Course Outline SURVEY OF GREEK LITERATURE (CLAS 231) University of Waterloo, Fall Term, 2011 INSTRUCTOR Ron Kroeker, PhD Office: ML 225 Office hours: Tuesday 2:30-3:30 pm Wednesday 1:00-2:00 pm Email: or by appointment through UW-ACE (preferred) OR r3kroeke@uwaterloo.ca Phone: 519 888-4567 Ext. 32801 TIME AND LOCATION MWF 11:30-12:20 ML 349 DESCRIPTION A survey, through English translation, of Greek literature from the earliest times to the Byzantine period. Material studied will include the genres of epic, lyric, tragedy, comedy, history, oratory and philosophy through the works of authors such as Homer, Sappho, Euripides, Aristophanes, Thucydides, Demosthenes and Plato. TEXT The text consists of a selection of authors specially chosen for this course. It has been placed on reserve in the library in electronic form and can be accessed through the library website. A link to this site will be found on the UW-ACE site for this course. OBJECTIVES By the end of this course the student will be able to: 1. Identify approximately forty of the most important ancient Greek authors from the time of Homer to the Imperial (Roman) era, including the nature and content of their works and their place in the development of Greek literature. 2. Comment intelligently on the important works of ancient Greek literature in their historical context, thinking about both the maker (author) and the receivers (audience) of the literature. 3. Appreciate the artistic value and the intellectual achievement of ancient Greek literature, and its ongoing contribution to our understanding of the human experience through literature, visual art and film.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS 1. Class Participation: Every student is expected to maintain faithful attendance and participate thoughtfully in class discussions. The mark for participation will be based on both attendance and the quality of the student s input into class discussions. Most classes will have a time set apart for discussion based on the reading(s) assigned for that date (see Calendar below). It is expected that every student will read, and be ready to discuss, the assigned passages for each class, but there will also be three or four students per day specifically designated to comment on the significance or interest of the passage for that day or on the questions raised by the passage. 2. Midterm: The midterm will be held on Friday, October 21. It will cover the content of the lectures, assigned readings and class discussions from September 12 to October 19. 3. Research Paper a) Topics: Here are the topics you may choose from for your research paper. i. Define the nature of the literary relationship between the Iliad and the Odyssey. ii. Show how the works of one of the Classical tragedians reflect the cultural/ intellectual/social milieu of 5th century Athens. (Eg. Euripides and the Sophistic Enlightenment, Aeschylus and the developing Athenian democracy). Alternate: Show how one of the Classical Tragedies reflects the cultural/ intellectual/social milieu of 5th century Athens. iii. Explain how the differences in perspective and approach of Thucydides as compared to Herodotus reflect the development of historiography as a literary genre. iv. Describe the approach taken toward myth (in its broadest, Greek sense) in the writings of Plato. v. Identify how the characteristics of early Hellenistic poetry reflect the changed realities of Greek society with the establishment of the Hellenistic kingdoms after Alexander the Great. b) Evaluation: The research paper should be approximately 2500 words. It will be marked on the following: i. Clarity of expression, including spelling and grammar. Note: the best writing is clear, concise and concrete. ii. Research, including the depth of your own observations on ancient sources and appropriate use of good secondary sources. Online resources may be used but they absolutely must be reliable sources such as online articles from peerreviewed journals. iii. Synthesis, including the clarity, precision and significance of your thesis, how well you draw larger conclusions from individual observations, and how well you structure the paper as a whole. Note: in this paper you are to support and defend a specific, significant thesis.
