• This syllabus mostly addresses procedures, expectations, and so on. For an overview of the focus and approach of the course, see the Home, Overview page. For due dates and similar of assignments, Assignments.

Expectations

General

BY ENROLLING IN THIS COURSE, you agree to abide by expectations set forth in this syllabus and in other course-related documents.

Expectations include:

• Adherence to the the University's standards and regulations regarding academic honesty
• Respectful and courteous treatment of others participating in this class, both while class is in session and between meetings. That means:
  • No distractive, discourteous, disrespectful, or offensive (racially, sexually, etc.) action or speech, as per the Code of Student Conduct.
  • No distractive or otherwise inappropriate use of electronic devices.
  • Similarly, no unnecessarily disruptive comings or goings in/out of class. (When nature calls, that's one thing. When a roommate calls about plans that evening, kindly leave it till after class.)
  • No activity not related to class.

Failure to abide by these expectations could result in disciplinary action.

Academic Honesty

One thing that enrollment in this course entails is compliance with University Academic Policies. That includes consenting, as appropriate, to submit written work to Turnitin.com or to other websites/databases likewise designed to confirm originality. It also includes adhering to standards of academic honesty.

What is academic honesty? It's the ability to say that:

• Your work really is yours
• You've pointed out how you've relied on the work (words, ideas, research, etc.) of others
• You have done nothing to interfere with others' work

As for academic dishonesty, that includes:

• What follows covers a wide variety of cases, some of which may not apply to this particular class. For a full account of the University's policies regarding academic honesty, consult the Student Academic Honesty Code.
• Plagiarism, i.e., presenting as if one's own the ideas, research, writing, etc. that one has got from other sources, human or otherwise; also, the failure to acknowledge properly your reliance on other's research, writing, and so on. "Other's research, writing, and so on" includes artificial intelligence (AI). Improper use of AI will be treated as academic dishonesty
  • Permissible use of AI is confined to top-level Google searches or similar, that is, to search strings like: "What is the date of the Declaration of Independence?" "What was the Areopagus?" "What is backwards outlining?" — basic stuff. Asking Google, ChatGPT, or other AI engines to come up with ideas (brainstorming), to look deeply into those ideas (research), to organize those ideas (outlining), to express those ideas in words (writing), will be treated as academic dishonesty
  • AI research is hazardous in other ways as well, as it is rarely documents its sources properly. In other words, AI plagiarizes, and in using it, you, too, run the risk of plagiarizing
    • Is it academic dishonesty to ask AI to come up with bibliography? Possibly not; most of us use Google to get bibliography, at least at the initial stage. Still, you always need to check your initial Google results and to dig deeper.
• Cheating, i.e., giving or receiving unauthorized help for an exam, test, quiz, or other assessment
• Multiple submission, i.e., submitting substantial portions of the same work for credit more than once
• Unauthorized collaboration on assignments, etc. (e.g., a roommate writing your paper in whole or in part)
• Intentional fabrication/misrepresentation of evidence, sources, etc.
• Forgery (of signatures, of paper-authorship, etc.)
• Sabotage (undermining efforts of other students)
• Bribery (inducements to affect grade)
• Fabrication of excuses concerning (i.e., lying about) absence, need for make-ups, etc.
• Unauthorized note-taking, i.e., arranging to have someone not enrolled in the class attend to take notes*
  • * If SSD approves your use of a note-taker, I need to be informed.
• Unauthorized distribution of notes
  • For this last I don't mean the occasional sharing of notes with friends unable to make a given class meeting — not forbidden, but don't make a habit of it. I mean note-sharing as a paid service or a quid-pro-quo.

Note that any instance of academic dishonesty, even plagiarizing a small writing assignment, will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action at the instructor's discretion — details on the Harpur College Procedures for Academic Honesty Board Hearings document.

