Does Truth Lie in Myth?: Rethinking Ancient Stories
COMBINED HONORS
SECTION/HONORS LEARNING COMMUNITY
English 101, English Composition I
Humanities 201, Humanities Themes: Myth, Reason and God
Professors:
Maurine Stein (Humanities)
John H. Flannigan (English)
SYLLABUS - FALL 2009
Course Descriptions and Objectives:
An honors class is an appropriate choice for students with good language skills and enthusiasm for learning. Although some assignments will be different, your work in an honors class will be graded according to the same standard as in a non-honors section of the same course. In place of objective tests, Honors English 101 and Humanities 201 will emphasize class discussion, brief essays, and special projects unique to each semester the course is taught. The combined honors format integrates some material from each course, and adds a dynamic element to the classroom experience.
This particular honors learning community will explore both the stories told by ancient authors and some of the techniques they used to make their ‘voices’ heard over many centuries. You will be encouraged to make your own ‘voice’ heard in your writing.
Humanities 201:
This course will deepen students' understanding of their own moral, political
and religious beliefs through examining the major humanities themes in Greek
and Hebrew texts basic to Western culture. Literary, historical, and philosophical
perspectives are explored in readings which include Homer, Plato, and the Bible.
Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to; 1) Identify
major humanities themes and genres in Homer, Plato, and the Bible; 2) Acknowledge
specific Greek and Hebrew roots of Western literary, historical, and philosophical
traditions; and 3) Understand the Greek and Hebrew origins of your own moral
and political beliefs.
English 101:
Students will use their powers of observation and selection to write, clear,
organized essays on assigned topics. Additionally, students will learn some
of the important steps necessary for building strong writing skills: careful
reading, vocabulary expansion, planning, revising, editing, and proofreading.
There will be frequent study of common writing problems and ways of avoiding
them. Students of English 101 also will learn to think of themselves as authors
who have vital things to share with their classmates, family, friends, and co-workers.
Instruction format will include a combination of lecture, discussion, in-class
assignments, exercises, peer review sessions, and an occasional audio or video
tape.
Required Books:
(Humanities)
• Mythology by Edith Hamilton
• The Odyssey by Homer, Oxford University Press
• Plato: Five Dialogues, 2nd edition, Hackett Publishing Co.
• Genesis, Translation and Commentary, Robert Alter
• Gilgamesh, a New English Version, Stephen Mitchell
(English)
• Strategies for Successful Writing: a Rhetoric, Research Guide, Reader,
and Handbook. Reinking, James A., and Robert von der Osten. 8th ed. Upper
Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2007.
• Greek Tragedies. Vol 1. 2nd ed. Ed. David Grene and Richmond
Lattimore. Chicago: U of Chicago P, 1991.
Written Requirements:
Of the written work required in Humanities 201 and English 101, a total of three (3) papers will receive credit in both classes, i.e., students will submit an essay in duplicate and will receive credit in both classes for that essay. Students will receive a grade from each professor, with comments, for papers submitted for duplicate credit.
Humanities:
There will be about 5 three-page essays on course material, which includes course
readings, discussions, videos, and field trips. Three of these essays will also
be submitted to Professor Flannigan for credit in English 101. In addition,
there will be frequent smaller assignments, graded and ungraded, such as responses,
mini-research, and ‘close-ups’ on parts of the reading. There will
be no midterm, no final, and no term paper. For more on humanities essays, see
“On Writing Essays for Our Courses” on p. 5 below.
English:
There will be weekly reading assignments from the Reinking and Grene/Lattimore
texts of approximately 40-50 pages total. There also will be reading assignments
distributed for discussion and/or written response during class sessions. Students
will write five (5) essays of two-to-three typewritten, double-spaced pages,
and one (1) longer essay of four-to-six pages, on topics assigned by the instructor.
Students will review and comment on each other’s essays (so-called “peer
review”). Three of the shorter, two-to-three-page essays will also be
submitted to Professor Stein for credit in Humanities 201. Students regularly
will produce shorter essays during class meetings. These in-class essays will
not be individually graded but will receive comments. One of these in-class
essays will be included in your final portfolio (see below).
