The College of the Humanities Humanities (or Greek and Roman Studies) Program

Transcription

1 The College of the Humanities Humanities (or Greek and Roman Studies) Program Course Number and Section: FYSM 1106B Course Title: Issues in Classics Sub-Title: Traditions and the Transmission of Ideas Instructor: Dr. Raymond J. Clark Length of course: One Year during F/W terms Time and Place: Tuesdays at 6:05-8:55 pm in 217 Tory (different room in Winter). Office Hours: I am available for consultation for a short while immediately after each evening class or by phone at any day up to 8:00 pm, or before class at a time and place to be announced. Brief Course Content: This course explores how Greco-Roman literary themes reflect human aspirations and became adapted from age to age in an ongoing tradition. Because story-tellers of the ancient world liked to adapt existing stories for their own purposes, rather than create new ones, authors in different ages gave their own contemporary twist to inherited stories about the Trojan war and many other themes. The aim of the course to trace how various ideas and cultural figures and literary themes develop over time until they form a significant portion of the humanistic literary tradtion influencing western culture. TEXTS STUDIED: FALL SEMESTER 2014 The following, published by Penguin, are available from the Bookstore: 1. Nancy K. Sandars, The Epic of Gilgamesh. ISBN X 2. E.V. Rieu, revised by D.C.H. Rieu, with Introduction by Peter Jones, Homer: The Odyssey. ISBN Philip Vellacott, Aeschylus: The Oresteia. ISBN In addition, some handouts will be distributed in class. >IMPORTANT NOTE ON TEXTBOOKS< Please buy these editions which have the above mentioned ISBN numbers. Check very carefully if you purchase second-hand copies. I draw your attention to this because Penguin also publishes these 3 works by different translators. These other translations will have a different text and different page numbers. I frequently refer to page numbers during seminars. Also please buy the books as soon as possible, since it sometimes happens that students in another class will buy these same books and then they are no longer available. Also; the bookstore does not keep books throughout the semester; after a while it returns unsold copies to the publisher. TEXTS STUDIED WINTER SEMESTER 2015 The following are also published by Penguin & will be available from the Bookstore: 1. Hugh Tredennick, Plato: The Last Days of Socrates ISBN E.V. Rieu, Apollonius of Rhodes: The Voyage of Argo ISBN

2 3. E.F. Watling, Seneca, Four Tragedies and Octavia ISBN Betty Radice, Terence, The Comedies I ISBN Guy Lee, Virgil, The Eclogues ISBN X COURSE EVALUATION FALL SEMESTER 2014: MARKS Journal-entries to be handed in, three on Sept. 30, two on Oct For the meaning of journal-entries, please see below. Each set of journal-entries will be marked and returned the following week. Mid-term exam: Oct. 14 (same day as final journals due) +10 Mid-year exam in December (covering the whole semester s work) +20 = 40% NB: Journals handed in late will not be accepted unless the cause is illness supported by a doctor s note. See also NB below. Due dates for journal-entries will also be found under the Course Schedule set out below. WINTER SEMESTER 2015: MARKS Journal-entries to be handed in, three on Jan. 27, the final one (to be written on the Eclogues studied in Week 5) on Feb Mid-term exam: February 24 (same day as final journal due) +20 Final exam in April (covering this semester s work only, not the whole year) +30 = 60% Total of 40% earned in the Fall and 60% earned in the Winter 100% NB: Just once in the whole year I will accept late journals due to forgetfulness, provided the assignment is handed in not more than one week later than scheduled. Dates when journal-entries are due will also be found under the course schedule below. Journal-entries means keeping a succinct, informal, yet thorough log of the main ideas raised by analysis of the texts read in each seminar. They will be marked according to content (accuracy of information, density of ideas in the space allowed; see below) and English (grammar, spelling, succinct expression). The subject-matter is the texts read, not the organization of the seminar. > Imagine you are a reporter writing a column for a high-class newspaper. < Please observe this important requirement: Each journal entry should show your NAME and the following headings: WEEK # DATE # WORD COUNT # Five journal-entries are required in the Fall semester, four in the Winter semester. With the exceptions permitted under the two NB s above, 2 marks will deducted for each journal-entry missed in the Fall semester and 2½ marks will be deducted for each journal-entry missed in the Winter semester out of the 10 marks allocated for journals in each semester. Each journal-entry should be between approximately 500 and 600 words long. The constant practice of writing a précis (meaning a compressed and succinct summary) of each seminar will help you to acquire an important skill which is applicable to all of your work at university and beyond. There are other practical

