section of HUMA
1600 has a peer tutor for the writing workshop and a peer tutor for the
seminar. They attend their respective classes as well as the weekly lectures.
They are involved in class discussions and are available to talk with you
outside of class. The peer tutors for both writing workshop and seminar
sections can be particularly helpful as you develop your ideas for your papers
or as you prepare to lead class discussion. They read and comment on, but do
not grade, student work. The professors alone make the final decision
concerning all grades.
Grading:
Writing Workshop
Sub-Section: Grading is based on
the six papers and student participation. The final grade generally reflects
student improvement.
Seminar Sub-Section:
Midterm: 15%
Final: 30%
Small papers: 40%
Class participation (comprised, at least in part, of oral
assignments): 15%
Students will receive one grade for the course. This six-credit grade is determined jointly by
the writing workshop instructor and the first-year seminar instructor at the
end of the semester.
Course
Sections, Faculty, and Peer Tutors:
Faculty Members
Peer Tutors
Section
1:
Victoria Aarons (Department of English), WW Stuart Wallace
Larry Kutchen (Department of English), S Bjorn
Kruse
Section
2:
Claudia Stokes (Department of English), WW Christopher McCoy
Thomas Sebastian (Department of Modern Lang and
Lit), S Tanya Feinleib
Section
3:
David Middleton (Department of English), WW Will Maddox
Nina Ekstein (Department of Modern Lang &
Lit), S Amy House
Section 4:
Judy Fisher (Department of English), WW Alexandra Seifert
Erwin Cook (Department of Classical Studies), S Carie Joynton
Section
5:
Duane Coltharp (Department of English), WW Candice Erickson
Curtis Brown (Department of Philosophy, S Stefanie
Frisby
Section 6:
James Ivy (Department of
English), WW
Robert Germany
(Department of Classics), S Molly
Moran
Lecturers:
(in order of first
appearance)
Nicolle
Hirschfeld, Dept. of Classics, Trinity University
Erwin
Cook, Dept. of Classics, Trinity University
Thomas
Jenkins, Dept. of Classics, Trinity University
Mark
Garrison, Dept. of Art and Art History, Trinity University
Stephen
White, Dept. of Classics, University of Texas-Austin
Timothy
O’Sullivan, Dept. of Classics, Trinity University
John Hutton, Dept. of Art History, Trinity University
Last revision: November 2, 2005 (added final exam date, updated lecture information for November 8 and November 15).