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Greek
Civilization
Fall
2006
The Chigi Vase - 7th Century
CLST 11S Section 3
TTh 2:50-4:05
Soc Sci 111
Office: 232 Allen Building
Office Hours: Th 1:00-2:00 & by appointment
This is a seminar on Greek Civilization based on the works
(in translation) and achievements of the Greeks themselves.
The course focuses on the written and material evidence
from the Archaic and Classical periods, from roughly 800
BCE to the death of Alexander the Great. Areas of study
include the historical contexts surrounding the development
of epic and drama, art and archaeology, history and
philosophy, politics and religion, and government and law.
Not open to students who have taken, or are taking, CLST
53.
Work: The workload for this class will be
divided between two papers, two quizzes, a midterm, a final
exam, and class participation. The weekly readings are at
the base of everything, so you need to read and think about
everything. It is absolutely essential that you attend all
classes. If you have to miss a class, inform the instructor
ahead of time and make arrangements with a classmate to go
over what you missed.
Papers: There will be two papers, each 5-7
pages in length. The first paper will be on evaluating and
comparing two different sources of the same event and is
due at the beginning of class on September 26. I will
provide additional details later. The topic of the second
paper will be announced later. It is due at the beginning
of class on November 28. Note: The due dates for the papers
are fixed and etched in stone. Each day a paper is late
will result in a deduction of one letter grade.
Quizzes and Exams: There will be two short
quizzes on geography and chronology on September 15 and
November 10. There will be an in-class midterm on October
17 with IDs, short answer questions, and an essay. The
final exam will be on Saturday December 16 from 2-5 pm and
will also have IDs, short answer questions, and essays.
Participation: This class is a seminar, so
active class participation is vital. I will provide
open-ended discussion questions based on the readings for
each class. Students will take turns in presenting reports
on these questions. Each student presenting for a given
class should choose their discussion question in advance,
and prepare an oral report of 5-10 minutes on it. The
entire class will then examine and debate the issues
raised, so everyone should put some thought into the
questions and consider the readings carefully.
The grade breakdown for the class will be
as follows:
Quiz 1: 2.5%
Paper 1: 15%
Quiz 2: 2.5%
Paper 2: 15%
Participation: 25%
Midterm 15%
Final: 25%
Required Texts (all of these will be
available at the bookstore, but don’t hesitate to order a
used copy from Amazon or Abebooks.com):
Pomeroy, Sarah, et al. Ancient Greece: A Political,
Social, and Cultural History. Oxford UP, 1998. ISBN
0195097432 Abbreviated “AG” in syllabus
Fagles, Robert, trans. Homer: The Iliad. New York:
Penguin, 1990. ISBN 0140445927
Fagles, Robert, trans. Sophocles: The Three Theban
Plays. New York: Penguin, 1982. ISBN 0140444254
Selincourt, Aubrey de, trans. Herodotus: The
Histories. New York: Penguin, 1954. ISBN 0140446389
Warner, Rex, trans, Thucydides: History of the
Peloponnesian War. New York: Penguin, 1954. ISBN
0140440399
Sommerstein, Alan H. Aristophanes: Lysistrata/The
Acharnians/The Clouds. New York: Penguin, 1973. ISBN
0140442871
Shapiro, Alan & Peter Burian, trans. Aeschylus: The
Oresteia. Oxford UP, 2003. ISBN
019513592X
Other texts will be made available through the course
website or e-reserves
Syllabus
Week 1 The Dark Ages
and Homer
August 29: Introduction
August 31: Readings: Homer Iliad I,
II.1-572, III, IV.1-256, V.1-495, 841-1053
Greek Alphabet Handout
Homer Discussion Questions
Beginning of the Iliad read metrically
Beginning of the Iliad in Greek
Summary of the books of the Iliad we do not
read
Week 2 The growth of the polis and the Archaic
Period
September 5: Iliad VI, IX, XIV,
XVI; AG Chapter 3
September 7: Iliad XVIII, XXII,
XXIII, XXIV
Week 3 Rise of Athens and Sparta
September 12: Herodotus I.1-170,
III.61-88; AG Chapter 4
September 14: Herodotus V.28-VI.93;
AG Chapter 5 pg. 159-178
Quiz 1 Geography September 14
List of places to know
Blank map for practice
Week 4 The Persian Wars
September 19: Herodotus VI.94-140,
VII.1-53, VII.138-48, 175-7; AG Chapter 5 pg. 178-200
September 21: Herodotus
VII.198-239, VIII.40-108, IX.7-89, IX.108-22
Herodotus Discussion Questions
Week 5 The Great 50 Years I
September 26: Aeschylus Agamemnon,
AG Chapter 6
September 28: Aeschylus
Libation-Bearers, Eumenides
Oresteia Discussion Questions
First short paper due September
26
Description of first paper
Duke Writing Studio
Avoiding Plagiarism
Week 6 The Great 50 Years II
October 3: Sophocles
Antigone
October 5: Sophocles Oedipus
the King
Sophocles Discussion Questions
On Misunderstanding the Oedipus Rex
Week 7 The Intellectual Revolution
October 12: Aristophanes
Clouds; Gorgias On Not Being, Helen
Discussion Questions
Week 8 Origins of the Peloponnesian War
October 17: Midterm
October 19: Thucydides I.1-125,
I.139-146, AG Chapter 7
Week 9 The Peloponnesian War I
October 24: Aristophanes
Acharnians, Thucydides II.1-17, 34-65; AG Chapter
8
October 26: Thucydides III.1-85,
IV.1-41, V.84-116
Thucydides II & Archarnians Questions
Thucydides III & IV Questions
Week 10 The Peloponnesian War II
October 31:
Euripides Trojan Women, Thucydides VI
November 2: Thucydides VII
Trojan Women Part 1
Trojan Women Part 2
Discussion Questions
Week 11 Plato & Socrates
November 7: Plato
Ion, Euthyphro, Apology
November 9: Plato Symposium
Quiz 2 Chronology November 9
Week 12 The Sovereignty of Law
November 14: Lysias I On the Murder of Eratosthenes;
Lysias VII Concerning the Sekos
November 16: Demosthenes XXI
Against Meidias
Week 13 New Directions?
November 21: AG Chapter 9; Menander
Dyskolos (The Grouch)
Week 14 Philip of Macedon
November 28: AG Chapter 10
November 30: Demosthenes
Philippic 3
Second Short Paper Due November
28
Week 15 Alexander the Great
December 5:
December 7: