SYLLABUS FOR CULTURAL
HERITAGE II (SPRING 2007)
TEXTS
Dennis Sherman and
Joyce Salisbury, The West in the World, Second Updated
Edition with Primary Source Investigator. McGraw-Hill, 2006. White and copper cover. NOTE: The PSI Disk is helpful but not
required. Some used copies are available.
William Shakespeare, Hamlet.
Desiderius Erasmus, Praise of Folly.
John Locke, Second
Treatise of Government.
Benjamin Franklin, Autobiography
of Benjamin Franklin.
Immanuel
Kant, Fundamental Principles of the
Metaphysics of Morals.
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein.
John Stuart Mill, On
Frederick
Douglass, Narrative of the Life of
Frederick Douglass.
Karl Marx, Communist
Manifesto.
Friedrich Nietzsche, Twilight
of the Idols.
Joseph Conrad, Heart
of Darkness.
Sigmund Freud, Totem and Taboo.
Allen Ginsberg, Howl. City Lights Bookstore (Literature).
All of the above are available at the Hope
College Bookstore.
REQUIREMENTS:
Attendance, Participation, and Extra Credit (+/-%)
On-time attendance of every class is
required, and roll will be taken at every meeting. There are no automatically excused
absences. Each unexcused absence results
in a deduction of 1% from your final grade.
There is also a 1% final grade penalty for signing up for a seminar
meeting and not showing up (see below).
If you need to miss a class or a seminar (or you are going to be late)
for a legitimate reason and do not want to be penalized, you must notify me in
advance or present a documented reason for your absence within one week. Of course, coming to class and
participating appropriately has a spontaneous impact on your performance on
exams and other exercises. I use classes
and meetings, in part, to signal to you what I regard as important enough to
include on exams. More directly, class
participation—coming to class on time, behaving professionally, demonstrating
responsibility, taking notes, reading the assigned texts, speaking voluntarily
and when called upon—all these normal gestures of good-faith involvement in the
course, maturity, and professionalism inform my decisions in border-line
grading situations. In other words, a
person who has a high “B+” may, in the end, get an “A-” if they have been a
good citizen all semester.
There are several ways to earn numerical
extra credit. You may earn up to an
extra 10% towards your final grade by outstanding performance on the quizzes
(see below). You may attend extra
seminar meetings and participate actively, which will probably raise your
seminar grade (see below), since I will only count the highest six
performances. Nevertheless, it is better
to change a pattern of inadequate performance as soon as possible rather than
let the pattern continue until extra credit becomes the only available
option. Quiz scores are the best
short-term gauge of your standing in the course, and there are four exams,
which should keep you apprized of your performance on a monthly basis. If you find yourself falling into a pattern
of unsuccessful outcomes, you should talk with me, or, if you prefer, with the
teaching assistant before the situation becomes irremediable (see “Supplementary
Assistance” below).
Six or More Seminar Meetings
(18%, 3% each)
This is a 4-credit class, but the formal class only meets three hours
per week. Every week but the first and the last, at different times, I will
schedule at least two “Seminar Meetings” for up to 14 students each. You are required to attend six of these
meetings over the course of the semester, and three of them must be prior to
the midterm. Also, three of the meetings
you attend over the entire semester must cover works designated as philosophy
(see texts listed above). You are, of
course, welcome to come to more meetings, and I will count your six highest
performance grades if you attend more than six. In order to control the size of the seminars,
I will have a sign-up sheet on Mondays before these meetings.
The seminar meetings take place in the Kletz, and they formally begin
five minutes after the hour (coming later will lower your score). You may eat lunch if you want to, but you are
expected to participate in the discussion.
I will not interrogate you individually on the material, but I do expect
you to come prepared to discuss that week’s text, to speak voluntarily, and I
will be evaluating the quality of your participation in the meeting each
time. I may ask non-participating
individuals specific questions on the material (since silent attendance only
confers partial credit). A good
strategy, besides reading the text, is to write down a few questions that
occurred to you, and, perhaps, some connections between the text and the
historical context. You might want to do supplementary investigation of the
text using the course resources on the Web site.
For grading purposes, I will evaluate your
seminar participation as follows: Signed-up But Not Present = -1, Not Present =
0, Present = 1, One Contribution = 2, Significant Contribution = 3. In these
discussions, I am looking for evidence of having done the reading, having made
connections between the reading and the historical context and other texts, and
a willingness to raise questions or otherwise support the positive flow of our
conversation. Please ask me if you are
uncertain how you are being evaluated, or if you are unsure what constitutes
appropriate seminar participation.
