Humanities 1 Syllabus

Professor Robert CannonEmail: cannon_robert@smc.eduWeb: robertleecannon.com

Spring 2010Classroom: CC 208TH 6:45-9:55 pm3 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.

How is this class organized?

The stress is on themes: I briefly discuss the history of the particular culture we are learning aboutThen 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

The Work:

READING: Lamm, The Humanities in Western CultureCicero: On the Good Life

WRITINGYou 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 class4. Two writing assignments

ARITHMETICMidterm: 1 @ 50 points Final: 1 final exam@ 100 points

Participation: 25 points-group assignments and

discussions, attendanceWriting assignments-25 points eachGrading 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

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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.

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.

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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.

More F.A.Q.’s

Late work-I accept it, but it is graded down one grade for each class period lateReading-I expect you to do the assigned reading before you come to class.Tests-The questions may be short answer, 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.

A typical class:

Lecture

Video and discussion

Group assignment

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Schedule and Readings-Part One

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

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

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 aboutAn evaluation of how successful the video was in presenting the information to youThings 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 whyWhat you didn’t like about the video and why

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!

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

Miscellaneous

I look forward to having a fun and instructive semester with you

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