• Read and rhetorically analyze literary works (primary sources) from a variety of genres, including epic and lyric poetry, drama, and prose narrative
• Understand the cultural contexts within which literature arises
• Synthesize analyses verbally and in writing through class discussion, groupwork, presentations, and written examinations, critical analyses, and papers.
• Practice library and internet research skills, consulting secondary sources and formulating results into classroom presentations and/or papers
• Review ethical use of information through plagiarism & citation workshops

Texts (available at Campus Book & Supply, Cold Spring, KY)

• Wilkie, Brian and James Hurt, eds. Literature of the Western World. Vol. 1. 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2001.
• The Penguin Atlas of World History Volume I, ISBN 0141012633.

Class Website
Please note that you are expected to visit the class website regularly.  Links to important resources, study notes, study questions, and test questions appear on this page.



Strategies for Success

1. Read the materials assigned on the schedule.  I do not discourage the use of supplementary aids to understanding the texts we will be reading, such as Cliff Notes or Monarch Notes, or websites such as Sparknotes, but these will not substitute for reading the materials on the schedule.  The structure of exams, papers, and in-class writing questions make these grade components dependent on what you read.  Also, I tend to teach by asking questions and generating discussion.  Rarely will I spend time in class on simple plot summaries. It is highly unlikely that you will be able to pick up enough from films or class discussion to succeed on tests.
2. Take good notes on class discussions.  Don't rely on your memory.  By the time we've covered several works and over 2000 years, your earlier reading will begin to fade in memory.
3. Pay particular attention to the context and significance of works and quotations.  In every case, we will talk about what a work tells us about the culture in which it was produced.  Most of the points for test questions dealing with quotations are based upon your ability to discuss the context and significance of quotations.
4. Come to class, be on time, and don't leave early.  Because summer courses are compressed into 1/3 the time, missing one week of classes is equivalent to missing three weeks during the regular sessions.  I have structured in-class writing, group activities, and quizzes such that you will usually write between one and three times during each class session, and many in-class assignments are collected at the end of class.
5. Take advantage of opportunities to earn extra credit.  You may make up as many as 20 points during the term by doing extra credit.  Possibilities include reviewing a film that makes a reasonably accurate attempt to depict the periods we will study. You might also consider  memorizing and reciting a poem (around 14 lines is long enough), or writing a short paper.  I will distribute a list of possible extra credit assignments later in the term.
6. Visit the class website regularly.  The syllabus and schedule are linked to some of the most outstanding sources of information about world literature available on the Internet.  In addition, the class website provides study notes and questions that will help guide your reading of the materials.

Course Policies and Requirements

Late Work. I do not accept late work unless you arrange with me to turn it in late by e-mailing me explaining the situation and I grant an extension. Also, you are expected to have read assigned materials before coming to class on the date a work will be discussed. If you are unable to attend class on a particular date, you are responsible for getting class notes from another student. I will distribute a voluntary student contact sheet to help you contact one another should it be necessary.

Attendance. During each class, I will circulate an attendance sheet. Please be advised, however, that frequent in-class writing, activities, and quizzes make attendance mandatory (see components below). Also, you are expected to contribute to class discussion regularly.

Cheating & Plagiarism.  All work submitted must be written exclusively for this course. The use of sources (ideas, quotations, and paraphrases) must also be properly documented. Please see me if you have any questions about your use of sources. The use, without citation, of anyone else's actual or paraphrased words will result automatically in a failing grade in this course whether the plagiarism occurs on a regular or an extra credit assignment. Please also refer to the attached synopsis of the NKU Student Honor Code; the entire text is also available online at http://www.nku.edu/~deanstudents/documents/StudentHonorCode-Fall2007.pdf.  

Grading. Grades will be calculated as follows:

Course components.

Attendance & Class Participation. In this course, we will attempt to get to know the beliefs, cultures, and literatures of western civilization over a period of around 3000 years. As you can imagine,we are setting for ourselves a daunting task that will require input from everyone in the course. Consequently, I expect everyone to be here and ready to discuss the materials on the schedule. I will circulate a role sheet at least once during each class session. In addition, class participation can occur as responses to questions posed to the entire class, responses developed in group discussions, and through attendance and participation in such activities as the canto drawing and jeopardy games.

Group Activities, Handouts, and Reading Quizzes

Group Activities. Group activities are completed in response to questions posed during class sessions and are intended to encourage you to engage more deeply with the materials and compare your conclusions with those of your classmates. A written response is always required for group activities (it is a good idea to appoint somone as "scribe" to represent the group's work, then have everyone sign the top). Group activities cannot be made up outside of class. Credit will be assigned based upon substantive discussion and comments on the written group response, which will be turned in the same class session.

Handouts.   Handouts appear as study questions on the schedule and help you  analyze and interpret what you have read. They are intended to take you beyond the reading itself and help you formulate talking points for class discussion. Handouts are often collected and can be especially helpful in helping you formulate the "significance" portions of the exam questions. Consequently, making a strong effort to answer the questions as you read will help you on tests. Grades will be assigned based upon substantive aswers

Reading Quizzes. Reading quizzes are unannounced and tend to be factually based; that is, they ask specific questions about the texts and linked internet sources assigned for that day. They are designed to identify whether or not you read and formulated at least the basic understanding of a casual reader when readinng the text for the day. Quizzes will be graded on a point basis, are collected immediately, and cannot be made up, even the same day. Quizzes ask questions that establish facts about the reading and can be helpful in helping you formulate the "context" portions of the exam questions.

Presentations

Presentations should explain the assigned topic clearly for your classmates, who will not have read the assigned text. They should also explain clearly how the assigned text connects to the assigned reading for that day. Presentations must be no longer than 10 minutes long (I have a timer). One-page handouts for the class are mandatory; please arrange to bring 25 copies of your handout on the day of your presentation..

Exams

During the course, you will take a midterm and a final exam. Both will be in class exams. Each exam will correspond to specific periods of study (i.e., the midterm covers the Classical period, whereas the final covers the Medieval and Renaissance periods); consequently., the final exam is not cumulative. Detailed information about exact point breakdowns for exam grading are as follows:

Quotations

• 1 point--title of the work
• 1 point--author of the work
• 3 points--context of the quotation within the work (i.e., the speaker(s), if any, and what is happening in the story where the quotation appears)
• 3 points--significance of the quotation and the ideas it expresses to the period

  Terms

• 2 points--complete definition of the term
• 2 points--example from the texts we read (author and title)
• 2 points--explain how the example you gave illustrates the term (give specific details)

Characters

• 2 points--title of work in which the character appears
• 2 points--name of the work's author
• 2 points--explain the character's significance to the work

Please take into account the exam requirements as you read the materials, attend class, and take notes. If you wait until just before the exam, you will be unprepared.

As you read this term, try to identify one quotations per work that you believe are significant both to the work and to the period under study.  Exams are drawn from these quotations, which I will collect shortly before the scheduled exam. In other words, you create the exam, so choose wisely!

Course Schedule

Contact the instructor

Updated: 8/20/07