INT 200: Constructing Meaning in the Liberal Arts

Transcription

1 INT 200: Constructing Meaning in the Liberal Arts Fall 2014 Tuesdays 6:45-9:15 p.m. Rooms: French Bush 212 Simmons Bush 308 Joint Meeting Bush 176 Professors: Todd French and Patricia Simmons Contact: Office hours Todd French: Mondays and Tuesdays 3:00-5:00 p.m., French House 204 Office hours Patricia Simmons: Available by appointment Tuesdays and Thursdays

2 This course will assess the value of the liberal arts through masterpieces of world literature. Beginning with Plato and Scripture, and moving up through many historic movements and literary representations, the class will center on the following goals: Goals: 1. To familiarize students with a cross section of influential literature 2. To ask how these works have shaped civilizations in the past and present 3. To develop a sense of what our world considers a good global citizen and assess how we relate to this notion 4. To provide a space where students can critically engage their peers and this literature in thoughtful, creative, and beneficial ways Required Texts At bookstore all others available on BlackBoard: 1. The Odyssey, Tr. Robert Fitzgerald, ISBN: William Shakespeare Macbeth, Updated Edition, paperback ed., Folger Shakepeare Library, Simon and Schuster 3. Geoffrey Chaucer The Canterbury Tales, Trans. by Nevill Coghill, paperback ed., February 4, Penguin Classics Edition 4. Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness, Dover Thrift Ed., Intro. by Stanley Appelbaum, July 1, Aldous Huxley Brave New World, ISBN: Toni Morrison Beloved ISBN: (or any available paperback edition) 7. Sigmund Freud Civilization and its Discontents

3 Evaluation: Quizzes 20%; Two Short Essays 40%; Participation 10%; Final Paper 30% Class Structure: Classes will begin with a contextualizing lecture on the topic for the day, then transition to discussion of the reading. Finally, students will take part in class activities/games/debates/exercises to better assimilate the day s topics and their impact. EXPECTATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS: 1. Participation: Each student will be expected to come to class having completed the assigned readings and ready to discuss them. This may mean bringing a short list of questions and critiques of the material that you feel ready to share. An equitable discussion will give all participants a chance to speak and be heard. Participation in class counts for 10% of the final grade and will be assessed and communicated on four occasions during the semester in meetings after class. 2. Quizzes: Given at the beginning of class (13). You will have the opportunity to drop your three lowest quiz grades. They will assess the student s assimilation of material and critical thinking skills. (2 points each x 10=20%) 3. Papers: Two papers, 5 pages (Double-Spaced) in length on topics pertinent to class readings (20% each). More details and prompts will be provided prior to the due dates. 4. Final Paper: A final paper covering the material from the course. Details will be distributed in class. (30%) 5. Attendance: You will be allowed a maximum of TWO absences from class. I will not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences. If you exceed this number, your final grade will be lowered by one letter grade per absence. 6. In class: There will be no cell phone or internet use. Distractions such as these that interfere with class discussion and learning will result in an absence for the day. This will count as one of your 2 allotted absences. 7. Written work: All work should be typed and double-spaced in 12 point Times New Roman font with 1-inch margins. Papers will be handed in on the dates listed in the syllabus. You are free to use your preferred citation style, but you must use it consistently throughout your writing. Missed Exams/Quizzes, Late Papers: In the event a quiz is missed, it will count as one of the dropped quiz grades. After three missed quizzes, the final quiz average will be lowered by 2 points per