Beginning in Summer 2009, the English Department will no longer
use the Exit Exam, but will replace it with a final portfolio. The portfolio
will be turned in at the end of the 15th week (11th week for Late Start sections),
and will include four pieces of writing: a short essay of 2-3 pages; a longer,
persuasive essay of 4-7 pages using research; an in-class essay, written in
a seventy-five minute period; and a cover letter detailing what changes you
made during revision and reflecting upon the strengths and weaknesses of your
portfolio. Your portfolio will be graded pass/fail by two English faculty members
other than your instructor. In order to pass English 101 successfully, you must
earn a passing grade on the final portfolio. Students who earn a failing grade
on the portfolio will be withdrawn from the course and will have to re-take
English 101 and produce a passing portfolio to earn credit in the course.
The final portfolio is designed to ensure grading consistency across all 101
sections and to recognize and reward the improvements in your writing throughout
your semester of hard work.
Special Projects:
Because this is an honors class, we will be able to arrange one or more field trips. In the past, these trips have been lively and memorable, and have been the subject of written assignments and special projects. Students are expected to make every effort to participate in field trips in order to receive full credit for the course.
Grading
Approximately 50% of your grade for each course will be based on the essays for that course (including the research paper for English) and 50% on class participation and shorter written work, both graded and ungraded.
We will assign the following letter grades:
• “A”: when you have demonstrated outstanding mastery of course
material.
• “B”: when you have demonstrated above average mastery of
course material.
• “C”: when you have demonstrated average mastery of course
material.
• “D”: when you have demonstrated minimal mastery of course
material.
• “F”: when you have demonstrated poor mastery of course material,
failed to attend regularly, to communicate with your professor, and/or to attempt
to do the reading.
Learning and Participating:
We enjoy teaching this course, and we try to make the best possible use of our class time.
Your part is to attend regularly and to practice basic good manners in the classroom. Excessive absence or poor conduct will affect your final grade. Plan to arrive at class alert and prepared to participate in discussion. During class, it is inappropriate and disruptive to leave your seat or to have beepers, phones, or earphones turned on. If you will need to leave class early on a particular day, you should let your professor know before class begins.
If you are determined to do your best on assignments, we suggest you follow this pattern:
• Read/think about the assigned material before the class discussion.
• Mark or make a note of what you find important or difficult in the reading. This is the best way to ensure that you will be able to contribute to and benefit from class discussion.
• Ask questions in class! While this does require having done the reading first, it is the student who can identify and ask about what he/she did not understand who will get the most benefit from class discussion. Don't worry too much about being "wrong."
• Take notes in class.
• Then reread the assigned material to prepare for written work.
• Stay in touch with a responsible classmate to find out about missed classes or lost assignments. Exchange phone numbers now!
Deadlines:
Essays are due by the due date whether or not you are present in class on that day. We will allow one late paper without penalty for each student in a course.
We may refuse to accept/make up a second late paper. If you feel you have been responsible and nevertheless find yourself unable to meet a second deadline, discuss the problem with the professor. Also, if you know beforehand that you must miss a deadline, you can request an extension of the deadline, for which there is no penalty.
No late papers will be accepted after the end of the fifteenth week of classes unless you have previously discussed the problem with the professor and arranged for an extension or a final grade of "I" (incomplete).
Homework other than graded essays will not be accepted late except by arrangement in special circumstances.
Handling Problems:
If you wish to discuss your performance in class, your grades, perceptions of the course, or problems with the course, we will gladly do this with you. We can also make suggestions as to how you can do better. However, please do NOT tell a professor that you ‘need’ a particular grade. It is our job to assign grades based entirely on your course work, and not on ‘need’.
If you have a disability (learning, physical, psychological, or other) that may require some accommodations or modifications in procedures, class activities, instructions, or requirements, please contact your professors early in the semester, so they can refer you to the Coordinator of Disability Services (Room 1192) who will discuss and arrange for reasonable accommodations
No matter what the problem, do not resort to plagiarism of any kind: large or small, exact copying or changing a word here and there, intentional or ‘by mistake’. It is always the wrong choice, and the consequences for you may be very serious. Violations of academic honesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Services and Counseling. All students are responsible for reading and understanding the PSC Academic Honesty Statement for Students, which is available from your professor and on the College website.
