U.S. Department of Education Title VI Project: The Middle East and Cross-Regional Connections

The Epic of Gilgamesh, Archetypal Significance of the Heroes, Currency of the Epic in Present Times

Lyn Buchheit, Assistant Professor
Department of English, Community College of Philadelphia, Philadelphia. Pennsylvania
Module for use within English 101, 098/99,093/83, 097, Humanities 101 Curricula
lbuchheit@ccp.edu
Telephone: 215-751-8631

Target Audience:
This module may be incorporated into any of the developmental, ESL, as well as the curricula of an English literature, composition or Humanities course. Each of these courses could serve the student well with balancing their readings to include epic readings from the ancient period, which may be instructive in the aim to provide the student with heroic legends, a view of the personality of the hero, the momentous decisions that bring out a (wo) man's character, and the morality issues, which we see clearly to be unbound by time, thus ringing true in 2005, as clearly as they did in 2750.

Required Reading:
Kahn, David S. The Epic of Gilgamesh: A Myth Revisited, Illustrated by Zev Raban; English verse by D, Jackson, Hebrew verse by S.Tchernichovsky. Jerusalem: D.K. GraubArt.

Key Elements of the Module: (please note: some of the following items are not included in the on-line version, only in course bulkpack)
Syllabus
Introduction
Required Reading
Setting of the Epic
Main Characters
Themes
Beliefs of the Times
The Clay Tablets
The Languages of Mesopotamia
Work of the Assyriologists
Assyriology and the Process of Translation
Notes to the Tablets
Map of Mesopotamia, sites of Excavations (not included)
Current Map of Iraq (2003, www.cia.org) (not included)
Iraq: Baghdad's Treasures (www.time.com) (not included)
Architectural Marvels (http:faculty.Fairfield.edu/jmac/meso) (not included)
Royal Tombs of Ur Museum Tour (http:museum.upenn.edu) (not included)
Time Chart (George) (not included)
Study Guide
Guidelines for Final Gilgamesh Writing Project
Text of The Epic of Gilgamesh (not included)
Glossary (not included)
Bibliography
Related websites
Syllabus, Spring 2005

Background of the Epic:
The Epic of Gilgamesh has been recognized as one of the world's masterpieces and is clearly the most significant text to come out of ancient Mesopotamia. Gilgamesh lived, it is believed, in 2750 B.C. as the King of Uruk. (see map in Bulkpack)) The epic was told and retold, and finally recorded in 2000 B.C. on clay tablets, called "cuneiform" (see example in syllabus) in the Sumerian language. The author/editor of the literary version was said to be Sin-liqe-unnini, a learned scholar whose name means "O Moon God, Accept My Prayer", who lived during the eleventh or 12th Century, B.C.

The epic was kept alive by a tradition of scribal schools, set up in the third millennium B.C. It was recorded by the scribes, in a standardized Akkadian version, in the seventh century B.C., and kept in a famous library of King Assurbanipal of Nineveh. In 612 B.C., the library was destroyed during a war by the Persians. All of the clay tablets lay in pieces on the floor, not to be disturbed for
a period of nearly 2500 years. However, in 1850 and 1853, the first tablets were found in Nineveh. They are the most important source of primary material, and are in the British Museum. In 1872, the famous Assyriologist, George Smith, sorting through the tablets in the British Museum, came across the story of The Epic of Gilgamesh. He said, at that time, as the light shone on the tablet,
"I am the first man to read this (story) after 2000 years!" The story was made available in translation by the beginning of the 20th century, and people the world over began reading it. People were amazed to read this ancient story, and realized that the flood story in Gilgamesh was very similar to the familiar flood story in the Hebrew Bible, well known to Christians, Moslems and Jews.

