● Course materials
Academic Writing,
Justice in Classical Athens
Weekly materials
Slides, readings, and homework for each week are on Canvas Lite ↗, where you also submit your work. If you miss a class, that is where to catch up.
What we read this semester
- Antigone Family, gods, city
- Socrates Background: who was Socrates?
- Apology Citizen jury, conscience
- Against Eratosthenes Revenge, law, memory
- Republic I What is justice?
What you'll learn
- Read challenging texts carefully and identify their central ideas.
- Summarize another writer's ideas accurately and respond to them.
- Develop a clear thesis, focused paragraphs, and effective topic sentences.
- Support claims with textual evidence and explain how it supports your argument.
- Analyze how speakers and writers persuade through ethos, pathos, and logos.
- Write and revise a literary analysis through close reading.
How your grade works
50%
Major essays
Semester 1: an argumentative essay, a text-based analytical essay, and a literary analysis. More essays follow in Semester 2.
30%
Writing practice and course work
Weekly writing and homework, participation, peer work, and revision activities.
20%
Portfolios
A light midyear portfolio in January, with a chance to revise your work, and a year-end portfolio of selected and revised work with a reflection.
The semester calendar and assignment dates may adjust to the class's needs. The full syllabus is available as a PDF.
Course expectations
- 3–5 hours each week
- Plan time outside class for reading, writing, and revision. Workload will vary.
- Deadlines and extensions
- Homework is due on Wednesday at 7:00 PM, the evening before class, unless the assignment says otherwise. Ask for an extension at least 48 hours ahead; for illness or emergencies, contact me as soon as you can. Late work without an extension loses one letter grade per week.
- Choose your texts
- You may write your major essays about a text from your British Literature class. Ask me to approve your question first.
- Revision is regular
- Use feedback to improve your work. You'll have opportunities to revise major writing.
- Attendance matters
- If you miss class, check the week's materials on Canvas Lite and follow up about what you missed.
- Your own writing
- No generative AI to produce, rewrite, or revise course writing unless specifically assigned or authorized.
- Submitting work
- Submit your work on Canvas Lite. If Canvas gives you trouble, email it to zephscotti@gmail.com as a Word document or a Google Doc link.
Questions or extension requests: zephscotti@gmail.com