SPRING 2008
HRS 101: HONORS FOUNDATION SEQUENCE II: THE RISE OF THE WEST
COURSE DESCRIPTION
A study of the formation and development of Christian Europe from Antiquity and the Middle Ages to the Renaissance and the Reformation. Grounded on an examination of literary texts in their historical and cultural contexts, the course will pay special attention to the interplay and conflicts of Christian, Germanic and Greco-Roman influences in the shaping of Western values and ideas. Texts studied
include Beowulf, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Romance
of Tristan and Iseult, Dante's Inferno, Malory's
Morte d'Arthur, Shakespeare's Hamlet, Cervantes' Don Quixote, and others. In addition to literary texts, the course will also address a number of films--such as Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal (1957), Franco Zeffirelli's Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972), and recent adaptations of Beowulf (2005 and 2007, directed by Sturla Gunnarsson and Robert Zemeckis respectively) --relevant to the understanding and critique of Christianity and Western culture.
TEXTBOOKS (available at Creighton Bookstore):
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
1) Three Quizzes (10% each, 30% total)
Quizzes will feature objective questions on facts and historical and cultural information relevant to the texts and contexts studied in the course. Questions on the quizzes will be formulated on the basis of information offered in class, in the texts read, and in the supplied online materials. In general, students should be able to answer questions regarding: dates of major historical and other events surrounding a text or issue studied in the course; authors' and texts' names and dates of activity/composition; texts' contents, vehicles of transmission, language, sources and influences; names and locations of geographical areas associated with the authors/texts read; distinctions between the facts of the fictional setting and of the historical composition of a text; the main actions or situations described in the texts read, including the names of major characters and significant details; any relevant literary, historical, cultural, religious or other terminology relevant to a text or context. The format of the quiz questions will be primarily short answer but may also include multiple choice or other formats. At least three quizzes will be administered during the semester (see schedule below for specific dates). 15 minutes will be allowed for each quiz.
2) Response Paper (15%)
Length: 5 pages. This paper will respond to a question provided by the instructor and must offer close reading and analysis of the literary or other passages supplied with the question. This paper must be submitted electronically (Microsoft Word .doc or Rich Text Format .rtf). For essay expectations and grading criteria see Grading Standards and Procedures, and Grading of Essays and Other Written Work. See schedule below for submission deadline.
3) Term Paper and Presentation (30%)
Lenght: 10 pages. The paper will be developed in two stages including a first draft (5 pages) and the final copy (10 pages) (see schedule below for deadlines). All drafts will be submitted electronically (Microsoft Word .doc or Rich Text Format .rtf). Papers may address any issue relevant to the interpretation of the character and role of Christianity in Western culture during the time periods and within the cultural/intellectual contexts studied in the course. It is strongly recommended that papers be focused on the close reading and interpretation of a specific passage, image(s). or situations in a relevant literary text. In addition to analysis and interpretation, papers must also include objective research and must cite at least 5 recent scholarly sources. Students may choose to develop the topic of their response paper (see item 2 above) for the term paper itself. All papers must follow the guidelines provided by the instructor (click here for details). For further information on the writing and grading of papers see Grading Standards and Procedures, and Grading of Essays and Other Written Work. All papers will be presented to the class at the end of the term ( 5 minutes will be allowed for a a brief statement of the topic, main ideas and findings of the paper. Use of audiovisual and other tools and materials (Powerpoint/Storybook slides, video, music, images, sounds, outlines, handouts, etc) is strongly encouraged in the presentations.
4) Participation, Involvement, and Other Performance (25%)
In addition to other grades, the instructor will assess and grade each student's overall accomplishment, development, and involvement in the course. This grade will take into account aspects of a student's performance such as class participation, preparation, contributions, effort, attentiveness, interest, improvement, responsibility, and constructive engagement of the course ideas and materials.
