SYLLABUS FOR GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES: HISTORY AND LITERATURE OF EUROPE

 

 

Term: Summer, 2005 (20043)

Course Number: ENG 232X

Instructor: Dr. Valerie Pennanen

Office:  Room # 524

Office Phone: (219) 473-4285

E-mail:  finnfriends@att.net

Home Phone: (219) 937-0341

Office Hours: By Appointment

 

Course Time: Monday, 6:30-10 P.M.

 

Course Description:

This course traces the development and interconnections of major civilizations of Europe. It explores European culture and ideas from classical antiquity through medieval, Renaissance, Enlightenment, and Modern Periods. This course utilizes primary text and literary readings which reflect the culture and historical activities of their times.

 

Instructor Background: 

B.A., Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology and Ancient Greek (Bryn Mawr College); M.A. and Ph.D, Classical Art and Archaeology (The University of Michigan); teaching experience in classics, art history, art appreciation, liberal studies, and world literature.

 

Prerequisites:  ENG 103, 104

 

Textbooks and Materials:

            1) Homer: The Iliad, translated by Robert Fagles

            2) Dante Alighieri: The Inferno, translated by John Ciardi

            3) Voltaire: Candide, anonymous translation

            4) Franz Kafka: The Metamorphosis and Other Stories, translated by Stanley Appelbaum

            5) Internet resources (NOTE: Links to these will be provided on the CCSJ Global Perspectives web page.  Please note that when a literary reading is assigned on the Internet, it is your responsibility both to read it AND to bring a printout to class, just as you would bring a textbook.)

            6) Additional textbooks available in Room 305 (multiple copies).  These books will sometimes be used during a class session and may also be “checked out,” when necessary and with the instructor’s permission, for one week at a time.

            7) Class handouts with your OWN, supplementary notes (VERY IMPORTANT!)

 

Learning Strategies: Lectures, class discussions, individual research and writing projects.

 

Learning Outcomes/ Competencies:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to: 

 1) Write a confident, well organized academic essay that is reflective, analytic, and    evaluative;

  2)Listen attentively to the opinions and ideas of teachers, authors and leaders with an open but critical mind;

 3) Analyze these ideas with careful and coherent observations, judgments, and communications;

 4) Make careful analyses of academic ideas, papers, themes, positions, art forms, and the elements that contribute to their eminence;

 5) Synthesize materials, ideas and themes.

 

Class Policy on Attendance:

Regular attendance is crucial to your success in this class.  If you miss more than nine (9) hours of class, you will automatically receive a failing grade.

 

Classroom Policy on Electronic Devices:

 If you feel that you absolutely must carry a cell phone, beeper or paging device, please speak with the instructor before class.

 

Class Participation:

As noted below, class participation counts for 10% of your course grade.  To receive an “A” in class participation, you need to:

§         Attend class regularly

§         Arrive promptly and stay the full length of each session  (NOTE: There is a 15-minute break halfway through the evening; please make sure to be back in the classroom as soon as the 15 minutes are up)

§         Show genuine interest in the material

§         Ask thoughtful questions

§         Contribute intelligently to class discussions, especially on the closing night of class, when each student will be invited to share highlights of his / her term paper research

 

Classroom Decorum:

Please be considerate and respectful towards your fellow students and towards the instructor. 

Any student who deliberately disrupts a class will be asked to leave and will be marked absent for the entire session.

 

Class Policy For Assignments:

If a student misses an in-class test, he/she must contact the instructor within 48 hours to arrange for a makeup.  The 48-hour rule also applies to a missed homework deadline.  Make-ups and extensions will be granted ONLY in case of illness or family emergency.  PLEASE NOTE THAT IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO ACCEPT ANY LATE TERM PAPERS. 

 

 

Assessment:

 

            In-class tests (2)                                                30% of grade

            Take-home tests (2)                                          30 % of grade  

            Homework essay                                              10% of grade                           

            Term paper                                                       20% of grade

            Class participation                                             10% of grade

 

Grading Scale:

A: 93-100          A-: 90-92          B+: 87-89          B: 83-86            B-: 80-82          C+: 77-79

C: 73-76            C-: 70-72          D+: 67-69         D: 63-66           D-: 60-62          F: 59 and below

 

 

 

Class Assignments:

 

Week 1 (May 9)

Welcome and introduction.  The early Greek world: Minoans, Mycenaeans, and the Greek Dark Ages.  An introduction to Homer’s Iliad. HOMEWORK:  Review early Greek world, using class handouts/notes and supplementary Internet materials; ALSO read Iliad Books 1, 3, 6, 8 (lines 566 – 654 only), 9, 10, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23 (lines 1 – 130 only), and 24.

