5
Gannon University, Honors Program
Honors 390.99: Wit of the Mathosaurus
Tuesday/Thursday 4:30 – 5:25
8/25/2016 – 10/18/2016
Palumbo 2201
Fall 2016, 1 credit hour
5
Dr. Jimmy Menkhaus
Office: Palumbo 3020G
Office Hours: T/Th 1:30-3:00 & 4:30-5:00
E-mail:
Phone: x7545
Dr. Martha Kosir
Office: Palumbo 2218
Office Hours: T 10:00-11:30,
3:00-4:00, W 10:30-12:00,
Th 3:00-4:00
E-mail:
Phone: x7644
Dr. Jeff Bloodworth
Office: Palumbo 3218
Office Hours: M-F 10:00-11:00
E-mail:
Phone: x5768
Prof. Berwyn Moore
Office: Palumbo 3240
Office Hours: MWF 10:00-12:20 & 1:20-2:30
T/Th 11:00-12:00 & 3:00-3:30
E-mail:
Phone: x7504
Dr. Steve Ropski
Office: Zurn 250
Office Hours: MWF 10:00-12:00 & T/Th 9:30-11:00
E-mail:
Phone: x7637
Dr. Mike Caulfield
Office: Zurn 403
Office Hours: MWF 2:30-3:30 & T/Th 9:00-10:00
E-mail:
Phone: x7594
5
Program Chair: Dr. Ann Bomberger (bomberge001; x5366)
Dean: Dr. Linda Fleming (fleming006; x7549)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The one-credit special topics course, Wit of the Mathosaurus, embodies the epitome of an honors experience. Not only is it interdisciplinary, but it is moderated, in turn, by six professors from different fields. It is structured as a discussion-based seminar. It examines subjects and issues relevant to both contemporary and historical societies, and it explores the cultural, ethical, moral, and/or spiritual implications of those issues.
More specifically, this course uses movies to explore subjects related to science, math, theology, history, language, and literature. Each professor will take turns facilitating weekly discussions about how a film presents its unique premise, including its historical and cultural contexts and the characters who inhabit them. Discussions will explore the way each film attempts to achieve its purpose and/or message Consider these examples: Martin Scorsese claims that Catholicism influences every movie he makes. How can the drama in Shutter Island be viewed through a Catholic lens? Is the science in Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park accurate? Is it plausible? Is the film a warning to scientists who take scientific research to a nefarious extreme? In the movie Son of Saul, a Jewish man is required to bring fellow Jews to the gas chamber at Auschwitz, a Holocaust death camp. Is he a victim or a perpetrator? Other films will raise equally important and provocative questions.
Each week, a different professor will lead the class and guide students through discussion of the film he or she has selected. Class members need to watch the film on their own time before the class sessions. DVD’s will be available in the Honors Center.
REQUIRED TEXTS, REFERENCES, AND OTHER MATERIALS:
Some handouts will be available in Blackboard, but no materials are required for purchase.
You will be able to access your grades, assignments, a current calendar, and attendance in Blackboard at any time: http://gannon.blackboard.com
ASSESSMENT PROCEDURES:
Class attendance will count for an additional 10 points. Since this is a class that is based on participation, even a single person missing can negatively impact the course dynamic. It important that you attend all classes listed on the syllabus.
ACS Learning Communities Rubric for Evaluating Class Participation
Strong Work / Needs Development / UnsatisfactoryListening / Actively and respectfully
listens to peers and instructor / Sometimes displays lack of interest
in comments of others / Projects lack of interest or
disrespect for others
Preparation / Arrives fully prepared with all assignments completed, and notes on reading, observations, questions / Sometimes arrives unprepared or with only superficial preparation / Exhibits little evidence of having read or thought about assigned material
Quality of contributions / Comments are relevant and reflect understanding of: assigned text(s); previous remarks of other students; and insights about assigned material / Comments sometimes irrelevant, betray lack of preparation, or indicate lack of attention to previous remarks of other students / Comments reflect little understanding of either the assignment or previous remarks in seminar
Impact on seminar / Comments frequently help move seminar conversation forward / Comments sometimes advance the conversation, but sometimes do little to move it forward / Comments do not advance the conversation or are actively harmful to it
Frequency of participation / Actively participates at appropriate times / Sometimes participates but at other times is “tuned out” / Seldom participates and is generally not engaged
GRADING POLICY:
Reflections will be evaluated on ideas and the use of standard written English.
Points DistributionWritten Assignment(s) / Participation
Dr. Jimmy Menkhaus / 10 / 5
Dr. Martha Kosir / 10 / 5
Dr. Jeff Bloodworth / 15
Prof. Berwyn Moore / 10 / 5
Dr. Steve Ropski / 10 / 5
Dr. Mike Caulfield / 11 / 4
Attendance / 10
Letter grades will be assigned according to the following point scale:
A+ = 98-100
A = 93-97
A- = 90-92
B+ = 88-89
B = 83-87
B- = 80-82
C+ = 78-79
C = 73-77
C- = 70-72
D = 60-69
F = 59 or lower
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
· Your character is shaped by the big and small choices you make every day. Integrity and honesty is something that both Gannon and we value highly, and we hope that you do as well.
· Please review the Code of Academic Integrity in the college catalog carefully: http://www.gannon.edu/Academic-Offerings/Academic-Catalogs/ . It is your responsibility to understand the code and citation procedures.