Staying in Touch
As suggested above, you should be in touch with fellow students regarding any missed class so that you will return to class prepared. You can also e-mail your professors anytime or talk to them during their office hours, which are posted outside their offices. It’s a good idea to make an appointment beforehand, but you can also just stop by.
Occasionally situations arise for students that prevent their
attending several consecutive classes. Should such a situation occur, e-mail
or call us during office hours (leave a message if there is no answer) to discuss
the best solution to problems caused by your
absence. Do not wait until you have missed several classes. In some cases, work
can be made up during your absence or on your return; in other cases it is better
to withdraw from the course.
Students are encouraged to contact the instructors by e-mail. Please identify clearly such e-mail by typing in the “subject” area of your message “PSC Eng/Hum question” so that your mail does not get lost in the sea of spam. MS Word is the preferred program choice for documents you wish to send electronically.
On Writing Essays for Our Courses
First, here is the Prairie State College statement on the importance of writing for all courses:
“The ability to communicate information, concepts, and ideas effectively is a key part of a college education. Therefore, college-level writing is required in all Prairie State College courses that receive college credit. College students are expected to write proper and correct prose, and will be graded on the quality and correctness of writing assignments in all Prairie State College courses.”
Now, why do we assign essays?
1. to help you to understand and retain course material;
2. to make the material more meaningful to you;
3. to show us that you have done #1 and #2.
4. to exercise and help develop your writing skills.
In general, these assignments are required toward your grade, not optional or "extra credit." They are designed to help you to apply, explore, interpret, and explain the readings. And, guess what: any of these activities will make your paper interesting, both to you and to us. Your own ideas count as good ones if they are backed up by specific references and examples from course materials as well as a general understanding of the course.
Therefore, essays need to make frequent reference to relevant parts of the required readings. If you find your essay contains one or more paragraphs that do not mention specific course content in relation to the assigned topic, you should consider revising or replacing those paragraphs.
The way to refer to required readings (or any other sources you may have consulted for your paper) is this:
You should
1. introduce an idea of your own that will be supported by something from your reading.
2. include a short, relevant quote or paraphrase from required reading, identifying the author or the title and using quotation marks and page number; if you have used an outside source, supply author and title or URL in a footnote or at end of essay.
Alternatively, use your own sentences to refer to specific facts or ideas, being sure to mention where or whose writing the material comes from.
3. remind the reader of the significance and importance of your idea in (1) above.
What you must not ever do is
1. write your essay making little or no specific reference to material we have read.
2. plagiarize—i.e., copy (or even approximately copy)
) long phrases or whole sentences from any source without quotation marks and
source given. Sources
may include books, articles, websites, or anything written by someone other
than you. As a college student, you are expected to understand and avoid plagiarism;
plagiarism may result in failure, suspension, or dismissal. For more information
on how to avoid plagiarism, see p. 4 above and also the College website statement
on Academic Honesty (http://www.prairiestate.edu/c_student/acadhonest.html).
Tips for writing better essays
The following are helpful tips that should enable you to improve your writing and maximize your chances for success in English 101, Humanities, 201, and any other class.
Leave yourself as much time as possible for essay assignments. Do not delay writing your essays until the last minute, and do not write only a single draft.
Be willing to share your writing with friends and family members. Anything you can do to enlarge the audience for your writing beyond your classmates and the instructors will sharpen your writing and enable you to make better choices for essay topics.
Do not become sentimentally attached to your writing. Be willing to sacrifice sentences, paragraphs, even whole drafts, that no longer pull their weight.
Take pride in your writing. Make your reader feel that any time spent reading your work is time well-spent.
Never write the thing that anyone could write. (No one will want to read it.) Instead, write what only you can write. (Everyone will want to read it.)
What You Should Do After Essays Are Returned to You
In addition to giving your essays a letter grade, we will write comments critiquing your choice of topic, your purpose, and your writing’s effectiveness. Essays that fulfill joint assignments for both courses will have comments by both instructors. We will not “copy-edit” your essays (i.e., indicate all writing errors and offer corrections), but we will identify typical or habitual errors that diminish your essay’ effectiveness and clarity. To indicate these errors, we will use the proofreading symbols found at the back cover of the Reinking text and/or short phrases. You should read the material in the handbook section of the Reinking text that treats any writing problems we identify in your essays, and you should try to eliminate those errors in subsequent work. Do not, as so many students do, hide away your essay after we have returned it. Read our comments carefully, note particular writing problems we have identified, ask questions if you need help understanding our comments, and resolve to do better on your next essay.
