Updated 16 May 2013
Welcome to the Summer 2013 Classical Mythology online. Taking a class online presents its own opportunities and problems. Students will not have to attend class meetings, but they will need to be self-disciplined. This will be task-oriented study, meaning that students will have a number of assignments to be completed each week that will be sent to me by e-mail. There will be discussion available on Blackboard. Please note that the course will be interesting and enjoyable, but it will also involve a fair amount of reading. Do not take this course unless you have a fair amount of discipline and self-motivation. Do take it if you would like a very rewarding educational experience in which you actively participate.
How will the course work? Students will read the textbook Classical Myth (7th Edition), by Barry B. Powell (Pearson, 2012). There is an eTextbook available for purchase. Please get the 7th edition, even if you find a cheaper copy of the 6th or 5th. This textbook has its own website which contains study pages and interactive, self-correcting quizzes. There will be also assigned a few brief readings available over the internet (see below). Students will complete the exercises at the textbook web site and email them to me. Note that I also have a myth web site with many study guides and links to other resources.
Recommended practice. Try to work regularly and not do several chapters in one day, since you will absorb tthe material more thoroughly through slow, regular work, and thus you will perform better on the two exams. I also recommend that you complete the quiz exercises with the book closed, retaking the quizzes if necessary. You will learn more this way.
Requirements:
A. Weekly exercises for each chapter:
In the schedule below, each chapter title is linked to a specific activity center page. Under the "Learning Module" tab at left for each chapter of the textbook website, which contains four types of quiz exercises, choose any two sets of exercises from Multiple Choice, Fill in the Blanks, True or False, and Matching. At the bottom of each test page, you can submit the answers for grading. The next screen will give you a result. Once you have achieved at least 75%, submit them to me by completing the form at the bottom of the results page; my email is robin@temple.edu. To receive full credit for these exercises you must submit them by end of the week's period (e.g. Midnight 5/26 for chapters 1-4). After that, you can only receive ½ credit. No exceptions. I will acknowledge receipt of the work for the first chapter, and, subsequently, you can check the Blackboard Gradebook to make sure I am receiving your work.
B. Two online exams on Blackboard
- Midterm available beginning Saturday 6/8 at 6 a.m. and due by Tuesday 6/11 at 6.a.m.
- Final exam available beginning Thursday 6/26 at 6 a.m. and due by Saturday 6/29 at 10 p.m.
Grading:
Blackboard
This course will be organized with Temple's Blackboard system. There you will find your grades, study guides, and other course materials. I will have set Blackboard to autoenroll, so if you have a Temple account you will be able to enter the course site immediately. Discussion and questions should be addressed to the Discussion Board section of BB.
This schedule should be followed as closely as you can. Each chapter title is linked to the appropriate part of the textbook's web site. Exercises will be due by specific dates, but you may work faster if that suits you. If you would like to start before 5/16, please go ahead. I will still record any work you do and respond to any questions you have.
For each week's reading you will find in Blackboard under Course Documents some notes and comments on the week's reading. Discussion may take place on the BB Discussion Board at any time.
5/20-26
5/27-6/2
6/3-6/09
6/10-6/16
6/17-23
6/24-29