HUMN3031: Basic Texts I Syllabus

An Introduction to the Great Literature of the Ancient and Medieval Worlds

This course is an exploration of major philosophical, religious and literary texts works produced in the West before the 17th century. We will read selections from Plato, Augustine and others. This course should enrich your understanding of the development of what we call Western Civilization. Touchstones of literature and art from ancient times through the Middle Ages. Artists and works such as: Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer, Plato, Virgil, the Bible; Mesopotamian art, classical Greek sculpture, the Parthenon; Dante, Petrarch. The general purpose of this course is to read and begin to understand selected works produced in the West before the 17th century. We will read selections from the Epic of Gilgamesh, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Augustine and the letters of Heloise and Abelard. This course is about reading, and thinking, critically. The course is about critical reading first, because critical thinking about any kind of phenomenon is not possible without critical understanding of that phenomenon. In the case of written texts, which we will be using in this course, the critical understanding is critical reading. The content of the texts we will read is important, but not as important as interpreting and analyzing the meaning of that content. The material for the course comes in three levels of organization. The first level is the text, Plato's Phaedo, for instance. The second level is Study Questions for the text. The Study Questions direct your attention to particular points in the text.

The process you will follow if you read the text and then use the study questions to focus on particular parts or elements of the text, duplicates the process which critical reading, and critical thinking, requires. OuronlinediscussionscenteredaroundtheStudyQuestionswillgiveyoutheopportunityto compareanddiscussyouranswerstoStudyQuestionswithyourclassmatesandyourinstructor.

Instructor Information
Name: Office: Office Hours: Dr. Mary Ann Clark clarkma@uhcl.edu or drmaryamm49@mac.com PLEASE put HUMN 3031 in the subject line of ALL email. Suite 2617 I will have virtual office hours (Meebo through BlackBoard) Sundays from 7-9 pm and Wednesdays 7-8 am. Or by appointment. 928-227-1894 928-221-2029 Please do NOT call before 8 am or after 11 pm.

Phone: Home Phone: Cell

Textbooks:

The Epic of Gilgamesh, (Andrew George, trans), Penguin Books, 2003, 0-140-44919-1 Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer (We will read a selection from "The Descent of Inanna." Several versions are available online, for example, http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htm or http://www.halexandria.org/dward386.htm) Great Dialogues of Plato, Plato (W. H. D. Rouse, trans), Signet Classic, March 2008, 97804515-3085-1 Meditations, Marcus Aurelius (Maxwell Staniforth, trans), Penguin Books, 2005, 0-14-303627-0 The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Augustine of Hippo (Rex Warner, Martin E. Marty, trans), Signet Classic, Feb 2001, 0-451-52780-1 The Letters of Abelard and Heloise, Betty Radice, Michael Clanchy (trans), Penguin Classic, April 2004, 0140448993

Some of the textbooks for this class may also be available online or as audio books. (For example, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelis is available at http://preview.tinyurl.com/34o6bhd). I don't recommend only listening to the text but audio books can serve as a good

supplement to the text

Course Requirements
Papers: Students will write three response papers for a total of 8-14 pages. Each paper will require the student to respond to some current event (last 18 months) from the point of view of the readings. Papers are due according to the dates below. The papers must be typed following Chicago Manual of Style, MLA or APA format. Online discussions: Students are expected to participate in the online discussions. I will post discussion questions for each book in the Note section of the Discussion area each Sunday night. Students are expected to respond to at least three of the questions each week. Don't be afraid to join in on these discussions. These are your opportunities to explore the readings in more depth and refine your understandings. Feel free to post your own questions as well, especially of you find a reading confusing or if you find something ideas not expressed in my questions. Your participation grade is determined by your participation in the online discussions. You should plan to spend several hours each week participating in our class discussions. Exam: Exams will be given at midterm and during finals week. Students are expected to complete all reading and writing assignments on time. Papers may be submitted early but will NOT be accepted after 10 pm on the due date. Note Carefully: The Midterm Exam and Paper #2 are both due during the same week and the Final Exam and Paper #3 are due during the same week. Please plan your time accordingly. Also note that all papers and exams must be submitted by 10pm on the due date. Requirementscountasfollows: Response Papers: 100 pts distributed: Gilgamesh Greek Philosophy Medieval Philosophy Midterm Exam Final Exam Total Grading Matrix: 20 pts 40 pts 40 pts 100 pts 100 pts 300 pts Due 9/19 Due 10/31 Due 12/12 Due 11/2 Due12/14

Points 270+ 258-269 249-257 240-248 228-239 219-227 210-218 198-209 189-197 180-188 168-179 <168

