Description of the weekly writing assignments for:

Classics 401: Undergraduate Seminar

History and Memory in Classical Antiquity

 

 

  1. When and what: For the first few weeks of the quarters – until we get heavily into reports and the Big Paper -- you will be assigned a brief (2 typed double-spaced pages OR 1 hour, whichever comes first) paper on a question or issue raised in connection with the current reading.  The ‘questions’ will be provided on the previous week and included in the daily assignments.  YOU NEED DO ONLY FOUR OF THE SIX PAPERS (YOU MAY DO MORE THAN FOUR IF YOU WISH, BUT NO EXTRA CREDIT WILL BE ASSIGNED).
  2. Purpose: These are NOT formal research papers, but rather very short ‘responses’, typically to the reading.  They are designed to get you thinking in a directed, purposeful way about some specific aspect(s) of the reading; and to make sure that you have something to contribute to the group discussions.

My chief criterion for these papers is ECI: "engaged critical intelligence."  You don't have to be "right," and you don't have to be polished (though you do have to be intelligible).  You don't even have to solve entirely whatever problem I give you.  But I do want to see real effort—even if it's only to narrate the difficulties you are having as you try to come to grips with the assignment.

  1. Length and format: You should write for one hour OR for two pages, whichever comes first (some papers, therefore, may be less than two pages; none should be more than two).  Papers should be typed and double-spaced; make sure to include your name and date.
  2. Grading: I will collect and read the papers and return them to you, usually within a week; I will NOT assign a number grade or ‘correct’ them, nor will I write extensive (if any) comments.  I will mark them with a √+, √, or √-.  Timely completion of the minimum four papers will ensure a score in 3.6-4.0 range for this portion of your final grade; for each one of the required four papers you do not do, .5 points will automatically be deducted (e.g., if you only write 3 papers, you can only receive a maximum of 3.5 for this portion of your total grade).
  3. NO Late Papers: These papers are always due at the class meeting for which they were assigned; under no circumstances will I accept a late paper, even if you had to miss class for a legitimate reason.  Remember that you only need to do four of the six papers, so there is some leeway here.