Texts (Available at MSU Bookstore)

N.K. Sandars (translator), Gilgamesh
Apuleius, The Golden Ass
Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions

Course Description and Objectives

This course is an exercise in the telling, retelling, and explication of ancient and modern stories involving a katabasis, or round-trip visit to the underworld.

Course Policy

Students are required to show up for every class, on time, with all assignments completed and fully prepared to participate in an active learning  experience. Since class discussion is important to the student's mastery of course material, attendance and participation are crucial. The student is solely responsible for obtaining any notes, assignments, or other information given in a class which he or she has missed.   Students with a handicap should notify the instructor at once, so that arrangements may be made. Make-up exams will be allowed only in case of documented emergency (or through the Learning Diagnostic Center; see below).

Letter grades will be assigned on the standard Missouri State University curve: 90-100%= A; 80-89%= B; 70-79%= C; 60-69%= D; 59%-below= F.

Course Grading

There will be three Hour Examinations over the course of the semester, each worth 30% of your final grade. Each of the three Hour Examinations will be worth 100 points. 70% of the score will be based on objective questions (identification, short-answer, matching), and 30% will be based on the essay question. Each examination will focus primarily on material covered since the previous exam, but not completely.

The last 10% of your final grade will come from your Katabatic Project, which can be either an analysis of a katabatic book or film, or a story about a katabatic episode in your life. Other katabatic-type projects may be submitted after consultation with the instructor of the course.

Nondiscrimination Policy:

Missouri State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution, and maintains a grievance procedure available to any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against. At all times, it is your right to address inquiries or concerns about possible discrimination to the Office for Equity and Diversity, Siceluff Hall 296, (417) 836-4252. Other types of concerns (i.e., concerns of an academic nature) should be discussed directly with your instructor and can also be brought to the attention of the Modern and Classical Languages Department Head. 

Disability Accommodation Policy:

To request academic accommodations for a disability, contact the Director of Disability Services, Plaster Student Union, Suite 405, (417) 836-4192 or (417) 836-6792 (TTY), http://www.missouristate.edu/disability.  Students are required to provide documentation of disability to Disability Services prior to receiving accommodations. Disability Services refers some types of accommodation requests to the Learning Diagnostic Clinic, which also provides diagnostic testing for learning and psychological disabilities. For information about testing, contact the Director of the Learning Diagnostic Clinic, (417) 836-4787, http://psychology.missouristate.edu/ldc.

Academic Dishonesty Policy:

Missouri State University is a community of scholars committed to developing educated persons who accept the responsibility to practice personal and academic integrity.  You are responsible for knowing and following the university’s student honor code, Student Academic Integrity Policies and Procedures, available at http://www.missouristate.edu/provost/3935.htm and also available at the Reserves Desk in Meyer Library.  Any student participating in any form of academic dishonesty will be subject to sanctions as described in this policy.

 

 

 

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