School of

Arts and Sciences

COURSE SYLLABUS

Course Number

HU 201

Course Title

The Western Tradition I

Fall Semester

Spring Semester

Summer Semester

Year

2012

Name of Instructor

William Miller

Meeting Day, Time, and Room Number

Tuesdays-Fridays, 1:15 to 2:30pm, Ballston, Room 503

Final Exam Day, Time, and Room Number

Friday, May 11^th, 12:00pm, Ballston, Room 503

Office Hours, Location, Phone

Tuesdays and Fridays my office hours at Ballston will be from 12:15 to 1:15 and 2:30 to 3:30 on the Ballston campus. On Wednesdays I teach POL 405 at 3:30 on the Main Campus, and my office hours are 3:00 to 3:30pm and after class in Ireton my office G107; other times by appointment. My Ireton office telephone number is 703 284 1687, but always email ahead of time!

E-mail & Website

wmiller@marymount.edu (Email is the best way to reach me!) www.millerpolitics.info (I do not use Blackboard.)

UNIVERSITY STATEMENTS

Academic Integrity

By accepting this syllabus, you pledge to uphold the principles of Academic Integrity expressed by the Marymount University Community. You agree to observe these principles yourself and to defend them against abuse by others.

Special Needs and Accommodations

Please advise the instructor of any special problems or needs at the beginning of the semester. If you seek accommodation based on disabilities, you should provide a Faculty Contact Sheet obtained through Disability Support Services located in Gerard Hall, (703) 284-1615.

Access to Student Work

Copies of your work in this course including copies of any submitted papers and your portfolios may be kept on file for institutional research, assessment and accreditation purposes. All work used for these purposes will be submitted anonymously.

Student Copyright Authorization

For the benefit of current and future students, work in this course may be used for educational critique, demonstrations, samples, presentations, and verification. Outside of these uses, work shall not be sold, copied, broadcast, or distributed for profit without student consent.

University Policy on Snow Closings

Snow closings are generally announced on area radio stations. For bulletins concerning Marymount snow or weather closings, call (703) 526-6888. Unless otherwise advised by radio announcement or by official bulletins on the number listed above, students are expected to report for class as near normal time as possible on days when weather conditions are adverse. Decisions as to snow closing or delayed opening are not generally made before 5:00 AM of the working day. Students are expected to attend class if the University is not officially closed.

1. BROAD PURPOSE OF COURSE

This is the first half of an interdisciplinary humanities survey. It will focus on the seminal works (literary and artistic), figures, and ideas of Western Civilization, from its beginnings in the Middle East, through classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, to the Renaissance.

2. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon successful completion of this course students will be expected to:

A. demonstrate an understanding of the required readings through active participation in discussions;

B. demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of "culture," "civilization," "the humanities," and "the liberal arts;"

C. demonstrate an understanding of, and an ability to apply, the analytical concepts of "cosmology," "anthropology," "ethics," "aesthetics," and "politics;"

D. demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of religion, art, technics, politics, ethics, law, manners, and language, and their significance in the different cultures that we study;

E. have acquired a basic ability to read primary works in cultural history with critical understanding--i.e., to grasp the author's main points, to identify his supporting arguments and rationales, and to offer cogent internal and external criticism of the readings; and,

F. engage in the practice of writing and critical reasoning by composing well organized, acceptably written, logically argued essays relating to the main concepts that we study in this course.

3. TEACHING METHOD (lecture, laboratory, audio-visual, clinical experience, discussion, seminar, tutorial)

A combination of lectures, a few videos, and much class discussion will be employed in classroom presentations. Active participation is expected in class discussions.

4. GRADING POLICY (i.e., number of graded assignments, weight given to each)

The grade will be based on three examinations--two mid-term essay exams and a final essay exam --and frequent announced and unannounced quizzes, assignments, and short papers. The grades will count as follows:

· midterm grade—25% of the final grade

· final grade—35% of the final grade

· quizzes, other short assignments, class participation—40% of the final grade

The usual grading scale will be used: 93-100=A, 90-92=A-, 87-89=B+, 83-86=B, 80-82=B-, and so on.

Attendance and Make-up Exam Policies

Attendance: Beginning with the second week of classes, students are allowed two unexcused absences on days that no quiz or exam is given. For each additional unexcused absence, the final grade will be lowered by two points. If you acquire ten (10) absences, excused or unexcused, during the semester, you will receive an “F” for the course. To be excused, you must present written documentation of a medical or job-related problem to me. Note: Occasionally coming to class late—even real late once or twice—is not considered an absence. Coming to class without hard copies of the text for the day or leaving class after taking an announced quiz without the prior permission of the instructor, however, is considered an absence.