The Setting of the Epic of Gilgamesh:
The setting is in the ancient city-state of Uruk in the land of Sumer. Sumer was in the geographical area that is today known as Iraq. The name we call it, "Mesopotamia", actually means "between two rivers", those being the Tigris and Euphrates. Mesopotamia was the site of one of the earliest of urban civilizations, as well as the Indus Valley (India), and the Nile Valley (Egypt) Uruk, the capitol and the greatest city of its day, was ruled by King Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh appeared in the list of Sumerian kings as the fifth ruler of the First Dynasty of Uruk. He would therefore have ruled at the approximate date of 2750 B.C.E. His reign lasted a "mythical 126 years, facilitated by the gods" (Gardner). During this time, "writing was invented, large buildings and Ziggurats, appear for the first time….it was the development of the canal system and of irrigation that permitted further development". (Kirk)

Map of Ancient Mesopotamia, where tablets were found. See bulkpack.
Map of Current Iraq: See bulkpack

Main Characters of the Epic:
The gods:

Anu, the sky god, ruled from the stars
Enlil, ruled the affairs of men and gods from earth
Ea, who lived in the ocean. He sent the seven sages to civilize mankind.
Mother Goddess, who created man;
Adad, god of the storms;
The Moon god, the son of Enlil): his children were:
Shamash, son of the Moon god, who guarded Gilgamesh on earth
Ishtar, responsible for sexual love and war
Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Dead (lived under the sea with Ea)
Namtar, the terrible minister for Ereshkigal (also lived under the sea, with Ea)

Other characters:

Men lived in the cities and cultivated the land in this area. Shepherds grazed their flocks of sheep outside these areas, always on the lookout for wolves and lions. Further beyond this area was the wild country, where it was said that there roamed a strange and wild man, brought up by the gazelles. His name was Enkidu.
Several months journey across this wilderness, over many mountain ranges, there was a sacred Forest of Cedar, where the gods lived. A fearsome ogre, called Humbaba, guarded it. Somewhere at the edge of the world were the mountains of Mashu, where the sun rose and set. Further still was the Garden of Jewels, and nearby, by the ocean, which could not be crossed, lived the mysterious and wise goddess, Shiduri. Across the ocean were the Oceans of Death, where lived Uta-napishti, who had survived the Great Flood sent by Ea early in the history of mankind. Because of this feat,
Uta-napishti became immortal.

Schedule:
This module will involve three weeks of class time, including lectures and group work.
There will be a total of six papers throughout the project.
A mini-narrative documentary drama will be held for an audience at the end of the project.(tentative)
There will be a final 3-5 page paper due at the end of the project.

Themes:
In The Gilgamesh Epic, the names may be unfamiliar and the places strange, although not so in 2004-5, as perhaps previously, but the poet's themes are so universal that the reader has no difficulty in understanding what drives the hero, and can easily identify with the characters. Thus, it will have broad appeal to students of all cultures and backgrounds. This is a work from which one can learn, as Thornkild Jacobsen aptly described the epic, as a 'story of learning to face reality, a story of "growing up" '. (Teaching note: essay topics can be generated from this list)

Themes:

The Fear of Death, "das Epos der Todefurcht" (Rilke, 1916) and the longing for immortality
What it means to be a good king
Benefits of Civilization over Savagery
Eternal Conflicts of Nature vs. Nurture
Gilgamesh as the first man to fell cedars, kill wild bulls, sail ocean-going craft, dig oases in the desert (see George intro)
Gilgamesh as an atypical hero-king. Wearing ragged skins, walking alone and eating raw meat is "not a king, but a fool". (Advice of Uta-napishti) px111. George
Gilgamesh gains wisdom, knowledge of himself and the Deluge.
The education of Gilgamesh or how he changes through the Epic.
The friendship of Enkidu and Gilgamesh and the tests of that friendship.
The power of the gods
The dangerous, duplicitous Ishtar: Why is the great goddess so negatively portrayed in the Epic?

