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General Information

UW Catalog Course No. SLN 20780

Course Description:
Explores human yearnings, obsessions, fears and aspirations associated with Death and Afterlife by examining major political, military, social, economic, religious, literary, artistic, and architectural phenomena directly connected to the way ancient cultures, such as Egypt, Mesopotamia, Israel and the Levant, have conceptualized death.

Topics to be investigated in comparative perspective:

• Components of the Human Being
• The Corpse: Interment Procedures
• The Journey to the Afterlife
• The Geography of the Afterworld
• Life in the Afterlife

Instructor: Gary D. Martin, Ph.D.
Email: garmar@u.washington.edu
Curriculum Vitae

Class Grader: Shira Jaret
Email: shiraj@uw.edu

Class Time/Locations:
Monday, Wednesday: 2:30-3:50 PM in Mary Gates Hall 241

Office Location/Hours: Denny 225 (inside the main NELC office, Denny 229).
Office Hours: Monday & Wednesday, 9:00 to 10:00 AM, and by appointment.

NELC Department: Denny 229; Email: neareast@u.washington.edu

Academic Calendar: 2012-2013

Course Materials

Required Materials:

• See Syllabus page for course files

Grading

• 2 Assignments, 25% each (50% total)
  • Assignment 1 due Wed, Jan 23
  • Assignment 2 due Wed, Feb 27
    
• Exam 1: Monday, Feb 4: 25%
• Exam 2: 25%
  Option 1: Wed, March 13: 2:30-3:50 p.m. (Last day of class)
  Option 2: Tues, March 19: 2:30-3:50 pm (Final Exam Schedule)
• Optional Extra Credit Writing Assignment: 1% to 3% (max.) course extra credit
  The extra credit writing assignment is a 5 page paper on a topic to be approved by instructor, using at least 5 sources (files) from the course Syllabus (other than the Lecture Notes, or other sources approved by instructor).
  Extra Credit Assignment is due by the Final Exam period (Tues, Mar 19, 2:30 pm).

Policies

• Exams
  Please check your schedules the first day of class and make sure there you have no conflicts with the exam dates and times.
  No make-up exams. For hardship situations, contact the instructor, Dr. Martin.
  I will be unable to answer specific questions regarding the exams after the review sessions (see Syllabus page for exam review dates).
• Assignments.
  Assignments are due in class, hard copy, on the due date given on the Syllabus page.
  No email submissions without instructor approval (for hardship situations only).
  20% deduction for late submission by the following class period.
  No credit for submission after the following class period.
• Classroom Etiquette.
  If you need to arrive to class late, or leave class early, please do so as quietly as possible.
• Class Notes.
  If you are unable to attend a class session, please contact a fellow student for important announcements or other information you might have missed.

Grading Scale