Dr. Robert Harrison Humanities 101 Fall 2011

Dr. Robert Harrison -- Humanities 101 – Fall 2011

Office: 203 South Santiam Hall

Office Hours: M, W: 10-10:50 a.m. and 2:30-3 p.m. T, Th: 8:30-9:20 p.m. and 1-2 p.m. Friday: 10-10:45 a.m. Other times by appointment

Office Ph#: 541-917-4571. Please leave a message if I am not in.

Required Books:

Edward Rutherford, Sarum

Gloria Fiero, The Humanistic Tradition, Book 1, 6th edition

Textbook website: www.mhhe.com/fierotht6e. On this site, you will find a pronunciation guide, a timeline, tools for writing, and more.

E-mailing Assignments Instructions and Policies – READ CAREFULLY: I don’t accept printed papers. You must e-mail your out-of-class papers directly to me at [email protected]. You should send it as a word document, ending in either “doc”, “docx”, or “rtf”. Don’t send papers in “wps” “odt” or “wpd” format—I can’t open them. I will ask you to re-send papers if they are not in the right format, and it will cost you points if it makes your paper late. You should also cut and paste your paper into the body of your e-mail, in case I have trouble opening your attachment. If your e-mail version of the paper doesn’t arrive, I will treat your paper as if you never sent it. It will be subject to late points, and if it’s over 1 week late, I won’t accept it, regardless of any screen print outs you send me. I will send you a confirmation e-mail within 24 hours after you e-mail me your assignment, so if you don’t get this confirmation e-mail, call me and let me know immediately! Also, please type your name in the subject heading of all your e-mails to me!!

Please type your name in the subject heading of all your e-mails to me!!

Moodle Account Required: You will need a Moodle account, since class readings, assignments, the class syllabus, class power points, and other material will be posted on your Moodle course site.

How to get a Moodle account: Go to LBCC’s home page, click on “Students” and then click on “Elearning login”. The Moodle page will ask you for a User I.D. and a password: your user I.D. will be your xnumber and your password will be “changeme” (without the quotation marks). Then, scroll down to the bottom of the Moodle page to where courses are listed and look for History 101 with Dr. Harrison and click the link. Then click “enroll”. If you need help, let me know! Make sure you do this by the end of the first week of class!

Accommodations for Disabilities: Students who may need accommodations due to documented disabilities, who have medical information which the instructor should know, or who need special arrangements in an emergency, should speak with the instructor during the first week of class. If you have not accessed services and think you may need them, please contact Disability Services, 917-4789.

Course Requirements:

1) In-class Quizzes: 15% of your final grade

During the course, you’ll take three unannounced in-class quizzes on the assigned reading for that particular day in class. Therefore, you should follow the course calendar carefully and make sure to do all the required reading for each class. You’ll take these quizzes in class without using your books, but you may use small note cards if you write on only one side of each card. These 3 x 5 ote cards are the only form of notes you can use on the quizzes. The purpose of these quizzes is to prompt you to read carefully and thoughtfully, which means taking notes on the reading and reviewing those notes before class. I will drop the lowest of your three quiz grades, and each of the two remaining quizzes will count for 7.5% of your total grade.

2) Take-home Tests - 40% of your final grade

You will write two take-home tests—I’ll give you the questions for each test, plus detailed instructions and the due date. You will work from your required reading and websites on Moodle, class notes on Moodle, in-class films, and sometimes some additional sources which I will put on reserve in the library. Both tests will consist of essay questions. You’ll e-mail both tests to me at [email protected] as a word document attachment. Each test is worth 20% of your final grade.

3) In-class Tests on Sarum : 30% of your final grade

You will read the first seven chapters of Edward Rutherford’s epic historical novel Sarum and write two in-class tests. Each test will consist of short essay questions. Each test is worth 15% of your final grade

4) Meeting of the Minds: 15% of your total grade. During the quarter, each of you will portray a historical character as part of a talk show format called the Meeting of the Minds. Your goal is to become the character. I will ask you questions during your performance—you can download these questions from our Moodle class site. A costume is required, and you will teach me and your classmates about your character’s life, achievements, and relevance for our lives. You will speak in first-person, using “I”, just as if you were the character. 5 0% of your grade is based on how accurate and informative your performance in class is; 50% is based on the research you do, as shown to me in your annotated bibliography. You will find more details and requirements on the “Meeting of the Minds” page in the complete syllabus, posted on our Moodle class site and on my instructor website.

Class Policies:

1) Attendance:

A. Excused and Unexcused Absences: A ttendance is very important! I want students who are in class, who are prepared for class, and who take class seriously. Here are some examples of excused absences: personal illness; needing to attend a family member who is seriously ill; attending funerals; being called in to work; having no day care for children; one car break down. Other incidents will be judged on an individual basis. I do not require documentation for these types of absences—I will take your word. If you miss class, please check the class calendar in the syllabus to check on what you missed and what lies ahead for the next class—this is your responsibility. You may also e-mail me to find out what you missed and what is coming up--if there is a quiz or other assignment on the class day that you return, I will expect you to be ready and you will be required to take the quiz.