Percentage 90% 86% 83% 80% 76% 73% 70% 66% 63% 60% 56%

Grades A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D DF

Extra Credit There are one or more short quizzes associated with each reading assignment. Each quiz is worth one (1) extra credit point. You can re-take each quiz as many times as you want during the week we are discussing the pertinent reading. There are NO other opportunities for extra credit for this course. Academic Honesty Policy Students are required to do their own work on exams and papers. All UHCL students are responsible for knowing the standards of academic honesty. Please refer to the UHCL catalog for the Academic Honesty Policy. Plagiarism, using research without citation or using a created production without crediting the source, is forbidden and will result in a grade of zero for the assignment. Use Chicago Manual of Style or MLA format to note citations. Disabilities If you have a disability and need a special accommodation, consult first with the Coordinator of Health Disabilities Services, Bayou 1402, telephone 281-283-2627,and then discuss the accommodation with me. Incompletes A grade of "I" is only given in cases of documented emergency or special circumstances late in the semester, provided that you have been making satisfactory progress. A grade contract must be completed and the criteria adhered to. Changes in the Syllabus Additional information: I reserve the right to make appropriate changes in the syllabus. It is your responsibility to keep updated on course information.

Course Roadmap
Week 1: Introduction
Sunday, August 26. 2012 Go to Welcome--Start Here:\ Read: Welcome to Basic Texts I Read the Course Overview From Course Overview follow the instructions for introducing yourself to the class.

Week 2: Gilgamesh 1
Sunday, September 2, 2012 The Descent of Inanna. Several versions are available online, for example, Inanna's descent to the nether world or From the Great Above to the Great Below Gilgamesh: Preface and Introduction, p x-xxxii Authur Brown's Storytelling, the Meaning of Life, and The Epic of Gilgamesh at http://eawc.evansville.edu/essays/brown.htm. Gilgamesh: Tablets I-VI

Week 3: Gilgamesh 2
Sunday, September 9, 2012 Gilgamesh: Tablets VII-XI Gilgamesh: Bilgames and the Netherworld, p 175-95 Gilgamesh: The Death of Bilgames, p 195-208

Week 4: Plato 1
Sunday, September 16, 2012 Plato in the Internet Encyclopedia of PhilosophyYou might also want to investigate this site when you have time to see what other resources it offers for this course and other philosophy courses you might take. The url for the home page for this site is: http:// www.iep.utm.edu/. "Symposium (The Banquet)" in Great Dialogs of Plato, pp 70-129 "The Republic" Book VI (502c - Book VII 521b) in Great Dialogues of Plato (pp 352375) Response Paper #1 Gilgamesh Due Wednesday, September 19, 2012, no later than 10 pm.

Week 5: Plato 2
Sunday, September 23, 2012 Thomas R. Martin, An Overview of Classical Greek History from Mycenae to Alexander: 14.6. XIV. The Aftermath of the Peloponnesian War through 14.13. XIV through The Execution of Socrates First half of Phaedo in Great Dialogues of Plato (57A - 84b), pp 548-582

Week 6: Plato 3
Sunday, September 30, 2012 Phaedro from 84c through the end (p 583-623).

Week 7: Marcus Aurelius 1

Sunday, October 7, 2012 Marcus Aurelius in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Meditations Books 1-5

Week 8: Marcus Aurelius 2

Sunday, October 14, 2012 Stoicism in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Stoic Philosophy of Mind in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Meditations Books 6-9

Week 9: Marcus Aurelius 3

Sunday, March 18, 2012 Stoic Ethics in the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Meditations, Marcus Aurelius, Books 10-12

Mid-Term Exam Week

Sunday, October 28 to November 2, 2012 The midterm exam will be available from midnight Sunday 10/28 until 10 pm Friday 11/2. You will have 1.5 hours to complete the exam and you must complete it in one sitting (you can't sign out and sign back on). The exam will be essay questions similar to our discussion question. ResponsePaper#2Greek/RomanPhilosophy Due Wednesday, October 31, no later than 10 pm.

Week 10: Augustine 1

Sunday, November 4, 2012 The listing for Augustine in The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Before The Confessions, Books I to VI.

Week 11: Augustine 2

Sunday, November 11, 2012 Read the Catholic Encyclopedia articles on the major heresies of Augustine's time: Arianism, Donastism, Pelagism, Life of St. Anthony of the Desert, the father of Christian asceticism The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Books VII to IX.

Thanksgiving Week: No Assignments

Sunday,November18

Week 12: Heloise & Abelard 1

Sunday, November 25, 2012 The Letters of Abelard and Heloise: Introduction, pp xiii-xlv (remainder of Introduction, optional) The Letters of Abelard and Heloise: Letter 1. Historia calamitatum: Abelard to a Friend: The Story of His Misfortune, pp 3-43

Week 13: Heloise & Abelard 2

Sunday, December 2, 2012 Remainder of The Letters of Abelard and Heloise, you may skip Letter 7, the Hymns and Appendix

Final Exam Week

Sunday, December 9 to Friday December 14, 2012 The final exam will be available from midnight Sunday 12/9 until 10 pm Friday 12/7. You will have 1.5 hours to complete the exam and you must complete it in one sitting (you can't sign out and sign back on). The exam will be essay questions similar to our discussion questions. Response paper #3 Medieval Readings Due Wednesday, December 12, 2012, no later than 10 pm.