The Epic in Context: myths, religion and wisdom:

• From Sumerian and Akkadian sources, we know that the Babylonians believed that the purpose of humans was to serve the gods. The god, Ea, produced a human from clay, and then the means for humans to re-create themselves. So, when, the need arises to make a match for Gilgamesh, which clearly cannot be accomplished by human creation
• The goddess, Aruru, she washed her hands, took a pinch of clay, and ..In the wild, she
  created Enkidu, the hero, offspring of silence…" (See cover page: Bulkpack)
• The chief temple of the City functioned as the palace and the home of the great gods. There the deities received ritual offerings of meat and incense, worship with song and prayer. The gods are served by their human personnel. We call these men priests.
• The temple was also a center of economic activity, a center for teaching of scribes, and social and commercial activity.
• According to the beliefs related to man's creation, the human race has self-consciousness and reason.
• Man is unruly. The newly created Man was flawed because of his innate rebelliousness.
• The quintessential wise man, the immortal man, is the only one who knows the secrets of the cosmos (Uta-napishti, in the Epic)
• The futility of man looking for immortality.
• The great problem of humanity was overpopulation and became too numerous: the god, Enlil, tired of the problem, resolved to correct the problem by plague, first, then famine, then drought. Eventually, he sent the Deluge ("the Flood") to wipe out mankind. However, the word gets out to Uts-napishti by secret, and he builds an ark to save his family, and a pair of each species on the earth. This is the story of the Poem of Atram-hasis (another name for Uta-napishti). In Gilgamesh epic, Ea asks the gods what to do with the survivors of the Deluge. Enlil gives Uta-napishti and his family immortality, a "life like the gods"; they will live forever, and then removes them to the ends of the earth.
  Gods determine that some women will be barren; certain women will be chaste (nuns, religious orders). The greatest change would be that the gods establish an end to the lifespan; people will no longer live forever. Before, men could die from disease, accidents or violence, but never dies as a result of "old age". The only immortal was to be Uta-napishti.

The Clay Tablets:
The manuscripts were cuneiform tablets-smooth, cushion-shaped, rectangles of clay, inscribed on both sides with wedge-shaped cuneiform writing, and they come from the ancient cities of Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Anatolia (see site map). Cuneiform writing was invented in the city-states of Mesopotamia in 3000 BC, when human memory could not be trusted with the administrative details of the city-state.
Cuneiform writing could express not only numbers and simple words, but also all the ideas of a literate person. Therefore, the tablets include information about daily life, and also in-depth, sophisticated works of science.
The 11 tablets of the epic vary in length from 183-326 lines. Only Tablets I, VI, X, and XI are complete." In time, further discoveries will be made in the ruin-mounds of Mespotamia and perhaps in the museums of the world- for the lack of Assyriologists, we have yet to study stacks of tablets that have long been in Museum collections" (George, 1999)

The Language(s) of Mespotamia:
Lower Mesopotamia was inhabited by people who spoke two languages, Sumerian, a language "without affinities to any known tongue", the medium of the earliest writing, generally spoken in the south, Sumer, Akkadian, a Semitic language related to Arabic and Hebrew, spoken primarily in the north, Akkad. Akkadian was the language of the huge Mesopotamian Empire, stretching from the Gulf of X to Syria. There are also remains in the Hittite language. (Gardner, p.4)
Sumerian remained the language of prestige for Mespotamia. One had to know Sumerian first to read the Akkadian tablets.

Originally, Gilgamesh was a Sumerian hero-king. But, the kingdom of Sumer was conquered by the Akkadians, and Sumer became an Akkadian kingdom.
The reason that the recorded story of Gilgamesh survived thousands of years was that it was written on clay and fired, which was "the cheapest and most durable writing material yet utilized by man, whereas papyrus, metal, leather, wood and stone survive only by chance" (Oppenheim, 229)

The literary compositions that tell the story of Gilgamesh come from several different periods and in several different languages. The first version is in the Akkadian language, that was standard in the first millennium Babylonia and Assyria, who knew it as "He (Gilgamesh) who saw the Deep". This is often called the Standard Version.

