Syllabus Supplement

HUM 204: Western Civilization I

Neosho County Community College
Summer Semester, 2011
Section 31, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30—3:15pm

Instructor: Kevin Blackwell Office: NCCC-Ottawa, Rm. 704

Phone: (785) 242-2067 ext. 303 Office Before and after class or by
(816) 824-0309 Hours: appointment.
E-mail: kblackwell@neosho.edu

ACADEMIC HONESTY
Plagiarism of any type will not be tolerated in this class. Your reaction papers
and writings must be your own work. I do not care if you use outside materials
as long as you use proper citations and quotation marks around words that you
didn’t write. Downloading and printing material from the Internet as your own
work will earn you an AUTOMATIC F IN THIS COURSE. Don’t take the risk.

EMAIL POLICY
All class-related communication must be through your NCCC email account (P-
mail). When writing an email put the following in the subject line: HUM204-31.
All students must send a certification email to the instructor within the first week
of class. The email should include the student’s correct name.

EVALUATION AND GRADING:

Students will be evaluated on their performance in class discussions, as
discussion leaders, through reaction papers and on examinations.

1. Class Discussions:
Attendance: Since this is a discussion class, attendance is essential. This is a
minimum requirement. If you are absent, you will get a grade of zero for that
discussion day. Students under obligation to participate in jury duty, a
recognized religious observance, and/or activities where they are required to
represent the college must give written notice to the instructor at least one week
in advance. Failure to provide written notice may result in loss of the opportunity
to make up the missed course work. Students missing class as a result of illness
or other emergencies must confer with the instructor within a week of the
absence. Make up of missed work in these cases will be at the instructor’s
discretion.

Makeup Papers: Students may make up a maximum of one missed discussion

session by writing a 2 to 3 page paper on the missed material. Papers should be

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typed and should address the main points of the missed material, the student’s
opinion of the material and what the student believes the significance of the
material is to Western Civilization. The total points possible for a makeup paper
will be 50 points.

Knowledge of Readings: You may demonstrate knowledge of the readings by

making appropriate reference to them during the course of the discussion.
Indicate how the reference helps clarify meaning. Support general statements
and summaries with examples and references from the readings. The reference
should not be a simple quote from the material; offer some comment or
explanation to indicate understanding.

Discussion Skills: Interact with others by expanding their ideas when agreeing
or by polite explanations when disagreeing. Ask clarifying questions to facilitate
the exchange of ideas.

Use of Analytical Skills: Use evaluation, logic, and examination rather than
simple description. Search for the assumptions behind the ideas. Sort ideas into
categories. Weigh the impact of the ideas on historical events.

Application of Ideas: Apply the readings to contemporary themes and events;

show how ideas developed within their historical context and what influence the
ideas have exerted upon Western Civilization over time.

Synthesis: Make connections between different ideas and show how they relate
to each other. Sort out the major themes in each reading and then group the
week’s readings by theme. Connect common themes appearing in different
authors and different weekly assignments.

Frequency and Nature of Participation: Try to participate at least two or three

times per discussion. When you speak, try to develop dialogue with other
students rather than engaging in monologues. Build on the comments of others
in the natural course of the discussion.

Grading: There are FIFTY (50) points available to each student each discussion
week. The allocation of these points is as follows:
1. Attendance: 30 points (15 points for lecture/15 points for discussion)
2. Comments indicating knowledge of the readings: 3 points each
3. Clarifying questions/facilitating comments: 3 points each
4. Comments providing analysis of the readings: 4 points each
5. Comments applying ideas: 4 points each
6. Synthesizing comments: 5 points each

Feedback: Students will be given a grade slip the week following a discussion
session which will reflect their performance.

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2. Discussion Leadership:
Each student will lead one discussion session during the semester. The
instructor will be provided with a list of at least twenty questions prior to the date
of discussion leadership. Discussion leadership will be graded using the
following criteria:
1. Adherence to topic. (Don’t allow discussion to drift off the point!)
2. Knowledge of the reading’s content.
3. Connection of the reading’s content to the main themes of the course.
4. Emphasis on major ideas and use of questions to examine ideas.
5. Use of questions (at least two) to involve the group in examining application of
ideas contained in the readings to current or historical situations.
6. Management of time.
7. Success in leading students into analysis and evaluation of major ideas.
8. Success in leading students into comparisons, contrasts, and connections
between ideas.
9. Success in sustaining and stimulating discussion.

3. Reaction Papers:
Following each discussion session students will submit an online paper
describing their reaction to the discussion and the assigned material. The paper
should be completely subjective and should not include a summary of the
material. Reaction papers should be one to two pages in length. Reaction
papers will be graded on length and on success in conveying the student’s
opinion of the material.

