Hum 2123: General Humanities 1, “The Poetry of Time and
Space”
Section 1: Meeting on Friday (M/W on the blog)
Fall 2020 / Dr. Joshua Grasso
Hours: F
Office: Horace Mann 348
Office Hours: After class or by appointment
E-mail: jgrasso@ecok.edu (Phone:
X430)
Course Blog: Be sure to bookmark our class blog, “ecuhum1.blogspot.com” for future reference. I’ll post all your daily readings, questions, and assignments here (we don’t use Blackboard).
Course Description: This course is designed to explore five important works of poetry that have profoundly shaped the modern world—not just in terms of literature, but in our thoughts, ideas, expressions, and ideals. Though you might not be familiar with all (or any) of these works, they exist inside your cultural DNA, providing many of the characters and situations that we continue to find meaningful and ‘new.’ As we read each work, we’ll try to understand who wrote it and where the poet came from, and why ancient cultures responded so strongly to these works. Are they for the same reasons we find them compelling today? Or can we see new things in them that eluded their ancient audiences? Likewise, what do we miss in our own cultural blindness that only the skeleton key of literature can unlock? Hopefully, too, these works can offer you a little comfort and consolation from the outside world, as many of these poets were writing against plagues and catastrophes themselves (COVID would be very familiar to Shakespeare and his audiences).
Required Texts: (note, you can get other editions, but they
will be different translations, so some poems might have different names, and
the poems may sound very different—which is okay, just don’t be surprised):
- Sappho, If Not Winter: Fragments of Sappho (translated by Anne Carson)
- Homer, The Essential Iliad (translated by Stanley Lombardo)
- Lao Tzu, Tao-te Ching (translated by D.C. Lau)
- Hafiz, The Gift (translated by Daniel Ladinsky)
- Shakespeare, Othello (translated by himself :) )
Required Work (out of 100 points):
- Class Attendance: see below
- Reading/Discussion Questions: 30 pts.
- Lecture Video Comments: 25 pts.
- Three
Papers: 45 pts. (15 each)
Class Attendance: Because of the COVID situation, we can’t
meet as a normal MWF class. This means you only have to attend class on Monday,
while the other two days are conducted on our class blog. Even so, there is the
possibility that you or I could get sick, or that someone you know might get
sick, and you might have any number of reasons for needing to miss class.
Because of that, I won’t count absences in the course. That said, this is
designed as a discussion-based class, so the more we can talk as a group and
explore ideas, the more you’ll understand and appreciate the reading. So come
as often as you can, and I’ll be here to guide you through these wonderful, but
often challenging, texts. If you can’t come to class, or have to start missing
classes, you’ll have a wealth of material on-line to help you, so don’t worry.
And of course you can e-mail me with questions or simply to discuss difficult
passages.
Reading/Discussion Questions: Once a week, I’ll post a reading from one of the books, along with a series of questions (always 4, and you get to choose 2 to answer). The questions are designed to help you read more actively (rather than skimming) and to engage in a dialogue with the book. Ideally, reading should be more about “thinking” and “looking” than simply skimming. The questions are due via e-mail by the next Discussion Class Day, which is always on a Friday (see course schedule). Even on Labor Day (when class is cancelled) the questions are still due on Monday, since you’re just e-mailing them to me.
Lecture Video Comments: Also once a week, I’ll post a short video lecture (no more than 12-18 minutes) on one of the readings in class. The goal of this lecture is to highlight a specific passage or idea that is particularly important to the reading. After you watch the video, I’ll give you a brief question to respond to, which is less focused than the normal discussion questions. Typically, the questions will connect to more modern issues or ask you to think about ‘big picture’ ideas related to the text. You should post your response as a COMMENT on the blog post (I’ll show you how to do this), so that other students can read your responses and we can replicate an in-class discussion.
NOTE: The temptation to simply read a few comments (instead of watching the video) and restating what others have said may be strong when you’re low of time and sleep. However, I’ll be reading all of these responses, and if you’re just cut and pasting someone else’s response, or simply repeating it, I won’t give you credit for the response. It’s always better to be honest and even to be confused than to cheat. I’m never looking for ‘right answers,’ so instead simply try to think out loud and grapple with the question. No one has to answer this question in quite the same way.
