Gorgon's head on a silver coin of Naples
permission to use image granted
CLA 300:
 

Medicine, Miracle, & Magic
 

Spring 2009

The god Apollo on a gold coin of Syracuse
image courtesy of Edgar L. Owen, #3803

Instructor: Dr. Victor A. Leuci

Link: Web resources for Greek Civilization

Texts:

Objectives: This course will examine, from a multi-disciplinary perspective, various approaches to healing--the medical, the miraculous, and the magical--from the Greco-Roman world and from the modern world to see the role they played in individuals and communities lives and the interrelationships between these various approaches to healing. This course will also expect the students to understand and apply, in a critical fashion, pertinent scholarship from various scholarly fields to the ancient (and modern) material. With over 62% of the American population having used complementary and alternative medicine (based on a National Center for Health Statistics survey in 2002) and with the increased popularity of various "non-medical" approaches to healing among various religions (e.g. 43% of Americans using complementary and alternative approaches listed prayer as one approach they used--same 2002 survey), the students will "form intelligent judgements about and rational responses to" a "complex issue," namely, healing, "they will confront as citizens in the 21st century" (New Foundations Document, p. 21)

 Relationship to the General Education Curriculum: CLA 300A/REL 300B, Medicine, Miracle, & Magic,  satisfies the Tier III requirement. The course does so in the following ways: Format:  The course will consist of discussion, student presentations and some lectures. The class may occasionally be divided into small groups to treat discussion topics that will most often be based on readings from ancient authors. 

Grading:

Honor Code: All students and faculty must adhere to the Honor Code; please see the Student Life Handbook for the full description  of the Honor Code--p. 21 in the Student Life Handbook gives a short definition: "No Westminster student shall commit any act of academic dishonesty in order to advance her or his own academic performance, or to impede or advance the academic progress of others," but the sections on plagiarism and cheating are especially important (see Honor Commission Constitution, Article IX).

ADA Accommodation: Any student who feels that he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me to arrange an appointment as soon as possible.  At that time, we can discuss the course format, anticipate your needs, and explore possible accommodations.

Writing-Intensive Option: Different types of writing will be part of the course: critical summaries, research papers, and a final. All papers/critical summaries will be assigned as a means to help participants come to a better understanding, evaluation, and integration of important themes, ideas, and concepts. Both critical summaries and the research paper (or one of the papers if doing two) will be revised on the basis of a conference with me. One of the critical summaries and the research paper (or one of the papers, if two chosen) must be revised on the basis of conferences with a tutor at the Writing Lab. A critique and conference after the completion of a writing assignment may also occur. In general, participants in the class should highly consider using the services of the Writing Lab and especially the Lab tutors, who can be of tremendous assistance.

Papers:

Attendance:  Regular attendance and participation are essential for the success of the whole class.  More than two unexcused absences will be considered excessive, and no make-up work will be accepted for unexcused absences. Each unexcused absence past two will result in a deduction of 7.5 points from the total number of points one has at the end of the semester. If you are ill, e-mail me before class, if possible, or as soon as you are able.

Assignments:  In each unit, the assignments and the specific due dates are not "set-in-stone," and may vary depending on how each class period goes. The syllabus will be updated as needed.

Unit I: Greco-Roman approaches & accounts

Unit II: 20th and 21st century approaches Unit III: Presentations of Student Research