Course Description and Objectives

In this course we shall read major works of ancient Greek literature and explore facets of ancient Greek civilization. In the first half of the course, we shall focus on the mythic world of Homer’s Odyssey and the λόγοι of Herodotus' Histories. In the second half, we shall move to classical Athenian tragedy, comedy, and philosophy. Finally, we shall jump half a millennium forward to the Second Sophistic to read Lucian's dialogues. We shall read all of these works in their cultural context, considering their place in an evolving Greek world.

Your main task at home will be reading the ancient texts: there will be extensive reading, around two hours' worth per class. Together we shall discuss those texts and work toward placing them in their cultural and historical contexts. In class we shall move beyond the literature to consider other primary sources as well, such as inscriptions, coins, sculpture, vase paintings, and archaeological remains.

Classical Studies 360 provides you with five of the twelve necessary General University Requirement (GUR) credits in Humanities (HUM). The Humanities requirement provides an introduction to the subject matter, methods of inquiry and forms of expression of academic fields that treat language, literature, fine arts, history, philosophy and religion in the Western cultural tradition. The humanities study principal themes, issues and images concerning human beings and their place in the universe, as these have been shaped and expressed since ancient times, in thought, imagination and action.

Masterworks of Ancient Greek Literature focuses on the following GUR competencies:

GUR Competency 1

Analyze and communicate ideas effectively in oral, written, and visual forms

GUR Competency 2

Analyze and interpret information from varied sources, including print and visual media.

GUR Competency 6

Explore, imagine and create.

GUR Competency 7

Recognize the rights, responsibilities, and privileges of participating in, and contributing as a citizen in, a diverse society.

GUR Competency 8

Understand and evaluate assumptions, values, and beliefs in context of diverse local, national and global communities."

In addition to considering multiple works of Greek literature, you will engage in writing exercises and discussions on Canvas to explore ethical concerns of ancient literature and the complex relationship between ancient Greek literature and the modern Western cultures that often claim descent from ancient Greece.

On Keeping an Open Mind

While ancient Greece in one sense lies at the roots of modern Western civilizations, it also differed from modern cultures in many ways. Likewise, within ancient Greece there were many competing views on social and cultural issues, just as the modern world enjoys a diversity of perspectives. Some of the ancient Greek customs and ideas that you encounter in this class will seem very alien, and you may find some shockingly different from your own. Certainly ancient sexual practices (like Athenian pederasty) will prove challenging to modern moral beliefs.

The discomfort of learning about a foreign culture's practices and beliefs plays a part in Herodotus' Histories (3.38). Darius, king of the Persians, asked a group of Greeks if they would eat the corpses of their own fathers. The Greeks were disgusted. Then, Darius asked a group of Callatians if they would bury the corpses of their fathers. The Callatians were as disgusted with the thought of burial as the Greeks were with cannibalism. Try, like Darius, to keep an open mind and recognize that cultures differ in what they consider to be moral just as much as they do in their other customs.

Class Times and Location

Masterworks of Ancient Greek Literature meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 3:00 PM until 5:10 PM in Fraser Hall 101 (marked with a large and confusing "2" in green paint on the wall of the main hallway: Fraser has lecture halls 2, 3, and 4, but no 1, and those numbers have nothing to do with the three-digit room numbers).  Fraser 101 is the downstairs lecture hall, which will be obvious once you're in the building. Lectures begin Tuesday, January 9, and continue through Thursday, March 14. There are no Tuesday or Thursday holidays during the winter quarter. You will take the midterm examination and final examinations on Canvas, not in class, and you can take the final examination anywhere you like at any time during the exam week; you do not need to be in town.

Instructor

Miller Krause ( miller.krause@wwu.edu )

Office: Miller Hall 122D

Office Hours:

• Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays: 10:00–11:00 AM
• Tuesdays and Thursdays: 2:00–2:30 PM

Textbooks

I have asked the bookstore to make the following books available; I have given the ISBN number and the approximate price of each.

• Costa, C. 2009. Lucian: Selected Dialogues. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199555932. $12–16.
• Fagles, R. 1999. Homer: The Odyssey. New York: Penguin. ISBN 978-0140268867. $15–20.
• Johnson, W. 2016. The Essential Herodotus. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0199897957. $25.
• Rowe, C. 2012. Plato: The Republic. New York: Penguin. ISBN 978-0141442433. $8–10.

For other readings, I've provided links to translations freely available online. Feel free to use free, online translations of Homer's Odyssey and Plato's Republic as well.