The seminar meetings at the Kletz are
normally scheduled twice each week at one of the following paired time slots:
1. (11-11:50, 12-12:50); 2. (1-1:50, 2-2:50); 3. (3-3:50, 4-4:50), and sometimes 9:00-9:50 pm (if there is a need). I will cycle through these time slots
regularly in a sequential fashion (see the schedule). If, somehow, your schedule prevents you from
attending enough seminar discussions, I will meet with you in my office instead
at a mutually convenient time. Please
inform me if three weeks pass, and you remain unable to attend a meeting.
Two Papers (32%: 16% each;
includes 8-10 pages of finished, formal writing)
Each paper should be 4-5 pages (1,000-1,250 words), not including
notes. The essays should use the MLA
citation format, which will be covered early in the course, or, if you prefer,
you may use another method with which you are more familiar. In either case, you must demonstrate that you
know how to cite your sources correctly in a brief academic essay. These sources include all of the books used
in the course and, potentially, a moderate number of additional sources (3-4 is
an appropriate number) used to support the positions you articulate in your
papers. Needless to say, as “finished writing,” these papers must demonstrate
careful attention to grammar and formal style.
Most writers do not arrive at this level of quality without going
through multiple drafts, and this requires beginning the paper well ahead of
the final deadlines. For a helpful
guideline to general standards for grading papers (i.e., the difference between
and “A” and a “B”), please visit this Web page.
Regarding content, the essays should undertake two tasks: 1. They
should compare and contrast two or more of the texts you have read for the
“Seminar Meetings” in the first half or second half of the course (e.g.,
Franklin and Kant, or Franklin, Kant, and Locke), taking care that both
philosophy and literature are represented by your choices; 2. They should
attempt to explain the similarities and differences described in part 1 by
situating the works in their historical contexts (i.e., the substance of the
textbook, lectures, and supplementary readings). I will say more about how one writes this
kind of paper in class (one class will be dedicated entirely to
paper-writing) and in the seminar meetings, and you should use these meetings
to raise the ideas about which you will write.
Indeed, you are encouraged to bring drafts of your papers to seminar
meetings to get a hearing of your ideas (and you should note that reading
voluntarily from a respectable draft will almost certainly confer maximum
credit for the seminar meeting). Of course, it is your responsibility to make
sure you understand what you are going to write well in advance of the two
deadlines. You should talk with the
teaching assistant or with me if you are unsure of the expectations for this
assignment.
The first paper is due at a time of your choosing prior to the midterm
(see the schedule for the ultimate deadline).
The second paper is due at a time of your choosing prior to the last day
of class (see the schedule). Normally,
papers will be returned to you within one week.
I recommend that you plan ahead by reviewing the schedule and
determining which combination of seminar meetings and books suits your schedule
and interests (again, taking note that you must cover both literature and
philosophy). Any pairing of assigned
texts may be profitably compared and contextualized; indeed, one of the
purposes of this course is to teach the disciplinary methods that enable one to
write effectively about a wide range of topics.
Of course, this class cannot make up for a
lack of training in reading comprehension and writing skills, and students with
difficulties in these areas will have to work much harder than those who are
already proficient readers and writers.
The course and the college provide multiple layers of support (see below
under “Supplementary Assistance”) for students at different levels of ability
and experience, and I strongly encourage you to use these support systems
before private difficulties manifest themselves in public grades. This is an introductory,
writing-intensive course, and it is no shame to need instruction and personal
assistance. Plagiarism and other
violations of academic integrity are another matter. Please
see the section headed “Academic Honesty” below for information about the
Quizzes (10%: +/-1% each, potential 10% grade bonus)
There will be ten scheduled quizzes in
class. The format is a short essay (a
few sentences) on an index card. Quizzes
will cover material from the prior class and/or reading from the current
class. They will also prefigure essay
questions that may appear on the upcoming exam.
Quizzes are graded on the following basis: check (+1), check plus (+2),
check minus (-1). A missed quiz is a
“check minus.” In theory, a student could earn as much as a 10% grade bonus by
earning a “check plus” on every quiz.
Zero credit (an unlikely event, hopefully) remains the lowest possible
quiz performance; in other words, you can’t receive negative credit for poor or
missing quizzes beyond the loss of 10% of your final grade. Missed quizzes cannot be made up except by
“check plus” performances on subsequent quizzes.
