1. GREEK & ROMAN HUMANITIES: HUM2220
Professor Will Adams · Wadams5@valenciacollege.edu
Course Blog: hum2220-0915-sm.blogspot.com
Office hours by appointment · Osceola Campus – Building 2, Room 232
Class Meeting: Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9:15 – 10:50 AM
“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they
have to say something.”
- Plato (427 – 347 BC)
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Greek & Roman Humanities offers the student integrated examinations of dominant
developments in the Classical civilizations as expressed in art, architecture, politics, literature,
music, philosophy and religion.
The course will cover the period from the Paleolithic era through the end of the Roman
Empire, and will emphasize the development and influence of classical thoughts and ideals.
This course is a Gordon Rule course, in which the student is required to demonstrate
college-level writing skills through multiple writing assignments. A minimum grade of C
required if used to satisfy Gordon Rule requirement.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
 To understand the continuation and evolution of the human experience by thinking
critically about humanity’s artistic, cultural, and intellectual development.
 To broaden the student’s knowledge of the ideas and personalities associated with the
Greek and Roman civilizations.
 To learn, internalize, and utilize vocabulary specific to the period covered by this
course.
 To appreciate the legacy left behind by both the Greek and Roman civilizations.
 To learn skills essential to critical thinking and synthesis of thought by carrying out
scholarly research and authoring thoughtful essays.
 To attend cultural events in order to recognize the continued relevance of the
sometimes-ancient ideas being discussed throughout the class’s duration.
REQUIRED TEXT
Gloria K. Fiero, The Humanistic Tradition, Book 1.

2. STUDENT EVALUATION FORMULA
1. Attendance & Class Participation 20%
Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class meeting, and count as part of the
attendance & participation grade.
The professor should hear each student’s voice at least once per class meeting.
Please be aware that, under Valencia’s Attendance Policy, there is no such thing as an
“excused absence”.
2. Cultural Event with Written Evaluation 10%
You will be required to attend one cultural event throughout the class’s duration.
Various events may be suggested to you by the instructor throughout the class’s duration,
but it is ultimately your own responsibility to find and attend an approved cultural event.
Proof of attendance at said event must be furnished (i.e. ticket stub, program, souvenir,
etc).
A two-page “reaction” (i.e. non-research) paper is required. Be sure to answer the
following questions: What did I do? What did I think of it? What did I learn?
3. Research Project 25%
One five-to-six page written research project is required.
Proper MLA style citation should be used for all written assignments.
One draft may be turned in for the professor’s perusal two weeks prior to the due date.
Plagiarism = A grade of zero. No exceptions.
Wikipedia = A grade of zero. No exceptions.
All research projects should be stapled or bound by the student. This is not the professor’s
responsibility.
A detailed research project description will be distributed at a later date.
4. Quizzes 15%
Two short-form quizzes will be administered throughout the course of the class.
The format that the quizzes come in may vary from quiz to quiz.
Pop quizzes to ensure student comprehension and attention are also possible without
warning.
5. Examinations 30%
Four long-form examinations will be administered, once at week 3, once at midterm, once,
at week 9, and once at final class meeting.
Examinations will not be cumulative in their subject matter.
You will be given a study guide for most exams, at the instructor’s discretion.
GRADING SCALE
100 – 90% =A
89 – 80% =B
79 – 70% =C
69 – 60% =D
59 – 0% =F