4 missed quiz. If an exam is missed, the student will make up the exam on the following day at 8 a.m. with a 10 point deduction. Late paper submissions will be marked down a half letter grade for each 24 hours they are late. Grading Scale: Grades will correspond to this numerical scale: A , A , B , B 83-86, B , C , C 73-76, C , D , D 63-66, D , F 0-59 Student grade reports are based on the following definitions. Grade 'A' is reserved for work that is exceptional in quality and shows keen insight, understanding, and initiative. Grade 'B' is given for work that is consistently superior and shows interest, effort, or originality. Grade 'C' is a respectable grade. A 'C' average (2.00) is required for graduation. It reflects consistent daily preparation and satisfactory completion of all work required. Grade 'D-' is the lowest passing grade. It is below the average necessary to meet graduation requirements and ordinarily is not accepted for transfer by other institutions. Grade 'F' is failing. THE ACADEMIC HONOR CODE Membership in the student body of Rollins College carries with it an obligation, and requires a commitment, to act with honor in all things. Because academic integrity is fundamental to the pursuit of knowledge and truth and is the heart of the academic life of Rollins College, it is the responsibility of all members of the College community to practice it and to report apparent violations. The following pledge is a binding commitment by the students of Rollins College: The development of the virtues of Honor and Integrity are integral to a Rollins College education and to membership in the Rollins Collegecommunity. Therefore, I, a student of Rollins College, pledge to show my commitment to these virtues by abstaining from any lying, cheating, or plagiarism in my academic endeavors and by behaving responsibly, respectfully and honorably in my social life and in my relationships with others. This pledge is reinforced every time a student submits work for academic credit as his/her own. Students shall add to all papers, quizzes, tests, lab reports, etc., the following handwritten abbreviated pledge followed by their signature: On my honor, I have not given, nor received, nor witnessed any unauthorized assistance on this work. Material submitted electronically should contain the pledge; submission implies signing the pledge.

5 Disabilities Rollins College is committed to equal access and does not discriminate unlawfully against persons with disabilities in its policies, procedures, programs or employment processes. The College recognizes its obligations under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to provide an environment that does not discriminate against persons with disabilities. If you are a person with a disability on this campus and anticipate needing any type of academic/medical accommodations in order to participate in your classes, please make timely arrangements by disclosing this disability in writing to the Disability Services Office at (Box 2772) Mills Building, 1000 Holt Ave., Winter Park, FL, Appointments can be scheduled by calling or by ing: gridgeway@rollins.edu BB=Blackboard Withdrawal Without Academic Penalty Deadline is October 31, 2014 Deadline for withdrawal from intensive courses is the Monday following the mid-point class meeting. Withdrawals must be submitted in writing to the Holt School Office. Course Rationale: This course is a survey of some of the foundational texts of the Western academy. Utilizing the greatest literature of the world, students will be encouraged to ask how authors and civilizations have constructed meaning through their conception of human discourse. Topics will include religion, human nature, power, colonialism, sexual behavior, inhumanities, and materialism. The course will cover a wide array of literature, from the Bible to Freud and including great fiction works from Shakespeare, Joseph Conrad, and Flannery O Connor, among others. Over the course of the semester, students will examine the literature through in-class dialogue and a series of essays. Although a short contextualizing lecture will be given in each class, the course will be largely discussion based. The class will necessarily have two foci: Exposure to the great literature of the Western world, and the assessment of how texts and traditions have influenced contemporary social thought and comportment. Course Outline & Readings 8/26 9/2 Introduction to course What are the Liberal Arts? Exercises Why is our culture concerned with the liberal arts? In class reading Is liberal learning dead? and The Hechinger Report Arguments against? Chapel window

6 The Odyssey of Homer, Part I: Books 1, 9, 10, and 12, Part II: Books 21, 22, and 23 (bookstore) 9/9 Plato: The Symposium BB First Paper Topic Distributed 9/16 The Book of Job Hebrew Bible BB Participation Check 1 9/23 New Testament, Gospel of Mark BB 1 Timothy BB First Paper Due 9/30 Augustine Confessions BB Enchiridion BB 10/7 Chaucer (bookstore) 10/14 Chaucer, cont., writing competition (instructions will be provided) Second Paper topic Distributed Participation Check 2 10/21 Shakespeare: Macbeth (bookstore) 10/28 Marx Communist Manifesto BB Second Paper Due 11/4 Freud Civilization and Its Discontents (bookstore) Participation Check 3 11/11 Conrad, Heart of Darkness (bookstore) Pablo Neruda, United Fruit, Inc., BB Jamaica Kincaid, Upon Seeing England for the First Time BB 11/18 Huxley, Brave New World (bookstore) Dwelling in possibilities BB Louis CK BB 11/25 Flannery O Connor, A Good Man is Hard to Find, BB Read first 100 pages of Toni Morrison, Beloved (bookstore) Participation Check 4 12/2 Last day of class Final Papers Due Toni Morrison, Beloved (bookstore)