· If you plagiarize or engage in other forms of academic dishonesty, you will receive an F, either for the assignment or the course, depending on the severity of the offense.
· We report all cases of academic dishonesty to the university and repeated offenses will lead to dismissal from the university.
ACCOMODATIONS FOR DISABILITIES:
Students with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact the PSLD office with appropriate documentation. This office will contact us and we will be glad to work with you with the accommodations you need.
Preliminary Calendar (subject to change)—All changes will be posted in Blackboard.
Thursday 8/25, All professors:
Tuesday 8/30 and Thursday 9/1, Dr. Jimmy Menkhaus:
· Watch Shutter Island before Tuesday’s class.
· Martin Scorsese has stated that the influence of Catholicism is "in every work I do, even in the way I act." In order to unpack Scorsese's insight, we will analyze his thrilling drama Shutter Island in light of his Catholic heritage.
· Assignment – Hard copy, Submitted in class – Due Tuesday, August 30
Written Reflection instructions: Write a one to two page (typed, double spaced) mini-essay to your choice of one of the following questions:
o How do you interpret Teddy's statement: "Which would be worse,to live as a monster, or to die as a good man?" Yourperspectivewill not only be a way to understand the movie, but to unlock the Catholic dimension.
o Whatovert examples of religion did you see in the film?
Tuesday 9/6 and Thursday 9/8, Dr. Martha Kosir:
· Watch L’Auberge Espagnole before Tuesday’s class.
· Through humor (verbal and non-verbal), the film explores multilingualism as an essential element of cross-cultural understanding, which combats prejudice, clichés and stereotypes.
· Assignment – Hard copy, Submitted in class – Due Thursday, September 8
Write a one to two page (typed, double spaced) reflection on one of the following questions:
o Reflecting on your own experience abroad (if you’ve had one) have you encountered similar or dissimilar experiences as the characters in the film? Explain in what ways and to what extent.
o Who was in your opinion the most positive character in the film and why? What did you learn from this character?
o Choose a different ending for the film. What happens when Xavier returns home?
Tuesday 9/13 and Thursday 9/15, Dr. Jeff Bloodworth:
· Watch Son of Saul before Tuesday’s class.
· Son of Saul; A film about a Jewish man in charge of bringing Jews to the gas chambers in Auschwitz. Breaks down the victim/perpetrator binary.
· Assignment – None.
All points will be earned via in class discussion.
Tuesday 9/20 and Thursday 9/22, Prof. Berwyn Moore:
· Watch Wit before Tuesday’s class.
· The protagonist of Margaret Edson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Wit, is Dr. Vivian Bearing, an esteemed scholar and professor, who confronts her diagnosis of terminal ovarian cancer the same way she approached her research of John Donne’s 17th century metaphysical poetry: with intellectual prowess, analytical precision, and wry wit. Does this strategy help Dr. Bearing to “bear up” against the ravages of cancer and experimental treatments? What else does this brilliant woman need to learn as she confronts her own death?
· Assignment– Hard copy, Submitted in class – Due Thursday, September 22
Written Reflection instructions: Write a one to two page (typed, double spaced) mini-essay to your choice of one of the following questions:
o In her first monologue, Vivian says that irony in the play unfolding “is a literary device that will necessarily be deployed to great effect.” How does Edson use irony? Find four examples of irony in the play and comment on their significance.
o Just before Vivian accepts the morphine, she recites lines from Donne’s poem, “Death, Be Not Proud,” using the version that contains the semicolon and exclamation point that she had deemed “hysterical” earlier. Why? Also, why does she say “I’m sorry” afterward?
Tuesday 9/27 and Thursday 9/29, Dr. Steve Ropski:
· Watch Jurassic Park before Tuesday’s class.
· Students will better understand the science behind Jurassic Park and thus increase their overall citizen science knowledge.
· Assignment – Electronic Copy, Submitted via Blackboard prior to the start of class on the due date – Due Thursday, September 29
The discussion question for this assignment will be forthcoming.
Tuesday 10/4 and Thursday 10/6, Dr. Mike Caulfield:
· In the last week of the class we will explore the paradox of the awesome power of mathematics to tackle mind-bending problems and the often mind-numbing experience of actually taking a math class. No film to watch in advance of class.
· Assignments – Electronic Copies, Submitted via Blackboard prior to the start of class on the due dates– Due Tuesday, October 4 & Thursday, October 6
The first is worth 5 points and is due on October 4. Choose one of the following three questions and respond:
o The set of integers consists of all of the whole numbers {0, 1, 2, 3…} and their opposites. The set of rational numbers consists of all of the fractions you can form using any integer as the numerator and any integer except zero as the denominator. Are there more fractions than there are integers? Be sure to explain the reasons that you use to arrive at your conclusion.
o Is it possible to take a piece of paper and draw a line across both sides of the paper without lifting your pencil? Be sure to explain the reasons that you use to arrive at your conclusion.
o Suppose you remove an infinite number of numbers from an infinite set of numbers. Could there still be numbers left in that set? Be sure to explain the reasons that you use to arrive at your conclusion.
The second paper is due on October 6. It is worth 6 points.
o Write a reflection of your experience of math classes as opposed to your other classes. Are math classes more boring than your other classes? If so, why? What makes a class interesting, exciting or boring? Is it the content of the material, the personality of the instructor, or are other factors at work? Explain.
Tuesday 10/11, No class
Tuesday 10/18, All professors:
· Dinner and discussion.