HUMN 3031 Syllabus-Fall 2012

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HUMN3031: Basic Texts I Syllabus

An Introduction tothe GreatLiterature of theAncient andMedieval Worlds

This course is an exploration of major philosophical, religious and literary texts worksproduced in the West before the 17th century. We will read selections from Plato,Augustine and others. This course should enrich your understanding of the development ofwhat we call Western Civilization.

Touchstones of literature and art from ancient times through the Middle Ages. Artists andworks such as: Epic of Gilgamesh, Homer, Plato, Virgil, the Bible; Mesopotamian art,classical Greek sculpture, the Parthenon; Dante, Petrarch.

The general purpose of this course is to read and begin to understand selected worksproduced in the West before the 17th century. We will read selections from the Epic ofGilgamesh, Plato, Marcus Aurelius, Augustine and the letters of Heloise and Abelard.

This course is about reading, and thinking, critically. The course is about critical readingfirst, because critical thinking about any kind of phenomenon is not possible withoutcritical understanding of that phenomenon. In the case of written texts, which we will be

using in this course, the critical understanding is critical reading.

The content of the texts we will read is important, but not as important as interpreting andanalyzing the meaning of that content. The material for the course comes in three levels oforganization. The first level is the text, Plato's Phaedo, for instance. The second level isStudy Questions for the text. The Study Questions direct your attention to particular pointsin the text.


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The process you will follow if you read the text and then use the study questions to focuson particular parts or elements of the text, duplicates the process which critical reading,and critical thinking, requires.

Our online discussions centered around the Study Questions will give you the opportunity to

compare and discuss your answers to Study Questions with your classmates and your instructor.

Instructor Information

Name: Dr. Mary Ann [email protected] or [email protected] put HUMN 3031 in the subject line of ALL email.

Office: Suite 2617Office Hours: I will have virtual office hours (Meebo through BlackBoard) Sundays from

7-9 pm and Wednesdays 7-8 am.

Or by appointment.

Phone: Home 928-227-1894

Phone: Cell 928-221-2029

Please do NOT call before 8 am or after 11 pm.

Textbooks:

The Epic of Gilgamesh, (Andrew George, trans), Penguin Books, 2003, 0-140-44919-1

Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer (We will read aselection from "The Descent of Inanna." Several versions are available online, for example,http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htm orhttp://www.halexandria.org/dward386.htm)

Great Dialogues of Plato, Plato (W. H. D. Rouse, trans), Signet Classic, March 2008, 978-04515-3085-1

Meditations, Marcus Aurelius (Maxwell Staniforth, trans), Penguin Books, 2005, 0-14-30-3627-0

The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Augustine of Hippo (Rex Warner, Martin E. Marty, trans),Signet Classic, Feb 2001, 0-451-52780-1

The Letters of Abelard and Heloise, Betty Radice, Michael Clanchy (trans), Penguin Classic,April 2004, 0140448993

Some of the textbooks for this class may also be available online or as audio books. (Forexample, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelis is available athttp://preview.tinyurl.com/34o6bhd).

I don't recommend onlylistening to the text but audio books can serve as a good
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htmhttp://www.halexandria.org/dward386.htmhttp://preview.tinyurl.com/34o6bhdmailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htmhttp://www.halexandria.org/dward386.htmhttp://preview.tinyurl.com/34o6bhd


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supplement to the text

Course Requirements

Papers: Students will write three response papers for a total of 8-14 pages. Each paperwill require the student to respond to some current event (last 18 months) from the pointof view of the readings. Papers are due according to the dates below. The papers must betyped following Chicago Manual of Style, MLA or APA format.

Online discussions: Students are expected to participate in the online discussions. I willpost discussion questions for each book in the Note section of the Discussion area eachSunday night. Students are expected to respond to at least three of the questions eachweek. Don't be afraid to join in on these discussions. These are your opportunities toexplore the readings in more depth and refine your understandings. Feel free to post yourown questions as well, especially of you find a reading confusing or if you find something

ideas not expressed in my questions.Your participation grade is determined by your participation in the online discussions. Youshould plan to spend several hours each week participating in our class discussions.

Exam: Exams will be given at midterm and during finals week.

Students are expected to complete all reading and writing assignments on time. Papersmay be submitted early but will NOT be accepted after 10 pm on the due date.

Note Carefully: The Midterm Exam and Paper #2 are both due during the same week andthe Final Exam and Paper #3 are due during the same week. Please plan your time

accordingly. Also note that all papers and exams must be submitted by 10pm on the duedate.