Four Examinations with In-Class and Take-Home Components (40% Overall;
10% for Each Exam)
There will be four exams including the final. The take-home portion of the exam (counting
for half of each single exam) will involve a selection of short essay topics
that ask you to synthesize material presented in the readings, lectures and
seminar conversations (amounting minimally to a total of 4-5 pages or 1,000-1,250
words). The take-home portion of the
exam will be posted on the Website two days before the due date, which is the
day of the in-class portion of the exam.
(In other words, you will submit the take-home and in-class portions at
the same time. Late take-home exams will
not be accepted for undocumented reasons.) The in-class portion of each exam
will be a combination of multiple choice questions, fill-in-the-blanks on key
terms and concepts, and textual identifications (including a selection of texts
covered in the seminar meetings). Exams
are graded holistically in relation to the overall performance of the class
rather than on a specific point system.
Exams will be extensively annotated, but if you are unsure why you received
a particular grade, do not hesitate to schedule an appointment with me. Like most professors, I use lectures, in
part, to tell you what you need to know to do well on the exams. Every class meeting will have a handout with
a corresponding Powerpoint presentation that will be
available for review on the course Web site.
(There are also recorded lectures that correspond quite closely to this
course on the Website, but these are supplements rather than substitutes for
the actual class content and may not cover everything.) Please note that it is your responsibility to
print the handout prior to the appropriate class and use it as an outline for
note-taking during the lecture. I will
say more about the exam format as the date of the first one approaches,
but feel free to ask about study techniques at any time. The format of the final exam will be the same as the other exams,
but the in-class portion will take place at the time published by the
Registrar.
SUPPLEMENTARY ASSISTANCE:
Course Assistant
Paris TerKeurst <paris.terkeurst@hope.edu> has a
distinguished record in writing-intensive humanities courses of this kind, and
she is preparing for graduate school.
Ms. TerKeurst is available to provide peer advising
on exams and written assignments. Her
comments on exams and papers are intended to help you; they do not have a
bearing on your grade, but you should give them careful attention. At her discretion, there may be review
sessions prior to exams and “paper clinics” prior to writing deadlines.
Individual
Conferences
You are welcome to confer with me during my office hours (and by
appointment) at any time during the semester.
These hours are posted on my Web page.
If you wish to meet at another time, please send an e-mail request to
<Pannapacker@hope.edu>. If your
grades indicate a cause for concern, I may request a meeting with you to
develop a strategy for improving your performance. I take it very seriously when students make
appointments and do not show up (see “Requirements” above).
Extra one-on-one and group assistance with writing is available at no
cost from private tutors at the ASC in Van Zoeren 261
(395-7830). If you are interested, you
should set up an appointment in advance (Monday through Friday, 9-5). The services of the ASC are indispensable for
students who have difficulty with writing.
POLICIES:
Attendance and Lateness:
If you need to miss a class or arrive late (or leave early) for a good
reason, please let me know in advance (see “Class Participation” above for more
details about expectations and penalties).
If you arrive after roll is taken, you will not receive credit for
attendance without seeing me after class.
Classroom
Decorum
Please conduct yourself in an appropriate, professional manner. Please try to attend to your personal needs
before class. If you need to excuse yourself,
please do so quietly at your own discretion (i.e. do not slam the door). Please leave the classroom as you found it
(i.e., leave no trash or spills).
Mutual Respect:
Participants must be free to speak and write what is on their minds
within the bounds of appropriate behavior.
Everyone is free to disagree, provided they can articulate and support
their opinions with evidence. Students’
work is never graded on the basis of ideological conformity. Everyone should treat each other with
respect, regardless of differences of opinion or background. Of course, I do not expect this will be a
problem, but disorderly behavior, discriminatory language, personal attacks,
and other forms of verbal abuse are not permitted. Forgive me if some parts of this syllabus
seem pedantic or condescending, but this course normally includes students with
an extraordinarily wide range of interest, experience, ability, and
behavior. For this reason, it is
necessary to be specific about expectations that most of you, I am sure, take
for granted.
Academic Honesty:
Plagiarism is using someone else’s words or ideas as your own without
crediting the other person. If you quote
published material in a paper, you must document your sources properly and avoid
unintended plagiarism. Any assignment
that is demonstrably plagiarized will result in an “F” for the assignment and,
possibly, the entire course if the plagiarism indicates gross moral turpitude
(e.g., using someone else’s paper, purchasing a paper) rather than simple
ignorance. For more information on using
sources, consult A Writer’s Reference
by Diana Hacker or any other reputable guide to college writing. There should
be no need to mention this, but anyone who is caught cheating on an exam will receive
an “F” for the course and face additional disciplinary action by the
college. Please see the