Work of the Assyriologists:
Young scribes wrote nearly all of the literature we have in Sumerian, and the tablets were found in the houses of their teachers in Nippur and at Ur at the end of the 1700's. More recently, additional Sumerian literature has been found at Isin and at Tell Haddad (ancient Me-Turan).
The standard version of the Babylonian epic is known from 73 manuscripts: 33 from Nineveh, 8 more tablets from three Assyrian cities, and 30 from Babylonia. See map. (bulkpack)

The work of reconstructing (transliteration of) the literary corpus began before WWII, and still continues as of 2004-5
The work of identifying, joining and reading the thousands of fragments of clay tablets from Nippur was largely the work of Samuel Noah Kramer and his students at the University of Pennsylvania Museum. Although this was 'all work and no play', Kramer and his students found much to be excited about. Gilgamesh was completely new literature, the oldest body of literature in human history, and its existence came as a total surprise to nearly everyone, except a tiny band of scholars. (George, 1999)

N.B. "We should not ignore the gaps in the tablets, because they must remind us of how much is yet to be learned and discovered of the text. Accept it for what it is, partly eaten by termites or a scroll half-consumed by fire. Accept it for what it is a damaged masterpiece." (Andrew George, 1999)

The Poetry of the Epic:

• The verse is the only poetic unit identifiable on the manuscript
• Two verses are usually complementary.
• A couplet is followed by a full stop. (George, 1999)

Notes to the Tablets: Standard Version (from Garner, pp.8-15)

Tablet I.
Column i. Gilgamesh is a seer. He knows the secrets (of the Deluge) when the Flood divided history;
His other work is the city walls of Uruk; at the center of the city is the sacred dwelling of the chief goddess of the city, who is Ishtar.
Column ii. The citizens cry out that their king is oppressing them.
The gods hear the lament of the people, and create a double for Gilgamesh. He is Enkidu.
Column iii. Enkidu is spotted by the Stalker, and suggests a plot to trap Enkidu.
Column iv. Seduction of Enkidu
Column v. Enkidu boasts of his prowess with the priestess
Column vi. Gilgamesh reports his "dream" to his mother, Ninsun.
Column vii. Ninsun interprets the dream.

Tablet II.
Column i. (Damaged) Enkidu introduced to civilized life.
Column ii. (Badly broken) Enkidu and Gilgamesh meet in the city. Insist on a fight to deflower two brides.
Column iii. (Broken) A great fight.
Column iv. (Broken) Gilgamesh praises Enkidu. They embrace like brothers.
Column v. (Fragments) Description of Humbaba, whom the god, Enlil has made the guardian of the Cedar Forest. Gilgamesh will challenge Humbaba.
Column vi. Dialogue between Gilgamesh and Enkidu.

Tablet III.
Column i. Elders of the city advise Gilgamesh how to attack Humbaba.
Column ii. Ninsun performs a ritual to the god, Shamash, for the protection of Gilgamesh and Enkidu.
Column iii. (Lost) Preparations for the fight with Humbaba continue.
Column iv. (Badly broken). Ninsun adopts Enkidu
Column v. (Too broken for translation)
Column vi. (Badly broken) Elders entrust Gilgamesh to Enkidu's care.

Tablet IV.
Column i. (Almost completely broken) Gilgamesh and Enkidu begin their journey to cedar forest.
Column ii. (Broken) Enkidu encourages Gilgamesh in preparation for fight with Humbaba.
Column iii. (Broken) Now, Enkidu is afraid. Gilgamesh urges him to enter cedar forest.

Tablet V.
Column i. Gilgamesh and Enkidu enter the Cedar Forest in wonder. Dreams of Gilgamesh and interpretations by Enkidu
Column ii. (Broken) Wisdom about men overcoming obstacles.
Column iii. More dreams and interpretations of the dreams. Pour out dream to Shamash, asking for another dream
Column iv. A terrifying dream comes to Gilgamesh.
Column v. -vi. Gilgamesh and Enkidu confront and kill Humbaba. Enkidu strikes the final blow. A moral dilemma, as Humbaba pleads for his life.

Tablet VI.
Column i. Ishtar is attracted to Gilgamesh and offers herself as his lover. He offers insults, in reply.
Column ii. Gilgamesh continues insults. Ishtar turns to her father, Anu, for help.
Column iii. Ishtar asks Anu to send the Bull of Heaven to punish Gilgamesh. Anu agrees, provided that Uruk has enough grain stored to survive 7 years of stress. Bull of Heaven descends.
Column iv. Both Enkidu and Gilgamesh engage in the fight.
Column v. Gilgamesh and Enkidu defeat the Bull of Heaven.
Column vi. Celebration, short lived. A dream comes to Enkidu that will turn joy to woe.

