Course Expectations for Classics 383B/Anth 380P/Africana Studies 383C: Race and Ethnicity in Ancient North Africa
John Starks, Binghamton University SUNY
Required Texts:
1. Herodotus. The Histories (tr. R. Waterfield). Oxford. 1998.
2. B. Watterson. The Egyptians (Peoples of Africa Series). Blackwell, 1998.
3. F.M. Snowden, Jr. Blacks in Antiquity. Harvard. 1970.
4. J.M. Modrzejewski. The Jews of Egypt. Princeton. 1995.
5. Polybius. The Rise of the Roman Empire. (tr. I. Scott-Kilvert). Penguin. 1980.
6. M. Brett, E. Fentress. The Berbers (Peoples of Africa Series). Blackwell, 1997
The texts of several additional works are linked directly on your syllabus.
Download these to your personal computer or print out a copy for reading BEFORE
the reading date. Bring texts with you to class if possible. Laptop computers
are welcome.
Course Requirements:
Syllabus on the Web and in Blackboard:
please check the syllabus often, every class day is preferable. I will update
the syllabus frequently, adding upcoming readings, illustrations, maps,
resources, and, most important, discussion questions that you should consider
as you read and prepare that material for class.
Attendance and Reading:
ATTENDANCE IS REQUIRED. Most of the work of the class can only be
completed by regular attendance and disciplined, consistent adherence to the
syllabus. In this course meeting twice a week, you will average 40-50 pages of
reading per session, with some sessions requiring a bit more reading time than
average and some a bit less. Be prepared to spend 3-4 hours outside class for
every hour in class to complete the assignments for this course.
Please look ahead on your syllabus. Some of the readings are very dense,
and you will need to take notes as you read. Do NOT wait till the last minute
to do all readings. Many of the readings lend themselves to note taking as
outlines or highlighting of significant passages. Use outlining to your
advantage for understanding and later studying.
In-class activities in this O course for proficiency in Oral
Communication will include lecture, web resources, student oral presentations,
group work, and LOTS OF DISCUSSION of readings. Your class participation grade
will rest on your contribution to class through questions and discussion. You
will receive a daily grade for this work which will reflect my general
assessment of your performance in class: A, B, C, D or 0. An absence for any
reason must be counted as a 0 for discussion since you cannot participate if
you are absent. For sickness or other personal reasons, I will excuse two
absences (1 week of class time) at the end of the term when computing your
grade. In general, I do not distinguish between excused and unexcused absences for
purposes of daily participation grades, but PLEASE always contact me by email
or phone before class if you MUST be absent on a given day. I want to know when
and why you need to miss class, and make sure that you don't get too far
behind. After you have totaled 4 absences from class, I reserve the right to
drop you from the class or leave you on the rolls and allow your grade to be
affected by your failure to attend.
It is important to understand that participation can include informed
questions, requests for further explanation, offering to answer specific
questions, or any contributions that foster learning in the classroom
environment.
Exams: You will take a midterm and a
final exam. The midterm will include objective and essay questions, being
comprehensive over Northeast Africa, the final, a collaborative project
investigating a modern ethnic conflict will be explained in greater detail
later in the term.
Oral Projects/Papers: This is, as I
said above, an O-course, and as such will involve writing of multiple papers,
most of them for oral presentation, as follows: 1) ethnic self-identity
(non-oral), exploration and accounting of your own ethnic heritage (10%, 3-5
pp.); 2) selected topic in African ethnicity written for up to 10 minute oral
presentation to the class – visual aids and original presentation methods will
be possible, though not required –please inform me well in advance of you’re a-v
needs (15%, 3-6 pp.); 3) text of a
2-minute speech to be delivered in a debate as a member of an assigned faction
of the Carthaginian senate on whether to go to war with Rome (10%, 1 1/2 pp).
ACADEMIC HONESTY AND WRITTEN WORK – I cannot stress enough (and you will
see more mentioned about this below) that every piece of work you turn in for a
grade must be yours and yours alone. Cheating, whether in class or out of
class, is a punishable offense at
Grade Distribution:
40% = 2 exams – take home midterm at 25%, Special Oral Final Exam on Ethnic
Conflicts at 15%
25% = Oral Projects - Report on Ancient Ethnic Topic 15%, Carthaginian Debate
Speech 10%
10% = Ethnic self-study paper
25% = Class Participation/Discussion/Attendance
I must insist on a firm grading scale:
I must insist on a firm grade scale as follows: 93-100 A, 90-92 A-, 87-89
B+, 83-86 B, 80-82 B-, 77-79 C+, 73-76 C, 70-72 C-, 60-69 D, 0-59 F. I
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 I may determine that a student's overall performance may warrant such
rounding). Consult me about your progress in seemingly nebulous areas such as
class participation, etc. I am always available for questions about your grade,
even though you may not see it posted in the Blackboard grading system.
Improvement in writing and discussion will be considered in determining your
final grade.
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 me to
disseminate information to everyone enrolled in this class.
3) My 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 the classics 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 are 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 I MAY NEED TO MAKE ALONG THE WAY.
6) PLEASE organize before you come to class and bring ALL the
appropriate books each day they are required by the syllabus. For the most
part, you will need 1 or 2 books for any given session, plus an occasional
extra text from online. Be prepared to mark up your books with a proper number
of notes that will help you recognize key points and sectional breaks in the
texts – like a self created outline. BIG REMINDER – if discussion questions are
posted online for a given day, please print them out or have them available for
use in class
7) Extra Credit - 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). 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.
8) Final Grades are an assessment of your whole performance.
I like to create many components to a grade as an evaluation of a complete
student. I tend not to curve (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.
9) Enjoy learning about the ancient world using many types
of ancient and modern materials and the community of learners around you. 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 ways that
ancient peoples thought and lived to try to understand what they are saying to
us or what outside observers tell us about them. We will change exercises and
engage in discussion of ideas EVERY DAY.
Pursuant to this end, please feel free within reason
to bring coffee or other legal stimulants for these afternoon sessions.
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.