B. Unexcused absences: Here are some examples of unexcused absences: Car problems beyond one incident (after the first incident, I expect that you can arrange some other way to get to school); attending camp, family vacation or other social event; waking up late; working on school work (whether for our class or another class). I will judge other types of incidents on an individual basis.

C. Let me Know within 48 Hours: You must let me know the reason for an absence within 48 hours--by phone, in person, or via e-mail--for it to possibly count as excused. If you contact me later than this, regardless of the reason, I will count it as “unexcused”.

D. Absences and your grade: I take roll for every class—missing class will lower your grade. For each unexcused absence up to and including 3, your final grade will be lowered by 1 point. Unexcused absences 4 and 5 will cost you 5 points off your final grade, and for every unexcused absence over 5, you will lose 1 letter grade. If you have over 5 unexcused absences, you probably won’t be able to pass, and you should drop the course

Excused absences up to and including 3 will not effect your grade. However, for excused absences 4 and 5, you’ll lose 1 point from your final grade; for every excused absence over 5, you’ll lose 5 points from your final grade. So, once you have missed more than 5 or 6 times, even if they are all excused, you’ll need to think about dropping the class before your grade fall too low to pass. 2. Late or Missed Assignments and Quizzes – 10 late points per school day up to 5 school days:

All assignments should be turned in on time unless you have a legitimate problem, and then you need to talk to me within 48 hours after an assignment is due. It is your responsibility to check with me to see if you missed a quiz or the due date for a paper. If I feel that you have a legitimate reason for turning in the work late, I will accept it late. I will deduct at least 10 points from every late assignment accepted for the first day, regardless of the reason. After the first late day, I will deduct at least 10 points each day. Whether you have more points deducted will depend on your reasons. If you fail to contact me about why you missed an assignment or quiz within 48 hours after the assignment or quiz was due, you won’t be able to make it up. Also, I will not accept any work later than 5 school days after it is due, under any circumstances and regardless of the reason.

3. Paraphrasing Properly and Avoiding Plagiarism.

A. Paraphrasing: You will be writing tests and papers using sources, and it is very important that you put the information from these sources into your own words. This is called paraphrasing. You need to do more than just change a few of the words or phrases around. I want to see that you have read the material, thought about it, and that you can develop your own ideas about the material in your own words. When you write your tests and papers, do not have your books in front of you, but rather use notes in which you have already condensed the information from your sources. Also, if you are having trouble summarizing what a source says in your own words, see me for help. I will not accept any test on which you follow your sources too closely. I will allow you to correct your mistakes, but I will deduct at least 10 points from your grade, ask you to re-do it, and treat it as late. If there is still a problem with paraphrasing in your revised work, you will receive a 0 on that paper.

B. Plagiarism: Plagiarism is when you use information from sources without giving those sources credit—this is academic dishonesty and it is a serious offense. The first offense of plagiarism will result in a 0 for that assignment; a second offense will result in your failing the course.

C. Cheating: Make your own notes and write your own work—otherwise, you will fail the assignment and you may fail the class. Cheating is not doing your own work, on a take-home paper or on an in-class test—if you give a classmate your notes or note cards, either outside of class or in class, that’s cheating, and it will result in a 0 for both of you on that assignment. Studying together is fine, but not simply handing over notes or answers to a study partner.

D. Use Only the Required Sources on Assignments – No internet sources or outside sources or notes allowed! You will not receive any credit for answers for which you’ve used internet or outside sources. All your answers in your in-class tests must be from the sources which I’ll list for you-- with no other sources used. If I find an answer from an internet source like Sparks Notes or Cliff Notes—you will not receive any credit for those answers, which may result in you failing the test or assignment. All information on your take-home tests must come from your textbook, class power points, and the sources placed on reserve in the library by me. I will not give you a chance to re-write your tests or papers.

4. Classroom Rules of Behavior:

 NO TALKING UNLESS I CALL ON YOU. You should be quiet—no conversations, not even whispering—when class starts, which is when I call the roll each day. Raise your hand if you want to ask a question or make a comment during class.

NO PHONING, NO TEXTING, NO MUSIC, NO LAB TOPS DURING CLASS.

NO SLEEPING OR SLUMPING FORWARD OR BACK. NO FEET ON TABLES.

NO EATING IN CLASS – DRINKING IS OKAY

BE ON TIME AND DON’T LEAVE EARLY.

GO TO THE BATHROOM EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER CLASS, NOT DURING CLASS. If an emergency arises, please ask me first.

