CLAS 2109 The Self and Society

Course Description

This course involves critical examination of issues of the self and society in works by authors both ancient (e.g. Sophocles, Plato) and modern (e.g. Baldwin, Appiah). Topics include reflections on the self and personal integrity, justice and responsibility, alienation. (Not open to students who have completed Core Curriculum 3109.) Satisfies Pathways Flexible Core Individual and Society requirement.

Prerequisite: English 1010 or permission of the department.

Course Objectives

In this course, you will develop your abilities to:

.    Critically interpret and analyze works of literature from various genres, with attention to issues of selfhood, identity, justice, and societal norms

.    Contribute to discussion by formulating and evaluating interpretive arguments and by engaging thoughtfully with fellow students and the instructor via discussion board

.    Develop evidence-based arguments in formal prose that is clear and cogent

Course Delivery, Materials, and Technology Requirements

Our course will be asynchronous: our readings, assignments, lectures, and discussions will be conducted via Blackboard. Readings, assignments, lectures, and discussion board links will be in weekly folders, located in the Readings, Lectures, RWs tab on the course Blackboard page. Readings will be on Blackboard in PDF or other electronic form (e.g. link to online source). Assignments will be posted in Word format; your completed assignments should be submitted in Word or PDF (if you use Pages, create a PDF to submit: File>Export To>PDF). Lectures will be posted in PowerPoint format.

You have access to PowerPoint and Word online in Office 365 via your BC account. You will need to have regular access to Blackboard. Be sure to check regularly the e-mail account associated with your Blackboard profile. If you have any questions or concerns about the technology requirements for this course, please contact me immediately. My e-mail: [email protected]. I am also available for Zoom office hours on Wednesday 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, or by appointment.

Grading

25% Participation: entails preparation of reading assignments and contributions to each discussion board. 25% Reading Worksheets: 12 RWs. One may be missed without grade penalty.

32% First and Second Papers: 3-page response essays, for each of which you will receive a prompt and guidance. Due 6/14 and 6/28.

18% Final Paper: 3-to-5-page response essay, for which you will receive a prompt and guidance. Due 7/10.

There will be no curve/scale of grades.

Attendance, Preparation, Participation

Although our class does not meet synchronously, you are expected to be ‘present’ and engaged every week. In general, your absence will be excused for religious observance, illness requiring a visit to a  healthcare professional, death of an immediate family member or friend, etc. Refer to the Student Bereavement Policy: http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/web/about/initiatives/policies/bereavement.php.

Our schedule will run Monday, Wednesday, Friday. This means that on most Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays a new reading and accompanying Reading Worksheet will be due by 7:00 PM, and at 7:00 PM a new lecture and discussion board will be available (refer to the schedule of assignments, below, for details). If your afternoons are busy, plan ahead and submit your assignment earlier.

Preparation means: critically reading the assigned text(s), looking up unfamiliar vocabulary, submitting the Reading Worksheet by 7:00 PM the day it is due (see below for details on the RWs), formulating questions to ask on the discussion board. You are expected regularly to access Blackboard and your Blackboard-associated e-mail account for assignments and announcements.

Participation means: viewing/listening to the lecture, taking notes, contributing to discussion and asking questions on the Blackboard discussion board (DB). Each new lecture and discussion board will be available from 7:00 PM, when the reading and RW are due. Each new lecture and DB will pertain to the reading you have just completed. View the lecture and complete your DB contributions before the next reading and RW are due, which is when a new lecture and DB will be available.

At a MINIMUM, you should make two substantive posts to every DB. You do not need to post in every thread in the DB, but you should follow the discussion in each thread; your posts should contribute to the discussion topic at hand. At least one of your posts should be in response to one of your fellow students. This means that you will likely need to log in a few times each DB to make your posts and read feedback from your colleagues: the idea is to get some DISCUSSION going!

Example: a comment like ‘I agree with Student L’ will likely not further our discussion–avoid doing this! A comment like ‘I agree with Student L about ABC, but I think we need to consider XYZ because... ’ is likely to be a substantive contribution to the discussion–do this!

If you make the minimum number of posts each week, your participation grade will likely be ‘good’; if you routinely exceed the minimum number of posts and actively engage your colleagues in discussion, your participation grade will likely be ‘excellent’. Keep in mind that you need to participate in every discussion board at least twice.

Readings and discussions may include potentially sensitive topics, such as sex, gender, violence, race and ethnic identity, and religion. Students are expected at all times to show respect for viewpoints that differ from their own. Your discussion board posts should always be professional.

The Plague of Thebes: Oedipus and Antigone, C. F. Jalabert

Writing Assignments

Throughout this course, you will develop your skills in critical reading and writing through preparatory Reading Worksheets (RW) and essay-response Papers.

The RWs will help you to demonstrate your engagement with readings and prepare for class discussion.