3. SCHEDULE OF CLASS MEETINGS
Class Meeting Date Task
Tuesday, May 8th Introduce class, distribute and discuss syllabus. Student
introduction activity.
Read for next class: Pages 1 – 10 (Paleolithic Culture
through Neolithic Earthworks).
Thursday, May 10th Paleolithic cave art lecture & activity.
Mother goddess homework assignment.
Read for next class: Pages 10 – 15 (The Birth of Civilization
through Creation Tales).
Tuesday, May 15th RESEARCH PROJECT INTRODUCTION & LIBRARY VISIT
Read for next class: Pages 16 – 28 (Mesopotamia through
Reading from Hammurabi’s Code).
Thursday, May 17th The earliest ancient written languages & religion.
Translation in-class activity.
Read for next class: Pages 44 – 61 (Africa: Gods, Rulers, and
the Social Order through Western Sudan: Nok Culture).
Tuesday, May 22nd The epic, Gilgamesh & modern epics.
Read for next class: Pages 28 – 42 (Arts in Mesopotamia
through The Persian Empire).
Thursday, May 24th EXAM #1
Read for next class: Pages 76 – 89 (Greece: Humanism &
the Speculative Leap through Reading from Thucydides’
Peloponnesian Wars).
Tuesday, May 29th Embalming & Egyptian funerary architecture
Sarcophagus lid in-class activity
Thursday, May 31st Greek mythology & heroes
Read for next class: Pages 89 – 99 (The Olympic Games
through Reading from Aristotle’s Poetics).
Tuesday, June 5th Dionysus & Ancient Greek Theatre
Begin watching Medea in class
Thursday, June 7th Conclude watching Medea in class
Tuesday, June 12th Ancient Greek Philosophy
Read for next class: Pages 100 – 110 (Greek Philosophy: The
Speculative Leap through Reading from Aristotle’s
Nichomachean Ethics).
Thursday, June 14th Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics Deconstructed
Read for next class: Pages 113 – 122 (The Classical Style
through The Classical Ideal: Male and Female).
Tuesday, June 19th Begin watching 300
Read for next class: Pages 122 – 127 (Greek Architecture:
The Parthenon through The Gold of Greece).

4. Thursday, June 21st Finish watching 300
Read for next class: Pages 127 – 130 (The Classical Style in
Poetry through The Classical Style in Music & Dance).
Tuesday, June 26th EXAM #2
Read for next class: Pages 130 – 135 (The Diffusion of the
Classical Style: The Hellenistic Age).
Thursday, June 28th The Classical orders & the great temples of ancient Greece.
Classical architecture homework.
Read for next class: Pages 137 – 143 (Rome: The Rise to
Empire through The Roman Empire).
Read for next class: Pages 152 – 158 (The Arts of the Roman
Empire through Roman Architecture).
Tuesday, July 3rd The Roman Republic & What Is Satire?
Thursday, July 5th Rome’s Best & Craziest Emperors
Read for next class: Pages 159 – 161 (Roman Sculpture)
Tuesday, July 10th EXAM #3
The Coliseum’s Bloody History & Its Legacy
Begin watching Ancient Rome, The Modern Stadium
Read for next class: Pages 162 – 164 (Roman Painting
through The Fall of Rome).
Thursday, July 12th Pompeii: Roman Time Capsule
Mosaic in-class activity.
Tuesday, July 17th The Emergence of Christianity in Ancient Rome
Thursday, July 19th RESEARCH PROJECT PRESENTATIONS
Tuesday, July 24th The Byzantine Era: An Empire Evolves
Thursday, July 26th CULTURAL EVENT DUE
Watch Byzantium: The Lost Empire
Tuesday, July 31st FINAL EXAM (#4)
GUIDELINES FOR WRITTEN WORK
All written work should be set in Arial 12 point font, with double spacing and standard
1” page margins. Additionally, each written assignment (with the exception of the research
project) should begin with the following header, placed at the top, left side of the first page:
Your First & Last Name
HUM2220 – 10:30 AM
Prof. Will Adams
Assignment Due Date (MM/DD/YYYY)

