Augustine and Culture: Fate, Guilt, and Luck
Fall 2010, ACS 1000-G15
Tues & Thurs 1:00 - 2:15 pm
Driscoll Hall 223
Dr. Jesse Couenhoven
or
jesse.couenhoven@villanova.edu
(both are forwarded to:
jesse.couenhoven@gmail.com)
Office: SAC 473; Office hours:
T/Th 2:30-3:30 and by appointment
Course Goals:
1. Developing close reading skills in a variety of genres by immersing ourselves
in important ancient, medieval, Reformation and Renaissance texts.
2. Improving writing skills by extensive practice in writing and rewriting.
3. Developing skills in leading and contributing to discussions.
Academic Integrity:
Students are expected to adhere to the most rigorous standards of academic
integrity. The Arts and Sciences academic integrity policy will be followed
scrupulously. Students who plagiarize or cheat on any assignment will receive
either an F for the assignment or for the course (at my discretion, depending on
the seriousness of the violation), and a letter will be filed with the student's
dean and with the Vice President for Academic Affairs. A second offense in this
or any other course at Villanova will result in dismissal from the university. A
permanent indication of the reason for dismissal will appear on the student’s
transcript.
Learning Disabilities:
Villanova attempts to make reasonable accommodations for persons with
disabilities. Persons with disabilities that might affect their academic
performance should contact me, or register with the Learning Support Office at
610-519-5636 or
nancy.mott@villanova.edu
as soon as possible. Registration is necessary in order to receive
accommodations.
Class Attendance and Participation:
This is a seminar, not a lecture class, so students are expected to attend and
participate in all class sessions. By
university policy, students who are absent from more than 4 class sessions
without a proper excuse (a note from a physician, dean, or coach) will receive
an F for the course.
It’s not enough to show up for class; you should come prepared to contribute to
class discussion. Feel free to say whatever you want about the texts and themes
of the course (don’t just say what you think I or your classmates will agree
with), but be prepared to back up what you say with arguments and textual
references. To receive an “A” for class participation you must both be engaged
and show that you have thought carefully about your contributions.
Thought Papers:
Writing—like any skill—is improved by practice. To ensure that you write
regularly throughout the semester, and to help you improve your skills at close
readings, you must submit 10 1-page thought papers during the course of the
semester. You should submit 1 paper each week, beginning the second week of the
semester, and not including the week of Thanksgiving break. If for any week you
do not hand in a thought paper, you may
not make it up; just hand a paper in the following week. You are responsible
to keep track of how many thought papers you have written; I suggest you write
the number of the thought paper after your name at the top of the page.
Each thought paper should summarize between 1 and 3 of the main points you think
were made in the reading for the class day on which you hand your thought paper
in, and reflect briefly on that material. Again, submit these papers once a week
at the beginning of either class; they must pertain to the readings for that
class period. You must always include 2-3 "discussion questions," questions that
interest you and you think might also be interesting or important for the class
to talk about. Your paper should show that you have carefully read the
text and thought about the issues it raises. It's important to give
references and possibly a quotation so I know what parts of the text you are
reflecting on.
My thought process when grading thought papers focuses on answering these two
questions: "Has this student read carefully, and considered how the
reading relates to the themes of the course? How well has s/he prepared to
contribute in class?" The papers are graded on a simple scale from 1 to 5, a 3
being average.
Cultural Events:
Each student is required to attend 3 cultural events during the semester and
submit an ungraded one-page reaction
paper on each event. These events may be on or off campus, but they should
relate in some way to the content of our course—the readings or the discussions
in class. Cultural event papers can be handed in via paper or email attachment
at any time, and are due before the reading period; I will not return them to
you.
Writing Center:
You must go to the University Writing Center (located in Old Falvey Library) in
conjunction with your first graded essay assignment. This requirement does not
assume that you are not a good writer, only that you can be a better writer than
you presently are. Make your appointment
well ahead of time, or you will find that the Center is booked up and you cannot
schedule a meeting in time for the due date.
Regarding Assignments:
Please email me a copy of each paper in Word format, as an attachment; I will
email it back to you with comments. Essays should be double spaced, 12 point
Times New Roman (or similar) font, 1 inch margins. Topics will be assigned ahead
of time, but I am happy to allow you to write on a topic of your own choosing if
you pass it by me first.
You may rewrite the first or second
paper assigned for this class (but not both); your grade will improve only if
you make significant improvements to your paper. Use the “track changes”
function in Word so I can easily see your revisions at a glance.
If you don’t know how to do that, I’ll be happy to tell you, or you can
use Word’s “help” function. Revisions should be handed in by the end of our last
class period.
Grading criteria are as follows (taken from the Student Handbook):
A
The highest grade possible; an honor grade, reserved for accomplishment
that is truly distinctive and demonstrably outstanding. It represents a superior
mastery of course material, a very high degree of understanding, and originality
or creativity appropriate to the nature of the course. The grade indicates that
the student works independently with unusual effectiveness and often takes the
initiative in seeking new knowledge outside the formal confines of the course.
B
A grade that denotes achievement considerably above acceptable standards.
