1. Humanities 1 Syllabus Fall 2009 Classroom: CC 208
Professor Robert Cannon
Web:
robertleecannon.com
Fall 2009
Classroom: CC 208
TH 6:45-9:55 pm
3 units
Office hours: Thursdays, 6:00-6:30 pm-no appointment necessary-just drop in!
Room 237, Campus Center, 2nd floor
LEARNING GOALS: Humanities 1 is a survey of the civilizations of ancient Greece and Rome. The course is designed to introduce you to the achievements and contributions of those two cultures. The people we encounter are important because they provided the foundation for western culture. The course is important because the people we meet tell us something significant about ourselves as well as about them.

2. How is this class organized?
The stress is on themes:
I briefly discuss the history of the particular culture we are learning about
Then we learn about their art, literature,music, philosophy etc. (not necessarily in that order)
When we are done with a particular culture we move on to the next one
Minoans, Mycenaeans, Greeks, and so on

3. The Work: READING: WRITING ARITHMETIC
Lamm, The Humanities in Western Culture
Cicero: On the Good Life
WRITING
You will do several kinds of writing in this class:
1. Lecture notes: these will be your study guides
2. Take exams (weekly quizzes, and one final)
Your lowest quiz score will be dropped
FINAL exam will be 12/17/09, 7-9 pm
3. Group assignments done in class (Participation)
ARITHMETIC
Weekly quizzes points each=110 points
Final: final 100 points=100 points
Participation: points-group assignments
Grading system: A=90-100%; B=80-89%; C=70-79%; D-60-69%; F-You don’t want to even think about it.
NOTE: The number of tests, assignments, or the grading system is subject to change

4. The Website www.robertleecannon.com User name-lavc Password-highland
Always check the site on Sunday night. I post assignments, announcements, quiz questions, power point slides, etc. on the site.

5. F.A.Q.’s
TESTS: There will be a quiz at the end of each class. The quizzes are based on the text, lectures, and any other materials I provide. Slides and videos will be shown in class and questions may come from these sources as well.
(Note: If you do not take the final you cannot pass the class.) You MUST take the final on the day it is scheduled. There are no make-up finals for ANY reason.
ATTENDANCE: Attendance counts! I take attendance into account in figuring your final grade. A student who stops coming to class but fails to go through the drop procedure will get a Fail at the end of the semester. Any more than two unexecused absences will result in your being dropped from class.
CELL PHONES: Turn them off before you come into class!
TAPING; Taping of lectures is not allowed unless you have a disability and have registered with the DSPS office.
COMPUTER USE is acceptable

6. More F.A.Q.’s
How to study and get a good grade -I use power points slides as an orientation tool to give you a sense of where we are in the class. I don’t expect you to write down everything contained in the slides. They are visual aids only. I post the power point slides on the website.
Write down the main points of the lecture. They will supplement and highlight the information in the book.
Combine your lecture notes with the information in the book, add your common sense and critical thinking ability, and you should have no problem getting a good grade in the class.

7. Sample quiz questions Who were the sophists?
What did the Hagia Triada Sarcophagus and the Harvester Vase depict?
Why was Julius Caesar killed?
Wife was jealous of his affairs
Roman aristocrats thought he was interfering with their affairs
His violations of the constitution
B and C
None of the above

8. More F.A.Q.’s
Late work-I accept it, but it is graded down one grade for each class period late
Reading-I expect you to do the assigned reading before you come to class.
Tests-The questions may be short answer, multiple choice, or essay questions.
Group Assignments: Students learn in many ways. Some do well on exams, and others do better working in groups. I try to include at least one assignment per class for the latter group.

9. A typical class: Lecture Video and discussion Group assignment
Quiz on reading assigned the previous week, or on the video, or both, or something else
Some quizzes may done in your groups

10. Schedule and Readings-Part One
Introduction, pre-history, and Mesopotamia-Ch. 1
Egypt-Ch. 2
Early Greece-Minoans, Mycenaeans-Ch. 3
Poets-Homer-Iliad, Odyssey-Ch. 4
Poets-Sappho, others-Ch. 7
Archaic Age/ Rise of Athens-Ch. 4
Greek theater-Ch. 5
Athens: The Golden Age/Pericles-Ch. 5
Philosophers-Ch. 4 and 6
Artistic Expression-Ch. 7
Decline of classical age and rise of Alexander-Ch. 6

11. Schedule and Readings Part Two-Rome
Early Rome-Ch. 8
Traditions and Values-Ch. 8
Roman Republic-Ch. 8
Julius Caesar-Ch. 8
Augustus and the Empire-Ch. 8
Decline and Fall-Ch. 8
Roman Literature-Ch. 8
Roman Art and Architecture-Ch. 9
NOTE: This schedule is tentative and subject to change

12. VIDEOS
During the semester several video documentaries will be shown in class. You may write about any or all of them for five points EXTRA CREDIT per video. Each report should be a MINIMUM of one page. They are due by the last day of class.
You are to write:
A summary of each video describing what it is about
An evaluation of how successful the video was in presenting the information to you
Things to look for in evaluating a video:
Does the video “show” (movie footage, location shots, maps, still photos, etc.) or does it “tell” (talking heads, narrator)
What you liked about the video and why
What you didn’t like about the video and why

13. Videos Video reports are to be typed and double-spaced
Use New Roman font and note the following:
Size 10 font:: Too small
Size 12 font: Acceptable
Size 14 font: The largest size acceptable
Size 16 font: Too big!

14. Important Dates 9/11/09-Last date to add class
9/25-9/27-Last dates to drop classes without receiving a “W”
11/26-11/29-Thanksgiving
11/20-11/22-Last dates to drop class with a “W”
Letter grade required after 11/22
Final exam-12/17/09-7-9pm

15. Miscellaneous
I look forward to having a fun and instructive semester with you