3 benefits to doing this. You will thereby build up a portfolio of ideas written in good English, from which you can study for your exams. You are greatly encouraged to keep more extensive notes for your own purposes of reviewing in preparation for exams. For a hint on how best to do this, see point 3 under Aims and Objectives below Additional notes concerning evaluation You will not be permitted to submit a journal-entry for an evening s seminar that was not attended, for the obvious reason that you cannot summarize what you did not attend. If you miss a seminar due to illness supported by a doctor s note, you may write a make-up journal-entry based on another seminar you attend when you return from illness. Please retain for your own record a copy of all journal-entries submitted. Also remember to do a computer back up. All exams will ask for answers to be written in essay format, not multiple choice. Each of the two mid-term exams will ask for two essay questions to be answered in one hour. (i.e. ½ hour each) Each of the two end of semester exams will ask for four essay questions to be answered in two hours. (i.e. ½ hour each) There will be a choice of questions in each exam. The mid-term exams will be returned to students with comments. Each end of semester exam will be retained. A FULLER EXPLANATION OF COURSE CONTENT THAN APPEARS ON p. 1. Whereas the usual aim of modern story-tellers is to create brand new stories, the storytellers of the ancient world liked to adapt existing stories, rather than create new ones. What ancient story-tellers tried to do, in contrast to most modern writers, was to re-tell existing stories with a new spin or twist that reflected the human aspirations of the age in which, and for which, they wrote. This they did by adapting themes inherited from earlier writers to new purposes. Thus the adventures of the great heroes in the Trojan war as originally told by Homer are retold over and over again by his successors, each time with a new twist. It thus becomes possible to see how traditions record a history of contemporary twists embedded in inherited stories. Some writers belonging to other cultures have come under the influence of the Greco-Roman world and have deliberately adopted the ancient manner of composition. This explains why the English poets Milton, Shelley, Byron and Tennyson, for example, also wrote adaptations of old themes. The same is true of even more ancient civilizations than the Greeks and Romans. For instance, an unknown Babylonian author turned a number of earlier Sumerian stories into a Babylonian epic called The Epic of Gilgamesh. In doing this the Babylonian author used, among others, the Sumerian story of the Flood to create out of it a brand new theme of how Gilgamesh journeyed to an Otherword in search of immortality. This theme from the Epic of Gilgamesh was in turn adapted by the Greek poet Homer, who told how his hero Odysseus travelled in the living flesh to the Land of the Dead. It is the successive

4 adaptation of old stories to new purposes in the hands of successive authors that results in the transmission of ongoing traditions. The course thus at times becomes comparative in nature, as we trace how certain ideas and literary themes and cultural figures acquire layers of thought that lie embedded in the inherited material. In the pursuit of tracing their development through different ages, we see how they acquire different overtones or contemporary twists, and we end up studying a significant portion of what can be called the humanistic tradition influencing western culture. Specific aims and objectives arising out of the foregoing: 1. The focus is put, where appropriate, on understanding how inferences are made concerning the probable origin of various themes in great works of literature composed by the ancient Greeks and Romans in epic, tragic, comic, pastoral, and philosophic genres. 2. Through the process of analyzing literature in seminars, my aim is to raise your awareness of how ideas get transmitted from culture to culture and age to age in different forms and traditions. It is my hope that you will acquire this way of looking at literature for yourselves. 3. In order to reinforce what is learnt in class, you are strongly advised after each class to review the points raised in class with the set texts before you. Re-read the relevant points in the texts to check your understanding and bring your own notes in line with what the ancient texts say. You are then in a position to make succinct summaries in journalentries. 4. Essay writing: I will outline in class how to approach answering essay-questions. Please note: Because exposure to the double process of seeing how inferences are made from literature and how traditions are formed is regarded as an essential educational part of the course, students are advised to attend all lectures. Attendance is of course necessary for the writing of the nine journal-entries. Please also note: > The recording of in-class lectures is not permitted, unless for a documented medical purpose such as hearing disability. < Course Schedule: Topics are planned as follows FALL TERM First Tues. Sept. 9. Last Tues. Dec Weeks 1-2 Sept 9 & 16 Early ideas about the creation of the world and our place within it + How some myths can be dated (Minotaur myth). Week 3 Sept. 23 Prometheus from Hesiod to Shelley + cultural comparisons. Week 4 Sept. 30 Three journal entries due. The Epic of Gilgamesh, a Babylonian epic based on Sumerian stories. How the Babylonian epic-maker adapted earlier stories to create his epic.

