Syllabus (click here for schedule of assignments, papers, etc.)
Expectations, AdvisoryBY ENROLLING IN THIS COURSE, students agree to abide by the expectations set forth in this syllabus and in other course-related documents. In other words, you can regard documents like this syllabus, but also the Assignment Schedule, study guides, web pages devoted to papers— really, any document posted by the instructor to the "Bingweb" site (this site) or to Blackboard — as a contract laying out the responsibilities of, respectively, instructor and students. Note too that the aforementioned documents, though they will remain substantially the same throughout the semester, may, and probably will, have to be modified or updated at various points. The instructor reserves, therefore, the right to alter, as needed and in reasonable ways, details of the assignment schedule etc. etc. Students should also be advised that, due to the nature of the course, material of a sexual, obscene, or otherwise potentially offensive character will need to be dealt with in frank and explicit ways. So, for instance, some of the ancient texts show what no longer would pass for acceptable speech — we'll need to confront that. Finally, students need to understand that everyone involved deserves the respect of everyone else involved. Discussion is, therefore, to be conducted in a courteous and orderly fashion. GoalsGeneral-Education-Related GoalsComposition (C)From the Bulletin: "Composition (C) courses are courses in any of the departments or divisions of the University. They require a process of revision and a minimum of 20 pages of expository prose. At least 50 percent of the course grade is based on student writing." Humanities (H)From the Bulletin: "Humanities (H) courses enhance students’ understanding of human experience through the study of literature or philosophy." Course-Specific Goals
Required TextsPrint-Texts, from BU Bookstore:Apuleius. The Golden Ass, or, Metamorphoses. Trans. E. J. Kenney. Penguin Classics. London and New York: Penguin Books, 1998. Print. Butler, Judith. Antigone’s Claim: Kinship between Life & Death. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000. Print. Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality, Volume 2: The Use of Pleasure. Trans. Robert Hurley. New York: Vintage Books, 1990. Print. Juvenal. The Sixteen Satires. Trans. Peter Green. The Penguin Classics. 3 ed. London and New York: Penguin Books, 1998. Print. Longus. Daphnis & Chloe. Trans. Paul Turner. Penguin Classics. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1989. Print. Ovid. The Erotic Poems. Trans. Peter Green. Penguin Classics. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England and New York: Penguin Books, 1982. Print. Petronius. The Satyricon of Petronius. Trans. William Arrowsmith. New York: New American Library, 1959. Blackboard, WebAdditional readings (req'd) are to be accessed via Blackboard Coursite> PDF Readings, also via web links located on Assignment Schedule and study guide pages.
Access to Online Course Materials/Dual Web SitesThis course operates via two separate web sites:
The "Bingweb" web site will provide access to course-related information and materials of a non-secure nature:
The Blackboard course site is mostly for materials and links OF A SECURE NATURE, things that should NOT be accessible to the general public via internet or Google, i.e., materials reserved only for the use of the class, students and instructor. Access the Blackboard site via the following path: http://blackboard.binghamton.edu/ > MyBb@BU > My Courses > Ancient Sexuality & Gender-FALL13 On that site, you'll find links to:
E-mail ContactAll students taking this course must agree to check E-mail (your "@binghamton.edu" address via Bmail or similar) on a regular basis, as this will be the principal medium for instructor-student communication outside class.
Attendance/AbsenceAttendance is required; learning cannot happen if we are not there participating. Attendance will be taken and will figure into the participation grade. Students missing 7 or more classes without valid excuse (see following) will, at the instructor's disretion, be denied a passing grade. A pattern of tardiness can and will count as absence(s) at the discretion of the instructor. Excusable AbsenceIF YOU ARE ILL or otherwise cannot make class for a VALID REASON (religious observance, job interview, important family function, etc.), please contact me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE via E-mail. Without timely E-mail notification, I will not be able to credit the missed class, nor arrange for makeup quizzes etc., as needed. Please keep on top of this. Non-Excusable AbsenceIncludes:
For more on attendance, see University Bulletin > Harpurpur College > Attendance. Assessment of Student Work
In-Class Use of Devices, Laptops, etc.Use of laptops or similarly devices in class is subject to the following conditions:
Sound recorders permitted in class only with permission of instructor. Participation (Reading, Viewing, Discussing)Assigned readings must be done, and on time. Failure on that score will compromise one's grade. Discussion will be partly structured, partly unstructured. Pariticipation is graded (assessment); discussion will mostly center on issues and topics listed on the schedule of assignments and on study guides.
Online Journal EntriesStudents will be required to keep an online readings-related journal, accessed via the Blackboard course site, entries to which will be accessible only to the individual student and to the instructor. This will apply to each and every reading assignment. It is required and will form a part of the participation grade. Post entries no later than noon on day of class. Late entries may be counted as 0. The "how":
In journals I'm looking for:
Grading: Successful completion (good-faith effort) = 1. Poor or nonexistent effort = 0. QuizzesThere will be FOUR FACT-BASED QUIZZES (no exams!) — multiple choice IDs dealing with readings and lecture/discussion:
The purpose of these will be to encourage you to keep up with the material. No essays, no interpretation. I do not quiz for obscure details, precise dates (but you should be keeping track of basic chronology!), or the like. Note that, in addition to the readings themselves, the terms page should be of use here, along with lectures and study guides, not to mention your notes. For the timely making up of quizzes missed with excuse, please click here. PapersOverview
In fulfilment of the "C" (composition) General-Education component of this course, there will be two papers of about 3,000 words each — that's ten pages of double-spaced text, all-inclusive. These papers will be critical-reflective papers, but will need to show some research outside of assigned readings. These will involve multiple submission (rewrites) and multiple grading. They will also involve participation in a formal peer-review process. The basic topic of the first paper is whether Butler or Foucault (readings assigned in class) finds support in ancient evidence from the first half of semester, of the second, whether Finnis or Nussbaum does. For more information on all aspects, see the Papers page. AssessmentI will assign an "en route" grade to the first submission, but the final grade on the second submission will be the one that figures into your course grade. That final paper grade will reflect whether your first submission represented a good-faith effort, and your second submission, a good-faith effort to address issues on the first submission. Do not be surprised if the final grade is lower than the initial one. That happens when students neglect to make an honest efforet to improve things. See the papers page for details. Academic HonestyIt is important that ALL students approach their learning forthrightly and honestly. I will make every effort to clarify how that's and will help you along the way. Note, therefore, that, by enrolling in this course, students agree to abide by the provisions of the University's STUDENT ACADEMIC HONESTY CODE. Procedures to be followed in the event of an infraction are outlined there and on Harpur College's Faculty Resources for Academic Honesty page.
WHAT IS ACADEMIC HONESTY? It is the ability to say that your work is substantially yours, and that you have forthrightly pointed out where and how you rely on the words, ideas, research, etc. of others. As for academic dishonesty, that includes:
PreventionStudents taking this course are required to take a BU Libraries Academic Honesty Tutorial and the associated Bb Quiz.
Failure to follow the preceding two preventative steps means that you forfeit your right to receive a passing grade for this course! EnforcementNote, too, that any and all instances of academic dishonesty WILL result in a course-grade of F along with appropriate disciplinary action, not excluding expulsion from the University, as deemed appropriate by the authorities charged with handling such cases.
Further, by taking this course, students consent to submit all written assignments to Turnitin.com or other, similar anti-plagiarism databases for textual similarity review. Students also agree not to abet the academic dishonesty of others in connection with this class. [top]
|