5) Outside-of-Class Film Screenings and Discussions
At least three times during the semester, films will be screened during evening sessions (times, dates and places to be announced), followed by discussion. Students are expected to attend these sessions. Students unable to attend the sessions for significant reasons (work, academic obligations, etc.) will be excused but will remain responsible for viewing the films on their own. Fulfillment of this requirement will be taken into account in the "Participation, Involvement and Other Performance" and the "Attendance" grade category. Unexcused absences will be counted toward the attendance percentage.
6) Other Policies
Deadlines: Make-ups/extensions for a missed deadline will only be given in cases of documented serious illness or other valid, non-frivolous excuse such as documented participation in official University academic, service or sports events (it will be up to the instructor to determine and decide on the acceptability of an excuse). Otherwise, students must meet all deadlines specified in the syllabus.
Attendance Policy: An attendance measurement will be calculated equal to the percentage of total class time attended. The course grade may not exceed that percentage (i.e. if a student attended only 75% of the total class time, the course grade may not be higher than 75 or C). Notice also that, at the discretion of the instructor, any student missing more than 30% of the total class time may fail the course. Except for outside-of-class events like film screenings, all absences, regardless of the reason, will be taken into account in the calculation of the attendance percentage.
Academic Honesty and Class Conduct Policy: All students in the class are expected to observe the University's guidelines on student conduct as described in the Code of Conduct and Creighton University's Student Handbook (especially the section on "Academic Honesty Policy" dealing with problems of plagiarism, cheating, etc.). All work turned in for credit in this course must be personal and original, produced during the course of the semester and for the specific purposes and according to the guidelines of the given assignments. Any misrepresentations, concealments, or distortions of source, origin, collaboration or authorship of such materials will be considered forms of academic dishonesty and will result in failing the given assignment or, at the discretion of the instructor, the entire course. Problems such as repeated lateness arriving to class (or departing early), inattentiveness, or disruptive behavior will adversely affect attendance and/or the class participation grade. Seriously disruptive behavior can also result, at the discretion of the instructor, in more severe penalties, including failing the entire course.
Email Communication: The University considers a student's Creighton email address the official means of communication with faculty and administrators. All students are responsible for checking their email messages as they might contain important and time-sensitive information relevant to the course, including notifications on changes to reading and other assignments, deadlines, class cancellations or reschedulings, etc. A student who prefers to receive email at a different address must inform the instructor.
Special Needs or Accommodations: Any student requiring special arrangements or other accommodations, due to disabilities and or other special circumstances, is encouraged to request such arrangements from the instructor and the Office of Disability Accommodations.
Grading
All aspects of the course will be graded on a 100-point scale where 90-100 = A, 87-89 = B+, 80-86 = B, 77-79 = C+, 70-76 = C, 60-69 = D, and 0-59 = F. For further information on grading see documents entitled "Grading Standards and Procedures" and "Grading of Essays and Other Written Work." At the discretion of the instructor, a normative curve may be applied to the grades at the end of the term. The course grade will be calculated according to the following formula:
| Quizzes | 30% |
| Response Paper | 15% |
| Term Paper | 30% |
|
Participation and Other Performance |
25% |
|
Total |
100% |
SCHEDULE
Students must complete the reading by the date indicated.
READ BOTH THE MATERIAL ASSIGNED IN THE TEXTBOOKS AS WELL AS ALL ONLINE MATERIALS LINKED THROUGH THE UNDERLINED ENTRIES IN THIS SCHEDULE.
Thu Jan 10
Tue Jan 15
Thu Jan 17
Tue Jan 22
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Tue Jan 29
Thu Jan 31
Tue Feb 05
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Tue Mar 04
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Tue Mar 11
Thu Mar 13
Tue Mar 18
Thu Mar 20
Tue Mar 25
Thu Mar 27
Tue Apr 01
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Tue Apr 08
Thu Apr 10
Tue Apr 15
Thu Apr 17
Tue Apr 22
Thu Apr 24
Thu May 1
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