Each RW will consist of a few reading questions or prompts, which you will then answer as you complete the reading. Your responses must entirely be your own thoughts and words in response to the reading and  questions: you may not use ChatGPT, Grammarly, or other generative AI, Google, etc. – only your own thoughts and words. The length and detail of your responses can vary, but aim for a few sentences / a short paragraph for each question/prompt. Try to support or otherwise explain your thinking: for example, if you write ‘I think Oedipus does X because of Y,’ expand on the ‘Y’ part as much as you can. Cite in parentheses the line or page numbers of any specific passage that you refer to in a response. Put quotation marks around any direct quotation, and cite the line or page numbers in parentheses.

Each RW will be available on Blackboard one week in advance of its due date; complete it along with the reading. Submit the RW on Blackboard by 7:00 PM the day it is due. For example: the reading for Monday 6/3 is Sophocles, Oedipus the King (1-949). The corresponding RW 2 must be submitted on Blackboard by 7:00 PM Monday 6/3. Late submissions will not be accepted; one RW may be missed without grade penalty. RWs will be evaluated on a check, check-plus, check-minus scale: 0 (= no submission), 1 (check-minus = incomplete or inadequate), 2 (check = good/adequate), 3 (check-plus =    excellent). I will not usually leave other comments on the RWs: if you would like to discuss any of your RW responses, please attend office hours or reach out by e-mail.

There will be two Papers (due 6/14 and 6/28, respectively), for each of which you will compose an essay of 3 pages (double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font) in response to a specific prompt. Further instructions and guidance will be provided. Late submissions will not be accepted.

Papers will be graded out of 100. Optionally, you may rewrite each of these papers in response to feedback from the instructor for a revised grade (note: a higher grade is not guaranteed).

For the Final Paper (due 7/10), you will compose an essay of 3-5 pages (double-spaced, 1-inch margins,    12-point Times New Roman font) in response to a specific prompt. Further instructions and guidance will be provided. Late submissions will not be accepted. The Final Paper will be graded out of 100.

Note: I take violations of academic integrity (cheating, plagiarism) very seriously.

Your Typical Week, at a Glance

To summarize the expectations above: typically, you will have an assignment due Monday, Wednesday,

and Friday at 7:00 PM. For each assignment, you should (1) complete the reading, (2) submit the RW, (3) view the lecture, (4) contribute to the discussion board. For example, for Monday 6/3 you will: read

Sophocles, Oedipus the King (lines 1-949) and submit the RW 2 assignment by Monday 6/3 at 7:00 PM; view the slides/lecture (available from Monday 6/3 at 7:00 PM) and engage with the discussion board

over the next couple of days, completing all posts by 7:00 Wednesday 6/5, which is when a new reading and RW will be due, and a new lecture and DB will be available...

Academic Integrity

The faculty and administration of Brooklyn College support an environment free from cheating and

plagiarism. Each student is responsible for being aware of what constitutes cheating and plagiarism and

for avoiding both. The complete text of the CUNY Academic Integrity Policy and the Brooklyn College procedure for policy implementation can be found at www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/policies. If a faculty

member suspects a violation of academic integrity and, upon investigation, confirms that violation, or if

the student admits the violation, the faculty member MUST report the violation. Students should be aware that faculty may use plagiarism detection software.

Generative AI tools are not permitted in this course. Students must rely on their own originality, creativity and critical thinking skills to complete assignments and engage with course material.

Academic Accommodations

The Center for Student Disability Services (CSDS) will be working remotely for the fall semester. In

order to receive disability-related academic accommodations students must first be registered with CSDS. Students who have a documented disability or suspect they may have a disability are invited to schedule

an interview by calling (718) 951-5538 or emailing [email protected]. If you have already    registered with CSDS, e-mail [email protected] or [email protected] to ensure the accommodation email is sent to your professor.

I comply with the state law regarding non-attendance because of religious beliefs noted in the front matter of the Undergraduate Bulletin and Graduate Bulletin. These may be found on the Academic Calendars,

Course Schedules, and Bulletins page of the Registrar’s website. Please inform me if this affects you at any point during the semester.

Preferred Name and Pronouns

Some members of the Brooklyn College community are known by a name that is different from their legal name. Students are invited to share their preferred forms of address with the professor and class.

Theater of Dionysus, Athens

All Welcome

I support the rights of undocumented students to an education. For resources and support, please visit Brooklyn College’s Immigrant Student Support Office, 117 Roosevelt Hall, e-mail:

[email protected], or visit https://libguides.brooklyn.cuny.edu/DACA.

Important Dates (per Brooklyn College)

Tuesday, May 28 First day of Summer 2024 classes

Wednesday, May 29 Last day to add or swap a course

Tuesday, June 11 – No classes scheduled

Wednesday, June 12 – No classes scheduled

Thursday, June 13 – No classes scheduled

Monday, June 17 Conversion Day – Classes follow a Wednesday schedule

Wednesday, June 19 College Closed – No classes scheduled

Tuesday, July 2 Conversion Day – Classes follow a Thursday schedule

Thursday, July 4 College Closed – No classes scheduled

Tuesday, July 9 Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” grade

Wednesday, July 10 Final Exams Begin

Thursday, July 11 Final Exams End / End of Summer Session I

Seated woman reading a scroll

Schedule of Assignments

Please note that the schedule is subject to modification; any changes will be announced in advance on Blackboard.