In-Class Use of Laptops, Other Electronic Devices

Use of laptops and similar devices in class is encouraged, but under the following restrictions:

• Laptops, smart phones, other electronic devices are to be used ONLY for your note-taking, other class-related use — nothing else!
  • By enrolling, you implicitly consent to my monitoring of device use during class, i.e., don't be surprised if I look over your shoulder, so. . .
  • No Googling, etc. etc. unrelated to class
  • No audio recording in class without my permission, and only for your personal use
  • No video recording at all
• All such devices are to be turned OFF and placed OUT OF SIGHT during quizzes, in-class writing, or similar, at the instructor's discretion. See further the Academic Honesty section of this syllabus

Those who fail to abide by the above conditions will lose the privilege of using such devices, even for valid purposes, in class.

Students with Disabilities

Binghamton University is committed to the creation of an inclusive and safe learning environment for all students, including students with disabilities. Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) is responsible for the determination of appropriate accommodations for students who encounter barriers due to disability. Request your academic accommodation letter(s) early in the semester, or as soon as you have completed the SSD process (self-disclosure form, submitted documentation and initial appointment), so that we have adequate time to arrange your approved academic accommodations. Remember that accommodations are not retroactive, and a discussion with your instructor must occur regarding their implementation. Your access in this course is important to me. If you experience any disability-related access barriers in this course, such as with printed content, graphics, online materials, classroom seating or location, or any communication barriers; reach out to me and SSD right away. You can contact SSD at 607-777-2686 or via email at ssd@binghamton.edu.

Updating of Course Pages

Course-related materials maintained by the instructor will be added to as needed but otherwise will remain substantially unchanged throughout the semester. It may, though, become necessary to update or modify them from time to time. The instructor (me!) therefore reserves the right to do so.

E-mail Contact

Every student taking this course will need to check BU E-mail addresses (username@binghamton.edu) on a regular basis, as that will be the principal medium for instructor-student communication outside class.

My E-mail is ascholtz@binghamton.edu. For my office hours, schedule, etc., visit the Contact, Schedule page.

Attendance, Absence, Tardiness

Attendance is required, as is prompt arrival at class; learning cannot happen if we are not there on time and participating. Attendance will be taken and will figure into the participation grade. Students with more than 7 unexcused absences (see just below) risk not receiving a passing grade. A pattern of unexcused tardiness can and will count as absence at the discretion of the instructor.

• To verify your attendance, please bring your smart phone or camera-enabled tablet to class so you can scan the QR code on the first few PowerPoint slides for a given class meeting. Scanning that code will bring you to a Google survey with just a few, simple questions. Respond to those and you're good! But the survey becomes unavailable 10 minutes into class, so be on time. If you need to sign in the old fashioned way, no problem; come up to me after class.

For regular class meetings, to leave class early unexcused will count as unexcused absence. No graded exercise scheduled for that meeting will be accepted. The same does not apply to midterm or final exams. If you finish those early you may leave early.

Students will have the opportunity to make up graded exercises (including exams) only in the event of excused absence.

Excusable Absence

IF YOU ARE ILL, or otherwise cannot make class for VALID REASONS (religious observance, job interview, important family function, etc.), please contact me AS SOON AS POSSIBLE via E-mail. Without timely E-mail notification, I will not credit missed classes. Note that excused absence does not figure into the total mentioned just above, 7 unexcused absences.

Excusable Absence/Lateness

• Illness
• A medical appointment
• Circumstances relating to a documented and agreed-to SSD accommodation
• Unforeseeable transport issue — vehicle breakdown, etc. — without alternative transport
• Unavoidable court date
• Job interviews, important family events, religious observances, etc.
• Disasters, traumatic events of various sorts

Inexcusable Absence/Lateness

• "I missed my bus" (get to the bus stop on time)
• "My parents made the vacation reservations without telling me" (tell them that's not a valid excuse)
• "I overslept" (set your alarm)
• Scheduling conflicts of any sort with other classes (please speak the other instructor or have them speak to me — they can't do that)

Make-Ups

In the event of excused absence on days when a graded exercise happens in class (quiz, midterm, that kind of thing), it is the student's responsibility to arrange for timely make-ups. By "timely," I mean IMMEDIATE. I do not reschedule merely to accommodate "busy" schedules, as that would be deeply unfair to others just as busy.

