Ancient Cultures

HUMANITIES 2013/4013-101

Fall 2012

            Dr. Hoggard                                                                                        Classroom: PY 201

            Phone: 397-4145                                                                                 Meeting times: 9:30-11 TR

            Office: BW 201: 2-4 :30 T; 1:15-3 :45 R                                            e-mail: lynn.hoggard@mwsu.edu

Course goals and objectives: This course gives you the opportunity to understand how literature, music, art, architecture, religion, and philosophy interconnect in a broadly historical context, with emphasis this semester on the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian roots of Western Civilization. The goal of the course is to develop your thinking and writing skills (evaluative, comparative, creative, and analytical) along with your knowledge and understanding of culture so that you may become an innovative and informed world citizen.

Required textbook: Benton and Di Yanni, Arts and Culture: An Introduction to the Humanities, Vol. 1, 3^rd Ed.

Tentative Course Schedule:

 Week One

Aug. 28: Introduction to course

Aug. 30: Preface: p. xiv-xvii and Starter Kit, pp. xxi-xxx; Chapter 1 (The Earliest Cultures), pp. 1-8

Chapter One: Prehistoric, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian Civilizations

Week Two

Sept.   4: Lascaux video, activities

Sept.   6: Mesopotamia: The Cradle of Civilization, Sumer, pp. 8-11; excerpt from The Epic of      Gilgamesh, pp. 40-43; “Enheduanna,” pp. 44-45: Akkad, Babylon, Assyria, pp. 12-14

Week Three

Sept. 11: Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon, Persia, pp. 14-18; The Civilization of the Nile, pp. 18-22

Sept. 13: Video: "The Ancient Egyptians"; The Old Kingdom, pp. 22-26; “Egyptian Book of the Dead,”      

p. 45; The Middle Kingdom and The New Kingdom, pp. 27-31

Week Four

Sept. 18: Akhenaten and Tutankahmen; Egyptian Dance, Music, and Poetry, 31-38; poems, pp. 45-49

(4013 Oral Report Topics Due)

Sept.  20: Exam One: Prehistoric, Mesopotamian, and Egyptian Civilizations

Week Five

Chapter Two: Aegean Culture and Early Greece

Sept. 25: Aegean Cultures: Cycladic and Minoan, pp. 50-58

Sept. 27: Mycenaean Culture, The Rise of Ancient Greece, The Pantheon of Greek Gods, The                                          Geometric Period, pp. 58-66;  : Readings: Hesiod, pp. 74-75; Homer, excerpts from The Iliad and

The Odyssey, pp. 75-84.

(4013 Research Paper Topics Due; submit brief written description of choice)

Week Six

 Oct.  2: The Orientalizing Period; The Archaic Period, pp. 66-72;    Readings: Sappho and Archaic                                   Lyric Poetry,   pp.84-85

Chapter Three: Classical and Hellenistic Greece

Oct.  4: Video: "Traditions of Greek Culture: Greek Art"

Week Seven

Oct.   9: Classical Greece; From Archaic to Classical, pp. 86-91; Reading: Herodotus, pp.116-118;           

             The Golden Age of Athens, Architecture & Architectural Sculpture of Acropolis, pp. 90-95

             Reading: Thucydides, pp. 118-120

Oct. 11: Sculpture, Vase Painting, pp. 95-99

Week Eight

Oct. 16: The Emergence of Drama, pp. 99-102; Aristotle, The Poetics, pp. 136-137

Oct. 18: Reading: Sophocles, excerpt from Oedipus Rex, pp. 120-123; video excerpts;

  Reading: Aeschylus, excerpt from Agamemnon, pp. 123-126   

Week Nine

Oct.  23: Reading: Euripides, excerpt from Medea, pp. 126-129

            Oct.  25: Philosophy, pp. 102-105; Reading: Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics, pp. 134-136

                           Readings: Plato, from The Apology and The Republic, pp. 130-134

Week Ten

            Oct. 30:  Music & Greek Society, pp. 106-107; Hellenistic Greece, Architecture, Sculpture, pp.107-111;

                           Hellenistic Philosophy, pp. 111-114

Nov.  1: Exam Two: Early, Classical, and Hellenistic Greek Civilization

Week Eleven

Chapter Four: Roman Civilization

            Nov.  6: The Greek Legacy and the Roman Ideal, Etruscan Civilization, pp. 138-144

                          Video: "The Rise of Rome"

            Nov.  8: The Roman Republic, The Empire, Music, Architecture, pp.144-153

Week Twelve

            Nov. 13: Sculpture, Painting, Philosophy, Historians, Literature, pp. 153- 165

            Nov. 15: Reading: Virgil, pp. 166-176

(Research Papers Due for 4013)