DEALING WITH CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR: After a first offense, I will give you a friendly reminder; after a second offense, I’ll give you a more serious warning and talk to you in more detail about the problem; after a third offense, I will ask you to drop the course or discuss the matter with me and the dean of my division to explore the problem in more detail.

Meeting of the Minds

What if we could resurrect people from the past and talk about their lives? Well, now— with your help—we can! Each of you should choose and first and second choice of characters listed in the course calendar. Let me know your choices either by e-mail or in person by the end of the first week of class. You can download the questions I will ask you from our Moodle class site.

Research Requirements – 50% of your Meeting of Minds grade:

1. Annotated Bibliography Required: The only written work you must turn in for your “Meeting of the Minds” presentation is an annotated bibliography—this is a list of your sources with a description of what you learned from each source. I will hand out a sample in class for you to follow. Your citations should follow the MLA format—this is available easily on the web or on our LBCC library website if you need help.

2. Original and Secondary Sources – Book and Articles: You will need to read at least 2 original sources and 2 secondary sources in preparing your presentation. An original source is one which was written or produced during the lifetime of the person you are portraying. Any source written by your character is an original source, but so is any description of your character written by someone who lived then. A secondary source is one which was written about the person you are portraying long after this person’s death —it can be a book or article. You will also need to cite and describe these sources on a typed Annotated Bibliography, which is due at the time of your presentation, either on paper or via e-mail. You should cite each source according to the MLA format, and directly below each source, you should describe what you learned from each source in at least one long paragraph

3. Cite Books and Articles, not Internet or Web-based sources: On your annotated bibliography, you must list at least one book about your character, and at least one in- depth article from a historical journal or magazine. You may list up to 2 on-line sources, but these should be end in “org”, not “com”, and they should be in-depth sites from universities or museums. You should not list any “.com” site, Wikipedia or any other online encyclopedia or dictionary—these are too unreliable and often not very scholarly. If you want to consult these types of online sources while doing research, go ahead, but you should quickly move to more in-depth and serious books, articles, and collections of primary sources. Failing to follow these instructions will cost you from 1 to 10 points on your Meeting of the Minds grade.

4. Where to Look: Start in our library, not on the web! In this syllabus, you’ll find Richenda Hawkins’ “Meeting of the Minds” research guide. You’ll also find it on the LBCC library’s home page. Go to “Class Guides” on the left toward the bottom—click it, and then go to “Meeting of the Minds”—there you will find tips on where to find both original and secondary sources. You should also consult our public libraries in both Albany, Corvallis, and elsewhere, and you can also check sources out of Oregon State University’s library.

Richenda Hawkins, reference librarian – Ask her for help! [email protected] 541-917-4645

In-class Performance – 50% of your Meeting of the Minds Grade

A. Answering My Questions: Each of you will answer questions asked by me in a talk- show format. I’ll e-mail you these questions once you have chosen a character. You will be sitting in front of the class with your fellow guests, and I’ll ask questions. You will have a conversation with me, not give a prepared speech. Of course, your answers to these questions should be accurate, detailed, thoughtful, and interesting! Do your homework, but also be enthusiastic and get into your character!

B) Rehearse and Don’t Read! You may use note cards during the presentation, but you may not read from them! You should rehearse your answers to my questions (which you’ll get when you e-mail me before your presentation). You should speak to us in a natural voice and look at us (unless you need to read a direct quotation).

C) Costume is Required: You must have a costume in order to do the Meeting of the Minds. Without a costume, as I define it, I will not let you present. You will have to present on another day, and it will cost you at least 15 points from your grade. My definition of a “costume” is that it’s at least similar to what the person would have worn —it includes more than a hat or shoes, but an entire outfit. Also, it cannot consist of clothes which you might ordinarily wear. Try to find a painting or other image of the person you are portraying, and then use your imagination!! You are not required to buy anything to create your costume. You can usually find enough clothing or perhaps borrow enough clothing to make one. If you need help, ask me!!!

Course Calendar and Reading Assignments:

Week One

September 26 Course Introduction. For September 28, read pp. 1- 8 (up to “Neolithic Earthworks”) from the introduction in Fiero’s book.

September 28 Pre-historic Cave Paintings. For September 30, read pp. 8-10 in Fiero and read Moodle website titled “National Geographic: Stonehenge Decoded.” If you can’t connect through the link on Moodle, find the site by googling “Stonehenge Decoded”.

September 30 Neolithic sculpture and architecture: Stonehenge. For October 3, read pp. 16-23 in Fiero. Week Two

October 3 The Mesopotamian Vision: Myth and Literature. For October 5, read pp. 24-28 in Fiero.

October 5 Ancient Inventions and Technology. For October 7, read pp. 13- 15 in Fiero (start with “Myth and the Quest for Beginnings).

