Otacilia Severa, wife of Emperor Philip I, "the Arab." Coin dated 247/248 AD

Westminster Seminar:   Wine, Women & Song   Fall 2001

games for Rome's 1000th birthday and the new Saeculum,about 110 years in length

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.

     The Westminster Seminar is one of the components of Tier I of the general education program. All courses offered as Westminster Seminars will provide a common intellectual experience by carefully and deliberately introducing students to the basic intellectual skills they will need to succeed in college, the tools by which liberally-educated minds go about organizing scholarly inquiry. These skills, applicable to all courses at Westminster, constitute the core of the "Westminster experience," a common approach to intellectual problem solving that will provide the foundation for work in Tier II or "Context" courses.
     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 50 pts each with the first draft counting 20%)
2 Papers (with revisions 100 pts each with the first draft counting 20%)
1 Exam (100 pts)
1 Take-Home Exam over common reading (25 pts)
2 Presentations (100 pts total)
Class Participation (100 pts)
Portfolio (75 pts)
Note: I expect you to abide by Westminster's Honor Code.

     Regular attendance and participation are 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. Each student is allowed three unexcused absences with no penalty. [Note that the activities of New Student Week, not just the seminar meetings of that week, count towards your attendance record.] Thereafter, each unexcused absence will result in a 2.5% reduction in the student's final 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. I expect you to abide by Westminster’s honor code.

    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):
• 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):
• 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

The Exam:

The exam will be a combination of fill-in the blank or short answer with  one essay. There will be fill in the blank questions worth 2 points each and one long essay. The essay should be well written in standard paragraph format with pertinent facts to support your thesis (or theses). The average length for a good essay should be one to two full pages depending on how large you write, what type of margins you use, etc. (a good essay is typically at least 300 words). Typically a review sheet will be available one week before the exam as an aid in your preparation.

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.

• “Double space” your papers
• Start with a simple heading at the top of the page giving your name, etc. Don't forget to include a word count in your heading.
• Use a variable width font, e.g. Times New Roman, versus fixed width font, e.g. Courier or Courier New

 

• Clarity: How clear is the presentation? How could the it be even clearer? How clear, specific, and relevant are references to texts?
• Content: How complete is the presentation, and what could be added to make the it more complete and comprehensible?
• Organization: How well is the presentation organized, and how could the organization be modified to make it more effective?
• Grammar: What grammatical changes could make the summary more cogent and effective?
• Miscellaneous: What other changes could make the presentation clearer and more successful at conveying ideas and engaging the audience?
• Length: Each presentation should be five minutes long--was the presentation too short or too long?

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.