The Ohio State University

Classics 2220 Classical Mythology The Ohio State University | Autumn 2016

Paper #1 ASSIGNMENT For this essay, pretend that you have been selected to be a student representative on a curriculum development committee at The Ohio State University. The committee’s task is to design a required reading curriculum for OSU freshman. You decide that Homer’s Iliad should be required as part of this curriculum, given the way we’ve read it in Classical Mythology. All the committee members are bringing written proposals about the curriculum; you too bring yours. In this essay, you must argue that the Iliad should be required reading for every freshman at OSU. In other words, the essay answers the question, why should every OSU freshman be required to read Homer’s Iliad? To earn an “A” on this paper, students must account for the citizen identity of each OSU student, based on the seal’s motto Disciplina in Civitatem, “Education for Citizenship.” To develop your argument, think about the observations, provocations, and inspirations we’ve discussed in class, and the particular audience of the Iliad in this case, OSU student- citizen freshmen. The essay must state its thesis in a short introductory paragraph, followed by a few body paragraphs actually making the argument. As part of its evidence the essay must cite specific passages of the Iliad at least three times (not necessarily quote, but cite), using book number and approximate line number: 9.310. You may only use the Iliad as evidence. Further details in the rubric are below. Assigned: Thu Sep 22. DUE: As a Microsoft Word document or pdf, Fri Sep 30 by 5pm in Carmen’s Dropbox. Penalty for late papers: 1 point per 24 hour period Option to Collaborate: For this paper, students may collaborate with one classmate to prepare, compose, and turn in one paper. To do this, each student must still turn in his/her copy on Dropbox on-time, but should indicate both their own and their partner’s name on the subject line. For example: “A Necessary Iliad by Margaret MacGregor and Bill Veith”. Each student will receive the same grade, but feedback will be provided only to one of the partners. Students who collaborate with more than one partner will receive a zero.

Classics 2220 Classical Mythology The Ohio State University | Autumn 2016

RUBRIC Formatting & Length _____ / 1 Is the paper appropriately formatted?

 12-point, Times New Roman font in black  1.5 spacing  1 inch margins

_____ / 1 Is the paper the appropriate length?  1 page  The student’s name and essay title should be on the first line, and the

essay itself should start on the second; no additional space should be taken up with headers, dates, etc.

 Anything over the page limit will not be considered part of the essay. Thesis _____ / 3 Does the thesis

 adequately answer the question posed in the assignment,  provide a sufficient reason for that position,  and provide a mini outline of the points the essay will make to argue the

thesis? Supporting Paragraphs _____ / 2 Argument: do the supporting paragraphs sufficiently argue the thesis? _____ / 2 Evidence: does the essay use sufficient evidence from the texts, and cite it

correctly, to support the argument? Grammar & Other Mechanics of Writing _____ / 1 Does the essay use proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation, and is the

prose clear? TOTAL __________ / 10