Think of it this way: Excusably absent from class Thursday, makeup Friday or Monday. Tuesday ordinarily too late.

Required Absence Due to Illness

If you are clearly and obviously sick enough that it interferes with your learning, obviously, stay home and get better; maybe see a doctor. Do not come to class. That is for your sake but it is also to prevent you from infecting others.

For more on attendance, see the University Bulletin.

Learning Objectives

GenEd (General Education) Student Learning Outcomes

O - Oral Communication

Students will:

• Demonstrate coherent college-level communication (oral) that informs, persuades, or otherwise engages with an audience;
• Evaluate communication for substance, bias, and intended effect; and
• Demonstrate the ability to revise and improve oral communication

T - Critical Thinking and Reasoning

Students will: 

• Clearly articulate an issue or problem;
• Identify, analyze, and evaluate ideas, data, and arguments as they occur in their own or others’ work;
• Acknowledge limitations such as perspective and bias; and
• Develop well-reasoned (logical) arguments to form judgments and / or draw conclusions

H - Humanities

Students will:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the conventions and methods of at least one of the humanities; and
• Recognize and analyze nuance and complexity of meaning through critical reflections on text, visual images, or artifacts

I - Information Literacy

Students will:

• Locate information effectively using tools appropriate to their need and discipline;
• Evaluate information with an awareness of authority, validity, and bias; and
• Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical dimensions of information use, creation, and dissemination

Harpur Writing "W" Courses

• Provide considerable experience in and feedback on writing as a tool of college-level teaching and learning
• Typically consist of a minimum of 10 pages of writing
• Written assignments constitute 30 to 100 percent of the basis for the grade in the course

Subject Matter-Specific Goals

To explore:

• Ancient Greek (especially Athenian) ideas about, and attitudes to, persuasion, and to do so through politics, literature, art, and culture generally
• The role played by persuasion and speech in the development of democracy at Athens
• Continuities and fissures between ancient and modern ways of viewing persuasion
• To gain "hands-on" familiarity with our subject matter through discussing, oral presentation, writing

Required Texts

• REGARDING REQUIRED TEXTS, it is recommended that we all work from the same editions, as we shall be dealing mostly with translations, which can vary widely. In class, I'll be be referring to required texts by editions listed or accessed as described listed below.

Texts for Purchase

Aeschylus. The Oresteia. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin Books, 1984. Print. ISBN 9780140443332. Get from:

• Campus Bookstore
• Amazon (Kindle eBook always OK!)

Aristophanes. Acharnians; Lysistrata; Clouds. Trans. Jeffrey Henderson. Focus Classical Library. Newburyport, Mass.: Focus Pub./R Pullins, 1997. Print. ISBN 9780941051583. Get from:

• Campus Bookstore
• Amazon (Kindle eBook always OK!)

Plutarch. The Rise and Fall of Athens. Trans. Ian Scott-Kilvert. Marmondsworth, Middlesex and New York: Penguin Books, 1960. Print. ISBN 9780140441024. Get from:

• Campus Bookstore
• Amazon (Kindle eBook always OK!)

Online Readings Accessed via:

• Brightspace
• This "Bingdev" site

Online Access, Dual Web Sites

Speaking of online access, this course employs two separate web sites:

1. The "Bingdev" web site (where this syllabus resides), and,
2. The Brightspace course site.

The "Bingdev" web site will provide access to course-related information and materials of a non-secure, mostly static character, including:

• The Syllabus (i.e., this document)
• The Assignment schedule (separate from the Syllabus)
• Study guides
• Lectures / instructor's PowerPoints
• Various other informational pages, readings, and so on

The Brightspace course site (Brightspace > Spring 2017 - Persuasion in Ancient Greece) is mostly for materials and links OF A SECURE NATURE, things that should NOT be accessible to the general public via internet or Google: Journals, Turnitin links, etc.