Merely informing me ahead of time that you will be absent from class does not mean I excuse the absence, though I appreciate your courtesy. I will not excuse your absence because you are simply not feeling well or because you choose to do something worthwhile other than come to class even if you inform me ahead of time. If you are coughing and sneezing and coming down with a cold or the flu, and you don't want to spread your virus to your classmates, I (and they) salute you! Staying home may be the right thing to do, but it is not an excused absence. You all get two unexcused absences to use as you see fit, and it is your decision to use them to stay home when you don't feel well or want to attend some other event or need to prepare for another class instead of going to my class. Use them for good reasons; that's what they are for.

On the days that a quiz or exam is given or that an assignment is due, no attendance will be taken. You must be present to take the quiz or to hand in a hard copy of the assignment. Failure to take the quiz or to hand a hard copy of the assignment in class on time for a non-excusable reason will result in a zero for the quiz or assignment. I will drop automatically the lowest two or three grades on these quizzes and assignments, so in effect you may miss a couple of them without necessarily hurting your grade. The quizzes will be both announced and unannounced. While there will be at least one per week, there may be two. They cannot be taken later. The quizzes will always be given during the first ten minutes of class, so if you cannot arrive for class at 1:15pm each Tuesday and Friday, you should drop the course now!

If you are absent for two or more quizzes in a row and if you provide appropriate written documentation, I will excuse the absences and reduce the numerical basis of the quiz grade accordingly. If you miss written assignments for the same excusable reasons, they or comparable assignments may be handed in later.

Excessive excused absences may also be a problem. If your job or an illness or a crisis keeps you away from class for more than a quarter of the semester (seven classes), it will significantly affect the class participation component of your grade and may be a good reason to drop the course and take it another time. All of us find ourselves in these situations from time to time, and we have to deal with them responsibly. Students also have an obligation to report this to a University office (see page 34 of the 2011-2012 University Catalogue).

When in doubt about any of these policies, please come and talk to me. They have been formulated with our substantial commuter and working student population in mind and are intended to be fair to everyone. You should also review the University's policies on absenteeism on page 34 of the 2011-2012 University Catalogue.

Make-up Exams: The same basic rules about excused absences apply to taking the mid-term (assignments are always due on the due date—no exceptions). My policy of giving makeup exams on the same day as the final does NOT mean that you may choose to take the mid-term exam on that day rather than on the regularly scheduled day: it is not an alternative test date. To be eligible for a makeup, you must qualify for an excused absence, and this you should do a reasonable time before the day of the mid-term, if that is at all possible. You may be excused from taking a mid-term if you are certifiably sick or your job prevents you from attending class. If one of these applies, and I am informed in a reasonable time before the exam, and you have written documentation to support your request, you may take the exam on the same day as the final exam. If any one of these requirements is lacking, you may not take the exam at another time, and you will get a zero for the exam. If you are late for the exam because of events outside of your control, let me know immediately or as soon as possible that day, and I will let you take the exam later that same day if possible.

5. CLASS SCHEDULE (List topics to be covered with approximate dates of presentation) This list is subject to change so always check the assignment page. The course is divided into five parts, set forth in bold print below.

Week I. (1/17-20): Introduction to the course; Eliade reading for Friday. (For the specific assignment for each class during the rest of the semester, please see the link for "Western Tradition I (Spring 2012)" under "Weekly Assignments" on my web page millerpolitics.info.)

Week II. (1/24-27): Classical Greek Sources of Western Culture. Readings from Homer, the Pre-Socratics, Aeschylus, Plato, Aristotle, and other Classical Greek writers.

Week III. (1/31-2/3): Classical Greek Sources of Western Culture.

Week IV. (2/7-10): Classical Greek Sources of Western Culture.

Week V. (2/14-17): Roman Sources of Western Culture. Readings from Cicero, Marcus Aurelius, Lucretius, Polybius, Virgil.

Week VI. (2/21-24): Roman Sources of Western Culture.

Week VII.(2/28-3/2): Roman & Hellenistic Sources. MID-TERM EXAM: March 2d only! Make your Spring Break plans accordingly.

Week VIII. (3/13-16): Hebrew and Christian Sources of Western Culture. Readings from the Old Testament. William Irwin article.

Week IX. (3/20-23): Readings from Christopher Dawson and the New Testament.

Week X. (3/27-30): Readings from Dawson and Church Fathers.

