Honors Seminar in the Humanities

back Honors Seminar in the Humanities

HON – 1241 -004

Fall 2003

Dr. Eugene McCarraher

Office: 475 St. Augustine Center MWF 8:30-9:20 a.m.

Office Phone: 519-4796 Honors Seminar Room

Ofice Hours: MWF 10:30-11:15 or by appt. St. Augustine Center

In the first half of the Honors Seminar in Humanities, students read, discuss, and write about texts from ancient, medieval, and early modern civilizations. They also examine these texts with a number of themes or questions in mind, especially those reflecting concerns of St. Augustine. In this course, we will concentrate primarily on the question, “What is the good society?” Thus, discussions and papers will focus, not only on philosophical, moral, and religious matters, but on social, economic, and political issues as well. In fact, one aim of this course is to demonstrate that these sets of issues, often considered unconnected or only slightly related, are actually quite inseparably bound together.

Books

The following books are required and can be purchased at the university bookstore.

God, et. al., The Catholic Study Bible (Oxford, 0195283910)

Alberti, The Family in Renaissance Florence (Waveland, 0881338214)

Augustine, City of God (Penguin, 0140444262)

Plato, The Republic (Penguin, 0140440488)

Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice (Penguin, 0140714626)

Diana Hacker, A Writer’s Reference (

I will also be distributing short, xeroxed excerpts from other works.

Class Policies, The Writing Portfolio, and Grading

The main purpose of this course is to foster critical intelligence, refine expressive skill, and cultivate a humane and cosmopolitan outlook. Therefore, I require informed and vigorous participation in class discussions, as well as well-crafted reflection on the essay questions I assign. Your grade will be determined by class participation (40%) and a writing portfolio (60%).

I will evaluate your participation in class discussions in terms of frequency and substance. While I realize that not all of you are naturally talkative, the ability to contribute your thoughts on a text, together with the capacity to give and receive criticism, develops communicative skills that you’ll need elsewhere in life. Moreover, I’ve found that exchanges in class improve the substance and sharpness of written work.

You must also have a writing portfolio in which you will keep every reaction paper, essay draft, and finished paper. The writing portfolio will enable me to trace and assess the development of your critical skills and expressive prowess. I will collect these portfolios with each submission of a formal essay. There will be three formal, graded essays, one of which will be your final examination. Two of these papers will be 5-7 pages in length; the final will be 7-10 pages in length. You will hand in a finished draft of each essay, which I will return to you with criticism and commentary. I will not accept outlines, sketches, or interesting ideas; a draft is itself a completed essay, submitted for evaluation. In any or all of these exercises, I will be asking you to compile and classify evidence for positions; compare and contrast ideas; examine and evaluate arguments; and assess the strengths and weaknesses of texts. When you hand in your final exam essay, you will hand in the entire portfolio, as well as a brief self-assessment in which you discuss how you believe your writing may have improved (or not) over the semester. A writing portfolio does more than provide me with a reliable grading procedure. It can also give you a very satisfying sense of accomplishment and craftsmanship.

The Writing Center, located in Old Falvey Library, is a useful and even indispensable place to go for advice on writing. Even the best of writers could benefit from the assistance you can receive there. Make your appointments early, as other instructors will be requiring visits to the Center.

As for attendance, I will follow the policy outlined in the Enchiridion, the undergraduate handbook. As for academic integrity, I assume it when your turn in essays. If you violate the policy set forth in Appendix I of the Enchridion, your essay will receive an F and you will be reported for your offense. Any second violation will result in an F for the course and another report.

Course Schedule

August 25 – Introduction

August 27 – Reports

August 29 – Reports
September 1 – Labor Day – No Class

September 3 – Genesis

September 4 – St. Thomas of Villanova Day – Attendance Mandatory

September 5 – Genesis

September 8 – Genesis

September 10 – Plato, The Republic

September 12 – Plato, The Republic

September 15 – Plato, The Republic

September 17 – Plato, The Republic

September 19 – Plato, The Republic

September 22 – Plato, The Republic

September 24 – Luke

September 26 – Luke

Draft of Paper #1 due

September 29 – Luke

October 1 – Paul

October 3 – Paul

Paper #1 due

October 6 – Augustine, City of God

October 8 – Augustine, City of God

October 10 – Augustine, City of God

October 13-17 – Fall Break

October 20 – Augustine, City of God

October 22 – Augustine, City of God

October 24 – Augustine, City of God

October 27 – Augustine, City of God

October 29 – Gladiator

October 31 – Gladiator;

Draft of Paper #2 due

November 3 – Discussion of Gladiator

November 5 – Medieval morality play

November 7 – Medieval morality play;

Paper #2 due

November 10 – Alberti, Family in Renaissance Florence

November 12 – Alberti, Family in Renaissance Florence

November 14 – Alberti, Family in Renaissance Florence

November 17 – Renaissance art

November 19 – Renaissance art

November 21 – Renaissance art

November 24 – No class

November 26-28 – Thanksgiving Break

December 1 – Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice

December 3 – Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice

December 5 – Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice

December 8 – Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice

December 9 (Friday class schedule) – Shakespeare, Merchant of Venice

Draft of Paper #3 (Final) due

December 10 – Wrap-up

December 13-19 -- Paper #3 due during Finals Week