CNE 300: Introduction to the Ancient Mediterranean World

Fall 2008       Prof. Stephens

Mon. Wed. 3:00 – 4:15 pm       HC 302

office hours: tba and by appointment
office: HC 116          phone (with voicemail): 280-2632          email: stphns at creighton dot edu

Description

This survey course is a general introduction to the history, literature, material culture, religion, and philosophy of the Near Eastern, Egyptian, Greek, and Roman world in antiquity.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, each student should be able to: 

1. Outline the general history, principal people, and events of each culture;

2. Identify and discuss the basic authors, literary genres, and works of each culture and the cultural values they embody;

3. Demonstrate a basic understanding of the cultural context of the literature of each culture;

4. Demonstrate an understanding of material culture characteristic to each culture;

5. Demonstrate a basic knowledge of the religion(s) and philosophy (or philosophies) of each culture.

Required Textbooks

• Connolly, Peter and Hazel Dodge. The Ancient City: Life in Classical Athens and Rome. Oxford, 1998.  ISBN 0-19-521582-6.

• Homer. The Essential Iliad; translated and edited by Stanley Lombardo. Hackett, 2000.  ISBN 0-87220-542-8.

• Stiebing, Jr., William H.  Ancient Near Eastern History and Culture. Pearson, 2009.  ISBN 0-321-42297-X.

• Virgil. The Essential Aeneid; translated and edited by Stanley Lombardo. Hackett, 2006.  ISBN 0-87220-790-0.

Requirements*

1. Attendance and class participation, representing 5% of the final class grade.
2. Timely completion of scheduled reading assignments.
3. 4 exams, each representing 20% of the final course grade, will test the student’s mastery of the course reading and lecture material.
4. Research paper, representing 10% of the final course grade.
5. Oral presentation describing the results and conclusions of the student’s research, representing 5% of the final course grade.

Websites

The Interactive Ancient Mediterranean Project (Ancient World Mapping Center)

Attendance Policy

Punctual attendance of every class is both expected and required.  Excused absences will be those caused by your own medical emergency or a documented death in your immediate family.  Six (6) or more unexcused absences will earn an F due to excessive absence (a grade of AF).  Three (3) tardies count as an unexcused absence.

Paper

Papers must be well-focused.  The thesis should be clear, paragraphs should be connected, and the conclusion well-founded.  Writing should be concise and clear, enabling the reader to follow the argument easily.  The paper should be free of spelling and other mechanical errors.  Students should not assume that the reader knows anything about the topic.  Grades for this paper will be earned according to the following criteria:

Standards of Evaluation for Paper Grades

A: exceptional work.

‘A’ papers are free of spelling, grammatical, and other technical errors.  Such papers display evidence of real engagement with and understanding of the issues and texts.  Further, such papers have a strong thesis paragraph and well-reasoned argument supported by convincing and well-chosen evidence. A ttention to detail and style in the presentation of context distinguish A papers.

B: good work.

These papers fall short of ‘A ‘papers usually in style and development.  They have some errors in grammar, usage, punctuation and spelling, but usually few.  They have a strong thesis paragraph and well-reasoned argument supported by textual evidence.  May show less intellectual engagement with the issues than the ‘A’ paper.

C: average work.

Such papers address the assignment directly and relatively clearly, but without significant depth or clarity.  A ‘C’ paper generally supplies some support for assertions, but it is not thorough.  A ‘C’ paper often has an ‘anonymous’ quality to it, restating standard opinion or assertions without going into depth or developing an individual voice.  A ‘C’ means that the work is basically solid and acceptable, but not distinguished.

D: below average work.

A ‘D’ paper addresses the assignment only in a brief way, avoiding some requirements. I t is often characterized by many general statements without proof, support, or justification.  Its usage, grammar, punctuation, or spelling are such that reading the paper is somewhat difficult; it has more than a few such errors per page.  It is kept from being an ‘F’ paper by the fact that it does address the assignment in some way, having some structure and making coherent points.

F: failure.

Such papers contain copious mechanical errors and other evidence of carelessness or sloppiness.  They lack a viable thesis and supporting evidence.  A paper which may be acceptable in style and development, but which does not address the assignment at all, may also be given a grade of F.

Academic Honesty: Academic honesty is expected and required: each paper must be your own work and must be written for this class.  No papers may be written jointly.  All graded assignments and exams should be completed by each individual without collaboration with other students, unless the instructor has designated otherwise.  Proven academic dishonesty will result in failure of the course.  The Undergraduate Bulletin defines academic dishonesty in the following way: “Academic or academic-related misconduct includes, but is not limited to, unauthorized collaboration or use of external information during examinations; plagiarizing or representing another’s ideas as one’s own; furnishing false academic information to the University; falsely obtaining, distributing, using or receiving test materials; falsifying academic records . . . misusing academic resources; defacing or tampering with library materials; obtaining or gaining unauthorized access to examinations or academic research material . . . or engaging in any conduct which is intended or reasonably likely to confer upon oneself or another an unfair advantage or unfair benefit respecting an academic matter.”  For the full text consult the “Policy on Academic Honesty” section of the Creighton University Bulletin, or the Creighton University Student Handbook.  In addition, all students should take time to familiarize themselves with the College of Arts and Sciences Academic Honesty Procedures at  http://puffin.creighton.edu/ccas/FacStaff/polManual.htm.

Class cancellation procedure: if class is cancelled, there will be a notice of the cancellation on the classroom door, together with the assignment for the next class meeting.  This notice will be signed either by the instructor or the departmental administrative assistant.  If the university closes due to bad weather, students should prepare for the next class what they would have prepared for that snow day.

Keep in Contact with the Instructor throughout the Course

Schedule

                            The Ancient Near East

Wed. Aug. 27    Introduction to course and

Wed. Sept. 3

Mon. Sept. 8

Wed. Sept. 10

Mon. Sept. 15

Wed. Sept. 17

Mon. Sept. 22    Exam #1

                            Egypt

Wed. Sept. 24

Mon. Sept. 29

Wed. Oct. 1

Mon. Oct. 6

Wed. Oct. 8

Mon. Oct. 13    Exam #2

                        Greece

Wed. Oct. 15

FALL RECESS

Mon. Oct. 27

Wed. Oct. 29

Mon. Nov. 3

Wed. Nov. 5

Mon. Nov. 10

Wed. Nov. 12    Exam #3

                           Rome

Mon. Nov. 17

Wed. Nov. 19

Mon. Nov. 24

THANKSGIVING RECESS

Mon. Dec. 1

Wed. Dec. 3

Mon. Dec. 8

Wed. Dec. 10    last class; Research Paper DUE

Wed. December 17, 1:00 – 2:40 pm    Final Exam (= Exam #4)