Tablet VII.
Column i. (Broken) Gods have decreed that Enkidu must die, because of having killed Humbaba.
Column ii. Humbaba addresses door of cedar forest.
Column iii. Enkidu curses the Stalker and the temple priestess who turned him into a human. Shamash reminds him of the friendship with Gilgamesh.
Column iv. Enkidu blesses priestess, and tells Gilgamesh of a terrifying dream.
Column v. (Lost)
Column vi. Strange disease has seized Enkidu. Enkidu reflects on the anger of the gods who have robbed him of being a hero.

Tablet VIII.
Column i. Gilgamesh gives a beautiful eulogy.
Column ii. His grief intensifies.
Column iii. The mourning of Enkidu continues.
Column iv. (Lost)
Column v. Gilgamesh performs a ritual for Enkidu.
Column vi. (Lost)

Tablet IX.
Column i. Grief continues. Gilgamesh begins his journey to Utnapishtim.
Column ii. He approaches the mountains of Mashu.
Column iii. Gilgamesh tells the Scorpion Man that he intends to travel to Utnapishtim.
Column iv. Scorpion Man opens the gate to enter.
Column v. The journey into the darkness
Column vi. The journey into the darkness continues. Gilgamesh finally enters the Garden of the Gods.
Column vii. (Lost, essentially)

Tablet X.
Column i. Gilgamesh reaches the dwelling of Siduri, the manifestation of Ishtar. He recounts his journey.
Column ii. Gilgamesh talks about his grief; she advises him to make the journey across the waters.
Column iii. Gilgamesh recounts his tale to the boatman, Urshanabi.
Column iv. Journey across the waters is successful.
Column v. Gilgamesh speaks to the sage Utapishtim.
Column vi. (Much missing) The final lines give utnapishtim's answer to Gilgamesh's quest to the meaning of life.

Tablet XI.
Column i. Story of the Flood revealed.
Column ii. Boat and launching described.

Tablet XII.
Column i. No clear connection to narratives in previous tablets. Enkidu is alive. Gilgamesh gives Enkidu advice in order to enter the underworld.
Column ii. Enkidu does everything he is told not to do, and is seized by the earth.
Column iii. Gilgamesh finds the temple of Ea. The ghost of Enkidu escapes the underworld.
Column iv. Enkidu tells Gilgamesh about the fates of humans in the underworld.
Column v. (Broken) Continued.
Column vi. Enkidu describes more of the fates of those in the underworld, ending with a spirit with nothing alive to love him.

Study Guide
(6-8 hours of class content)

Week I: Introduction to the Epic
Review Syllabus, Bulkpack Contents
Historical Context
Geography

Week I: The Main Characters
Read Tablet I
Discussion

Week 2: Tablets II, III
Assign Writing #1: "Paint your portrait of Enkidu, in writing"
(250 words)

Week 2: Tablets IV, V
Journey into Cedar Forest, Dreams
Prep/Handout for Royal Tombs of Ur Exhibit, logistics
Submit #2 Dreams: Analyze one of the Dreams

Week 2: Tablet VI
Discuss the Bull of Heaven, Archetype of Ishtar
Group reports (Museum artifacts)

Week 2-3: Tablet VII, VIII
The Death of Enkidu
Writing #3 (in-class) "Meaning of Enkidu's Death to
Gilgamesh"(300-350 words)

Week 3: Tablets IX, X
Gilgamesh's Journey to Utna-pishtim
Discuss of Underworld in various cultures
In-class Writing #4 "The Underworld: How I See it"

Week 3: Tablets XI..
Gilgamesh learns of the Flood
Gilgamesh learns the fates of humanity
Writing #5: (Due April 12) "Gilgamesh"s Quest": He is determined to
make the trip that no one has ever made before. Why? (350-400 wds.)

Week 3: Final Reading Examination: (Content, Inference, Characters)

TBA: Final Project Paper Due #5 (3-5 pages: Theme based. See Final Paper guidelines.)
NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!

