Harpur 101N – Cleopatra: The Last Pharaoh- Fall 2012 – Starks/Appel, Binghamton University SUNY

Requirements, Grading, Assignment Descriptions, and other Essentials

Required Texts:

Roller, Duane W. 2010. Cleopatra: A Biography. New York: Oxford University Press.

Schiff, Stacy. 2010. Cleopatra: A Life. New York: Back Bay Books (Little, Brown).

These books should be routinely brought to class every day. You are required to have a copy for reference in the classroom. E-book versions are acceptable, but do understand that I will reference pages that you will not have (I won’t know what % of text a certain page is at when I reference something in class).

Course Requirements and Rules:

Class Participation/Daily Grade: ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED. You will receive a daily grade for participation in class that suggests your level of preparation on material covered (A, B, C, D or 0 with appropriate +/- qualifiers) and your involvement in class activities. Participation includes questions, exchange of ideas, and responses to directed or general questions from the instructor or other discussion leader. An absence from class for ANY REASON must be counted as a 0 since you cannot participate if you are absent. Two (2) absences will be dropped, no questions asked, at the end of the term allowing 1 week of class days for illness, family matters, etc. In general, we do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences for purposes of daily participation grades, but PLEASE always contact the instructor of record for that day (John Starks or Morgan Appel) by email or phone before class if you MUST be absent on a given day. If absence should be unavoidable, we simply want to know when and why you need to miss class.

TEXT BOOK PROVISO - VERY IMPORTANT!! – failure to bring the textbook to class when required by the syllabus (especially on the Wednesdays) will result in a grade of 0 for that day – sorry to be so strict, but I have found too many stragglers on this issue and it makes it impossible to conduct the class properly when a significant portion have not brought or sometimes not even bought the texts. These two are not that expensive.

I ENCOURAGE YOU TO WORK WITH OTHERS, BUT MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING FOR YOURSELF BY THE TIME YOU GET TO A PAPER, JOURNAL EXERCISE or ORAL PRESENTATION to be graded on your individual work.

5-8 Page Paper:

Essay questions for thesis construction to be supplied very soon!! I am thinking of offering 3 major questions for consideration

    Each student will write a draft and final essay on a chosen topic. Expectations for writing rubrics/standards will be discussed and shared prior to the submission of your draft and in comments returned to you from your instructors. These literary/evaluative essays will require you to cite your two texts properly and any other resources you use for their construction. While outside sources will not be required, they are recommended for stronger analysis, critical thinking and establishment of your arguments, as well as a strong sign of your commitment to engaging with college level expectations for academic writing.

Oral Report:
    Each student will deliver an oral report as follows:

Topics or possible topics to be included very soon!!

These reports will be 10 minutes or less STRICTLY OBSERVED on the dates marked on the syllabus. KNOW how to summarize. A double-spaced page of average font takes most readers 2.5 minutes to read, so bullet-point style notes inevitably cause most people to run over. Likewise, you should consider an absolute minimum of 6-7 minutes of presentation time. If you go less than this, you have likely not covered enough material to give a comprehensive report on a scholarly topic.

    These oral presentations are designed to help improve your oral skills and allow you ample opportunity to improve and expand your oral presentation methods. You may use any combination of audio-visual aids that might best suit you, and you may construct your presentation in any format you like (traditional report with visuals, powerpoint, performance). Reports can be interactive, not just lectures. You may design projects that include your fellow-students or friends from outside class, say for a peformance, so long as you keep everyone, including the instructors, informed of what you are doing. Feel free to consult with me about your needs for the classroom presentations and approaches you would like to try. If you plan to use A-V be sure you have practiced with it before the time of your presentation. It will eat into your time.

We will also allow you, if you choose, to do a presentation in pairs. Sometimes this kind of arrangement allows for more creative thinking and idea generation. We will not allow you to present (except for a performance that you have designed in a pair or as an individual) in groups larger than 2. Your time will be extended to 20 minutes for a pair, and you would be expected to cover 12-14 minutes minimum. Pairing up does not cut down your individual responsibility and we’re not looking for this to become a required group project.

Journal Exercises:
    Each student will submit four (4) journal exercises as follows at dates listed on the syllabus:

Journals will need to be submitted to Blackboard (https://blackboard.binghamton.edu/) before classtime on the Monday due date, AND a hard copy MUST be handed in as well. Topics will be assigned 2 weeks before the journal is due. Expectations will be discussed before the first journal is assigned.