Week Thirteen

Chapter Five: Judaism, Early Christianity, and Byzantine Civilization

            Nov. 20: Judaism and Early Christianity, pp. 186-205

Thanksgiving Break

Week Fourteen

Nov. 27: Readings: Genesis, Job, Matthew, Luke, Thomas, Augustine, pp. 218-232                      

            Nov. 29: Exam Three: Roman Civilization, Judaism, and Early Christianity

Week Fifteen

            Dec.  4: Byzantine Civilization, pp. 205-208; discussion of final assessments

            Dec.  6: The Golden Age of Constantinople, pp. 208-216; review, evaluate, conclude semester

FINAL EXAM: Tuesday, Dec 11, 8-10:00 a.m. A carefully-reasoned self-assessment paper (explained fully in a separate handout during the final week of the semester) is prepared ahead of time, outside of class, and turned in Dec. 11in Bea Wood 201.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

A. Regular Class Assignments: For almost every class there will be either a brief writing assignment to be kept in a portfolio for periodic evaluation, or there will be a brief reading quiz based on the day’s reading. For the writing assignments, what is expected is a thoughtful, well-written, and typed response that demonstrates the evaluative, comparative, analytical, and creative skills specified in the stated goals for the course. One good paragraph—100 to 200 words—is the appropriate length. About 20 minutes should be devoted to this task for each class. Paragraphs are due on the date noted on the assignment sheet (to be passed out separately) and will be stamped on that date during class meeting. Plagiarism on any written assignment equals an “F” for that work.

            Students whose responses are not prepared for a class session may complete their paragraph responses later and receive partial credit for them when portfolios are assessed. Even though a student may miss a class or may not have a response prepared on the assigned day, he/she should strive to write the responses later to make the portfolio complete. No specific grade will be assigned to the individual responses, but the portfolio will be periodically assessed for strengths and weaknesses and will be assigned a grade that will count for 10% (2013 students) or 7% (4013 students) of the final semester grade.

            The brief reading quizzes will usually consist of five multiple-choice questions based on the assigned reading for a particular day. The questions—usually requiring short answer, description, or definition—will be the kind of question that occurs on the objective portion of the exams. Students may drop the lowest grade for reading quizzes, but quizzes may not be taken early or made up later. Quiz grades count 10% for 2013 and 7% for 4013.

B. Tests and Short Quizzes: There will be three exams using both short answer (50%) and essay (50%).  Each exam counts 20% for 2013 or 17% for 4013. The final assessment also counts 20% (2013) or 17% (4013).

C. Attendance: A large part of the value of a class such as this comes from daily participation in give-and-take discussions (6% of grade) and from being able to see and hear slides and video presentations. Therefore, regular attendance is important and expected. A record of attendance at each class meeting will be kept, but no specific penalty will be assigned for absences. Excessive absences (more than three) will, however, have a negative impact on a student’s grade and may be grounds for dropping a student from the class. Students who arrive habitually late will have a grade deduction for the disruption cause by their behavior.

D. Additional Requirements for 4013 Students: 1) Research Paper: A ten-page paper on a topic selected in conference with the instructor will be due November 15. Topics must be selected no later than September 27 (please submit a short, written topic choice). The paper must involve independent research and give evidence of the ability to synthesize the expressions of different forms of art within the cultural period (the ancient world). Papers should be written in Modern Language Association (MLA) format.

            2) Oral Reports: 4013 students will prepare an eight-to-ten minute oral report to present to the class on an agreed-upon subject and date. Topic choices for presentations need to be turned in quickly—by September 18 (presentation dates will be assigned shortly after). A typed outline of the report and a typed bibliography in MLA format of at least three sources must be turned in to the instructor on the day of the report.

E. Semester Grade:

            2013:  Each of the three exams counts 18% of the final grade (54% total); the portfolio of work counts 10%, quizzes 10%, participation 6%, and the final self-assessment provides the other 20% of the grade.

            4013: Each of the three exams counts 15% of the final grade (45% together); the portfolio of work counts 7%, quizzes 7%, oral report 8%, research paper 10%, participation 6%, and final self-assessment 17%.

F. Office Hours/Meeting: (Office/contact information is to be found at the top of page one.) My office hours are 2-4:30 TR. If you cannot come to the office at any of the above listed times, let’s try to make an appointment that fits your needs. E-mailing me is more reliable than telephone voice mail (I’m not in the office MWF, but do check e-mail daily), but if you do leave a voice mail, be sure to give your name and a number where you can be reached.