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Humanities III, Section 12, cont.

Humanities III, Section 12 / Tom Dale Keever
Tuesday and Thursday, 9:00 – 10:20 am / Classroom: Teachers College
Zankel Hall 406
Class homepage:
/ Instructor’s email:

Rebels and Revolutions: The Politics of Revolution and Reform

COURSE DESCRIPTION: A survey of works of literature and political philosophy that examines the conflicting impulses of revolution and reform, idealism and practicality, as driving forces towards the reconfiguration of society as well as the role of the rebellious individual as a catalyst for change.

Texts:

A Rulebook of Arguments

The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing

Thomas More, Utopia

Machiavelli, The Prince

Shakespeare, The Tempest

Others to be announced

I will be handing out photocopied handouts of most of the texts, or providing them on line.Some of the texts are available in inexpensive paperback editions in the MSM bookstore. You must bring the text that we are discussing to class so that you can refer to it.

The class is conducted as a seminar, with most of our time spent discussing the assigned readings. Your ideas constitute the basis of our engagement, so I encourage you to share them with us. To help approximate ideal participation, I will alert you in advance to important issues in a work and suggest the topics we will discuss.

The class will write short essays on topics assigned by the instructor relating to the readings.I will give you further information in class and in future hand-outs on what is expected of you on the papers you will be assigned. Your written assignments will be “expository” essays in which you will take a position about some topic related to the written material and present an “argument” for that position. The text A Rulebook for Arguments will to help you understand how a clear and compelling argument is constructed and presented.

There may be short quizzes on the reading. Come prepared with paper and writing tools.

Longer writing assignments:

Midterm & Final Exams

--Take-home; to consist of full-paragraph responses to key passages of assigned readings, as well as essay responses to other questions that may involve several of the required readings.

One paper, due near the end of the semester, which will involve researching and critiquing an individual or group whose role as an agent, or agents, of social change the student wishes to examine. Topics will be worked out with the instructor. An outline of the paper and a first draft will be submitted at dates to be announced.

Grading You will be graded on your written work, the in-class examinations and quizzes, and on your class participation. I will give you more detailed breakdowns of the proportions that each will count toward your final grade.

Attendance will be taken at each class.

Three late arrivals (more than 15 minutes) will be counted as one absence.

Four absences will result in the lowering of your final grade by two grade steps. (e.g. a B will become a C+) Seven absences will result in the lowering of your final grade by two full grades. Ten absences will result in failure.

There will be a link to the college’s policy on attendance on the class homepage.

Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty

Plagiarism and academic dishonesty, which include submitting work that is not your own, failing to acknowledge the work of others through proper citation, and unauthorized collaboration, are serious offenses, and punishable according to school policies.

I will post the school’s policies on academic dishonesty on the class homepage.

If you must miss class, try to let me know in advance and be sure to keep up with the material. You are responsible for getting notes from other class members and finding out about any assignments.

Turn off ALL CELL PHONES! By “off” I do NOT mean “on vibrate.” I mean off. Anyone whose cell phone goes off in class will be considered “late” and penalized accordingly.

No laptop computers, Kindles, iPods, iPhones or other electronic devices will be allowed to operate during class. Repeated problems with this rule will result in having student devices confiscated and held until the end of class.

Do NOT study music scores or other materials not related to our readings during class.

There is NO eating in class. Have breakfast before you come.

Coffee, tea, and other non-alcoholic beverages are allowed.

Schedule of classes and readings, subject to change:

Sept 8 / First class Intro
Sept 13 / Thomas More, Utopia
Sept 15 / Thomas More, Utopia
Sept 20 / Machiavelli, The Prince
Sept 22 / Machiavelli, The Prince
Sept 27 / Shakespeare The Tempest
Sept 29 / Shakespeare The Tempest
Oct 4 / Shakespeare The Tempest
Oct 6 / Shakespeare The Tempest
Oct 11 / Milton, Areopagitica
Oct 13 / Winstanley, The True Levelers Standard, Origin of Government
Oct 18 / Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine
Oct 20 / French Revolution: Robespierre, Declaration of the Rights of Man
Oct 25 / The Federalist and The Constitution
Oct 27 / The Federalist and The Constitution
Nov 1 / Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto
Nov 3 / Marx and Engels, The Communist Manifesto
Nov 8 / Conrad, Heart of Darkness
Nov 10 / Conrad, Heart of Darkness
Nov 15 / Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy
Nov 17 / Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy
Nov 22 / Ibsen, A Doll’s House
Nov 24 / Thanksgiving – No Class
Nov 29 / Ibsen, A Doll’s House
Dec 1 / Martin Luther King, Malcolm X
Dec 6 / Situationists and Radical Avant Garde
Dec 8 / Last class
TBA / Final papers due