CLA 2521 Classical Antiquity and Sustainability

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General Information

Course Number: 10994..Credits: 03. Room: FAC 0120.  Time: MWF 7 (1:55 pm – 2:45 pm). CLA 2151 is a course offered in the Department of Classical Studies. at University of Florida. Department contact: Samantha Jones.

Instructor


Course Description

An examination of classical antiquity, applying methods and theories of sustainability to explore the impact of the ancient Greeks and Romans on their environment and focusing on geography, economy, land use and classical representations of the natural world. The course has no prerequisites.


General Education Objectives and Learning Outcomes

Primary General Education Designation: H (link to area objectives). Secondary General Education Designation: N (link to area objectives). Note: A minimum grade of C is required for general education.

  • Objectives. Content: Students will become conversant with the main aspects of human-environmental interaction in Classical Antiquity. The ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Roman Italy will serve as case studies for the investigation of human response to three radically different landscapes and habitats. Assessments: quizzes; end of module discussion boards. (H, N). Communication: Students will be able to write clearly and effectively about environmental issues in Classical Antiquity and their relevance to the present. They will also be able to work with visual materials in order to design slide-illustrated presentations on selected topics of ancient environmental history. Assessments: end of module discussion boards; end of class Powerpoint presentation. (H). Critical Thinking: Students will acquire an understanding of the changing dynamics that rule human-environmental relations across history. Assessment: end of module discussion boards. (H, N).
  • Learning Outcomes. Students will learn how to apply a variety of methodological approaches from the humanities (H) in order to investigate human-environmental interactions in the Classical world (N) and use this knowledge to to put current events in a historical perspective.

Reading Materials and Study Aids

L. Thommen, An Environmental History of Ancient Greece and Rome. (CUP: Cambridge 2012.). Available from Course Reserves.
A folder with PDF files of the powerpoint presentations used in class (images only) is also available from this link .


Course Assessments and Grading

  • Three end of module discussion board assignments (20% of final grade). Format: 250 words single-spaced. Points: see Rubric.
  • Four quizzes, equally weighted (20% of final grade). Format: 20 questions (10 MC, 10 T/F). Points per question: 5. Total points per quiz: 100.
  • One end-of-course Powerpoint presentation (10% of final grade). Format: 8 slides, featuring images, maps, and text as needed. Points: see Rubric
  • Two exams, equally weighted (50% of final grade). Format: 50 questions (25 MC, 25 T/F). Points per question: 2. Total points per exam: 100.

Please note: Quizzes and exams are cumulative.

UF Grading Scale:

A 100 % to 94.0%  A- 94.0 % to 90.0%
B+ 90.0 % to 87.087.0 % to 84.0B- 84.0 % to 80.0%
C+ 80.0 % to 77.077.0 % to 74.0C- 74.0 % to 70.0%
D+ 70.0 % to 67.067.0 % to 64.0D- 64.0 % to 61.0%
61.0 %to 0.0%

General information on current university policies for assigning grade points is available in the Undergraduate CatalogLinks to an external site..


Course Policies

  • Attendance. Attendance is mandatory and will be tracked. Accruing more than 3 unexcused absences will result in a 3 pt. penalty to be detracted from one’s quiz average. Requirements for class attendance and make-up exams, assignments, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found in the online Undergraduate Catalog.
  • Laptop policy. Students are required to bring to class a laptop, handheld, or other web-enabled device that would allow them to connect to e-learning.
  • Class Etiquette. Students are strongly discouraged from leaving the class in the middle of a lecture. Those who need to do so must obtain the instructor’s permission at the beginning of class.
  • Makeup Examinations. Makeup exams are given only in extraordinary circumstances. Students who are unable to take exams at the appointed dates should notify the instructor’s assistants in advance.
  • Honor Code. Students in CLA 2521 are expected to comply with the Academic Honor Code of the University of Florida (see Academic Conduct below) and must sign the CLA 2521 Honor Pledge before February 02, 2021. Please note: students who do not sign the pledge will not be given access to graded quizzes and exams.
  • Disclaimer on Sexual and Religious Content. As ancient attitudes towards sexuality and religion differ considerably from ours, some of the material examined in this course may result offensive to modern sensibility. Students who have a problem in dealing with such topics should consult with the instructor.