Three Papers: You’ll be assigned a paper assignment for the first two pair of works (Sappho/Homer; Lao Tzu/Hafiz), and then a kind of final paper for Shakespeare. I’ll give you a detailed assignment sheet for each one, and you’ll get at least two weeks to work on the assignment before it’s due. Also, papers can be revised (following my comments) for a higher grade if you wish.
THE FINE PRINT
You must buy all the books for the course. Trying to use
on-line summaries will doom you to vague, uninformed responses. If the goal of
any class is to become more engaged with the material, reading the books is
essential. Read and enjoy the material. :)
If you miss class, check the blog to see if there are any
new assignments or material. You can also e-mail me if the blog hasn’t been
updated to be sure.
When you e-mail work to me, check the attachments carefully.
If I can’t open it (or it’s simply not attached) it doesn’t count. I will
contact you if this happens, but the clock is ticking...if you turn in an
e-mail without an attachment at
If you have any kind of emergency, please contact me as soon
as possible. If I know you’re going through something difficult, I can work
with you and help you get the work. If you only tell me weeks or months later,
it’s too late.
The COVID situation can change our class dynamic at any
time. If you’re confused by what’s going on or feel you can’t complete the
work, etc., please contact me first. Let’s talk through it to make sure it’s
not as bad (or as hard) as you think. I’m always available by e-mail and will
respond within an hour or two at most (unless you e-mail me at
Academic Integrity link: https://www.ecok.edu/sites/default/files/siteContent/administration/academic-affairs/documents/AcademicIntegrityPolicy.pdf
Tentative Course Calendar (subject to change)
AUGUST
F 21 Introduction
to the Course
M 24 Blog:
Video, “Lost in Translation”
W 26 Blog:
Reading/Questions for Sappho, Part I
F 27 In-Class
Discussion for Sappho, Part I
M 31 Reading/Discussion
Questions for Sappho, Part II
SEPTEMBER
W 2 Blog:
Video, Sappho, Part III
F 4 In-Class
Discussion for Sappho, Parts II & III
M 7 Blog:
Video, “Intro to Greek Mythology”
W 9 Blog:
Reading/Questions for The Iliad, Books 1-2
F 4 In-Class
Discussion for The Iliad, Books 1-2
M 14 Blog:
Video, The Iliad, Book 3
W 16 Blog:
Reading/Questions for The Iliad, Books 6-9
F 18 In-Class
Discussion for Sappho, The Iliad, Books 3, 6 & 9
M 21 Blog:
Reading/Questions for The Iliad, Books 12-16
W 23 Blog:
Video, The Iliad, Book 18
F 25 In-Class
Discussion for The Iliad, Books 12, 16 & 18
M 28 Blog:
Reading/Questions for The Iliad, Books 19-22
W 30 Blog:
Video, The Iliad, Books 23-24
F 2 In-Class
Discussion for The Iliad, Books 19, 22, 23 & 24
OCTOBER
M 5 Paper
#1 due by
W 7 Blog:
Video, “The Eastern Tradition”
F 9 In-Class
Discussion for Tao te Ching, Poems I
M 12 Blog:
Reading/Questions for Tao te Ching, Poems II
W 14 Blog:
Video, Tao te Ching, Poems III
F 16 Fall
Break
M 19 Blog:
Reading/Questions for The Gift, Part I
W 21 Blog:
Video, The Gift, Part II
F 23 In-Class
Discussion for The Gift, Parts I & II
M 26 Blog:
Reading/Discussion Questions for The Gift, Part III
W 28 Blog:
Video, The Gift, Part IV
F 30 In-Class
Discussion for The Gift, Parts III & IV
NOVEMBER
M 2 Blog:
Video, Othello, Act 1 / Paper #2 due by
W 4 Blog:
Reading/Discussion Questions for Othello, Act 1
F 6 In-Class
Discussion for Othello, Act 1
M 9 Blog:
Reading/Discussion Questions for Othello, Act 2
W 11 Blog:
Video, Othello, Act 3
F 13 In-Class
Discussion for Othello, Acts 2 & 3
M 16 Reading/Discussion
Questions for Othello, Act 4
W 18 Blog:
Video, Othello, Act 5
F 20 In-Class
Discussion for Othello, Acts 4 & 5
M 23 [Extra
Day if needed]
W 25 Thanksgiving
Break
F 27 Thanksgiving
Break
M 30 Blog:
Video, Final Paper Assignment
DECEMBER
W 2 Blog:
Exit-Interview Questions
F 4 In-Class Discussion of Final Paper/
Wrap-up
Final Paper due TBA
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