Expectations and Evaluation

I have designed the course readings and assignments with the goal that students:

• develop their abilities to evaluate historical sources closely and critically, and to share their interpretations with others in spoken and written forms,
• become familiar with the outline of Roman history and key features of Roman culture,
• and practice posing and investigating the questions asked by modern historians.

To these ends, the course will emphasize writing and discussion. We will use writing in part as a method to think and learn about the course material. For example, to help you read more carefully and prepare to participate in class discussion, 5 informal response papers are required over the course of the semester. These 1-2 page musings on the reading -- including comments, concerns, answers to the discussion questions, or proposals for new questions - must be submitted before discussion for credit, and 3 response papers are due before Spring Break. Submission via e-mail is acceptable. For all reading assignments, questions are provided on the syllabus to help direct your reading and responses, as well as our discussion.

Active participation in discussions, question and answer sessions, in-class assignments, debates and peer-review sessions forms an important part of your course work. Keep in mind that you cannot adequately participate if you are regularly absent or un-prepared. Excessive absences (more than three weeks of class) will cause you to fail the course. Other assignments include a map quiz of Italy and the ancient Mediterranean, a quiz on major names and dates, a final exam, and a series of assignments directed toward producing a major research paper, including an article review, a source analysis, presentation, annotated bibliography, draft and final submission.

The due dates for all quizzes and papers are noted on the course outline. Late paper policy: for every day a paper is late, one letter grade will be deducted from that otherwise earned. Please speak to me in advance if you have difficulties with the date of any assignment or exam. If you have any disabilities which necessitate special exam circumstances or other considerations, consult with me as soon as possible.

Course Homepage ~ Classics Department ~ Macalester College

Beth Severy-Hoven, Macalester College
1/26/2004