The University bookstore should carry all of these books, but they can also be ordered online. Used books sell online for next to nothing and some for as low as one cent. Feel free to order used editions of these books, other editions, or even other translations as you like. The internet abounds with old translations that have entered the public domain, but students have reported difficulty reading nineteeth or even early twentieth century prose; Jowett's translation of Plato has proven a stumbling block in the past. The translations in the volumes listed above should prove easier.

I would strongly advise getting the recommended edition of The Essential Herodotus and Lucian: Selected Dialogues. Both contain selections that we shall read, since reading the entire corpus of either author within the time allotted would prove onerous.

Johson's The Essential Herodotus and Costas' Lucian: Selected Dialogues are available on course reserves at the library, as is Wilson's translation of the Odyssey.

Grading

Grading Scale

Course Requirements

Reading

First and foremost, this is a literature class, and you need to read the literature.  Readings are listed below on the syllabus and also on the Modules page, which doubles as a course checklist to help you keep track of readings, quizzes, assignments, and exams.  You should read the day's readings before coming to class: the lecture will make more sense when you have read in preparation for class, and the lecture should in turn help clarify the reading.  I have tried to make sure that longer readings fall on Tuesdays and shorter readings on Thursdays, so that you have the weekend to reading the longer assignments.

Attendance and Participation (10%)

You should come to class. Every day, there will be a small attendance paper on which you will answer a question about the day's lecture. That will serve to record attendance, so be sure to turn in the attendance paper at the end of class.

I understand that emergencies do sometimes arise. Canvas will drop two absences automatically, with or without documentation. After that, you need to show me a very good reason for your absence if you do not want the attendance grade to diminish.

Athletes and anyone planning on missing class for athletics, university-sponsored events, military duty, or religious holidays should inform me of absences in advance. That lets me excuse absences and add time to Canvas assignments for those students in advance. Within the first two weeks of class,  give me a letter listing the games/matches/meets, events, military service, or holidays requiring absences for the quarter, so that I can plan ahead to help you stay on track. I like planning ahead.

Assignments (25%)

Five brief writing assignments will require you to engage with themes and topics of five genres of ancient Greek literature; a sixth gives you visual context for Greek history. You will find these six assignments as discussions on Canvas: you will post your assignment to a small discussion group, where your peers will read and comment on your writing and you on theirs. More specific instructions will accompany each assignment. Be civil in your discussions, and try to be meaningful.

Quizzes (25%)

Seven quizzes are scheduled. All open after class on Thursday and are due on Friday but remain open until Saturday. Instead of taking each quiz in class, you will take it on Canvas. This means that you can take the quiz when you feel that you have studied enough, rather than being forced to take it, ready-or-not, the last ten minutes of class.

The quizzes have ten questions and a ten-minute time limit. You should not use your notes, books, or any other materials during the quizzes.

Should an emergency arise that keeps you from taking the quiz at any point by the end of Friday (the due date), Canvas will keep the quiz open for you for one more day (the deadline). After the deadline, the quiz closes forever.

Midterm Examination (20%)

There will be a midterm examination on Canvas, between the units on History and Tragedy. The midterm is due on Tuesday, February 6, a day on which the class does not meet, and closes on February 7 at 11:59 PM. That means that you have a bit over five days to find an hour to take the midterm, and a day of classes has been omitted to ensure that you have the time to get this done. The midterm examination has fifty questions and a one-hour time limit. It covers Homer and Herodotus.

Final Examination (20%)

The final examination will be available on Canvas during the exam week, so that you will be able to take the final examination at any time convenient to you during that week. The final examination has fifty questions and a one-hour time limit. It covers tragedy, comedy, Plato, and Lucian.

Academic Integrity

Don't commit academic dishonesty. See the University's website on Academic Honesty.

Help

If you have questions about how to use Canvas, first read the Canvas Student Guide and the ATUS help page on Canvas. If you still need help after that, contact the ATUS Help Desk:

Web: atus.wwu.edu/help-desk
Email: helpdesk@wwu.edu
Phone: (360) 650-3333.

I have gathered other resources on the Help and FAQs page. For other questions, e-mail me at miller.krause@wwu.edu or stop by my office during office hours.

Weekly Schedule

Below you will find a schedule of all exams, quizzes, assignments, readings, and so forth. This syllabus is subject to change, for example if snow should close the university. Changes, if any, will be announced in class and on Canvas. Students will be held responsible for all changes.

Canvas provides feeds to which you can subscribe, to keep all your course information and due dates in your favorite calendar program like Apple's Calendar or Microsoft Outlook. For details, see the Canvas Guide on Calendar Feeds.  To subscribe to just this course alone, click here.