Revising Your Essays for a New Grade
You may revise any essay, and we will consider giving it a new grade that replaces the first one given for that assignment. (We will consider revisions of joint essays, too.) Please meet with us to discuss ways of improving your essay. Please furnish your original essay with the revised version. In order for your essay to receive a higher grade upon revising, however, you must revise—not merely make proofreading corrections. We will expect significant changes and improvements, not minimal ones.
One final note of encouragement: for most of us teachers, there is no greater pleasure than reading an essay that is honest, observant, and well written. Think of that as you write; we look forward to your papers.
COURSE SCHEDULE (subject to change):
Note: On Thursdays we will often combine topics and assignments from both courses, with both professors present.
Week 1 (Aug. 25-27) Introduction to myth and selections from Hamilton’s Mythology; writing sample; guidelines for English 101 essays; introduction to Reinking textbook; read Chs. 1 and 2 in Reinking; Iliad plot and selections (handout)
Week 2 (Sep. 1-3) liad selections; read material on Prometheus in Hamilton’s Mythology; begin Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound in Greek Tragedies; in Reinking, read Ch. 5 (“Narration”);
Week 3 (Sep. 8-10) College closed Mon., Sep. 7 (Labor Day); Iliad essay due (two copies, one for each professor); introduction to Odyssey plot; continue Prometheus Bound; read “Editing to Correct Sentence Errors” in “Handbook” section of Reinking; Begin Odyssey (separate assignment sheet)
Week 4 (Sep. 15-17) Continue Odyssey; finish Prometheus Bound; read “Editing to Correct Faulty Punctuation and Mechanics” in “Handbook” section of Reinking; narration essay due (one copy for Flannigan only); review quiz on Prometheus Bound;
Week 5 (Sep. 22-24) Continue Odyssey; review quiz and listening worksheets; read Ch. 13 (“Argument”) in Reinking; rational v. emotional appeal; read material on Oedipus in Hamilton’s Mythology; start Sophocles’ Antigone in Greek Tragedies;
Week 6 (Sep. 29-Oct. 1) Continue Odyssey; argument essay due (one copy to Flannigan only); read Ch. 15 (“Paragraphs”) in Reinking; finish Antigone; review quiz on Antigone; Finish Odyssey; review quiz
Week 7 (Oct. 6-8) Odyssey essay due (one copy to Stein only); start Plato: Apology; Ch. 6 (“Description”) in Reinking;
Week 8 (Oct. 13-15) Plato’s Euthyphro and Crito; in Reinking, read Ch. 17 (“Diction, Tone, and Style”); descriptive essay due (one copy to Flannigan only); start Sophocles’ Oedipus the King in Greek Tragedies;
Week 9 (Oct. 20-22) Plato’s Meno; continue with Oedipus the King;
Week 10 (Oct. 27-29) Plato essay due; start Genesis (there will be short, written assignments as we read Genesis); finish Oedipus the King; review quiz on Oedipus the King;
Week 11 (Nov. 3-5) Continue Genesis; read material in Hamilton’s Mythology on the House of Atreus; start Aeschylus’ Agamemnon in Greek Tragedies;
Week 12 (Nov.10-12) Continue Genesis and Agamemnon; essay on Oedipus the King (4-6 pp.) due (one copy for Flannigan only); Gilgamesh
Week 13 (Nov. 17-19) Gilgamesh, Genesis; review quiz; finish Agamemnon; review quiz on Agamemnon; field trip, and related essay/project for credit in both courses sometime between now and end of semester;
Week 14 (Nov. 24) in-class essay (for Flannigan only);
Thanksgiving Holiday—No class on Nov. 26!
Week 15 (Dec. 1-3) To be announced; completed English portfolios to be submitted.
Week 16 (Dec. 8-10) To be announced, Humanities essay (one copy for Stein only)