Humanities 1 Syllabus

1. Humanities 1 Syllabus • Professor Robert Cannon • Email: • cannon_robert@smc.edu • Web: • robertleecannon.com • Spring 2010 • Classroom: CC 208 • TH 6:45-9:55 pm • 3 units • Office hours: Thursdays, 6:00-6:30 pm-no appointment necessary-just drop in! • Room 237, Campus Center, 2nd floor • LEARNING GOALS: Humanities 1 is a survey of the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome. The course is designed to introduce you to the achievements and contributions of those two cultures. The people we encounter are important because they provided the foundation for western culture. The course is important because the people we meet tell us something significant about ourselves as well as about them.

2. How is this class organized? • The stress is on themes: • I briefly discuss the history of the particular culture we are learning about • Then we learn about their art, literature,music, philosophy etc. (not necessarily in that order) • When we are done with a particular culture we move on to the next one • Minoans, Mycenaeans, Greeks, and so on

3. The Work: READING: • Lamm, The Humanities in Western Culture • Cicero: On the Good Life WRITING You will do several kinds of writing in this class: 1. Lecture notes: these will be your study guides 2. Take exams (one midterm, and one final) FINAL exam will be 6/3/10, 7-9 pm 3. Group assignments done in class 4. Two writing assignments ARITHMETIC Midterm: 1 @ 50 points Final: 1 final exam@ 100 points Participation: 25 points-group assignments and discussions, attendance Writing assignments-25 points each Grading system: A=90-100%; B=80-89%; C=70-79%; D-60-69%; NOTE: The number of tests, assignments, or the grading system is subject to change

4. The Website • www.robertleecannon.com • User name-lavc • Password-midland • Always check the site on Sunday night. I post assignments, announcements, power point slides, etc. on the site.

5. F.A.Q.’s • TESTS: There will be a midterm and a final. The tests are based on the text, lectures, and any other materials I provide. Slides and videos will be shown in class and questions may come from these sources as well. • (Note: If you do not take the final you cannot pass the class.) You MUST take the final on the day it is scheduled. There are no make-up midterms or finals for ANY reason. ATTENDANCE: Attendance counts! I take attendance into account in figuring your final grade. A student who stops coming to class but fails to go through the drop procedure will get a Fail at the end of the semester. Any more than two unexecused absences may result in your being dropped from class. • CELL PHONES: Turn them off before you come into class! • TAPING; Taping of lectures is not allowed unless you have a disability and have registered with the DSPS office. • COMPUTER USE is acceptable except on exams.

6. More F.A.Q.’s • How to study and get a good grade -I use power points slides as an orientation tool to give you a sense of where we are in the class. I don’t expect you to write down everything contained in the slides. They are visual aids only. I post the power point slides on the website. • Write down the main points of the lecture. They will supplement and highlight the information in the book. • Combine your lecture notes with the information in the book, add your common sense and critical thinking ability, and you should have no problem getting a good grade in the class.

7. More F.A.Q.’s • Late work-I accept it, but it is graded down one grade for each class period late • Reading-I expect you to do the assigned reading before you come to class. • Tests-The questions may be shortanswer, multiple choice, or essay questions. • Group Assignments: Students learn in different ways. Some do well on exams, and others do better working in groups. I try to include at least one assignment per class for the latter group.

8. A typical class: • Lecture • Video and discussion • Group assignment

9. Schedule and Readings-Part One • Introduction, pre-history, and Mesopotamia-Ch. 1 • Egypt-Ch. 2 • Early Greece-Minoans, Mycenaeans-Ch. 3 • Poets-Homer-Iliad, Odyssey-Ch. 4 • Poets-Sappho, others-Ch. 7 • Archaic Age/ Rise of Athens-Ch. 4 • Greek theater-Ch. 5 • Athens: The Golden Age/Pericles-Ch. 5 • Philosophers-Ch. 4 and 6 • Artistic Expression-Ch. 7 • Decline of classical age and rise of Alexander-Ch. 6

10. Schedule and Readings Part Two-Rome • Early Rome-Ch. 8 • Traditions and Values-Ch. 8 • Roman Republic-Ch. 8 • Julius Caesar-Ch. 8 • Augustus and the Empire-Ch. 8 • Decline and Fall-Ch. 8 • Roman Literature-Ch. 8 • Roman Art and Architecture-Ch. 9 • NOTE: This schedule is tentative and subject to change

11. VIDEOS • During the semester several video documentaries will be shown in class. You may write about any or all of them for five points maximum EXTRA CREDIT per video. Each report should be a minimum of one page. They are due by the last day of class. • You are to write: • A summary of each video describing what it is about • An evaluation of how successful the video was in presenting the information to you • Things to look for in evaluating a video: • Does the video “show” (movie footage, location shots, maps, still photos, etc.) or does it “tell” (talking heads, narrator) • What you liked about the video and why • What you didn’t like about the video and why

12. Videos • Video reports are to be typed and double-spaced • Use New Roman font and note the following: • Size 10 font:: Too small • Size 12 font: Acceptable • Size 14 font: The largest size acceptable • Size 16 font: Too big!

13. Important Dates • 2/22/10-Last date to add class • 3/5-Last date to drop classes without receiving a “W” • 3/29-4/5 Spring break • 5/7-Last date to drop class with a “W” • Final exam-6/3/10-7-9pm

14. Miscellaneous • I look forward to having a fun and instructive semester with you