E-mail Contact

You will need to check your University email on a regular basis, as that will be my primary way of contacting you. When you email me, kindly address your messages as follows: "Dear Prof. Scholtz" — I will not respond to "Hey," "Yo," or other inappropriately informal salutation.

My E-mail is ascholtz@binghamton.edu. For my office hours, schedule, etc., visit the "Contact" page.

Assessment of Student Work (grading)

participation	15% (includes in-class discussion)
SWAs	15%
quizzes	10%
Gorgias paper pitch	10%. (90% of that grade will be for the presentation, 10% for questionnaires. Unexcused absence will impact the questionnaire grade)
Gorgias paper	10%
epideixis	20% (includes your feedback for others)
Final paper	20%

Participation, Reading, Preparation, etc.

Anything assigned for this class, and that's mostly readings, must be done, and on time, which is to say, by class on the date indicated on the assignment schedule. Failure on that score will compromise one's grade.

Assignments mostly have the purpose of preparing you to participate in class. Attendance is therefore crucial, but it's not enough just to be there. Participation entails pitching in: posing questions, supplying answers, commenting generally — in other words, taking part in discussion. This last will be partly structured, partly unstructured, and will center mostly on issues and topics listed on the Schedule of Assignments and on Study Guides.

• INSTRUCTOR'S CALLING ON STUDENTS

Don't be surprised if I call on you in class. I do this a lot; it actually works well — students feel it helps break the ice.

• RESPECT FOR OTHERS' AND ONE'S OWN THOUGHTS

  Rather than expect profound insights always, we need to acknowledge that life is a journey, and so is this class. All discussion is dialogue working toward shared understanding. Critical thinking is part of it, but so is the more messy process of brainstorming.

When grading participation, I principally consider the following:

• Attendance. A passing participation grade presupposes regular attendance
• Frequency of participation. In a large class, not everyone can talk all the time; in a smaller class, there is more opportunity. Still, everyone will get a chance to share perspectives
  • If you find yourself contributing frequently, please let others have a chance
  • If you feel reluctant to share comments in class, you're certainly welcome to email them to me. Still, I'll be asking you to work toward the goal of sharing in real time, live and in person and in class
• Quality of preparation. Most participation should demonstrate careful preparation for class: reading of texts, consideration of Guiding Questions on Study Guides
  • We naturally don't always just talk about assigned texts. But when we do, which is most of the time, we need to demonstrate that we're prepared.
• Part and parcel of the previous, but important on its own account, is the expectation that we demonstrate critical thinking in our preparation and participation, for which, see the following. . .

Study Guides

Study Guides are assigned reading, along with the readings they go with.

• Designed to be user-friendly, especially for those new to the study of the ancient Mediterranean, study guides introduce readings and related material, including background (historical, etc.) crucial to make sense of it all
• Study guides clue you in to important topics for discussion in class, journal entries, etc. They do that in large part by enunciating a Guiding Question located at the the top of the Study Guide for the class meeting in question. That question will form the basis of discussion in class and / short writing assignments, as the case may be
• Generally, these Guiding Questions will have a dual focus:
  1. Course-thematic. The content of this course is organized around over-arching themes stated as headings on the Schedule of Assignments. Most Guiding Questions touch on one of those themes.
  2. Critical thinking. Most Guiding Questions seek to get you thinking critically, for which see the dedicated page.

Study guides can be accessed via the "Assignments" page. Plus, there is a section devoted to them on the All Pages page.

Quizzes

There will be TWO, FACT-BASED, MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUIZZES: IDs dealing with readings and lecture / discussion: titles of readings, authors' names, relevant terms. That more or less corresponds to critical-thinking key element number 1.

Sample question:

In Aeschylus' Agamemnon, what is the name of Agamemnon's wife? Is it:

1. Cassandra?
2. Iphigenia?
3. Clytaemnestra?
4. None of the above?

Of course, the answer is c., "Clytaemnestra."

