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1. Greek & Roman Humanities
Professor Will Adams · Wadams5@valenciacollege.edu
Osceola Campus – Building 3, Room 208
Tuesdays & Thursdays, 8:00 – 9:35 AM
“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, ISBN 9781308725567

2. Evaluation Formula
1. Attendance & Class Participation 30%
§ 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”.
§ This also includes any in-class assignment or group work, as well as homework assignments.
2. Cultural Event with Written Evaluation 15%
§ 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 4-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.
§ 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 later.
4. 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
Tuesday, May 8 Activity: Introduce class, distribute and discuss syllabus.
Thursday, May 10 Lecture: Paleolithic cave art
Activity: Cave painting
Tuesday, May 15 MEET IN LIBRARY
RESEARCH PROJECTS ASSIGNED & LIBRARY VISIT
Thursday, May 17 Lecture: The earliest ancient written languages & religion.
Activity: Translation competition
Tuesday, May 22 Lecture: Embalming & Egyptian funerary architecture
Homework: Sarcophagus lid
Thursday, May 24 Exam #1 – In Testing Center (Building 4)
Tuesday, May 29 Memorial Day Make-Up Holiday – NO CLASS
READ via BLACKBOARD: Greek Mythology
Thursday, May 31 Read via Canvas: Lecture: Dionysus & Ancient Greek Theatre
Tuesday, June 5 Watch Medea in class
Thursday, June 7 Watch Medea in class
Tuesday, June 12 Lecture: Ancient Greek Philosophy
Thursday, June 14 Exam #2 – In Building 3, Room 208
Tuesday, June 19 Lecture: Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics Deconstructed
Thursday, June 21 Lecture: The Classical orders & the great temples of ancient
Greece.
Tuesday, June 26 Lecture: The Roman Republic & What Is Satire?
Thursday, June 28 Lecture: Rome’s Best & Craziest Emperors
Tuesday, July 3 Watch Roman Emperors documentary in class
Thursday, July 5 Exam #3 – In Building 3, Room 208
Tuesday, July 10 Lecture: The Coliseum’s Bloody History & Its Legacy
Thursday, July 12 Lecture: Pompeii: Roman Time Capsule
Tuesday, July 17 RESEARCH PROJECT DUE & PRESENTATIONS
Thursday, July 19 Lecture: The Emergence of Christianity in Ancient Rome
Tuesday, July 24 Lecture: The Byzantine Era: An Empire Evolves
Read via Canvas: The Slavs, The Mongols & The Birth of
Russia
Thursday, July 26 CULTURAL EVENT DUE

4. Exam #4 – In Building 3, Room 208
Guidelines for Written Work
§ All written work should be set in Arial 12-point font, with double spacing and standard 1” page margins.
§ Additionally, each written assignment (except for the research project) should begin with the following
header, placed at the top, left corner of the first page:
Your First & Last Name
HUM2220 – 8:00 AM
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.
Extra Credit Policy
§ Each exam throughout the class’s duration will include one extra credit question equal to 10% of the
exam’s total point value (i.e. A five-point extra credit question for a fifty-point exam).
§ 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.
§ Exams must be taken on, or before, the date assigned – and only with the instructor’s explicit consent.
Attendance

5. 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.
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.
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 term. It is the responsibility of the
student to make any adjustments as announced.