History 324 - Ancient Greece and Rome

Grades: based on a midterm and a final exam, each worth up to 100 points, and two papers, each worth up to 50 points. Total points available: 300.
 

Attendance and Participation: Attendance is expected. Each absence will result in an overall point reduction, as will tardiness. If you miss more than one class I will not consider seriously  any  complaint that you may have about grades. If you miss more than two classes I suggest that you drop the course simply as a matter of self-preservation. This sounds extreme, but remember that missing one night of class is the equivalent of missing an entire week of classes. Emergencies do occur, and I will understand, but students are expected to attend all class meetings. Reading assignments should be completed before the lecture, and students should be prepared to discuss the reading assignments in class. 

Classroom Behavior: Classroom civility and restraint are crucial to a beneficial learning environment. Your conduct should contribute to a respectful, engaged, and productive classroom culture. All class members are responsible for maintaining and protecting an ethic of civility and restraint. Accordingly, the following guidelines for appropriate conduct have been established. Turn off or mute cell phones or pagers; it is an act of profound rudeness to interrupt class for personal or business phone calls. Refrain from side conversations and interpersonal remarks during class time, and restrain from all boisterous behavior whenever you are in the classroom. As per posted Oakland University rules for SFH,  no eating is allowed in the classrooms.  Casual comings and goings are not acceptable. If you have a legitimate reason to leave class early, inform your professor in advance. If circumstances beyond your control force you to be late for class or to leave class early, be discrete and do not disturb the other students or the instructor. We are very empathetic to your problems, but you should not allow your problems to disrupt the educational process. 

Plagiarism: Appropriating the work of others and passing it off as your own work is plagiarism, an act that is both immoral and illegal. Examples of plagiarism would include memorizing passages of the textbook and reproducing those passages on an exam or quiz, quoting or paraphrasing another person’s words or ideas without acknowledging the source, and turning in as your own any work that you have purchased, downloaded, or otherwise “borrowed.” Plagiarism can result in your receiving a failing grade for an assignment, a grade of 0.0 for the entire course, academic suspension, or even expulsion from this institution. Aside from the legal implications of plagiarism, a student who plagiarizes the work of others also steals from himself, effectively denying himself freedom of thought and expression, and willfully limiting himself to the mindless repetition of thoughts that are not his own. As Edward White has written: “Plagiarism is outrageous, because it undermines the whole purpose of education itself: Instead of becoming more of an individual thinker, the plagiarist denies the self and the possibility of learning. Someone who will not, or cannot, distinguish his or her ideas from those of others offends the most basic principles of learning.” Students who are unaware of what constitutes plagiarism are encouraged to consult with me before any assignments are due. I will help. For further information concering the seriousness with which Oakland University treats cheating and plagiarism, here is a link to     Oakland University's Academic Conduct Regulations.

Exams: Exams will consist of two or more formal essay questions and one or more shorter essays. Bring one or more signed “blue books” to class the week  prior to the exam, depending on how many you think you will need to write your essays. These blue books will be collected, logged for credit, and then passed back to you on the day of the exam. Exam questions will draw on material from the readings and the  lectures, as well as any handouts and web assignments. Thus, both attendance and attentiveness are important. Your essays should not be mere recitations of spoon-fed information, but should demonstrate to me that you have developed an understanding of the course material and have synthesized informed opinions about Greece and Rome. These intellectual accomplishments will be presented on the exams in written  English that is clear and cogent and which conforms to accepted university level writing standards.  This aspect of the course is intended to facilitate critical thinking, and its expression in argument, about the human condition.

Make-up Examinations for the mid-term will not be given automatically. In order even to be considered for a make-up exam a student must offer advance notice, with sufficient reason (such as illness or military service). Being out of town or having schedule conflicts are not sufficient reasons. Make-up examinations will not necessarily consist of the same questions the rest of the class writes on. No make-up examination is available for the Final. No early exams.

Schedule of Written Assignments: Students must complete all assignments in order and in a timely fashion to receive a passing grade. Late assignments will be penalized ten percent per class meeting, including papers turned in after the beginning of class on the due dates.

Historiography Papers: Students will write two 6-8 page research papers: one paper on one or more ancient historians (or significant ancient texts), and one paper on one or more modern historians of the ancient world. These papers will be historiographical, that is students, will examine the authors and sources in terms of Scope, Causation, Analysis, Progress, and Teleology. Students may have to rely on libraries external to Oakland University, so plan ahead. Although students will not have to present seminar papers to the entire class, I will call upon students from time to time in class and expect them to be informed on their topics and positively contribute to classroom discussions. The first historiography paper, based on an ancient historian, is due September 27   before class begins.  A list of topics for the first paper will be distributed the first week of class. The second historiography paper, based on a modern historian, is due November 15   before class begins. A list of topics for the second paper will be distributed prior to the midterm. All papers must be turned in in printed form (emailed papers are not acceptable), and they must be organized and annotated in accordance with Kate Turabian,  A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations , 6th edition. Late papers will be penalized ten percent per week, including papers turned in after the beginning of class on the due dates.

Lecture Topics and Reading Assignments

1. Thursday, September 06, Morris, chs 1-5
    - A Small, Far-Off Land
    - Country and People
    - The Greeks At Home
    - The Greeks Before History, 12,000-1200 B.C.
    - The Dark Age, 1200-700 B.C.

3. Thursday, September 20, Morris, chs 11-13; finish Herodotus
    - Persia and the Greeks, 550-490 B.C.
    - The Great War, 480-479 B.C.
    - Democracy and Empire: Athens and Syracuse, 479-431 B.C.

4. Thursday, September 27, Morris, chs 14-18; begin   Thucydides
First historiography paper due before the beginning of class; late papers penalized.
    - Art and thought in the Fifth Century B.C.
    - Fifth Century Drama
    - The Peloponnesian War and Its Aftermath
    - The Greeks between Persia and Carthage, 399-360 B.C.
    - Greek Culture in the Fourth Century B.C.

5. Thursday, October 04, Morris, chs 19-23; finish Thucydides
    - The Warrior-Kings of Macedonia, 359-323 B.C.
    - The Hellenistic Century, 323-220 B.C.
    - Hellenistic Culture, 323-30 B.C.
    - The Coming of Rome, 220-30 B.C.

6. Thursday, October 11, Midterm Examination