5. Assignments of more than one page must be stapled by the student. The instructor will not
provide a stapler for your use.
Finally, minimum page totals for any written assignment require that the written page
be filled in its entirety to count as one page. In other words, if a written assignment requires 2
pages, but the student only writes 1.5, the student will not earn all possible points for the
assignment.
EXTRA CREDIT POLICY
Each quiz or test throughout the class’s duration will include one extra credit question
equal to 10% of the quiz or test’s total point value (i.e. A five point extra credit question for a
fifty point test).
In addition, extra credit may be earned by writing more than the required number of
pages for any written assignment. Extra credit for extra written work will be given up to a
maximum of 15% of the assignment’s total point value (i.e. A two page written assignment is
usually valued at 20 total points, at ten points per page. If the student writes 2.2 pages, the
student will receive 22 points for the assignment, rather than the standard 20). No other extra
credit opportunities will be available.
LATE WORK/MAKE-UP POLICY
 No late work will be accepted.
 No work will be accepted via e-mail.
 Quizzes or exams must be taken on, or before, the date assigned – and only with the
instructor’s explicit consent.
 The final exam must be taken on the date published for final exams.
ATTENDANCE
Students are expected to attend every class. Attendance will be taken and will count as
a portion of the final grade. After the FOURTH absence, a student has missed two full weeks of
class. A notice of Excessive Absences may be issued and the student may be withdrawn at the
professor’s discretion.
It is always the student’s responsibility to contact the professor about issues that may
lead to excessive absences. It is also the student’s responsibility to arrange to receive class
notes or handouts from missed classes from his or her fellow students.
Do not contact the instructor for this information without contacting your classmates
first! Please note that there is no such thing as an “Excused Absence” (even with a doctor’s
note, death in the family, etc.) under Valencia’s Attendance Policy.
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Plagiarism is intellectual theft and will not be tolerated. Presentation of the ideas and
words of others as if they are your own work constitutes plagiarism. This includes use of
material from books, the internet or any other source. The student is expected to perform his

6. or her own research and present his or her own thoughts. Direct use of another author’s words
or ideas, as well as paraphrasing must be cited. Each student is expected to be in complete
compliance with the college policy on academic honesty as set forth in the college catalog and
the student handbook. Plagiarism in any work will result in a grade of zero for that
assignment.
CLASS CONDUCT
Valencia College is dedicated not only to the advancement of knowledge and learning
but is concerned with the development of responsible personal and social conduct.
By enrolling at Valencia College, a student assumes the responsibility for becoming familiar
with and abiding by the general rules of conduct. The primary responsibility for managing the
classroom environment rests with the faculty. Students who engage in any prohibited or
unlawful acts that result in disruption of a class may be directed by the faculty to leave the
class. Violation of any classroom or Valencia’s rules may lead to disciplinary action up to and
including expulsion from Valencia. Disciplinary action could include being withdrawn from
class, disciplinary warning, probation, suspension, expulsion, or other appropriate and
authorized actions. You will find the Student Code of Conduct in the current Valencia Student
Handbook.
COMPUTER/EQUIPMENT USE POLICY
Use of computers in the Business, IT, and Public Service classrooms at Valencia
College is restricted to those activities designated by the instructor to enhance the class
materials. Any other use is strictly forbidden. Inappropriate use includes, but is not limited to:
 Use of computer to send E-mail or access Internet sites not specifically assigned in
class.
 Use of computer for job, internship, homework or other activities not assigned in class.
 Modifying any hardware or software system configuration or setting.
 Activities not in accordance with the Valencia Student Code of Conduct
 Use of computers in the departmental open lab is limited to those activities involved
with preparing homework or coursework in this department and is subject to the same
restriction as listed above.
Computer use is remotely monitored; any student using computers inappropriately may be
subject to dismissal from class or banishment from the lab. Subsequent offense may be sent to
the campus administration for further disciplinary action.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Students with disabilities who qualify for academic accommodations must provide a
notification from the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) and discuss specific needs with
the professor, preferably during the first two weeks of class. The Office for Students with
Disabilities determines accommodations based on appropriate documentation of disabilities.

7. DISCLAIMER
This outline may be altered, at the instructor’s discretion, during the course of the term.
It is the responsibility of the student to make any adjustments as announced.