October 7 Creation Myths in India, Africa, and America. For October 10, read pp. 44-55 in Fiero.

Week Three

October 10 The Egyptian Vision: Life after Death. For October 12, read the website on Moodle titled “National Geographic: The Pyramids”.

October 12 The Egyptian Vision: the Pyramids. For October 14, read the Moodle website titled: “National Geographic: King Tut.”

October 14 The Egyptian Vision: King Tut and his Treasures. For October 17, read the Moodle website titled “Cahokia Mounds”.

Week Four

October 17 American Pyramid: Cahokia. For October 19, read pp. 29-32 in Fiero and read handout from “Genesis: A Living Conversation.”

October 19 The Hebrew Vision: Myth and Law. For October 21, read pp. 33- 37 in Fiero.

October 21 The Hebrew Vision: the Prophetic Revolution.

Week Five

October 24 Meeting of the Minds, Show #1: Jean-Francois Champollion, who deciphered the “Rosetta Stone”; Egyptian pharaoh Rameses II, for whom monumental temples were built; Ankesenamun, queen of Tutankhamun; Ishtar and Tammuz, Mesopotamian fertility goddess and god.

October 26 Meeting of the Minds, Show #2: King David, Hebrew ruler and composer of some psalms; Solomon, Hebrew king and designer of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem; Jezebel, supporter of the god Baal of the Canaanites; Ruth, Hebrew heroine from the Bible; Isaiah, Hebrew prophet.

October 28 In-class test #1 over Sarum, covering chapters 1-4: “Journey to Sarum”, “The Barrow”, “The Henge”, and “Sorviodunum”. For October 31, read pp. 76-80 in Fiero. Week Six

October 31 The Greek Vision: Minoans and Mycenaeans. For November 2, read pp. 80-84 in Fiero.

November 2 The Greek Vision: Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey. For November 4 read pp. 90-99 in Fiero.

November 4 The Greek Vision: Antigone. For November 7, read pp. 113-122 (down to “Greek Architecture: the Parthenon”) in Fiero.

Week Seven

November 7 The Greek Vision: Sculpture. For November 9, read pp. 122-127 in Fiero and read the section titled “Acropolis” at the assigned Moodle website titled “Ancient Greece at the British Museum.” Make sure to read the “Story”, go “Explore”, and take the “Challenge.” .

November 9 The Greek Vision: The Parthenon and the Acropolis. For Friday, November 12, read the section titled “Festivals and Games” in the assigned Moodle website titled “Ancient Greece at the British Museum.” Make sure to read the “Story”, go “Explore”, and take the “Challenge”.

November 11 NO CLASS – VETERANS DAY

Week Eight

November 14 Meeting of the Minds, Show #3: Sappho, Greek poet; Milo of Croton, Greek Olympic wrestling champion; Lysistrata, character in a play by Aristophanes; Hypatia, Greek scientist, writer, and martyr; Diogenes the Cynic philosopher. For November 16, read the assigned Moodle website titled “Seven Ancient Wonders of the World.”

November 16 The Seven Wonders of the World! For November 18, read pp. 152-161 in Fiero. November 18 The Roman Vision: the Colosseum and the Pantheon. For November 21, read the assigned Moodle website titled “Discovery Channel: Last Day of Pompeii”. Week Nine

November 21 Pompeii: Lost World.

November 23 Test #2 on Sarum, covering chapters 5-7 of the novel: “Twilight”, “The Two Rivers”, and “The Castle”.

November 25 NO CLASS – THANKSGIVING

Week Ten

November 28 Meeting of the Minds, Show #4: Ovid, Roman poet and author; a Achillia, a female Roman gladiator who fought in the Coliseum; Marcus Vitruvius, Roman writer and engineer; Livia, wife of Roman emperor Augustus; Virgil, poet and author of the “Aeneid”. For November 30, read chapter 7 in Fiero.

November 30 The Chinese Vision: the Great Wall

December 2 Meeting of the Minds, Show #5: Lady Fu Hao, Shang dynasty queen whose tomb was excavated;; Sun Tzu, author of The Art of War;; Mumtaz Mahal, Indian queen for whom the Taj Mahal was built; Rama and Sita, characters in the Indian epic Ramayana.

Final Meeting of the Minds during Final Exam Time: There will be no final exam, but we will meet during this time, if necessary, for our last Meeting of the Minds: Hiawatha, Native American legendary leader; Ibn Battuta, world traveler during the 14th century; Le Zun, guide to the Mao Gao caves along the Silk Road; Confucius, ancient philosopher and political thinker; Medea, character in a Greek tragedy; Hatshepsut, Egyptian queen and designer of temples; Queen Theodora and Emperor Justinian, Byzantine rulers and patrons of the arts; Mary Magadalene, follower of Jesus and possible author of the “Gospel of Mary Magdalene”.