Grade Distribution:
30% = 5-8 page Paper – graded by John Starks
25% = Average of 4 Journal Exercises – graded by Morgan Appel
25% = Oral Report – graded by John Starks (in consultation with Morgan Appel)
20% = Participation/Preparation – graded by John Starks and Morgan Appel

We must insist on a firm grade scale as follows: 97-100 A+, 93-96 A, 90-92 A-, 87-89 B+, 83-86 B, 80-82 B- and so on for each grade tier we especially reserve the right to consider borderline grades as falling on either side of the divide that seems most appropriate given all grading circumstances (i.e., a 92.5 or even a 92.9 cannot automatically be assumed to round up, though we may decide that a student's overall performance may warrant such rounding). Consult us about your progress in seemingly nebulous areas such as class participation, etc.

Suggestions for Success:
    1) ALL written work to be turned in for a grade must be pledged with an affirmation of your adherence to the Student Academic Honesty Code as described at this site.
    2) Make sure that you regularly consult your binghamton.edu email and Blackboard, as these are the most efficient ways for us to disseminate information to everyone enrolled in this class.
    3) My (Prof. Starks’) only real pet peeves in classroom demeanor are CELL PHONES (turn them off), chronic tardiness, sleeping in class and not informing me and others affected if you have a schedule problem.
    4) I guess the next closest thing to a peeve is my frustration with being unable to read the minds of completely silent students.  Part of the joy of studying a topic in the ancient world as fascinating as Cleopatra is sharing what you think about it - whether good or bad. There's always something that deserves discussion, and the whole class can benefit from your insights. And (this is the lesson I've had to learn over time), if you're a natural talker, know when to balance your contribution with that of those around you. Be sensitive to the silences that sometimes occur - someone may be thinking deeply. I have toyed with the idea of using email chat rooms to help out those who are more inclined to silence, but I continue to believe that oral human communication is a most valuable gift and tool for all aspects of modern life, just as it was for the even more orally oriented cultures of the ancient world.
    5) Keep on your syllabus. This class will allow little time for catching up if you fall behind. The syllabus/daily assignments link offers a guide and a goal. If you find yourself unable to get through the assigned readings and exercises, let's discuss it as a group or individually - work with others, divide the load and then make sure you teach each other. I prefer to have a plan, and try to find the best way to get there. CHECK YOUR SYLLABUS FREQUENTLY FOR ANY CHANGES WE MAY NEED TO MAKE ALONG THE WAY.
    6) Bring all the appropriate books each day they are required by the syllabus – NOTE THE TEXTBOOK PROVISO ABOVE which, if unheeded, may result in serious damage to your class participation grade. Mark your texts as you like; take notes while you read, and you can bring that to class with you if necessary.

7) Extra Credit (Starks’ Law of Academic Gravity) - fuhgedaboutit!! (Someone burned me long ago abusing extra credit. I'm afraid there is no antidote for my allergic reaction to requests for extra credit – this is Prof. Starks speaking). On the other hand, you get personal extra credit for every thing you learn above and beyond the call of absolute duty, so look at the bigger picture.

Appel’s Humane Corollary to Starks’ Law – small doses of extra credit will be assigned for truly extra work, especially important extra-classroom activities that you cannot be required to attend, but will be strongly recommended to do so. This policy will be explained in detail and extra credit will NEVER be extended in replacement ‘real’ assignments.
    8) Final Grades are an assessment of your whole performance. I (i.e., Prof. Starks) like to create many components to a grade as an evaluation of a complete student. I tend not to curve individual assignments (unless something is clearly wrong with the grading apparatus) in order to preserve my overall sense of student performance and aptitude for the assignment of the more important final grade. I do consider improvements in problem areas as part of what shows your increased aptitude. Final grades will be assigned after consultation between both instructors on each student’s overall performance.
    9) Enjoy reading, learning, discussing, and gaining critical skills. Let's make our time in class productive, but also, as often as possible, interesting, enjoyable and thought-provoking. We will talk frequently about the way Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and WE have thought and lived to try to understand what we are all saying to each other. We will not sit in dull lecture sessions 2 days per week. We will change exercises and engage in discussion of ideas often.
     Pursuant to this end, please feel free within reason to bring coffee or other legal stimulants for our meetings. Pizza Discussions are included on the syllabus at key moments - we may agree to meet in locations other than the room when weather and lesson needs permit - Latin and Greek schools often met in a stoa/basilica or under a tree, in the open air - we should do no less, though our transition from the classroom takes valuable time.
    10) One day there may be a suggestion 10, but right now, I don't have one and there were 9 Muses, so we will leave an ennead of sage Starks suggestions for student success - maybe suggestion 10 should be to practice saying that 10 times fast.