Contact Information
Instructor: Greg Frost-Arnold
Email: ggfst@pitt.edu                                     Office phone: 624-3181
Office Hours: Monday 1-2, Thursday 4:30-5:30, and by appointment
My office is CL 901N, in the (new) graduate office for History & Philosophy of Science.
 
COURSE GOALS: 
After finishing this course, you will be able to:
(1)     Analyze Greek (and other) myths according to the main schools of interpretation
(2)     Describe how the Greek conceptions of divinity and nature change over time
(3)     Identify mythic and scientific elements in ancient Greek thinkers
(4)     (Most important) Describe in what ways rational-scientific thinking was ‘born from’ or continuous with mythological thinking, and in what ways they differ.
 
TEXT: 
The only text for this class is a course packet, which can be purchased in the basement of the bookstore, for about $65.  (If there are no copies left on the shelf, you can ask the person behind the information desk to make a copy of the packet for you.)
 
GRADING & ASSIGNMENTS:
In this course, there are two in-class tests, each worth 25% of your final grade, and a cumulative in-class final exam, worth 40% of your total grade.  Each of these exams is a combination of multiple choice and paragraph answers.
The remaining 10% of your grade is for participation.  Regular class attendance is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for receiving a high participation grade.  Throughout the term, I will assign short (roughly 2-3 paragraphs) written assignments, which check whether you understand the material or not.  These short assignments contribute to your participation grade.  So, if (like me) you are a shy student who says little in class, but you come to class every week, pay attention, and write very good short papers, then you will have a perfect participation grade.  Of course, if you make insightful comments in class, that helps your participation grade as well.
I assign grades using the standard 100% scale: 90% is the lower bound for an A-, 87% the lower bound for a B+, 83% the lower bound for a flat B, and so on.  There are no extra credit assignments per se, but I do occasionally award bonus points for a weekly assignment that goes far above and beyond what is required, and similarly for superlative answers on the paragraph sections of the in-class tests. 
 
CLASS POLICIES:  
You are allowed one unexcused absence.  After that, your attendance grade will suffer.  If you have a problem and must miss class please inform me as soon as you can, in advance if possible.  I know this class is not the most important thing in your life, and I do not want to penalize you for having your priorities straight. 
If you do turn in a weekly paper late, then you will get only partial credit for it, depending on how late it is.  (But something is better than nothing.)
Cheating or plagiarism, in any form, absolutely will not be tolerated.  If this class is to succeed as a learning project for you and me, it must be based on respect and trust between us.  If anyone abuses that trust, I will punish that person to the extent that University policies allow; if possible, that person will fail the course.