1. Greek & Roman Humanities
Professor Will Adams · Wadams5@valenciacollege.edu
Osceola Campus – Building 2, Room 232
Wednesdays, 3:00 – 5:45 PM
Hum2220-300.blogspot.com
“Wise men talk because they have something to say, fools because they have to say something.” - Plato
Course Description
 Greek & Roman Humanities offers the student integrated examinations of dominant developments in the Classical civilizations as expressed in art, architecture, politics, literature, music, philosophy and religion.
 The course will cover the period from the Paleolithic era through the birth of Russia, and will emphasize the development and influence of classical thoughts and ideals.
 This course is a Gordon Rule course, in which the student is required to demonstrate college-level writing skills through multiple writing assignments. A minimum grade of C required if used to satisfy Gordon Rule requirement.
Course Objectives
 To understand the continuation and evolution of the human experience by thinking critically about humanity’s artistic, cultural, and intellectual development.
 To broaden the student’s knowledge of the ideas and personalities associated with the Greek and Roman civilizations.
 To learn, internalize, and utilize vocabulary specific to the period covered by this course.
 To appreciate the legacy left behind by both the Greek and Roman civilizations.
 To learn skills essential to critical thinking and synthesis of thought by carrying out scholarly research and authoring thoughtful essays.
 To attend cultural events in order to recognize the continued relevance of the sometimes-ancient ideas being discussed throughout the class’s duration.
Required Textbook
Gloria K. Fiero, The Humanistic Tradition, Book 1.
Additional readings as assigned throughout the semester

2. Evaluation Formula
1. Attendance & Class Participation 25%
 Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class meeting, and count as part of the attendance & participation grade.
 The professor should hear each student’s voice at least once per class meeting.
 Please be aware that, under Valencia’s Attendance Policy, there is no such thing as an “excused absence”.
2. Cultural Event with Written Evaluation 10%
 You will be required to attend one cultural event throughout the class’s duration.
 The instructor throughout the class’s duration may suggest various events to you, but it is ultimately your own responsibility to find and attend an approved cultural event.
 Proof of attendance at said event must be furnished (i.e. ticket stub, program, souvenir, etc).
 A two-page “reaction” (i.e. non-research) paper is required. Be sure to answer the following questions: What did I do? What did I think of it? What did I learn?
3. Research Project 25%
 One five page written research project is required.
 Proper MLA style citation should be used for all written assignments.
 One draft may be turned in for the professor’s perusal two weeks prior to the due date.
 Plagiarism = A grade of zero. No exceptions.
 Wikipedia = A grade of zero. No exceptions.
 All research projects should be stapled or bound by the student
 A detailed research project description will be distributed at a later date.
4. Quizzes 10%
 Four short-form quizzes will be administered throughout the course of the class.
 The administration of quizzes will not be announced beforehand.
 The format that the quizzes appear in may vary.
5. Examinations 30%
 Four long-form examinations will be administered.
 Examinations will not be cumulative in their subject matter.
 You will be given a study guide for exams, at the instructor’s discretion.
Grading Scale
100 – 90% = A
89 – 80% = B
79 – 70% = C
69 – 60% = D
59 – 0% = F

3. Class Meeting Schedule Date Task Wednesday, August 27th
Introduce class, distribute and discuss syllabus.
Paleolithic cave art lecture & activity.
Read for next class: Pages 1 – 15 (Paleolithic Culture through Creation Tales). Wednesday, September 3rd
The earliest ancient written languages & religion.
Translation in-class activity.
Read for next class: Pages 16 – 61 (Mesopotamia through Western Sudan: Nok Culture). Wednesday, September 10th
The epic, Gilgamesh & modern epics.
Embalming & Egyptian funerary architecture
Sarcophagus lid in-class activity
Read for next class: Pages 28 – 89 (Arts in Mesopotamia through Reading from Thucydides’ Peloponnesian Wars). Wednesday, September 17th
EXAM #1
The Art & Culture of the Ancient Aegean Civilizations lecture Wednesday, September 24th
Greek mythology & heroes
RESEARCH PROJECTS ASSIGNED & LIBRARY VISIT
Read for next class: Pages 89 – 99 (The Olympic Games through Reading from Aristotle’s Poetics). Wednesday, October 1st
Dionysus & Ancient Greek Theatre
Watch Medea in class Wednesday, October 8th
Ancient Greek Philosophy
Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics Deconstructed
Read for next class: Pages 100 – 122 (Greek Philosophy: The Speculative Leap through The Classical Ideal: Male and Female). Wednesday, October 15th
EXAM #2
The Persian Wars
Begin watching 300 Wednesday, October 22nd
Finish watching 300
The Classical orders & the great temples of ancient Greece.
Classical architecture homework.
Read for next class: Pages 122 – 135 (Greek Architecture: The Parthenon through The Diffusion of the Classical Style: The Hellenistic Age). Wednesday, October 29th
The Life & legacy of Alexander The Great lecture
The Roman Republic & What Is Satire?
Read for next class: Pages 137 – 158 (Rome: The Rise to Empire through Roman Architecture). Wednesday, November 5th
Rome In Peril: The Punic Wars
Rome’s Best & Craziest Emperors