5 Week 5 Oct. 7 Homer s Odyssey with an emphasis on world-wide folklore themes buried within it. Today the folklore themes underlying the question of the inheritance at Ithaka (Od. 1-4) and the Calypso adventure (Od. 5). Week 6 Oct. 14 Mid-term exam (1 hour). Final two journal entries due. After the exam: Who were the Greeks with a brief outline of the main phases of Greek history. Week 7 Oct. 21 Resume Homer s Odyssey: The folklore themes underlying Odysseus Nausicaa adventure (Od. 6-8) and the Cyclops adventure (Od. 9). Fall break Oct No class October 28. Week 8 Nov. 4 Circe s instructions to reach the Land of the Dead + what Odysseus learns in the Otherworld (Od ) with a view to raising comparisons between Homer s Odyssey and The Epic of Gilgamesh. The Odyssey is completed. Week 9 Nov. 11 The Changing Face of Odysseus: some influences of Homer s Odyssey upon the Epic Cycle, Dante, and Tennyson. Weeks Nov. 18 & 25 Aeschylus Oresteia; a study of Aeschylus treatment of the Agamemnon myth in comparison with Homer s in the Odyssey, to show how myths are transformed and given a contemporary twist. Week 12 Dec. 2 More on Tammuz as a source of The Epic of Gilgamesh. This topic also serves as a review of the Epic. Mid-year final exam scheduled by the university during exam period Dec WINTER TERM >Please come to the first seminar with a copy of Plato First Tues. Jan 6. Last Tues. April Weeks 1-2 Jan. 6 & 13 Plato in the context of earlier Greek Philosophy. We shall read selected parts of Plato s Euthyphro, Apology, and Phaedo. Week 3 Jan. 20 The legend of the Golden Fleece: Apollonios of Rhodes treatment of a folklore theme in The Argonautica compared with Homer s treatment of it in the Odyssey. This seminar also throws new light on the Odyssey. Week 4 Jan. 27 Three journal entries due. Who were the Romans with [No Journal this week] a brief outline of their idea of democracy and the main phases of Roman history. Plus a comparison between Greek and Roman gods. Week 5 Feb. 3 Introduction to Vergil s Latin pastoral poetry (meaning [Devote the final journal- his Eclogues), including its Greek origins. We shall entry to these Eclogues] analyse Eclogue 1 and (the beginning of) 6, respectively political and defining of pastoral with allegorical overtones. Week 6 Feb. 10 Vergil s Eclogues 2 and 3 (with emphasis in 3 on 2 riddles). All Eclogues highlight Italian country life, especially these. E2 is a lover s lament, E3 a song contest in amoebean style.

