Ancient Mediterranean
IH: OWE IH: Old World Encounters
 O L D   W O R L D   E N C O U N T E R S
 Civilizations in Dialogue before the Modern Era

P O L I C I E S



BE AWARE of the following course-specific and/or university-wide policies:

T R I P L E   T H R E A T
The omnipresent specter of pandemic disease, economic collapse and police brutality has made these past months apocalyptic. As a sentient being, such things may trouble your mind and heart—this triad will disproportionately affect the Howard University community and will have no small impact on our course this term. You might struggle to cope, struggle to find a quiet space for learning, struggle to make time, struggle to gather resources, or stuggle to deal with loss. We will allow for maximum flexibility and make every effort at accommodation, although you must still complete coursework for credit (cf. HU Pandemic Response).
A T T E N D A N C E
Attendance is necessary and a significant number of absences from on-line classes may naturally result in a lower final grade, since most eXperience points have a class participation component. Note that, although the course is flipped with lectures on-line, attendance at syncrhonous webinars, reading sessions and discussion is required.
N E T I Q U E T T E
Act professionally and preserve your dignity. You should have a functioning webcam (or smartphone camera), although you might use a blur or a background image for privacy; you may have to to broadcast from your bedroom, but you should sit rather than recline; you may dress casually, but you must dress appropriately (e.g. no bathrobes; see also Virginia Shea's Rules of Netiquette).
P R E P A R A T I O N
You must both ancient primary sources and modern secondary sources (15+ pages) before each class in order to participate in discussion and to write essays, which must conform to You must gather the software and hardware necessary for on-line learning (possibly at some expense). You must purchase or rent the textbook, and actively read the ancient primary sources and modern secondary sources (15+ pages) before each class in order to participate in discussion and to write essays, which must conform to essay guidelines available online (see Writing Matters Statement)
M I S S E D   &   L A T E   A S S I G N M E N T S
If you miss assignments (e.g. essays), you should make those up by the end of the unit to retain at least some credit; if you miss quizzes, you may count up to three as “spares” (see the Scorecard). In case of emergency (i.e. medical crisis, act of God), deadlines may be extended into the following unit, at the sole discretion of the instructor. You must complete exercises, essays, quizzes, scavenger hunts, etc., in order to earn enough Xp to pass the class.
A C C O M M O D A T I O N
Please inform me well ahead of time if you foresee any conflict due to a religious holiday, due to a conflicting class, etc. and I will make every effort to accommodate you (NB the date of the final exam and final grade deadlines are set by the university and cannot be changed).
A C C E S S I B I L I T Y
Please inform me at the beginning of the term in case you require any assistance to make the learning environments more accessible (see ADA Statement).
S A F E T Y   &   S E C U R I T Y
Our class spaces, both the on-campus and the on-line environments, must remain safe places to express diverse opinions, free from physical, verbal, or emotional threat. In addition, we must foster your physical, emotional and economic health, including food security. If you find yourself struggling, please contact me so that we can find the resources to help you succeed.
A C A D E M I C   I N T E G R I T Y
All class work must be your own; if you demonstrate academic dishonesty or plagiarize, you will receive a 0% for the assignment (and thus will likely fail the course), and you may be reported to the University for further sanctions (see Academic Integrity Statement). In the case of essays, keep your preliminary notes in order to explain the meaning of and sources for everything that you write.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY POLICY STATEMENTS
Academic Integrity
For definition and clarification of “cheating” and “plagiarism,” please refer to definitions provided by CETLA, by the Howard University Library, and found in the Howard University “Code of Conduct,” all of which detail how cheating, plagiarism, and copyright infringement grievously undermine academic integrity. Penalties for such theft of intellectual property range from a “0” for the assignment or exam (which could lead to a “F” in the course) to possible suspension. Please note the instructor reserves the right to check your work using a plagiarism detector (e.g. Safe Assign on Blackboard).

Writing Matters
Writing serves as an essential tool for thinking and communicating in virtually every discipline and profession. Therefore, in this course, I expect you to produce thoughtful and accurate writing — organized, clear, grammatical, and consistent with the conventions of Ancient Studies. If your writing does not meet these standards, I may deduct points or ask you to revise. For assistance with your writing, go to the student section of Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC).

Americans with Disabilities Act
Howard University is committed to providing an educational environment accessible to all students. In accordance with this policy, students who need accommodations because of a disability should contact Special Student Services as soon as possible after admission to the University and/or at the beginning of each semester (+1.202.238.2420). If you need any accommodation as required by the ADA, please document and discuss your disability with me during the first week of classes.

Sex and Gender-Based Discrimination, Harassment and Violence
Howard University is committed to creating a learning and working environment free from discrimination and harassment based on sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation or marital status. The following forms of conduct are prohibited by the University’s Title IX Policy: Sexual Assault, Sexual Harassment, Gender-Based Discrimination or Harassment, Sexual Exploitation, Dating and Domestic Violence, Stalking, Retaliation, and Complicity (any act that knowingly aids, facilitates, or encourages prohibited conduct by another person). It is important that you know the various campus resources and reporting options available to you if you have experienced or have any concerns related to sex or gender-based discrimination, harassment or violence.
You can always speak with a member of University administration, faculty or staff, but be aware that with the exception of Confidential Employees, all Howard University and Howard University Hospital employees and contractors–including faculty members–are considered Responsible Employees and are required to report any information regarding known or suspected prohibited conduct to the Title IX Office (TitleIX@howard.edu or 202-806-2550), no matter how they learn of it.
Confidential Employees include licensed medical, clinical, mental health professionals, or clergy when acting in their professional roles in providing health or religious/spiritual services; and employees providing administrative/operational or related support to these employees. Campus confidential resources include the Interpersonal Violence Prevention Program (202-238-2420), University Counseling Services (202-806-7540), Student Health Center (202-806-7540), Howard University Hospital (202-865-1131), and the Chapel (202-806-7280). View the full policy statement here.

Registration Deadline
Only students whose names appear on the official course roster are permitted to attend classes. Students who are not registered are not permitted to attend or participate in course activities, do not have access to Blackboard, cannot submit course assignments, and will not receive a grade for this course. It is the students’ responsibility to ensure that they are properly registered by the published registration deadline. Requests to add courses after the deadline will not be considered.

HOWARD UNIVERSITY RESOURCES
Academic Excellence
The Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning, and Assessment (CETLA) provides tutors to assist in a variety of subjects. You can request a tutor online. The Center also provides academic counselors and student success workshops, designed not only to help you stay in school but to excel.

Writing Center
For assistance with writing assignments, even without a referral, you can visit The Writing Center (Locke Hall 100). At the Center you will find tutors and software to help you with a variety of problems — from essay organization to subject-verb agreement. Tutors will not proofread or edit, but they will identify problems, teach you how to solve them, and evaluate your progress (you can schedule an appointment on-line). You can also find further resources at CETLA under Writing across the Curriculum (WAC).

Technical Support
If you encounter technical problems with your email, Blackboard, Bison Web, or some other University-wide technology, contact the help desk (helpdesk@howard.edu or itsupport@howard.edu). For information about computer labs, software distribution, IT security, printing, and other topics, see the service catalogue at Enterprise Technology Services (ETS).