Col. Rose Mary Sheldon
Department of History
Virginia Military Institute

HI 452W-01: ANCIENT GREECE
Spring 2003

Professor R. M. Sheldon

Class time: 9:00-10:00 M,W,F Room:SSH 538

Office Hours: M,W, F 10-1; T,Th. 1:00-2:00
and by appointment

Office: SSH 541; phone: X7691

Website: http://academics.vmi.edu/history_rms/

I. Purpose and Scope of Course

We will examine the history of Greece from the Bronze Age Minoans and Mycenaeans through the Empire of Alexander the Great (d. 323 B.C.), paying special attention to those aspects of Greek history that still reverberate in our own times - - ideas about rational thinking, democracy, the study of the past, the place of art and literature in society, and imperialism. We will examine the various categories of ancient evidence which tell us what we know about the ancient Greeks - literary, inscriptional, archaeological, numismatic, and the plastic arts.

 II. Requirements of the course

1. Three hourly exams (15% each) The examinations will cover both lectures and readings.

2. Final Examination (30%)

3. On 15-20-page term paper 20%

4. Class participation including oral presentations 5%

III. Evaluation of Student Performance

In order for a student to receive a passing grade for this course, all requirements must be completed.

In general, I employ the following grading criteria:

A. Superior work: demonstrates command of the subject matter in considerable detail and exhibits clarity, precision, and some originality in historical argument; written work free of errors in English.

B. Good work: demonstrates good command of subject matter and exhibits clarity and precision in historical argument; written work free of errors in English.

 

C. Competent work: demonstrates reasonable command of subject matter and exhibits clarity and reasonable precision in historical argument; written work reasonably free of errors in English.

D. Less than competent work

 

E. Failure, and failure to complete all assignments.

 IV. Policies for Written Work:

Any work handed in after the deadline will be penalized one full grade for every day of lateness. Students handing papers in early may request the opportunity for a re-write to improve their grade. Rewrites may also be done after the paper is graded. All such rewrites are due before the last day of class.

Papers must follow the format in the sheets distributed at the beginning of the semester. Special attention must be paid to footnoting your sources properly to avoid problems with plagiarism. I will reckon a plagiarized paper as not fulfilling the assignment.

V. Attendance:

Cadets absenting themselves from a scheduled test due to athletic trips, scheduled guard duty, or other VMI-mandated reasons must discuss their anticipated absence with me in advance in order to arrange an alternative test date. According to VMI's academic regulations, scheduled tests must not be missed for reasons involving personal choice. This also applies for deadlines for written work. A letter grade penalty will be assessed for violation of this policy. Call, leave a message at the department, or at my home, but do not fail to get in touch.

The 30% rule is still in effect in this class. No student cutting more than 13 times (for a class that meets three times a week) or 10 times for a class that meets twice a week) can receive a passing grade.

 VI. Required Books and Readings

The following books are required for this course and are available in the VMI Bookstore.

Pomeroy, Burstein, Donlan and Roberts, Ancient Greece. A Political, Social and Cultural History

Adkins and Adkins, Handbook to Life in Ancient Greece

Richter, A Handbook of Greek Art

VII. Course Schedule and Reading Assignments

TBA

Last updated on 26 December 2002 by Col. Sheldon

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