Gorgon's head on a silver coin of Naples
permission to use image granted
CLA 325:
Omens, Dreams, & Portents
Spring 2011
MWF 11:00-11:50am; CSC 205

The god Apollo on a gold coin of Syracuse
image courtesy of Edgar L. Owen, #3803

Instructor: Dr. Victor A. Leuci

Texts:

Objectives: This course will examine, from a multi-disciplinary perspective, dreams, omens, and portents from the ancient world to see the role they played in individuals and communities lives and the role they played in literature along with the discussion in the ancient world of to what extent and whether any of these omens, etc. were authentic and accurate. This course will also expect the students to understand and apply, in a critical fashion, pertinent scholarship from various scholarly fields to the ancient (and modern) material. With the explosive growth of "Charismatic" or "Pentecostal" churches within the US and abroad and with the rise or reemergence of other religious groups, churches, movements, etc. which employ or stress dreams, omens, and portents (e.g. visions/prophecies), the students will "form intelligent judgements about and rational responses to" a "complex issue, problem, or concern they will confront as citizens in the 21st century" (New Foundations Document, p. 21)

 Relationship to the General Education Curriculum: CLA 325, Omens, Dreams and Portents,  satisfies the Tier III requirement. The course does so in the following ways: Format:  The course will consist of discussion, student presentations and some lectures. The class may occasionally be divided into small groups to treat discussion topics that will most often be based on readings from ancient authors. 

Grading:

Honor Code: All students and faculty must adhere to the Honor Code; please see the Student Life Handbook for the full description  of the Honor Code--p. 21 in the Student Life Handbook gives a short definition: "No Westminster student shall commit any act of academic dishonesty in order to advance her or his own academic performance, or to impede or advance the academic progress of others," but the sections on plagiarism and cheating are especially important (see Honor Commission Constitution, Article IX).

College Wide Policies and Procedures: check pdf in Moodle or the Student Life Handbook for the following: ADA/Equal Access Policy, Policy on Harassment and Discrimination, College Duty, Emergency Procedures.

Writing-Intensive Option: Different types of writing will be part of the course: critical summaries, research papers, and a final. Both critical summaries and the research paper (or one of the papers if doing two) will be revised on the basis of a conference with me. One of the critical summaries or the research paper must be revised on the basis of conferences with a tutor at the Writing Lab. A critique and conference after the completion of a writing assignment may also occur. In general, participants in the class should highly consider using the services of the Writing Lab and especially the Lab tutors, who can be of tremendous assistance.

Papers:

Attendance:  Regular attendance and participation are essential for the success of the whole class.  More than two unexcused absences will be considered excessive, and no make-up work will be accepted for unexcused absences (note that attendance includes not working on materials from other classes in class or using cell phones, computers, etc. except for work related to the class material being covered at that time--such usage may be treated an unexcused absence even though one is in the classroom). Each unexcused absence past two will result in a deduction of 4 points from the total number of points one has at the end of the semester. If you are ill, e-mail me before class, if possible, or as soon as you are able.

Assignments:  In each unit, the assignments and the specific due dates are not "set-in-stone," and may vary depending on how each class period goes. The syllabus will be updated as needed.

Unit I: Theory with some application

Unit II: First-hand accounts Unit III: Omens, Dreams, & portents in literature Unit IV: Class Presentations of Papers