It represents a good mastery of course materials, and a high degree of
originality or creativity. The grade indicates that the student works well
independently and often demonstrates initiative. Analysis, synthesis, and
critical expression, oral or written, are considerably above average.
C
Indicates a satisfactory degree of attainment and is the acceptable
standard for graduation from college. It is the grade that may be expected of a
student of average ability who gives to the work a reasonable amount of time and
effort. This grade implies familiarity with the content of the course and
acceptable mastery of course material; it implies that the student displays some
evidence of originality or creativity, works independently at an acceptable
level, and completes all requirements.
D
Denotes a limited understanding of the subject matter, meeting only the
minimum requirement for passing the course. It signifies work which in quality
and/or quantity falls below the average acceptable standard for passing the
course. Performance is deficient in analysis, synthesis, and critical
expression; there is little evidence of originality or creativity.
Grade Breakdown:
Making use of the Writing Center
(pass/fail)
3 Cultural Events (pass/fail)
Class participation
14%
10 thought papers
10%
Essays 1, 2 & 3
19% each
Oral Final Exam
19%
Required Texts:
In the bookstore:
Sophocles,
Antigone, Oedipus the King,
Electra (Oxford World's Classics).
Oxford UP, 2009.
ISBN: 0199537178
(paperback)
Donald Senior, et al, eds. Catholic Study Bible.
(other translations acceptable, ask me!)
Aristotle,
Nicomachean Ethics, translated by Joe
Sachs. Focus Publishing, 2002. ISBN:
1585100358 (paperback)
To purchase online:
Christopher Marlowe,
Doctor Faustus and Other Plays (Oxford
World's Classics). Oxford University Press, 2008.
ISBN: 0199537062 (free, fast
shipping for a year if you sign up on Amazon with your VU email account)
Many other texts for this course will be made available for free online in the
WebCT page for this course. You should print them out, mark them up, and bring
them to class on the day we are due to discuss them.
Tues, August 24
Course Introduction
Thurs, August 26
O. Henry, “Mammon and the Archer”; and
Arthur Miller, “Tragedy and the
Common Man” (online)
Tues, Aug 31
Homer, Illiad (online: Books
1, 9, 16)
Thurs, Sept 2
Homer,
Illiad (online: Books 18 (first
half), 21, 22)
Tues, Sept 7
Sophocles, Oedipus pp. 48 - 69 line 635
Thurs, Sept 9
Sophocles, Oedipus pp. 69 - 85 (through Strophe 1)
Tues, Sept 14
Sophocles, Oedipus pp. 85 - 99
Thurs, Sept 16
Aristotle, selections from his Poetics (online)
Sunday, Sept 19
Essay 1 due (via email) at 11:59 pm
Tues, Sept 21
Aristotle,
Nicomachean Ethics Book I, Ch
1 - 11
Thurs, Sept 23
Aristotle,
Nicomachean Ethics Book I, Ch
12 – Book II, Ch 9
Tues, Sept 28
Aristotle,
Nicomachean Ethics Book III,
Ch 1 – 9
Thurs, Sept 30
Seneca, a selection from his
Letters (online)
Tues, Oct 5
Psalm 119:41-112; 2 Chronicles Ch 1-9
Thurs, Oct 7
2 Chronicles Ch 28-32, 36;
Jeremiah 1-2:22, 3:1-4:2
Tues, Oct 12
No Class: Fall Break
Thurs, Oct 14
No Class: Fall Break
Tues, Oct 19
Jeremiah 5:1-19, 7:1-29, 23:1-8;
Job Ch 1-3, 38, 40-42
Thurs, Oct 21
Hosea Ch 1-3, 14
Gospel of John, Ch 13 - 21
Tues, Oct 26
Revelations 20:11-15; 21:1-8, 22-27; 22:1-17
Thurs, Oct 28
Søren Kierkegaard, “The Joy of it that in Relation to God a Person
always Suffers as Guilty”
(online) from his Upbuilding Discourses
Sunday, Oct 31
Essay 2 due (via
email) no later than midnight
Tues, Nov 2
St. Augustine, selections from his
Enchiridion (online)
Thurs, Nov 4
St. Augustine, selections from
City of God (online)
Tues, Nov 9
St. Augustine, selections from
City of God (online)
Thurs, Nov 11
Martin Luther, selections on Predestination (online)
Tues, Nov 16
Dante, Divine Comedy:
Inferno Cantos 1, 3, 5 (online)
Thurs, Nov 18
Dante, Divine Comedy:
Inferno Cantos 7, 11, 34 (online)
Tues, Nov 23
Marlowe, Faust Prologue and
Acts 1-2
Wednesday, Nov 24
Essay 3 due (via email) by midnight
Thurs, Nov 25
No Class: Thanksgiving Break
Tues, Nov 30
Marlowe, Faust Acts 3-4
Thurs, Dec 2
Marlowe, Faust Act 5
course evaluations
Tues, Dec 7
No Class: Friday Classes meet
Thurs, Dec 9
Last class: cancelled to extend your reading period
Final Exam:
Thursday, Dec 16 8:00 - 10:30 am
(exams will be held in our usual room)
The final will be an
oral exam on the Marlowe readings; you will take the exam in groups of 3 or 4,
but the grade will be largely individual (75%).