M, R 9:20-10:35 a.m.
BR 18
Office Hours: M, R,
1-3 p.m. W, 10-11 a.m., 2-3 p.m
Phone: (914) 323-5407 (on campus, x5407)
Email: mehtab@mville.edu
Required Texts in the
order they are assigned:
Plato, Symposium, trans. Nehamas & Woodruff. Hackett Publishers
The Bible (Nelson: New Revised Standard Version)
The Qur’an. Trans. Abdullah Yusuf Ali. 3rd edition (Elmhurst, NY: Tahrike Tarsile Qu’ran, Inc., 1988)
R. Dawkins, River Out of Eden. Harper Collins
Lao Tzu, Tao Te
Ching. Hackett Publishers.
Bertolt Brecht, Good
Person of Szechwan. Arcade
Publishers
Confucius, Analects.
Penguin
Sijie, Balzac and
the Little Chinese Seamstress, Anchor Books
Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun, Random House.
The Preceptorial is a two-semester course required of all full-time students entering Manhattanville as freshman. The class is meant to be an introduction to college-level thought and work. Interdisciplinary in nature, its content deals with basic issues of values and cultures. Designed specifically for first-year students, the Preceptorial emphasizes the development of reading and writing abilities and of critical thought, and it serves as an introduction to important topics in the humanities, arts, social sciences, and natural sciences. The course this semester will explore the ways in which love, knowledge, and wealth have been developed in a number of cultures and historical contexts.
The purpose of the Preceptorial is to introduce the student to the College and to provide a close, working relationship with a faculty member. Preceptors are more than teachers; they direct and evaluate the work of each student in the course and help design the study program which will be followed in both semesters of the first year and beyond.
Attendance
Attendance is essential and required. If you miss a class,
it is your responsibility to find out what was covered and to come to the next
class prepared, with the necessary assignments completed. In case of serious illness or other
extenuating circumstances, be sure to call the Academic Advising Office.
Someone there will notify your teachers. Also, if possible, notify me in
advance of the nature of the illness. I must have some form of legitimate
documentation for an absence to be excused. EVERY UNEXCUSED ABSENCE AFTER THE THIRD WILL RESULT IN A REDUCTION OF
YOUR CLASS PARTICIPATION GRADE.
Homework
You are expected to read the assigned texts before you come to class and more than once if necessary to contribute to class discussions. ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO BRING THEIR BOOKS OR ELECTRONIC PRINT-OUTS (IN CASE OF ONLINE MATERIAL) TO CLASS. All homework, when assigned, is to be TYPED and DOUBLE-SPACED unless other directions are given.
Oral Presentations
You will pick a classmate with whom you will lead a 10-minute discussion in class about one text we will be reading over the course of the semester. Please let me know by the third week of class which text you have selected to present in class.
Papers
You will be responsible for writing three papers varying in length from 3 to 5 pages. These papers will focus on readings of the course and will be designed to assist you in developing your critical abilities to read closely and write analytically. These papers must be TYPED and DOUBLE-SPACED.
Midterm and
Final Exam
The midterm and final exams will consist of essay questions to test your knowledge of the works we have discussed so far. We will have a review discussion prior to each exam.
Grades
30% Homework, Class Participation & Oral Presentations
30% Short Papers
20% Midterm Exam
20% Final Exam
Schedule of
Assignments
This schedule is subject to change.
Date Assignments
Mon 8/28 Introduction to the course
Thurs 8/31 Plato, Symposium
Mon 9/4 Labor Day- No Class
Thurs 9/7 Plato, Symposium
Mon 9/11 Plato, Symposium
Thurs 9/14 Plato, Symposium
Mon 9/18 Bible, Song of Songs, 1 Corinthians 13, 1st Epistle of John
Thur 9/21 Qu’ran, Surahs 1, 30, 31, 96
Mon 9/25 Bâ, So Long a Letter
Thur 9/28 Bâ,
So Long Letter
Mon 10/2 Bâ, So Long a Letter (First Paper Due – 3 pages)
Thur 10/5 Bible, Readings from the
book of Genesis; Students present Creation myths from other cultures:
e.g. Hindu, Native American, African, etc.
Mon 10/9 Columbus
Day –No classes
Thur 10/12 Dawkins, River out of Eden
Mon 10/16 Dawkins, River out of Eden
Thur 10/19 Midterm Exam
Mon 10/23 Lao-Tzu,
Tao Te Ching
Thurs 10/26 Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching (Second Paper Due) (4 pages)
Mon 10/30 Bible, Matthew 5-7, Epistle of James
Thur 11/2 Brecht, Good Person of Szchewan
Mon 11/6 Brecht, Good Person of Szchewan
Thur 11/9 Confucius, Analects
Mon 11/13 Confucius, Analects
Thur 11/16 Sijie, Balzac and the Little
Chinese Seamstress
Mon 11/20 Sijie, Balzac and the Little
Chinese Seamstress
Thur 11/23 Thanksgiving- No class
Mon 11/27 Sijie, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Third Paper Due -5 pages)
Thur 11/30 Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
Mon 12/4 Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
Thur 12/7 Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
Mon 12/11 Hansberry, A Raisin in the Sun
Thur 12/14 In-class final exam