HRS 119: Classical Mythology G.E. Area C2 California State University, Sacramento Fall 2017 Syllabus Instructor: Steven Karnes Meeting Place: Mendocino 2009 Phone: (916) 278-4296 (only during office hours) Meeting Time: TR 3:00 4:15 E-mail Address: skarnes@csus.edu Office: Tahoe 3075 (or 3077) Course number: 85069, section 3 Office Hours: MWF 11:00 11:40, TR 10:45 11:45, & by appointment Course Description: Study of Greek and Roman myths and hero tales and their place in the arts and literature of Western civilization. Also provides an introduction to the general nature and function of myth. G.E. and Additional Course information: HRS 119 is a 3 unit, lecture format course, which helps satisfy the General Education requirement for area C2: Humanities. Also, it helps fulfill the requirements for a Bachelor of Arts Degree or Minor in humanities. This course has no prerequisites. While brief references may be made to myths outside of ancient Greece and Rome, those two cultures are the primary focus of this course. Students wishing to learn more about myths from other cultures may take HRS 151: World Mythology. Please note that Greek and Roman myths contain descriptions of, or references to, sex, adultery, rape, incest, murder, dismemberment, mutilation, cannibalism, misogyny, and perhaps more that some students may find disturbing. If a student is highly sensitive to or offended by such descriptions, then this class may not be suitable for him or her. Learning Objectives: Students who complete this course will be able to: Define myth, understand its purposes, and know its relevance and importance to the human experience. Identify and analyze several types of myths and mythological themes. Understand academic approaches to interpreting and understanding myths. Describe and compare Greek and Roman myths. Explain how both culture s myths connect to their art, religion, politics, society, values, and beliefs. Understand the impact of Greek and Roman myths on modern culture. * Students will accomplish these objectives by attending class, learning from lectures, participating in group discussions, writing essays, and taking exams Area C2 Student Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to: Demonstrate knowledge of the conventions and methods of the study of the humanities. Investigate, describe, and analyze the roles and effects of human culture and understanding in the development of human societies. Compare and analyze various conceptions of humankind. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the historical development of cultures and civilizations, including their animating ideas and values.
Required Texts: Classical Mythology: Images and Insights, 6 th ed., by Harris & Platzner (ISBN: 9780073407524) Optional Texts: Dictionary of Classical Mythology, by Pierre Grimal (ISBN: 9780140512359) --Note: the CSUS library has a copy of this book for in-library-use only Grading: Final grades for the course are based on two exams worth 40 points each, two papers worth 70 points total, and in-class participation and homework worth 50 points. There is a total of 200 points possible for the course. No incompletes will be given for the course. The class will use the following grading scale: A 200-186 points B- 165-160 D+ 139-134 A- 185-180 C+ 159-154 D 133-126 B+ 179-174 C 153-146 D- 125-120 B 173-166 C- 145-140 F 119-000 Exams: Students will take two exams during the semester, each worth 40 points. These are labeled as midterm exam and final exam in the schedule. Primarily, these will be multiplechoice exams with questions based upon lectures, assigned readings, and PowerPoint slides. A study guide will be posted on SacCT at least a week before each exam. Students will need a Scantron form 882e and pencil for these exams. Exam Make-ups: If a student misses an exam, that student will be allowed to take a make-up only with instructor permission. The instructor reserves the right to refuse a make-up if the student has a poor reason for missing the exam (oversleeping, forgot the exam date, etc.). Medical emergencies, planned trips, a sudden transportation problem, sickness, etc. are examples of good reasons, but the instructor may require that these be verified, depending on the situation. Makeup exams for the midterm must be completed within one week of the original test date (with exceptions for extreme, verified circumstances). Make up exams for the final must be completed finals week or shortly before or after. Students who are not allowed a make-up or who do not take the exams by these late deadlines will receive a score of zero. Midterm & Final Paper: Students will write two papers during the semester, each about four to five pages in length. One is due shortly after the midterm exam and the other during the final exam. Each paper assignment will have two or three topics from which to choose and students will write on one of those topics. Mainly, topics will involve analyzing and comparing mythological themes, stories, or heroes. Each essay will be worth 35 points. Late submissions will result in a deduction of three points. Further instructions and specifics will be listed on the essay assignments, each of which will be posted on SacCT at least two weeks before its due date.
Participation and Reading Discussion Questions (Homework): Students will participate in many group discussions during the semester. This will involve splitting the class into groups and then each group analyzing and discussing assigned readings and questions related to those readings. Most of the readings are from the Classical Mythology textbook, but I may assign others as well and post them on SacCT (please print and bring these to class). A student s participation grade is based upon attending, discussing, interacting, and answering questions when called upon. Also, students are required to come to class with written answers to the assigned reading questions. These answers need not be correct or extensive, but I will check to see that they have been completed. Students will gain and lose participation points in the following ways: Students who attend and have written answers will receive full points for the day (up to a B+ or 44 points out of 50). Students who attend but have not completed their written answers will receive partial points for the day. Students who are absent or excessively tardy will receive no points for the day. Students who speak up for their group or make significant contributions to the class discussion will receive an extra point for the day (this is the only way to earn the full 50 points by the end of the semester) Students who seek help outside of class during instructor office hours (lecture, essay, exam help), will receive an extra participation point. Absent students may earn full credit for up to 3 missed group participation days. To do so, the student must attend an office hour and discuss the reading and its questions in person with the instructor before the next exam date. Attendance: Attendance is vital for success in this class. Students are strongly encouraged to arrive on time, attend class regularly, and limit absences. Missing class often means missing vital lecture material, images, and emphasis placed on certain content. This in turn may negatively affect the student s exam and paper scores. Also, students will lose participation and homework points if they miss a group discussion day. Time permitting, attendance will be taken by the instructor at the beginning of class (with the exception of exam days). If a student is tardy, it is that student s responsibility to inform the instructor of his or her presence by the end of class. Otherwise, he or she may be marked absent. Students who need to leave class early should inform the instructor before class. Students who wish to drop the class in the first two weeks should do so themselves (no-shows will be dropped by the instructor). Extra Credit: Please note that there are no extra credit assignments in this class. However, students may earn extra participation points by visiting office hours and discussing class related material. This is a good opportunity to review or seek help regarding class assignments, exams, and lectures. Also, students within two points of a higher grade at the end of the semester will automatically receive up to two points of extra credit (to boost their grade) so long as they have completed the papers, exams, and most of the group discussions. Students caught cheating will no longer be eligible for these two points.