The research paper is due on Friday, November 25. Five percent per day will be deducted for late papers. Papers must be submitted in hard copy; emailed copies will not be accepted. 4. Final Exam: The final exam will be held during the exam period (December 8-22) as scheduled by the university. The final exam will be based predominantly, but not exclusively, on the lectures, assigned readings and class discussions from October 24 to December 5. The final will include an essay question on a topic provided to students before the end of classes. CALCULATION OF MARK 1. Class Participation 10% 2. Midterm 20% 3. Research Paper 30% 4. Final Exam 40% CALENDAR Dates Topic Reading September 12 Introduction September 14 Homer, Iliad Iliad, Book 18 September 16 Homer, Iliad Iliad Book 24 September 19 Homer, Odyssey Odyssey Book 9 September 21 Homer, Odyssey Odyssey Book 11 September 23 Hesiod Theogony, W & D September 26 Homeric Hymns Hymns 2 and 7 September 28 Apollonius Rhodius Jason Argonauts, Book 3 September 30 Callimachus Hymn 6 October 3 Theocritus Idylls 1, 11, 15 October 5 Lyric/Elegy Tyrtaeus, Archilochus October 7 Lyric/Elegy Alkman, Alcaeus, Solon, Sappho October 12 Lyric/Elegy Pindar, Pythian 4; Callimachus, Aitia 1-2,3.5 October 14 Intro to Drama October 17 Intro to Tragedy October 19 Tragedy Aeschylus, Persians October 21 ***Midterm October 24 Tragedy Sophocles, Ajax October 26 Tragedy Euripides, Medea October 28 Intro to Comedy October 31 Comedy Aristophanes, The Frogs
November 2 Intro to History November 4 Herodotus Histories, Book 1.1-92 November 7 Thucydides Peloponnesian War, 1.1-23, 2.34-65 November 9 Xenophon Hellenica 2.3-4 November 11 Polybius Histories 1.1-6 November 14 Plutarch Life of Alexander November 16 Oratory Lysias, Eratosthenes November 18 Oratory Demosthenes, First Philippic November 21 Oratory Gorgias, Helen November 23 Natural Philosophers Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes, Pythagoras November 25 ***Research Paper Due November 25 Pre-Socratics Heraclitus, Parmenides, Empedocles, Anaxagoras, Protagoras November 28 Plato Republic, Book 10 November 30 Aristotle/Theophrastus Poetics 4.1-8.9, The Characters December 2 Miscellaneous Pausanias, Longus, Athenaeus December 5 Review December 8-22 Exam period PLEASE NOTE Cross-listed course: Please note that a cross-listed course will count in all respective averages no matter under which rubric it has been taken. For example, a PHIL/PSCI cross-list will count in a Philosophy major average, even if the course was taken under the Political Science rubric. Academic Integrity: Academic Integrity: In order to maintain a culture of academic integrity, members of the University of Waterloo are expected to promote honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility. Discipline: A student is expected to know what constitutes academic integrity, to avoid committing academic offences, and to take responsibility for his/her actions. A student who is unsure whether an action constitutes an offence, or who needs help in learning how to avoid offences (e.g., plagiarism, cheating) or about rules for group work/collaboration should seek guidance from the course professor, academic advisor, or the Undergraduate Associate Dean. When misconduct has been found to have occurred, disciplinary penalties will be imposed under Policy 71 Student Discipline. For information on categories of offenses and types of penalties, students
should refer to Policy 71 - Student Discipline, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/ Policies/policy71.htm Grievance: A student who believes that a decision affecting some aspect of his/her university life has been unfair or unreasonable may have grounds for initiating a grievance. Read Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances, Section 4, http:// www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/policies/policy70.htm Appeals: A student may appeal the finding and/or penalty in a decision made under Policy 70 - Student Petitions and Grievances (other than regarding a petition) or Policy 71 - Student Discipline if a ground for an appeal can be established. Read Policy 72 - Student Appeals, http://www.adm.uwaterloo.ca/infosec/policies/ policy72.htm Academic Integrity website (Arts): http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/arts/ugrad/ academic_responsibility.html Academic Integrity Office (UW): http://uwaterloo.ca/academicintegrity/ Accommodation for Students with Disabilities: Note for students with disabilities: The Office for Persons with Disabilities (OPD), located in Needles Hall, Room 1132, collaborates with all academic departments to arrange appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities without compromising the academic integrity of the curriculum. If you require academic accommodations to lessen the impact of your disability, please register with the OPD at the beginning of each academic term.