Humanities Literature—English 145
Graff/Schultz—First Semester, 2003
Course Description and Seminar Policies
Course Description
This semester in Humanities, we will read some of the literature that represents
the basis of our Western culture. The works we will read span four
thousand years (2000 B.C.E. to 1600 C.E.) and have endured because they reflect
considerations common to all humankind. It is our challenge to read,
analyze, discuss and share observations and ideas about these works to better
understand the people who produced them, and consequently to better understand
ourselves. Some of the themes recurring in our readings are:
1. What is the nature of the divine? How does the culture perceive
its god or gods?
2. What is the relationship between man and god(s)? Does this bear
moral or ethical implications? if not, where does the culture find
its moral or ethical ideals?
3. How is humankind defined? (“What is man, that Thou art mindful of
him?”) How should man conduct himself on this earth, and what happens
to him when he dies?
4. What is the best way to order our society? What is the proper social
pattern? What makes a king, a slave, or a citizen?
5. What is justice? How is it established? How is it defined—and
by whom?
6. What is each culture’s ideal of the hero? What traits identify the
heroic? What is the socioeconomic pattern of the culture that dictates
the heroic?
7. What is the position of women in the culture? Does literature reflect
her actual legal or social rights?
8. What is REAL? How can we discover “truth” or “reality”? Is
it possible for an individual to derive a universal truth in this material
world? Does truth or reality exist only in mathematics?
9. Do evil and good exist as real and opposite entities, or are they merely
subjective assessments made according to individuals’ education, values,
or experience?
10. How does each culture perceive the natural world? Is it an enemy
to be defeated? one with the divine? a source of poetic inspiration
? Is it relevant to the thinkers of the period?
11. How do we respond to the arts in general and literature in particular?
How do the arts reflect their social/historical milieu? How can we
in the Twentieth Century comprehend and appreciate art forms of another time
and place?
I will direct your attention to these questions to consider as we read various
works. Each author has his own opinions about, or answers to these
questions. Deciding what the implications are for the cultures the
writings reflect, and the ultimate effect the literature has had upon us
is a major focus of this course.
Seminar Policies
1. Come to class everyday, and be on time. Because of the nature of
the course, it is important to be in class for discussions, questions and
explanations. Attendance is crucial to your academic welfare in this
class. Punctuality shows consideration of others in the class by not
wasting everyone’s time with unnecessary interruptions.
2. Read all assignments before coming to seminar. Discussion is the
basis of the seminar classes and you cannot intelligently talk about what
you do not know. If you keep up with the reading and attend every lecture
and seminar, this will not be a difficult class.
3. Turn in all assignments on time. Late assignments will be graded
down by half a grade per day late including weekends.
4. If you are absent due to illness, you will have the number of days absent
plus the first day back within which to make up missed work. Follow-up
on make-up work is your responsibility! I am available to provide,
assist, but not to nag.
5. If you know in advance that you will be absent, clear your absence with
the proper administrators and submit all required work before you leave.
6. I will follow the school attendance policy. Have legitimate absences
excused by a parent or guardian within 24 hours. The attendance office’s
number is: 994-2135. Each unexcused absence will result in a 2% reduction
of your 9-week grade. Three unexcused tardies will count as an unexcused
absence. If you are legitimately late, bring a pass clearly signed
in ink by an administrator or teacher and including time, date and destination.
Please be on time. My classroom door will often be locked when the
class period starts, so tardies will be disruptive and noticeable.
7. Do your own work. Plagiarized work receives no credit and ruins
your credibility. More on this later.
8. Turn all work in to me. If you leave assignments on my desk or anywhere
other than in my hands, I cannot be responsible if they are lost.
I strongly advise that you make copies of any final drafts of assignments
turned in so that if something is lost, there is an extra copy immediately
available. Please do not bring computer disks in expecting to run off
essays on one of the schools’ printers…This often does not work and provides
too many problems. Bring in hard copies of assignments.
9. I want to see each of you for at least one writing conference in the semester.
It is preferable that you come to me for help with an assignment before the
assignment is due, it saves a lot of time writing revisions after the fact.
You may revise and rewrite papers, by the way, and improve your grade by
receiving a grade resulting from the average of the original grade and that
of the revision. I am available in my portable (D, so far) most days during
seventh hour and can be available at other times by appointment. If
necessary, my home phone # is: 761-2506; please leave a message, I will return
your call. I would appreciate your calling before 9:30 p.m. A
message can also be left at school at: 994-2120, but I may not get it as
soon as I would by the other number.
10. My grading scale is:
100-93 = A 92-90 = A-
89-88 = B+ 87-83 = B 82-80 = B- (I operate on a point
system.)
79-78 = C+ 77-73 = C 72-70 = C-
69-68 = D+ 67-63 = D 62-60 = D-
59 and below = E
In order to derive your letter grade for any assignment, divide the points
you achieved by the maximum points possible to derive a percentage.