SacCT (Blackboard) and Saclink: This course has a SacCT site where students may find various materials such as the syllabus, study guides, and PowerPoint slides (made available over the course of the semester). Students can log into the site from the following link: http://www.csus.edu/sacct/ Also, students should know how to view and access their CSUS (Saclink) emails. Class announcements are sent to those addresses (not Gmail, yahoo, etc.). Also, email correspondence regarding grades must go through CSUS accounts (not Gmail, etc.). Saclink access can be gained through My Sac State, here: https://my.csus.edu/uportal/f/welcome/normal/render.up Classroom Policies, Cheating, and Plagiarism: Please maintain professional and courteous conduct in the classroom at all times. Cell phone use is prohibited during lectures, exams, and films. Students caught breaking this rule will lose one participation point for each occasion after the first warning. Phones should be silenced before class begins as a courtesy to all. Furthermore, no photographing, recording, or messaging is allowed without permission from the instructor (I allow audio recording with permission). Students may use laptop computers and tablets in class for note-taking only (this privilege may be revoked if a student is caught doing anything else on the device). Cheating and plagiarism are forbidden and will result in a failing grade for the assignment (a zero). Students caught cheating or plagiarizing may also be subject to other disciplinary actions in accordance to university policy, which can be viewed at: http://www.csus.edu/umanual/student/stu-0100.htm Plagiarizing: this is a failure to indicate the source of borrowed words and ideas. In effect, plagiarists are using and presenting another person s or group s work as their own. Students must never submit work that has been written in part or in whole by another person. Note that copying from the Internet is plagiarism unless the material is properly cited and a Work Cited entry is included. Please consult the CSUS library website for further information on plagiarism: http://csus.libguides.com/plagiarism Students with Disabilities: If a student has a disability and requires accommodations, that student needs to provide the instructor with an accommodation letter from SSWD (Lassen Hall 1008, (916) 278-6955) early in the semester. Schedule: Readings in Classical Mythology are listed by chapter or page number Dates Topics, Exams, Due Dates, Discussions Readings Week 1 Aug. 29 Syllabus and Course Review Aug. 31 Introduction to Greek Mythology & History [Ch. 1] Week 2 Sept. 5 Ways of Interpreting Myths [Ch. 2] Sept. 7 Beginnings: Hesiod and Creation [Ch. 3]
Week 3 Sept. 12 Group Discussion: Hesiod s Theogony [Pg. 88-105, 128-133] Sept. 14 Prometheus, Pandora, and Humanity [Ch. 4] Week 4 Sept. 19 Great Goddesses & the Earth [Ch. 5] Sept. 21 The Olympian Gods and the Trickster [Ch. 6] Group Discussion: Homeric Hymn to Hermes [Pg. 209-223] Week 5 Sept. 26 Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi [Ch. 7] Sept. 28 Death and Hades [Ch. 9] Week 6 Oct. 3 Greek Hero Myths: Perseus, Heracles, Theseus, & Jason [Ch. 10] Oct. 5 Greek Heroines in Myth & Exam Review [Ch. 11] Week 7 Oct. 10 Midterm Exam Oct. 12 Homer s Epics & the Trojan War [Ch. 12] Week 8 Oct. 17 Group Discussion: The Iliad [Pg. 352-423] Oct. 19 Introduction to the Odyssey [Ch. 13] Week 9 Oct. 24 Group Discussion: The Odyssey [Pg. 445-501] Oct. 26 Joseph Campbell s Monomyth & Greek Heroes Week 10 Oct. 31 Dionysus & Greek Theater [Ch. 8 & 14] Midterm Paper Due Nov. 2 Party or Die! Group Discussion of the Bacchae [Pg. 528-581] Week 11 Nov. 7 The Oresteia and Oedipus Rex [Ch. 15 & 16] Nov. 9 The Price of Hubris: Group Discussion of Antigone [Pg. 728-764] Week 12 Nov. 14 Beware a Woman Scorned: Group Discussion of Medea [Ch. 17 & 779-817] Nov. 16 Roman Culture and the Myth of Romulus & Remus [Ch. 18] Week 13 Nov. 21 Introduction to the Aeneid [Ch. 19] Nov. 23 Holiday (Thanksgiving Break)
Week 14 Nov. 28 Group Discussion: The Aeneid [Pg. 857-923] Nov. 30 Group Discussion: The Aeneid [Pg. 857-923] Week 15 Dec. 5 Group Discussion: The Rape of Lucretia (SacCT Reading) Dec. 7 Ovid s Metamorphoses [Ch. 20] Final Exam Day & Final Paper Due: Tuesday, December 12, 3:00 5:00 Note: This schedule is tentative and may change and need to be updated during the semester. If this happens, the class will be informed of the changes in advance.