Written Work

Students will write three Papers for credit, the first two with the opportunity to revise the Paper for higher credit. The first Paper is worth 100 points maximum; the second and third Papers are worth 150 points each. Papers are due at the beginning of class on the day for which they are assigned. Late work will be accepted only for reduced credit (see "Late Work").

The standards used to evaluate papers are outlined in A Guide To Writing in History and Classics. An entire class period called a Writing Workshop (see Syllabus) will be devoted to the discussion of the standards enunciated there which will be used in evaluating your writing. Please note that attendance at this Workship is mandatory. Students who anticipate having to miss this class need to see me as soon as possible.

Paper Length. All Papers in the class should be no less than 600 words. Please include a word count at the end of the Paper.

In-Class Discussion Forms. All Papers MUST have an approved In-Class Discussion Form stapled to them when they are handed in. Those which do not will be returned immediately for revision.

Outline Notations. In the on-line Writing Guide, there are directions for how to outline and enumerate your Paper (click here to see those directions). All Papers MUST follow those directions and include the notations specified there, for example, (T), (A1), (B1), (C1), and so on. Papers without those notations will be returned immediately for revision.

Revising Papers. You may be asked to revise your Papers for Sections 1 and 2 of the class. If so, a handout will be stapled on to your Paper with an explanation about how to make the necessary revisions. Click here to see a copy of that handout. When you turn in your Revision, you MUST staple it to the original version of the Paper, the one we handed back to you and on which we made notations. Click here to see a copy of the handout explaining how your revision will be graded.

Paper Topics. Under normal circumstances, Paper Topics or QTT's (Questions/Thesis Topics) will be determined by Pentads during In-Class Discussions (see Group Work). Those students (1) who have missed an In-Class Discussion or (2) whose In-Class Discussion Form was not approved or (3) who were dissatisfied with their Pentad's QTT may choose to write a Makeup Paper on one of the following topics, according to the appropriate Section of the class:

1. First Section Makeup Paper. Compare and contrast The Epic of Gilgamesh and The Iliad. Areas of investigation might include plot development, types of characters, the concept of the hero, the use of the gods, the outlook on life, the nature of the poetry, and so on. (click here for the Section 1 Makeup Paper Form)

2. Second Section Makeup Paper. Discuss in detail the changes which the invention of drama effected in classical literature. That is, argue that Greek tragedy as narrative in performance altered the nature of telling stories from the way it had been earlier in the classical world. Areas of investigation might include the disposition of plot, the nature of character and hero, types of action, overall tone and the form of poetry. (click here for the Section 2 Makeup Paper Form)

3. Third Section Makeup Paper. This Paper is called a Capstone Paper. It encapsulates the student's experience in the class and takes the form of an essay students write to themselves in the future, encouraging the re-reading of one of the texts assigned in the class. Evaluation will be based on both style and content as outlined in The Writing Guide. (click here for the Section 3 Makeup Paper Form)

These Makeup Papers must follow the same protocols as regular Papers (those formulated through In-Class Discussions). That is, they must have an outline attached, be notated properly (T, A, B, C, etc.), be turned in on time and be the proper length with a word count appended. The only difference Makeup Papers have with regular Papers is that there is no need to attach an approved In-Class Discussion Form.