Class Schedule

 

Session Date Content
01 JAN 08 Orientation
02 JAN 10 Introductory Concepts
03 JAN 12 Introductory Concepts
04 JAN 17 Egypt
05 JAN 19 Egypt
06 JAN 22 Egypt
07 JAN 24 QUIZ 1 (sessions 1-6)
08 JAN 26 Greece: The geographic space. DISCUSSION BOARD 1 OPENS
09 JAN 29 Greece: The geographic space
10 JAN 31 Greece: People and nature
11 FEB 02 Greece: People and nature. DISCUSSION BOARD 1 CLOSES
12 FEB 05 Greece: Agriculture
13 FEB 07 Greece: Agriculture
14 FEB 09 QUIZ 2 (sessions 1-13)
15 FEB 12 Greece: Forests and timber
16 FEB 14 Greece: Gardens
17 FEB 16 Greece: Gardens
18 FEB 19 Greece: Animals
19 FEB 21 Greece: Animals
20 FEB 23 MIDTERM EXAMINATION (sessions 1-19). Same room and time as class
21 FEB 26 Greece: Food
22 FEB 28 Greece: Food
23 MAR 01 Greece: Fire and Water
24 MAR 04 Greece: Fire and Water
25 MAR 06 Greece: Mining
26 MAR 08 QUIZ 3 (sessions 1-26)
27 MAR 18 Rome: The geographic space
28 MAR 20 Rome: The geographic space
29 MAR 22 Rome: People and nature. DISCUSSION BOARD 2 OPENS
30 MAR 25 Rome: People and nature
31 MAR 27 Rome: Agriculture
32 MAR 29 Rome: Agriculture. DISCUSSION BOARD 2 CLOSES
33 APR 01 Rome: Forests and timber
34 APR 03 Rome: Forests and timber
35 APR 05 Rome: Gardens
36 APR 08 Rome: Gardens
37 APR 10 Rome: Animals
38 APR 12 Rome: Food. DISCUSSION BOARD 3 OPENS
39 APR 15 Rome: Food
40 APR 17 Rome: Fire and Water
41 APR 19 QUIZ 4 (sessions 1-40). DISCUSSION BOARD 3 CLOSES
42 APR 22 Rome: Mining
43 APR 24 Rome: Mining. POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS DUE
44 MAY 01 FINAL EXAMINATION (sessions 1-43). 10:00am-12:00pm FAC 120)

Accommodations

Students with disabilities requesting accommodations should first register with the Disability Resource Center (352-392-8565, www.dso.ufl.edu/drc (Links to an external site.) ) by providing appropriate documentation.  Once registered, students will receive an accommodation letter that must be presented to the instructor when requesting accommodation.  Students with disabilities should follow this procedure as early as possible in the semester.


UF students are bound by The Honor Pledge which states, “We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity by abiding by the Honor Code.  On all work submitted for credit by students at the University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.”  The Honor Code (http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/process/student-conduct-honor-code/ (Links to an external site.)) specifies a number of behaviors that are in violation of this code and the possible sanctions.  Furthermore, you are obligated to report any condition that facilitates academic misconduct to appropriate personnel.  If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with the instructor or TAs in this class.


For issues with technical difficulties for Canvas, please contact the UF Help Desk at:

Any requests for make-ups due to technical issues should be accompanied by the ticket number received from the Help Desk when the problem was reported to them. The ticket number will document the time and date of the problem. You should e-mail your instructor within 24 hours of the technical difficulty if you wish to request a make-up.


Academic and Student Support



Course Evaluations

Students are expected to provide professional and respectful feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing course evaluations online via GatorEvals. Guidance on how to give feedback in a professional and respectful manner is available at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/students/ (Links to an external site.). Students will be notified when the evaluation period opens, and can complete evaluations through the email they receive from GatorEvals, in their Canvas course menu under GatorEvals, or via https://ufl.bluera.com/ufl/ (Links to an external site.). Summaries of course evaluation results are available to students at https://gatorevals.aa.ufl.edu/public-results/ (Links to an external site.).