Week XI. (4/3): Medieval Sources of Western Culture. Readings from Dawson and early medieval authors.

Week XII. (4/13): Readings from the Middle Ages.

Week XIII. (4/17-20): Readings from the High Middle Ages: St. Thomas, Moses Maimonides, Averroes.

Week XIV.(4/24-27): Renaissance and Reformation Sources of Western Culture. Readings from Renaissance authors.

Week XV. (5/1-4): Readings from Dawson and Renaissnce authors.

FINAL EXAM: The final examination will be given only at the time scheduled in the University Final Exam Schedule: Friday, May 11^th, at 12:00 noon. All make-up exams for missed mid-terms will be given only on the 11^th, also. Make your travel plans accordingly!

6. REQUIRED TEXTS.

Most of the texts we will use this semester are on the Internet. You will probably need a couple of sturdy three-ring binders in which to store your downloaded copies. The only hard copy book that I am asking you to buy this semester is Christopher Dawson, Religion and the Rise of Western Culture: The Classic Study of Medieval Civilization. New York: Doubleday Image Books, 1950, 1991.

7. RECOMMENDED OR SUGGESTED READINGS OR AUDIO-VISUAL MATERIALS

There will be assignments of readings from the internet, handouts, opportunities to view artistic and cultural exhibits off campus, and in-class videos.

Owen Chadwick. The Reformation. Volume Three of the Penguin History of the Church. New York: Penguin, 1964, 1969, 1972.

Frederick Copleston. Medieval Philosophy: From Augustine to Duns Scotus. Volume Three of A History of Philosophy. New York: Doubleday, 1993.

Christopher Dawson. The Formation of Christendom. New York: Sheed and Ward, 1965; reprint, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2008.

Christopher Dawson. Religion and the Rise of Western Culture. New York: Image, 1950, 1991.

Christopher Dawson. Understanding Europe. Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America Press, 1952, 2009.

Mircea Eliade. The Sacred and the Profane. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1987.

Moses Finley. The World of Odysseus. New York: New York Review of Books, 1982.

________. The Ancient Greeks. New York: Penguin, 1977.

Henri Frankfort et al. The Intellectual Adventure of Ancient Man. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1946.

W. K. C. Guthrie. The Sophists. Part of Volume Three of A History of Greek Philosophy. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1969.

Homer. Iliad and Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1999.

Werner Jaeger. Archaic Greece: The Mind of Athens. Volume Three of Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture. New York: Oxford University Press, 1973.

________. Early Christianity and Greek Paideia. Cambridge: Belknap Press of Harvard University, 1961.

________. Humanism and Theology. Milwaukee: Marquette University Press, 1980.

Richmond Lattimore. Greek Lyrics. 2d. rev. ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1960.

Andrew M. Miller. Greek Lyric: An Anthology in Translation. Indianapolis: Hackett, 1996.

Bruno Snell. The Discovery of the Mind. New York: Dover Books, 1982, 1953.

M. L. West. Greek Lyric Poetry. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.

Ben Schneider's "Stoic Legacy to the Renaissance."

Video Series

Eugen Weber. The Western Tradition. Annenberg Learner Series available via Youtube.com Video on Demand.

Michael Wood. Art of the Western World. Annenberg Learner Series available via Youtube.com Video on Demand.

A FEW FURTHER RULES

For the benefit of the class and your classmates, the following rules regarding electronic devices also apply to this course:

· Turn your cell phones off during the class. If you are expecting an important call, put your phone on “Vibrate,” sit near the door, and, when the call comes, answer it outside the classroom.

· It follows from the foregoing rule, but it must be separately stated: no talking and no texting on cell phones during class. If you do not follow this rule, I will publicly ask you to leave the room for the remainder of the class, give you a zero for the class participation component of the final course grade, and do my best to have you removed from the course for the rest of the semester.

· No open lap-top or other computers are allowed in class without my prior permission. Devices such as tablets, Ipads, Kindles, and Nooks that lie flat on the desk and onto which the readings can be loaded are permitted, but hard copies of the readings are better. You can mark them up and take notes on them in class. Again, if I find you are accessing websites other than those that are displaying the class readings, I will publicly ask you to leave the room for the remainder of the class, give you a zero for the class participation component of the final course grade, and do my best to have you removed from the course for the rest of the semester.

These rules are necessary to foster a suitable learning environment in the classroom during class. There are enough distractions with lawnmowers, air conditioners, and other outside forces to combat during lectures and discussions without these controllable distractions within the room.