Requirements count as follows:

Response Papers:100 pts distributed:

Gilgamesh 20 pts Due 9/19Greek Philosophy 40 pts Due 10/31Medieval Philosophy 40 pts Due 12/12

Midterm Exam 100 pts Due 11/2Final Exam 100 pts Due12/14

Total 300 pts

Grading Matrix:


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Points Percentage Grades270+ 90% A258-269 86% A-249-257 83% B+240-248 80% B

228-239 76% B-219-227 73% C+210-218 70% C198-209 66% C-189-197 63% D+180-188 60% D168-179 56% D-


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Course Roadmap

Week 1: Introduction

Sunday, August 26. 2012

Go to Welcome--Start Here:\

Read: Welcome to Basic Texts I

Read the Course Overview

From Course Overview follow the instructions for introducing yourself to the class.

Week 2: Gilgamesh 1

Sunday, September 2, 2012

The Descent of Inanna. Several versions are available online, for example, Inanna'sdescent to the nether world or From the Great Above to the Great Below

Gilgamesh: Preface and Introduction, p x-xxxii Authur Brown's Storytelling, the Meaning of Life, and The Epic of Gilgamesh at

http://eawc.evansville.edu/essays/brown.htm.

Gilgamesh: Tablets I-VI

Week 3: Gilgamesh 2


Gilgamesh: Tablets VII-XI

Gilgamesh: Bilgames and the Netherworld, p 175-95

Gilgamesh: The Death of Bilgames, p 195-208

Week 4: Plato 1


Plato in the Internet Encyclopedia of PhilosophyYou might also want to investigatethis site when you have time to see what other resources it offers for this course andother philosophy courses you might take. The url for the home page for this site is:http:// www.iep.utm.edu/.

"Symposium (The Banquet)" in Great Dialogs of Plato, pp 70-129

"The Republic" Book VI (502c - Book VII 521b) in Great Dialogues of Plato (pp 352-375)

Response Paper #1 GilgameshDue Wednesday, September 19, 2012, no later than 10 pm.
http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htmhttp://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htmhttp://www.halexandria.org/dward386.htmhttp://eawc.evansville.edu/essays/brown.htmhttp://eawc.evansville.edu/essays/brown.htmhttp://www.iep.utm.edu/p/plato.htm#H1http://www.iep.utm.edu/http://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htmhttp://www-etcsl.orient.ox.ac.uk/section1/tr141.htmhttp://www.halexandria.org/dward386.htmhttp://eawc.evansville.edu/essays/brown.htmhttp://eawc.evansville.edu/essays/brown.htmhttp://www.iep.utm.edu/p/plato.htm#H1http://www.iep.utm.edu/


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Week 10: Augustine 1

Sunday, November 4, 2012

The listing for Augustine in The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Before The Confessions, Books I to VI.

Week 11: Augustine 2


Read the Catholic Encyclopedia articles on the major heresies of Augustine's time:Arianism, Donastism, Pelagism,

Life ofSt. Anthony of the Desert, the father of Christian asceticism

The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Books VII to IX.

Thanksgiving Week: No Assignments

Sunday, November 18

Week 12: Heloise & Abelard 1


The Letters of Abelard and Heloise: Introduction, pp xiii-xlv (remainder ofIntroduction, optional)

The Letters of Abelard and Heloise: Letter 1. Historia calamitatum: Abelard to a

Friend: The Story of His Misfortune, pp 3-43

Week 13: Heloise & Abelard 2

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Remainder ofThe Letters of Abelard and Heloise, you may skip Letter 7, the Hymnsand Appendix

Final Exam Week

Sunday, December 9 to Friday December 14, 2012The final exam will be available from midnight Sunday 12/9 until 10 pm Friday 12/7. Youwill have 1.5 hours to complete the exam and you must complete it in one sitting (youcan't sign out and sign back on). The exam will be essay questions similar to ourdiscussion questions.

Response paper #3 Medieval ReadingsDue Wednesday, December 12, 2012, no later than 10 pm.
http://www.iep.utm.edu/a/augustin.htmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01707c.htmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05121a.htmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11604a.htmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01553d.htmhttp://www.iep.utm.edu/a/augustin.htmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01707c.htmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05121a.htmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11604a.htmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01553d.htm


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Documents

HUMN 3031 Syllabus-Fall 2012