4. Examinations: There will be TWO examinations during the semester, a

Midterm and a Final. The exams will include both objective questions (multiple
choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank) and subjective essays. Essays will be
evaluated according to the following criteria:

1. Knowledge of the material.

2. Analysis of ideas.
3. Synthesis of major themes.
4. Clarity of written expression.

The course grade will be calculated as follows:

Discussion: 50% (lowest discussion grade dropped)
Midterm Exam: 15%
Final Exam: 15%
Reaction Papers: 15%
Discussion Leadership: 5%

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Course Schedule
DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENT
May 31, 2011 The River Valley Reading Assignment: Patterns in
Civilizations Western Civilization (PWC),
Background I.
Discussion Reading: The Epic of
Gilgamesh
June 2, 2011 Ancient Israel Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 1.
and the Hebrew Discussion: Gilgamesh
Bible (Reaction Paper Due by Friday at
5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Hebrew Bible
Readings, (PWC, pp. 39-89).
June 7, 2011 Ancient Greece Reading Assignment: PWC,
and the Greek Background II, Ch. 2.
Tragedy Discussion: Hebrew Bible
(Reaction Paper Due by Wednesday at
5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Sappho, (PWC,
pp. 123-127); Sophocles, Antigone.
June 9, 2011 Plato and Greek Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 3.
Philosophy Discussion: Sappho and Sophocles
(Reaction Paper Due by Friday at
5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Plato, Apology;
The Republic: Book II, Book III,
sections 411-end; Book IV, sections
439-444; Book V, Book VI, sections
507-511; Book VII, sections 514-518.
June 14, 2011 Aristotle and Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 4.
Greek Discussion: Plato
Philosophy (Reaction Paper Due by Wednesday at
5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Aristotle, The
Politics:  Book I, chapters 1-13; Book III,
chapter 1, chapters 5-7; Book IV,
chapter 1, chapter 4, chapters 8-12;
Book VII, chapters 14-17; Book VIII,
chapters 1-3.

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DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENT

June 16, 2011 Rome: Republic Reading Assignment: PWC,
to Empire Background III, Ch. 5.
Discussion: Aristotle
(Reaction Paper Due by Friday at
5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Virgil, The
Aeneid, Books 1, 2, 4, 6, and
conclusion.
June 21, 2011 Stoicism and the Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 6.
Roman Empire Discussion: Virgil
(Reaction Paper Due by Wednesday at
5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Seneca, Letters
from a Stoic: Letters V, VII, VIII, IX,
XVI, XVIII, XXVI, XXVIII, XLI, XLVII,
LXV, LXXXVI, LXXXVIII, XC.
June 23, 2011 MIDTERM EXAMINATION

June 28, 2011 Early Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch.7

Christianity Discussion: Seneca
(Reaction Paper Due by Wednesday at
5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Christian
Scriptures, (PWC, pp. 242-269)
June 30, 2011 Augustine and Reading Assignment: PWC,
the Early Church Background IV, Ch. 8.
Discussion: Christian Scriptures
(Reaction Paper Due by Friday at
5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Saint Augustine,
Confessions, Books 5-9.
July 5, 2011 The Early Middle Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 9.
Ages and Islam Discussion: Augustine
(Reaction Paper Due by Wednesday at
5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: The Koran: (The
Cow, Women, The Dinner Table, The
Thunder, Abraham, The Prophets,
Time)

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DATE TOPIC ASSIGNMENT
July 7, 2011 The High Middle Reading Assignment: PWC,
Ages Background V, Ch. 10, 11.
Discussion: Koran
(Reaction Paper Due by Friday at
5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Saint Thomas
Aquinas Readings, (Class Handout);
Geoffrey Chaucer, The Canterbury
Tales: The Prologue, The Prologue to
the Wife of Bath’s Tale, The Wife of
Bath’s Tale, The Prologue to the
Pardoner’s Tale, and The Pardoner’s
Tale.
July 12, 2011 The Reading Assignment: PWC,
Renaissance Background VI, Ch. 12.
Discussion: Aquinas and Chaucer
(Reaction Paper Due by Wednesday at
5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Machiavelli, The
Prince; Pico Della Mirandola, Oration
on the Dignity of Man, PWC, pp. 375-
377.
July 14, 2011 The Reformation Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 13.
Discussion: Machiavelli and Pico Della
Mirandola
(Reaction Paper Due by Friday at
5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Martin Luther,
Selections from Address to the
Christian Nobility of the German Nation
Concerning the Reform of the Christian
Estate, (PWC, pp. 392-409).
July 19, 2011 The Scientific Reading Assignment: PWC, Ch. 13
Revolution and 14.
Discussion: Luther
(Reaction Paper Due by Wednesday at
5:00PM)
Discussion Reading: Galileo Galilei,
The Starry Messenger and Letter to the
Grand Duchess Christina.
July 21, 2011 FINAL EXAMINATION

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