Gilgamesh Final Paper Guidelines

Choose one of the topics from this list. (If you wish to choose a different one, see me)

1. Originally, Enkidu was part animal and part man. Discuss the ways in which the prostitute changed Enkidu into a human being. Refer to specific incidents in the epic.

2. Compare the characters of Gilgamesh and Enkidu. Who is the more heroic? Begin by an explanation of what you consider to be a hero, and then see if it is similar to either of the main characters.

3. Gilgamesh and Enkidu's great adventures are against monsters, which are forces of nature: Humbaba and the Bull of Heaven. Discuss the monstrous creatures in Gilgamesh. Support your discussion with specific examples.

4. There are a number of dreams in the story of Gilgamesh. List them, and explain what role they play in the story. Use specific examples from the story to support your ideas.

5. Make a list of three major female characters in Gilgamesh. What is common in all of them? Describe each one, and list their characteristics, giving specific examples from the story.

6. The education of Gilgamesh or how he changes through the Epic.

7. The friendship of Enkidu and Gilgamesh and the tests of that friendship.

8. As he lies dying, Enkidu curses the prostitute, and then revokes his curse and blesses her.
Do you think Enkidu was better off in his natural, animal, part-human state, or as a
civilized man? Support your opinion with specific examples from the story.

9. Ishtar, the famous goddess, is very negatively portrayed in the story. Use examples of her personality from the text and explain why you believe she acts as she does.

Organization of the Paper:

Create a thesis, e.g." In my opinion, Utna-pishtim represents immortality."

Using evidence from the text of our translation of Gilgamesh, find exact lines from the text that helped you to arrive at your opinion. These should be stated in your work, e.g. Tablet VI, column 201 "I do see, but I am blind". You should then go on in that supportive paragraph to state why you believe this is substantial evidence of immortality.

This should be a controlled text-based paper. (3-5 pages)

See me, with an outline, before you do the first draft. You should know, before seeing me, exactly how you will defend your thesis.

This paper must be word-processed. No exceptions.

Instructor Bibliography: Bibliography:

Best, Robert M., Noah's Ark and the Ziusudra Epic: Sumerian Origins of the Flood Myth, Enlil Press, 1999

Gardner and Meier, Gilgamesh, Alfred A. Knopf, 1984

Gardner, John, The Sunlight Dialogues, 1972

George, Andrew, The Epic of Gilgamesh: A New Translation, Penguin Press, 1999

Heidel, Alexander, The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels, Chicago; The University of Chicago Press, 1949

Jackson (English) and Tchernichovsky (Hebrew), The Epic of Gilgamesh, Graubart Publishers (Israel), 2001

***Kahn, David S. The Epic of Gilgamesh: A Myth Revisited, Illustrated by Zev Raban; English verse by D, Jackson, Hebrew verse by S.Tchernichovsky. Jerusalem: D.K. GraubArt.

Kirk, G.S. Myth: Its Meaning and Functions in Ancient and Other Cultures. Cambridge U.P., 1970

Kluger, Rivkah Shaerf, The Archetypal Significance of Gilgamesh, A Modern Ancient Hero, Daimon Verlag, Switzerland, 1991

Kramer, Samuel Noah. History Begins at Sumer. Philadelphia. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1981. Second paperback printing, 1990.

Oppenheim, A. Leo, "Mesopotamian Mythology II", Journal of the American Oriental Society, 64, 1944.

Tigay, Jeffrey, The Evolution of the Gilgamesh Epic, Philadelphia; University of Pennsylvania Press, 1982

**N.B. Translation of The Gilgamesh Epic chosen for this module

SYLLABUS
English 098/99 (CAP) Spring, 2005

Spring Semester, 2005
Instructor: Lyn Buchheit (e-mail: lbuchheit@ccp.edu)
Office: BR 23B (in Bonnell Building; across from Liberal Studies office, BR-21)
Telephone: 215-751-8631
Office Hours: Monday, 12-1, Wednesday, 12-1,Thursday 11-12 (or by appointment)

Goals and Objectives:
This developmental writing course is designed to prepare students to write at the college level, so that they can continue their education in their chosen discipline. The student who successfully passes this course will be able to write clearly with few grammatical errors a well-structured essay of 300 words. This student will be able to continue in the C-Level CAP ("College Achievement Partnership") program, which is linked as 101-108. Students who have placed into this level have shown ability in reading and writing, but lack skills in some areas to participate in the 101 level. Thus, the primary focus in this class will be on all aspects of writing and developing academic reading strategies. Journal writing is required. (see attached) This particular class will have our actual class in the computer lab on every Thursday from 9:30-11:00.

