CLAS C351 (Sect. B096)
Fall 1994
Dr. Robert F. Sutton, Jr.
Associate Professor of Classical Studies
Cavanaugh 501B, 274-2497 (leave message)
Mon 10-12; Th 2:30-3:30; and by appointment
Secretary: Cavanaugh 502C, 274-0062
Masterpieces of art, and dramatic, historical, and philosophical literature are viewed against the intellectual, cultural, and political background of the world's first democracy, the Athenian city-state. In these creations of an alien culture that flourished 2,500 years ago students encounter the fundamental and enduring themes of the Western humanistic tradition, including the definition of human nature and its limitations, and the proper standards of public and private morality in a just and democratic society.
Herodotus, The Histories (tr. de Selincourt, Penguin)
Aeschylus, Oresteia: Agamemnon, Libation Bearers, Eumenides (tr.
Lattimore; U. of Chicago Press)
Greek Tragedies I (Grene and Lattimore; U. of C. Press) for
Sophocles Oedipus the King, and Euripides, Hippolytos.
Thucydides, The Peloponnesian War (tr. Warner, Penguin)
Aristophanes, Three Comedies (U. Mich. Press) for Clouds & Wasps
Plato, The Last Days of Socrates (tr. Tredennick, Penguin) for
Apology and Phaedo.
The use of other translations and editions is permitted.
Perseus, a Hypercard program, to be available at various locations on campus (including CA 319), will form an important part of this class. It includes complete texts of Herodotus, Thucydides, Aeschylus and Sophocles, with maps and illustrations of sites and objects, and essential reference materials.
Class will include lecture and discussion. Regular attendance is required. Up to 2% will be awarded for outstanding contributions to normal class meetings.
Attendance will be required at six of seven group discussion sessions scheduled through the term. Students will be credited 1% of the final grade for attending each group discussion and up to 2% for submitting one written summary of report of the group's discussion.
Character Sketches. Each student will write two short papers, no more than two typed pages in length, on specified characters encountered in the assigned reading. They will be selected from 8 possibilities scheduled throughout the semester; one is due in each half of the course. Each must be submitted at the start of class on the date specified; because of the choice of dates no late papers will be accepted. Each paper should describe the character and how it is created by the author; they should require no outside reading. They will be graded equally for content and the quality of writing. Each paper will contribute 10% of the final grade.
Research Project. Each student must submit a short research project at any time between November 22 and December 6. Early submissions are encouraged. NONE will be accepted after December 6 without a well-documented valid excuse. These projects should be on a topic of the student's choice, selected in consultation with the professor, and approved in writing by November 1. They may take one of two forms:
1) a standard research paper, five typed pages in length, with full citation of sources following a standard accepted format; or
2) a presentation developed on Perseus in a form to be approved by the instructor.
Both will be judged equally for content and the quality of
writing and presentation.
Students anticipating or experiencing difficulty with writing should contact the Writing Center in CA 427, 274-2049 early. The Writing Hotline 274-3000 provides quick answers to technical questions about editing and mechanics. The staff of the Multimedia Language Resource Center in CA 219 (278-2277) will provide assistance with Perseus presentations.
Exams. Two written examinations, a Midterm at the start of class on October 18, and a Final on December 13 at 5:45-7:45 pm, will include short answer and essay questions. The Midterm will be worth 20% of the final grade, and the Final 25%. Makeup examinations will be given only for a valid reason (not including conflict with another course), normally with prior notice.
Grading. Academic honesty is expected. Penalties for cheating and plagiarism will range from a loss of credit for the assignment involved to failure in the course and notification of the appropriate Deans for further action. The following formula will serve as a guide for assigning the final grade; outstanding contributions to discussion, steady improvement, and other circumstances may justify deviation from a strictly numerical award of the grade.
Class participation & discussion: 10%
2 Character Sketches (@ 10%) 20
Research Project: 25
Midterm Exam: 20
Final Exam: 25
Final grade 100%
Subject to change as necessary. References to Herodotus and Thucydides are by Book and section (with pages of the Penguin edition). Please complete assignments before the class for which they are assigned, and bring the books to class.
1. August 30. Introduction to course and to Perseus.
Begin learning Perseus by retracing the path Athens
Introduction; read Historical Overview, section I.
2. September 6. Archaic Greece and Herodotus
Herodotus I.1-91 (pp 41-79, Croesus), V.55-78 (pp. 360-
369, Athenian Democracy)
Perseus: Overview II.C.1 (Croesus), IV.A (religious
belief & practice), V.B.5 (Herodotus). Life of
Herodotus. Art & Arch.: Aegina, Sanctuary of Aphaia;
Athens, Acropolis (Archaic) and Korai; Delphi
3. September 13. Xerxes' Invasion
Herodotus, Book VII (entire)
Perseus: Overview II (Persian Wars). Maps & views of
Thermopylae, Olympia, etc.
4. September 20. Xerxes' Defeat
Herodotus, Book VIII (entire)
Perseus: Views and maps of Salamis
* Character Sketch: Xerxes; Discussion I
5. September 27. Oresteia I
Perseus: Overview IV.B (omit Sophocles).
Encyclopedia, under Theater. Life of Aeschylus.
Aeschylus, Agamemnon
* Character Sketch: Agamemnon
6. October 4. Oresteia II
Aeschylus, Libation Bearers and Eumenides
* Character Sketch: The Furies; Discussion II.
7. October 11. The Parthenon & Classical Sculpture; Review
Perseus: Overview IV.C and III.D.4, 6-7. A & A:
Athens, Acropolis, Parthenon; Polykleitos.
8. October 18. MIDTERM EXAMINATION (start of class; be prompt)
Lecture: The Intellectual Revolution
9. October 25. Thucydides and the Peloponnesian War
Thucydides: I.1-13 (pp. 35-49, Introduction), I.66-88
and 118-end (pp. 72-87, 103-123, Debating War), II. 1-
65, 71-78 (pp. 124-164, 164-173, Plataea, Funeral
Oration, plague, death of Pericles, Plataea).
Perseus: Overview V.B, VI.A.1-6. Views & maps,
especially Athens' walls, Plataea.
10. November 1. Thucydides
Thucydides: III. 1-85 (pp. 194-245, Mytilene, Plataea,
Corcyra), IV.1-49 (pp. 265-294, Pylos, Corcyra)
Perseus: Views & maps of Mytilene, Corcyra, Sphacteria
* Character Sketch: Kleon; Discussion III
11. November 8. Oedipus
Sophocles, Oedipus the Tyrant
* Character Sketch: Oedipus; Discussion IV
12. November 15. Euripides
Euripides, Hippolytus
* Character Sketch: Hippolytus; Discussion V
13. November 22. Aristophanes & Comedy
Aristophanes, Wasps and Clouds
Perseus: Overview VI.B.6-7; Encyclopedia
* Character Sketch: Strepsiades; Discussion VI
** Research Project
14. November 29. Socrates
Plato, Apology; Phaedo 57A-69E, 115B-end (pp. 99-117,
179-end).
Perseus: Overview VI.A.19-20
* Character Sketch: Discussion VII
** Research Project
15. December 6. Synthesis & Review
Perseus: Athens, Acropolis: Nike Temple & Erechtheum
** Research Project (last possible date)
FINAL EXAMINATION: DECEMBER 13, 5:45-7:45 (Be prompt)
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