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Freshman Foundations 100 Course Policies Al Drake. Office: 231 Wilkinson, MW 2:15-3:15 | 714-434-1612 Course Objectives: We shall study texts from Western literature, philosophy, and political science. The course is broad in scope, beginning with Homer's Odyssey and ending with Albert Camus' The Stranger. Lectures will provide an understanding of the works' historical context, structures, and themes, while classroom discussion will center on attention to key points in the texts. Where appropriate, we shall explore the links we find among our various readings. But the most general purpose of a broad survey like ours is to introduce a variety of books and disciplines in a way that encourages you to begin discovering what most interests you. My aim is not to "explain away" our readings by offering definitive interpretations; rather, it is communicate what I find valuable in the readings and challenge you to do the same. Along the way, I'll offer my insights on the process of reading. Above all, I would like everyone in this class to leave with more confidence in his or her own ability to read with discernment and to interest others in what seems most valuable about a given work. I have some further thoughts to offer, so please read the following two handouts as time permits: How to Get the Most from College Using the Internet and Email Efficiently Required Texts Available at the Campus Bookstore (between the Law School Building and the Parking Structure): Alighieri, Dante. Inferno. Transl. Allen Mandelbaum. New York: Bantam, 1982. ISBN: 0553213393, paperback. Borges, Jorge Luis. Ficciones. Transl. Anthony Bonner. New York: Grove Press, 1989. ISBN: 0802130305, paperback. Camus, Albert. The Stranger. Transl. Matthew Ward. New York: Vintage, 1989. ISBN: 0679720200, paperback. Dostoyevsky, Fyodor. Notes from Underground / The Double. Transl. Jessie Coulson. New York: Penguin, 1972. ISBN: 0140442529, paperback. Homer. The Odyssey. Transl. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 1999. ISBN: 0140268863, paperback. Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. 2nd edition. New York: Norton, 1992. ISBN: 0393962202, paperback. Marx, Karl and Friedrich Engels. The Communist Manifesto. New York: International Publishers, 1948. ISBN: 0717802418, paperback. Ovid. Metamorphoses. Transl. A.D. Melville. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1986. ISBN 019283472X, paperback. Plato. The Symposium. Transl. Robin Waterfield. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1994. ISBN: 0192834274, paperback. Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Confessions. Transl. Angela Scholar. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000. ISBN: 0192822756, paperback. Shakespeare, William. Titus Andronicus. New York: Penguin, 2000. ISBN: 014071491X, paperback. Voltaire. Candide. Transl. Robert Adams. New York: Norton, 19xx. ISBN: 0393960587, paperback. Major Study Units: The course will follow a chronological order, and it will consist in the following major period divisions: ancient, medieval, Renaissance, Enlightenment, Romantic, nineteenth-century, and twentieth-century. Classroom Strategies: Lecture; class discussion based on prior study questions and impromptu questions; web study guides by instructor. There will be a strong web presence for the course, with as many materials as possible being made available online as well as (in some cases or as requested) in "hard copy." An online discussion forum is available from this course web, and students are encouraged to use it to air questions and offer insights. If there is a demand for it, I shall offer review sessions, and of course I will hold regular office hours. Methods of Evaluation: Methods of Evaluation: There will be two relatively brief (#1 3-5 page, #2 5-7-page) papers, and an in-class midterm and final. I'll determine percentages for these assignments as seems best, though a likely breakdown would be 15% for paper #1, 25% for the midterm, 25% for paper #2, and 35% for the final exam. Students are encouraged to keep a journal of responses to study questions available on our course web site. Those who do so and turn in a copy of their journals at the midterm and final will receive an appropriate amount of extra credit on the relevant exam, ranging from nil to 2/3 grade, depending on how much work has been done. See the study questions for journal instructions. If you regularly maintain a journal, you will no doubt find the lectures more worthwhile and will perform better on the exams, quite aside from any extra credit you may receive. Classroom participation is encouraged. Please be aware that exam and paper due dates are subject to change at the instructor's discretion. Attendance, Make-up Exams, Paper Drafts, Recording Lectures: Regular attendance is required; missing more than three classes is likely to result in an appropriately lowered course grade. However, I understand that there are times when busy people need to miss a class, so at appropriate points I'll make a cd of lectures to date and place it on library reserve. (I tape class sessions with a digital voice recorder, so that is no inconvenience.) You have my permission to tape lectures, but I urge you not to let taping keep you from taking good notes -- a tape recording is not as valuable as wisely arranged notes! As for make-up exams, they will be possible at the mutual convenience of instructor and student, with one provision: the exam will be 2/3 of a grade lower than it would otherwise have been. That makes it foolish to miss an exam needlessly, and yet not disastrous if (due to injury or emergency) you can't take the exam on the scheduled date. Late final drafts of papers will be marked down 2/3 grade for the first three days of lateness, and one full grade thereafter. I reserve the right not to accept papers more than one week late, and I will not accept final drafts not preceded by a rough draft. A paper becomes late when one doesn't get it to me (in person or as an email attachment) by midnight on the day the paper is due in class. If you email your paper, I will respond with a verification that I've received it; it is your responsibility to call me at 714-434-1612 if you do not receive a timely verification message. Plagiarism: As I'm sure everyone in this class knows, cheating on papers and tests will result in an "F" for the course and more -- in severe or repeated cases, it can lead to suspension or even expulsion from school altogether. But since many problems in this area are caused by students not yet knowing how to deal with source materials, I require that everyone read my guides Proper Citation and Plagiphrasing before writing the first paper. Additional Requirements: Please maintain access to the internet and check your email regularly--this is a course with a strong online presence. Chapman U LInks: Chapman U Home Page | Wilkinson College of Letters and Science | School of Communication Arts | Department of English Literature | Undergraduate Catalog | Thurmond Clarke Memorial Library
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