Otacilia Severa, wife of Emperor Philip I, "the Arab." Coin dated 247/248 AD image courtesy of Edgar L. Owen,

Westminster Seminar:   Wine, Women & Song   Fall 2003

games for Rome's 1000th birthday and the new Saeculum,about 110 years in length image courtesy of Edgar L. Owen

Texts:

Jo-Ann Shelton, As the Romans Did, 2nd edition. Oxford 1998 (Shelton)
Lionel Casson, Everyday Life in Ancient Rome, revised edition. John Hopkins 1998 (Casson)

  We will look at aspects of daily life in ancient Rome and its relevance for contemporary society. In this seminar we will examine the transformations that occurred in Roman society in three broad groupings--wine, i.e. food and drink and the customs surrounding them; women, i.e. their place, responsibilities, freedoms in the family and society; and song, i.e. entertainment. We will do this via documentary evidence, secondary sources, and movies. However, although that is the content focus of this course, our primary purpose with the Westminster Seminar, in general, is to help you learn how to learn at the college level, how to read and analyze material at a depth that will satisfy college instructors. Your mentors and I are here to help you find ways to succeed at Westminster.

     Using active learnning strategies, the Westminster Seminar helps entering students obtain skills necessary for college and life-long learning as liberally educated people. Included are listening, speaking, and critical thinking skills that influence how we know and understand our world and develop informed self-understanding in the context of a content-oriented course.
     All sections of the Westminster Seminar are connected by the common theme "Transformations." The transformations examined are those "profound changes that redefine the character of people, societies, cultures, and/or the natural and physical environments in which they exist." Through this common theme, each seminar seeks to give students the opportunity to explore how various disciplines of the liberal arts study the interrelated transformations that affect their lives and to develop a sophisticated understanding of a specific transformation that they find particularly intriguing.

A. Students should be more effective written and oral communicators at the completion of the course.
B. Students should develop the following critical thinking skills:
1. The ability to evaluate written material—what is the main idea/ major argument and how it is supported.
2. The ability to analyze the support and main idea for coherence with other information and/or knowledge the student already possesses.
3. The ability to apply information to one’s own life experiences and use it in written work.
4. The ability to compare and combine information from difference sources.
C. Students should develop a general awareness of how different disciplines acquire and process information.

2 Microthemes (with revisions 40 pts each with the first draft counting 20%)
2 Papers (with revisions 100 pts each with the first draft counting 20%)
1 Exam (70 pts)
2 Presentations (100 pts total)
Class Participation (100 pts)
Portfolio (50 pts)

Honor Code:

ADA Accommodation:

The Exam:

• Content:
• The microthemes will focus on a specific question based on your readings whereas the papers will be broader. The thesis you maintain in your paper should be supported with facts from the materials we have covered with quotes where appropriate and possibly from your personal experience. The paper, however, should not be one long quotation.
• The Microthemes should be 600-900 words long; the papers 1200-1500 words long.

• Formatting:
• Header: start with a simple heading at the top of the page giving your name, course number, the number of the assignment (e.g. Paper #6), a word count, etc.
• Citations: for citations from our textbooks, give the author's name and the page number; for other citations, follow standard format, e.g. APA, MLA, etc, but note that I prefer italicizing titles, etc. to underlining. There will be a post in the discussion folder with examples for your aid.
• Spacing & Font: you may use any font, point size, or line spacing that you want--within reason, that is.

• Content:
  
• Introduction (should): grab audience's attention, make purpose clear, preview main points, be relevant to main body, & create "information hunger" within audience
• Main Body (should have): clarity of main points, clear & logical pattern of organization, sufficient development of points, & information that meeds assignment expectations
• Conclusion (should): summarize main points, have a concluding statement, & create a sense of finality
  
• Delivery:
  
• Voice (should have good): voice rate, volume, pitch, enunciation, pronunciation, grammar/vocabulary, fluency (well rehearsed?), & energy/enthusiasm
• Body (human) (should have): natural body movement, natural gestures, & good posture
• Eye Contact (should): scan entire audience
• Audience adaptation: information should be relative to the needs of the audience & appropriate level of complexity
• *Based on "Speech Evaluation Sheet" used by Professor Hardeman.
  

Regular participation is critically important for the success of the class. In essence, the Westminster Seminar is an academic course which depends heavily for its success on student discussion, even student direction. I don't expect that you will necessarily "know all the answers" before class, but that you will have read the material, have reflected on it, and be prepared to discuss it with your fellow classmates.

After three absences, each unexcused absence will result in a 3% reduction in your overall grade. No make-up work will be accepted for unexcused absences. A hard copy and an electronic copy of papers are due at the beginning of the class period. Let me repeat, no make-up work will be accepted for unexcused absences. A hard copy and an electronic copy of papers are due at the beginning of the class period.

    The assignments given below are not "set-in-stone," and may vary depending on how each class period goes. The syllabus will be updated as needed. Also the dates when we will be meeting with two other seminars during the semester are still to be determined.

Unit I: "Wine"

• Reading assignments (click here for specific due dates):
• Shelton, Preface and Introduction, pp.xxiii-xxv and 1-3; Chapter V "Meals," pp. 79-85 #99-108; and Chapter XIV "Dinner Parties," pp. 314-317 #355-362
• Casson, Chapter I: The Times, pp. 1-9; Chapter II: The Family, pp. 18-21; and Chapter IV: In the City, pp. 30-47
• other: see specific due dates

• Reading assignments (click here for specific due dates: not yet available):
• Shelton, Chapter II: Families, pp. 16-36 #15-53; Chapter III: Marriage, pp. 37-58 #54-78; Chapter XIII: Women in Roman Society, pp. 288-306 #325-347; and a few selections from other chapters
• Casson, Chapter II The Family, pp. 10-23;
• other: see specific due dates

• Reading Assignments (click here for specific due dates: not yet available):
• Shelton, Chapter XIV: Leisure and Entertainment, pp. 307-358 #348-401; and Chapter 15 "Festivals," pp. 378-384 #420-425
• Casson, Chapter X: Fun and Games, pp. 98-108; and Chapter XI: On the Road, pp. 109-124
• other: see specific due dates