Website Update: Writing

Dear Writers of Rome,

I'm thrilled to announce that the Writing page of the Writing Rome website is now live:

http://www.skidmore.edu/~dcurley/writingrome/writing.html

Here you'll find the following:

• objectives for the writing assignment;
• assignment descriptions, including guidelines for the solo excursions of your Giornali;
• a complete list of due dates; and
• the familiar writing tips.

I cannot urge you strongly enough to familiarize yourself with this page before departure. Our course is called Writing Rome, after all, and the writing assignments themselves are worth 40% of your grade.

Our Itinerary has also been updated to include the writing assignments.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

DC

Some Announcements

Dear Readers of Rome,

Please read the following post carefully, since it offers some policies and suggestions for the immediate future. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact either me or Dr. Spinner.

(1) SATURDAY EVENING DEADLINES for both writing assignments and the site reports will now be moved to Sundays at noon. This includes the upcoming writing assignment (#2).

(2) WEDNESDAY QUIZ DEADLINES will be extended to 11:59 p.m.

(3) TIME ON QUIZZES (except on those repeated over the course of the term) will be extended slightly to allow more time for completion.

Items 1–3 are in response to suggestions and comments from you, the students. We hope the new policies will prove helpful.

(4) PLEASE STAY PUT DURING CLASS, unless you are suddenly and seriously ill. There's been a rash of folks getting up and leaving in the middle of things lately, and it's distracting for everyone else.

(5) SITE REPORTS: Now that you've all been oriented by our peer mentor, let me suggest that you begin researching your sites before break. Put in a little time this week, maybe as much as 2–3 hours, going through the books we've set aside and taking your first round of notes. Otherwise, when we come back from break, you'll have less than a week to get started.

DC

Assignment for Friday, 02-13-15

Dear Roman Readers,

For Friday, February 13, please do the following:

(1) Visit and read the Travel writing page of our website and familiarize yourself with the details and dates. Please note any questions and come to class prepared to ask them.

(2) Download, print, and read the folowing:

• the factsheet on the poet Juvenal;
• Juvenal's third satire on the squalor of Rome;
• the factsheet on the poet Martial;
• selections from Martial's epigrams, books 1–6; and
• selections from Martial's epigrams, books 7–12 and the Liber de Spectaculis.

A reminder that we'll kick off our student-led discussions with Team A.

DC