The purpose of these is be to encourage you to keep up with the material. No essays, no interpretation.

But these quizzes may be harder than you think. Note that in studying for quizzes, the terms page will be of great use, as will lecture PowerPoints and Study Guides, not to mention your notes on readings.

Quizzes are important. Take good notes, pay attention in class, keep track of basic text facts as appropriate — authors, titles, approximate dates, situations, subject matter, main characters, etc. I do not quiz for obscure details, precise dates, or the like.

Completion of Assignments, Due Dates, etc.

All assignments are due on or before the date/time stated on the Assignments page. Readings and SWAs (short writing assignments) are to be done by the beginning of class, not during class or just after, on the due date in question. Papers, annotated bibliographies, and PowerPoints assigned for submission are due by midnight on the stated date. For online submission of assignments, go to Brightspace.

Short Critical-Thinking Writing Assignments (SWAs)

• It's important that you type directly into the SWA text box on BrightSpace, or, if you copy and paste, that you use the text box default formatting for font, font size, line-spacing, and line wrapping. That will help me a lot!

To get you thinking, reading, writing, and generally preparing for class, but also in partial fulfillment of the Harpur Writing "W" requirement, you will be assigned short, critical-thinking writing assignments (SWAs) keyed into reading assignments. These will be due prior to class on the same day that a given reading is due.

What are SWAs? Think of them as lying somewhere between low- and high-stakes writing. On the one hand, they have you engage, probably for the first time, with texts and / or artifacts and associated issues. Nothing definitive or brilliant is expected. Neither, though, should students blow off these assignments. The basic expectation is a good-faith effort at critical thinking and decent writing, not the last word brilliantly expressed on a topic.

If done right, these exercises will prepare you for paper writing.

SWAs will be graded as follows:

100 points. Entry clearly makes a good-faith effort to meet or exceed expectations.

66 points. Entry exists but falls short of expectations

0 points. Entry doesn't exist or is nowhere near being adequate, or violates academic-honesty requirements. (Academic-honesty infractions may entail penalties as per above.)

Meets/exceeds expectations means that you:

• Do the reading and show that you have
• Write no fewer than 150 and no more than 250 words
• Write on point, i.e., not something unrelated to the SWA prompt
• Exhibit critical-thinking in action by
  • Stating your position on the prompt supplied on study guides
  • Acknowledging opposing viewpoints, actual or possible
    • Think of this as preparing for a debate. If you can't address or anticipate arguments contrary to yours, you can't defend yours, either.
  • Backing up arguments with appropriate evidence, especially that drawn from readings
• Use clear, grammatical language, proper punctuation, and proper usage of vocabulary as per Purdue Owl
• Make improvements in writing and / or critical thinking based on instructor's comments on earlier SWAs

Oral Presentations

In fulfillment of the requirements for O-"Oral" GenEd courses, there will be two, solo oral presentations:

Gorgias paper pitch. A five-minute preview, with explanation and PowerPoint, of a topic of your choice, but relating to Plato's Gorgias and to issues addressed in class. I invite you to brainstorm your topic with me during office hours, but I don't require it. I do, though, require that your topic not sound like a Wikipedia or AI knockoff. I want your take on a detail of the dialogue that you'd like to dig deeper into

Ten-minute epideixis, that is, a speech demonstrating your skill with oral argument, no PowerPoint. Unlike the Gorgias presentation and paper, this will be on a topic of your choosing, though you will need to clear the topic well in advance with me.

For details on both presentations, see the dedicated Oral Presentations page.

Papers

In partial fulfillment of the "W – Harpur Writing" requirement, the "I - Information Literacy" GenEd, and the "T - Critical Thinking" GenEd, there will be two papers:

• A three-page researched paper on the same topic as that announced in your Gorgias paper pitch
• A six-page research paper relating to the topic, "Was classical Athens (508-323 BCE) a democracy?"

For details on both papers — expectations, topics, grading, etc. — see the dedicated Papers page.