Week 2 (May 16)

Discussion of the Iliad. Greek history, continued: the Orientalizing, Archaic, and Classical periods.   HOMEWORK: Study for In-Class Test # 1; ALSO read Euripides’ Medea (available online; please bring a printout of this play to our next class meeting).

Week 3 (May 23)

IN-CLASS TEST # 1.  Discussion of Medea.  The post-classical world; Alexander the Great; the Hellenistic era; the rise of Rome.  HOMEWORK: Review tonight’s material, using class handouts/notes and supplementary Internet materials; ALSO, please decide on your term paper topic so that I will know what it is by next week.

Week 4 (June 6)

SUBMIT TERM PAPER TOPIC.  The Roman empire.  Roman patriotism and piety (including a look at Virgil’s Aeneid).  The transition from paganism to Christianity (including a look at St. Augustine’s Confessions).  HOMEWORK: Prepare short essay (topic to be assigned in class).

Week 5 (June 13)

SHORT ESSAY DUE.  The Byzantine empire.  An overview of the Middle Ages: Early, “High” (including the Crusades), and Late.  HOMEWORK: review tonight’s material, using class handouts / notes and supplementary Internet materials; ALSO, read Dante’s Inferno.

Week 6 (June 20)

Discussion of the Inferno.  An overview of the Renaissance, Reformation, and Counter-Reformation.  HOMEWORK: Study for In-Class Test # 2, AND read Shakespeare’s Hamlet (from text borrowed from classroom).

Week 7 (June 27)

IN-CLASS TEST # 2.  Discussion of Hamlet.  HOMEWORK: Read handouts on 18th and 19th centuries (these will be distributed ahead of time); ALSO read Voltaire’s Candide, AND print out Internet selections from the Romantic poets (Wordsworth’s “Ode on Intimations of Immortality” and Keats’s “Ode to a Nightingale”) to bring to our next class.

Week 8 (July 11)

Discussion of key historical events AND literary highlights of the 18th and 19th centuries.  HOMEWORK: Do Take-Home Test # 1; ALSO, read handouts on 20th century (these will be distributed ahead of time) AND read Kafka’s The Metamorphosis.

Week 9 (July 18)

TAKE-HOME TEST  # 1 DUE.  Discussion of The Metamorphosis.  Overview of the 20th century.  HOMEWORK: Prepare Take-Home Test # 2 AND prepare term paper.  PLEASE REMEMBER THAT EACH MEMBER OF THE CLASS WILL BE EXPECTED TO TAKE PART IN AN INFORMAL DISCUSSION NEXT WEEK!

Week 10 (July 25)

TAKE – HOME TEST # 2 DUE.  TERM PAPER ALSO DUE.  CLOSING DISCUSSION, WITH REQUIRED PARTICIPATION BY ALL CLASS MEMBERS.

 

Center for Academic Excellence:

Tutoring assistance is free to all students of Calumet College of St. Joseph.  Call the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) to make an appointment at 473 – 4287.  The Center has experienced and well-trained tutors in most subject areas to help students who are struggling in a course or who are doing well and would like to do better.  Regular weekly tutoring sessions are likely to improve your grade.

 

Statement of Plagiarism:

If an instructor or other Calumet College of St. Joseph personnel find that a student has plagiarized or been involved in another form of academic dishonesty, the instructor or other personnel may elect to bring the matter up for judicial review. The maximum penalty for any. form of academic dishonesty is dismissal from the College. The procedures for judicial review are listed under the section of CCSJ handbook that addresses student grievances. (Academic Planner 2001/2002 p.27)  Please be aware that your paper may be submitted for examination for plagiarism to Turnitin.com, a plagiarism-check Internet company with which the college has contracted.

 

Citation Guidelines:

Calumet College of St. Joseph adheres to citation guidelines as prescribed by the particular discipline (i.e., MLA, APA, and Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian.).  All of these guidelines are available in the Calumet College of St. Joseph library or bookstore.  These texts outline how to cite references from a variety of sources, including electronic media.

 

Withdrawal from Classes Policy:

After the last day for class changes has passed (see College calendar), students may withdraw from a course in which they are registered with permission from the faculty member conducting the course. A written request detailing the reason(s) for the withdrawal must be filed with the Registrar. Written request for withdrawal must be received by the Registrar by the last day of classes prior to the final examination dates specified in the catalogue. Written requests may be mailed to the Registrar or faxed to the College fax number 219-473-4259. Students are to make note of the refund schedule when withdrawing from courses. The request is forwarded to the faculty member, who makes the final determination to accept or deny the request. If the request is honored, the student will receive notification of official withdrawal; if denied, the notification will indicate why the withdrawal is disallowed. Note: Degree Completion Division (DCD) students should consult the DCD Student Handbook for information on DCD withdrawals.

 

An official withdrawal is recorded as a "W" grade on the student's transcript. Dropping a course without written permission automatically incurs an "F" grade for the course (see Refund Schedule).