4. Read for next class: Pages 159 – 161 (Roman Sculpture) Wednesday, November 12th
EXAM #3
The Coliseum’s Bloody History & Its Legacy
Begin watching Ancient Rome, The Modern Stadium
Read for next class: Pages 162 – 164 (Roman Painting through The Fall of Rome). Wednesday, November 19th
RESEARCH PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
Pompeii: Roman Time Capsule
The Emergence of Christianity in Ancient Rome Wednesday, November 26th
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY Wednesday, December 3rd
CULTURAL EVENT DUE
The Byzantine Era: An Empire Evolves
The Slavs, The Mongols, and The Birth of Russia lecture Wednesday, December 10th
FINAL EXAM – 3:00 PM
Guidelines for Written Work
 All written work should be set in Times New Roman 12 point font, with double spacing and standard 1” page margins.
 Additionally, each written assignment (with the exception of the research project) should begin with the following header, placed at the top, left corner of the first page:
Your First & Last Name
HUM2220 – 3:00 PM
Prof. Will Adams
Assignment Due Date (MM/DD/YYYY)
 The student must staple assignments of more than one page; the instructor will not provide a stapler for your use.
 Finally, minimum page totals for any written assignment require that the written page be filled in its entirety to count as one page.
 In other words, if a written assignment requires 2 pages, but the student only writes 1.5, the student will not earn all possible points for the assignment.
Class Conduct
Conduct yourself with courtesy, consideration, and respect for others.

5. Extra Credit Policy
 Each quiz or test throughout the class’s duration will include one extra credit question equal to 10% of the quiz or test’s total point value (i.e. A five point extra credit question for a fifty point test).
 In addition, extra credit may be earned by writing more than the required number of pages for any written assignment.
 Extra credit for extra written work will be given up to a maximum of 15% of the assignment’s total point value.
 No other extra credit opportunities will be available.
Late & Make-Up Policy
 No late work will be accepted.
 No work will be accepted via e-mail.
 Quizzes or exams must be taken on, or before, the date assigned – and only with the instructor’s explicit consent.
 The final exam must be taken on the date published for final exams.
Attendance
 Students are expected to attend every class. Attendance will be taken and will count as a portion of the final grade. After the FOURTH absence, a student has missed two full weeks of class. A notice of Excessive Absences may be issued and the student may be withdrawn at the professor’s discretion.
 It is always the student’s responsibility to contact the professor about issues that may lead to excessive absences. It is also the student’s responsibility to arrange to receive class notes or handouts from missed classes from his or her fellow students.
 Do not contact the instructor for this information without contacting your classmates or checking the blog first!
 Please note that there is no such thing as an “Excused Absence” (even with a doctor’s note, death in the family, etc.) under Valencia’s Attendance Policy.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism is intellectual theft and will not be tolerated. Presentation of the ideas and words of others as if they are your own work constitutes plagiarism. This includes use of material from books, the Internet or any other source. The student is expected to perform his or her own research and present his or her own thoughts. Direct use of another author’s words or ideas, as well as paraphrasing must be cited. Each student is expected to be in complete compliance with the college policy on academic honesty as set forth in the college catalog and the student handbook.
Plagiarism in any work will result in a grade of zero for that assignment.

6. Computer & Equipment Use Policy
 Use of computers in the Business, IT, and Public Service classrooms at Valencia
 College is restricted to those activities designated by the instructor to enhance the class materials. Any other use is strictly forbidden. Inappropriate use includes, but is not limited to:
 Use of computer to send E-mail or access Internet sites not specifically assigned in class.
 Use of computer for job, internship, homework or other activities not assigned in class.
 Modifying any hardware or software system configuration or setting.
 Activities not in accordance with the Valencia Student Code of Conduct
 Use of computers in the departmental open lab is limited to those activities involved with preparing homework or coursework in this department and is subject to the same restriction as listed above.
 Computer use is remotely monitored; any student using computers inappropriately may be subject to dismissal from class or banishment from the lab. Subsequent offense may be sent to the campus administration for further disciplinary action.
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who qualify for academic accommodations must provide a notification from the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) and discuss specific needs with the professor, preferably during the first two weeks of class. The Office for Students with Disabilities determines accommodations based on appropriate documentation of disabilities.
Disclaimer
This outline may be altered, at the instructor’s discretion, during the course of the term. It is the responsibility of the student to make any adjustments as announced.