6 Winter Break Feb No class Feb. 17 Week 7 Feb. 24 Mid-term Winter exam (1 hour). Final journal-entry is due. After the exam, we shall study Eclogue 4. This short poem called The Messianic Eclogue has had an immense influence upon world thought! Week 8 March 3 Eclogues 5 and 9, both of them also political & allegorical. Week 9 March 10 The Octavia in the context of the early Roman Empire. Week 10 March 17 Terence s Adelphoe to p. 355 with discussion on Roman conventions in comedy (show Terence manuscript). Week 11 March 24 Complete Terence s Adelphoe. Weeks Mar. 31 &Apr.7 Topics, e.g., Plato s Atlantis myth and flood-legends, Orpheus and the Underworld, as time allows. Final exam scheduled by the university during exam period Apr BOOKS ON RESERVE IN THE LIBRARY IN CARLETON UNIV. LIBRARY The aim of FYSM 1106B is achieved mainly through analytical readings of the primary Greek and Roman texts (in translation) in the seminars. However, I have put some supplementary books on reserve with descriptions of their use. You will also find related books on the library shelves. Where shelf marks (e.g. PA 6825 C53) are indicated below, closely related books can be found by looking on the main library shelves in the PA section for books with closely numbered shelf marks. FALL SEMESTER Raymond J. Clark, Origins: New light on Eschatology in Gilgamesh s Mortuary Journey. I have supplied a photocopy of this chapter from John Maier (ed.), Gilgamesh: A Reader (Illinois 1997). It analyses in greater detail than my book (see next item) how the epic-maker used earlier Sumerian tales. Raymond J. Clark, Catabasis: Vergil and the Wisdom-Tradition (Amsterdam 1979): PA 6825 C53. Has a section on Gilgamesh in chapter 1, and another chapter on Odysseus descent to the underworld in Homer s Odyssey. This chapter is designed to answer the problems raised by Denys Page (see immediately following). Denys Page, The Homeric Odyssey (Oxford 1955): PA 4167 P3. Has a chapter on the Cyclops myth, as well as on Odysseus descent to the underworld in Homer s Odyssey. Page claims that Odysseus descent is not the work of Homer, but was added ( interpolated ) by later bards. [Page quotes many passages from the Greek, but he always gives references, e.g. Od You can find the English translation easily, because 3 means Book 3, and 26 means verse 26, which are given in the margin of the Penguin translation,which you have. W.J. Woodhouse, The Composition of Homer s Odyssey (Oxford 1930): PA 4037 W8.

7 A brilliant book, easy to follow, with chapters on the individual folktales which are embedded in the Odyssey. J. Griffin, Homer: The Odyssey PA 4167 G 75. A short readable book on the Odyssey. THE FOLLOWING BOOKS ARE USEFUL IN EACH SEMESTER The Oxford Classical Dictionary cannot be put on reserve specifically for this course because it is ALWAYS on reserve in the reserve section of the library. Oxford University Press is always bringing out updated editions. The first edition appeared in 1949 with many editors; a second in 1970 by N.G.L.Hammond & H.H. Scullard; a third by S. Hornblower & A. Spawforth in 1996, revised in 2003, a fourth by the same editors in The latest is obviously the most up to date. Every entry (over 6, 700 of them; see below) is written by an expert. What is very useful about this easy-to-use dictionary is that it lists everything in the Greek and Roman world alphabetically. Hence you will find articles, alphabetically arranged, on the authors we study, Homer, Hesiod, Aeschylus, Plato, Vergil, Seneca, Terence etc. You will also find articles on mythical heroes as well as historical characters, gods etc.: e.g., Odysseus, Agamemnon, Prometheus, Alexander the Great, Zeus and Apollo. You will also find articles on places, e.g. Mycenae and Sparta where the kings Agamemnon and Menelaos lived, both of whom are mentioned in Homer s Odyssey and Agamemnon s Oresteia. Also topics are included, such as Architecture, History, Spinning, Religion, Inns including Restaurants, literary genres such as epic and pastoral any aspect of Greek and Roman civilization can be looked up easily. A vast number of famous Greek and Roman authors are translated in the Loeb edition, running into several hundred volumes, published by Harvard University Press. They are very small books, easy to handle, in two series: (1) those with green covers have the original Greek text on the left, English on the right; (2) those with red covers have the original Latin text on the left, English on the right. Both sets can be found on the library shelves in the PA section. E.g., the Greek author Hesiod s Works & Days and Theogony will appear in green covers. Once you find where the green Loebs are, look alphabetically under H for Hesiod. WINTER SEMESTER: Plato s Theory of Ideas (or Forms) is not easy to read about, so please attend the first two seminars in the Winter session. The Bookstore s Penguin translation of Plato containing the Euthyphro, Apology, and Phaedo has nice introductions to each of these dialogues, including a helpful Postscript: The Theory of Ideas in the Phaedo starting on p Advanced books include: R. Hackforth, Plato s Phaedo (Cambridge 1955) on Plato s Forms beginning p. 73, and Norman Gulley, Plato s Theory of Knowledge (London 1962). J. Griffin, Virgil (Oxford University Press). This short book is brilliant on the Eclogues.

