Jeanne McCarthy

 Course Description and Goals:

            In this course we will read and write about a number of texts ranging from Homer's Greek epic, The Odyssey, to Shakespeare's tragic play, Othello. As we do so, we will be considering how the concept of "the self" is reflected in these profoundly influential works. Over the course of the semester's reading and discussion, we will examine the differing ways ancient, medieval, and renaissance authors and thinkers of both east and west conceived of, and represented, "the self."

            To this end, we will focus in class on particular passages in the texts while raising challenging questions: How, after all, do people (and authors) narrate, construct, or define who they (or their characters) are as individuals and in relation to others? What is the effect of a public mask or role on one's private, "essential" self? How authoritative or credible are one's self-constructions? How, after all, does one achieve self-knowledge or certainty? What roles do such things as culture, war, memory, race and ethnicity, religion, family, honor, intellect, emotion (e.g., pride, shame), will, spirituality, age, gender, interior psychology, skepticism, and travel play in defining the self? How have notions of the self, and ways of narrating it, changed over time? Above all, the goal of such questioning, and of this course generally, is to improve your ability to read, think, and, above all, write critically, providing the skills you will need to succeed in, and enjoy, your future classes at Oglethorpe. 

This Course and the Core:

            This is the first semester of a two-semester sequence entitled Narratives of the Self. The sequence is required of all first-year Oglethorpe students. It is then followed in the second year by the study of the self in community. Third and fourth year Core courses build upon the intellectual experiences of the first two years. Our intention is to provide students with an interdisciplinary series of integrated courses which, together with the fine arts, mathematics and foreign language, constitute a compelling “second major” for all Oglethorpe students in the best tradition of a liberal arts education.

Texts:

            Homer, The Odyssey

            Farid Ud-Din Attar, Conference of the Birds

            St. Augustine, The Confessions

            *Charlotte Perkins Gilman, "The Yellow Wall Paper" (Handout)

            Voltaire, Candide

            William Shakespeare, Othello

Honor Code:

            The University Honor Code will be enforced. Students will pledge to have completed papers honestly by signing the following at the conclusion of each paper:

I pledge that I have neither given nor received any unauthorized aid on this paper.

            Signed ___________________________________

Plagiarism (paraphrasing or quoting or borrowing an idea without attribution from an outside source) is a serious violation of the Honor Code and will not be tolerated. All use of  sources or others' words or ideas should be duly cited and acknowledged. When in doubt, cite any source you look at. For further information on the honor code, please see the University Bulletin, p 77. Unpledged work will not be graded.

Requirements/Grading:

            Participation                                                                 10 %

            First Draft of Paper 1 (2-3 pp.)                                     20 % 

            *Paper 1 or 2 Revision (5-6 pp.)                                  10 %*

            Paper 2 (4-6 pp.)                                                         20 %

            Paper 3 (4-6 pp.)                                                         20 %

            Paper 4 (5-7 pp.)                                                         20 %

            * Note: A revision of paper 1 or 2, due before the Thanksgiving break, is optional.        Students choosing not to revise, will have the average of their first two papers, weighted   10%, added to their cumulative grade.

Participation:

            Part of the grade (10 %) will also be based upon class participation. You will not receive a grade for "attendance"; it is not required. Participation, however, is. Students who do not actively participate or, far worse, interfere in any way with other students’ ability to participate and learn may receive an F or zero in class participation, lowering their final grade by one complete letter grade (e.g., from a C to a D or from a D to an F).

Important Dates:

            Tu  Sept. 21     Paper 1 Due

            Tu  Oct. 19      Paper 2 Due

            Th  Nov. 11     Paper 3 Due                                         

            Th  Nov. 25     Thanksgiving Holiday (Revision Due Prior to Break)

            Th  Dec. 2        Last Day of Class for Tu-Th Meeting Time

            Tu  Dec. 7        Paper 4 Due

Daily Schedule (*Subject to change if neccessary)

Week 1

            Tu  Aug. 24      FIRST DAY OF CLASS.  Introduction to Course

            Th  Aug. 26      Odyssey, Books 1-4 (@ 60 pp.)

Week 2

            Tu  Aug. 31      Odyssey, Books 5-9 (@ 63 pp.)

            Th  Sept. 2       Odyssey, Books 10-13 (@ 57 pp.)

Week 3

            Tu  Sept. 7       Odyssey, Books 14-17 (@ 13-15 @ 59 pp.)

            Th  Sept. 9       Odyssey, Books 18-21 (@ 50 pp.)

Week 4

            Tu  Sept. 14     Odyssey, Books 22-24 (@ 38 pp.)

                                    Discuss Paper Topics  

            Th  Sept. 16     Conferences

Week 5

            Tu  Sept. 21     Paper 1 Due

            Th  Sept. 23     Conference of the Birds (excerpts: pp. 29-57, 75-81, 95-97,

                                                213-29)  (@ 53 pp.)

           
Week 6

            Tu  Sept. 28     Confessions, Book 1: Sections 1-31 (pp. 3-23); Bk. 2: all (pp. 24-      

                                                34)  (@ 30 pp.)

            Th  Sept. 30     Confessions, Bk. 3: Sections 1-12, 19-21 (pp. 35-44,

                                                49-51); Bk. 4: Sections 1-2, 7-14, 24, 28-31 (pp. 52-53,

                                                56-61, 67, 69-71); Bk. 5: Sections 1-3, 10-15, 19-25

                                                (pp. 72-75, 77-82, 84-89)  (@ 35 pp.)

Week 7

            Tu  Oct.. 5       Confessions, Bk. 6: Sections 3-7, 9, 13, 18-26 (pp. 92-96, 100-01, 104-10); Bk. 7: Sections 1-7, 13, 16, 20-24 (pp. 111-16, 121, 123-24, 126-28)  (@ 24 pp.)

            Th  Oct. 7        Confessions, Bk. 8: Sections 14-30 (pp. 142-54); Bk. 9:

                                                Sections 17-37 (pp. 166-78)  (@ 24 pp.)

Week 8

            Tu  Oct. 12      Discuss Paper 2           

            Th  Oct. 14      Conferences

Week 9

            Tu  Oct. 19      Paper 2 Due    

            Th  Oct. 21      *"The Yellow Wall Paper" (handout)

Week 10

            Tu  Oct. 26      Voltaire, Candide, pp. 19-49

            Th  Oct. 28      Voltaire, Candide, pp. 50-72

Week 11

            Tu  Nov. 2       Voltaire, Candide, pp. 73-144

            Th  Nov. 4       Discuss Paper 3

Week 12

            Tu  Nov. 9       Conferences

            Th  Nov. 11     Watch Film--Othello in class

                                    Paper 3 Due

Week 13

            Tu  Nov. 16     Othello Act 1

            Th  Nov. 18     Othello Acts 2-3

Week 14

            Tu  Nov. 23     Othello Act 4

            Th  Nov. 25     Thanksgiving Holiday

Week 15

            Tu  Nov. 30     Othello Act 5

                                    Discuss Paper 4

            Th  Dec. 2        Conferences

                                    Last Day of Class (for Tu-Th Meeting Time)

 Week 16

            Tu  Dec. 7        Paper 4 Due