Textbooks and Materials:
Wilson, Glazier, The Least You Should Know about English
Adams, Royce, Viewpoints
The Epic of Gilgamesh (Bulkpack)
Novel to be chosen
Dictionary (required)

Requirements:
Grades will include all in-class, and out-of-class exams, journals, final writing exam (departmentally scored, must be passed by 2/3 faculty.
Vocabulary, reading and grammar exams must have a median grade of more than 2.0 average at semester's end.
There will be no make-up exams; if you miss an exam, you take it with the possibility of getting only a C. (2.0)
You are responsible for all assignments; during the first week, obtain the phone number of a classmate or e-mail to contact re: assignments.
If you are absent twice, notify the instructor re: problems that may be interfering with your attendance. More than three absences will result in our being removed from the roster.
All writings must be revised.
Learning lab is obligatory. I will be working with your lab instructor to coordinate plans for this class and that lab.
Plagiarism and cheating can both result in expulsion.

Grading for this Course: Non-Credit P or MP. The grade MP means that you are not ready to be in 101-108. You must repeat the course. If this looks to be a possibility, I will let you know by mid- February; in this event, you can perhaps improve your status by attending the Learning Lab or by working with your instructor during the semester. You may also choose to drop this course.

Please notify your instructor if you have disabilities such as poor vision or hearing, so accommodations can be made.

Please do not hesitate to notify the instructor if you are having problems that prevent your doing your work and keeping up with the class.

Important Dates for Spring Semester, 2005
Monday, January 18: Martin Luther King Birthday: College Closed
February 24: Faculty in-service Day: No Classes
March 7-12 Spring Break: No Classes
April 8- Last Day to Drop Course
April 28- Last Day of Classes
April 29: Study Day: No Classes
April 30-May 6 Final Exams
May 8: Commencement

Curriculum Guide: Schedule

NOTE: This planned schedule of work may be modified during the semester. After the midterm, I will give you a new schedule for the remainder of the semester.

Week1: Introduction to course, syllabus review:
Focus on reading-writing connections (Chap.1,2 Adams)
Adams, Chapter 1. Focus: "Hamill, "The Wet Drug"
Essay #1 Narrative Essay

Week 2: Wilson: Taking the Sentence Apart: Chapter 58-71
Continue Sentence Essentials (Clauses)
Read von Oech, pp.83-9 (Adams)
Turn in answers to Q18 (Content) Q1-8 (Structure and Style)

Week 3: Wilson: Understanding Dependent Clauses, RO, and Fragments
pp.71-86
Brainstorm possible topics, responses
#2 Essay "To Err is Wrong": Due February 1. (1-5, p.90)

Week 4: Grammar Exam: Sentence Structure, Fragments Ch. 2, pp.57-86
Read and discuss
Revision due for Essay #2 February 10,2005
Tracinski, p. 96 Essay #3 (Summary and analysis due) 2/15

Week 5: Grammar: pp. 90-121 Run-On and Fragments
Read Bambara, q. pp.111-113 (Adams)
Essay #4 (in-class) 2/17 (based upon Bambara, "The Lesson")

Week 6: Human Behavior: Unit 4 (Adams)
Seymour, Brent Staples, Gwendolyn Brooks, Flaherty, Toufexis
Review all, and prepare for content exam
Grammar: pp.118-140

Week 7: Exam Human Behavior (above chapters) March 1
Essay #5 "Night Walker", Staples Research due March 3

Week 8: March 6-13, 2005 Spring Break

Gilgamesh Module (see Bulkpack) will follow Spring Break, with approximately 6-8 hours of class content, as well as a novel of our choosing. Recommendations and decisions to follow. Allow approximately $15.00 total.