8 REGULATIONS COMMON TO ALL HUMANITIES COURSES COPIES OF WRITTEN WORK SUBMITTED Always retain for yourself a copy of all essays, term papers, written assignments or take-home tests submitted in your courses. PLAGIARISM The University Senate defines plagiarism as presenting, whether intentional or not, the ideas, expression of ideas or work of others as one s own. This can include: reproducing or paraphrasing portions of someone else s published or unpublished material, regardless of the source, and presenting these as one s own without proper citation or reference to the original source; submitting a take-home examination, essay, laboratory report or other assignment written, in whole or in part, by someone else; using ideas or direct, verbatim quotations, or paraphrased material, concepts, or ideas without appropriate acknowledgment in any academic assignment; using another s data or research findings; failing to acknowledge sources through the use of proper citations when using another s works and/or failing to use quotation marks; handing in "substantially the same piece of work for academic credit more than once without prior written permission of the course instructor in which the submission occurs." Plagiarism is a serious offence which cannot be resolved directly with the course s instructor. The Associate Deans of the Faculty conduct a rigorous investigation, including an interview with the student, when an instructor suspects a piece of work has been plagiarized. Penalties are not trivial. They can include a final grade of F for the course GRADING SYSTEM Letter grades assigned in this course will have the following percentage equivalents: A+ = (12) B = (8) C - = (4) A = (11) B- = (7) D+ = (3) A- = (10) C+ = (6) D = (2) B+ = (9) C = (5) D - = (1) F ABS DEF FND Failure. Assigned 0.0 grade points Absent from final examination, equivalent to F Official deferral (see "Petitions to Defer") Failure with no deferred exam allowed -- assigned only when the student has failed the course on the basis of inadequate term work as specified in the course outline. Standing in a course is determined by the course instructor subject to the approval of the Faculty Dean. WITHDRAWAL WITHOUT ACADEMIC PENALTY The last date to withdraw from FALL TERM courses is DEC. 8, The last day to withdraw from FALL/WINTER (Full Term) and WINTER term courses is APRIL 8, REQUESTS FOR ACADEMIC ACCOMMODATION You may need special arrangements to meet your academic obligations during the term because of disability, pregnancy or religious obligations. Please review the course outline promptly and write to me with any requests for academic accommodation during the first two weeks of class, or as soon as possible after the need for accommodation is known to exist. You can visit the Equity Services website to view the policies and to obtain more detailed information on academic accommodation at: carleton.ca/equity/accommodation/ Students with disabilities requiring academic accommodations in this course must register with the Paul Menton Centre for Students with Disabilities (PMC) for a formal evaluation of disability-related needs. Documented disabilities could include but not limited to mobility/physical impairments, specific Learning Disabilities (LD), psychiatric/psychological disabilities, sensory disabilities, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and chronic medical conditions. Registered PMC students are required to contact the PMC, , every term to ensure that your Instructor receives your Letter of Accommodation, no later than two weeks before the first assignment is due or the first in-class test/midterm requiring accommodations. If you only require accommodations for your formally scheduled exam(s) in this course, please submit your request for accommodations to PMC by Nov. 7, 2014 for the Fall term and March 6, 2015 for the Winter term. For more details visit the Equity Services website: carleton.ca/equity/accommodation/ PETITIONS TO DEFER If you miss a final examination and/or fail to submit a FINAL assignment by the due date because of circumstances beyond your control, you may apply a deferral of examination/assignment. If you are applying for a deferral due to illness you will be required to see a physician in order to confirm illness and obtain a medical certificate dated no later than one working day after the examination or assignment deadline. This supporting documentation must specify the date of onset of the illness, the degree of incapacitation, and the expected date of recovery. If you are applying for a deferral for reasons other than personal illness, please contact the Registrar s Office directly for information on other forms of documentation that we accept. Deferrals of assignments must be supported by confirmation of the assignment due date, for example a copy of the course outline specifying the due date and any documented extensions from the course instructor. Deferral applications for examination or assignments must be submitted within 5 working days of the original final exam. ADDRESSES: (Area Code 613) College of the Humanities Greek and Roman Studies Office Religion Office Registrar's Office Student Academic Success Centre Paul Menton Centre /TTY Writing Tutorial Service Ext Learning Support Service Ext Paterson 300 Paterson 2A39 Paterson 300 Tory 302 Tory 501 Uni-Centre 4 th Floor Library 4 th Floor Library