Take-home Option for Exam I

Section A: due 9:25 a.m. 
Section B: due 2:00 p.m. 
(in both paper and electronic form)

Directions:
    Option 1: write three 600-900 word essays on three of the topics given below
    Option 2: write two 900-1200 word essays on two of the topics given below

Topics:

1. Religion: Discuss how the events, writings, etc. of the Archaic Age can be seen both as an affirmation and a transformation of the Homeric view/role of the gods. Also address whether there is a parallel between the Greek and today's society and what the implications of such a parallel would be. As usual give good concrete examples with proper citations.

2. Women: We have seen how the Heroic Code of the Homeric Warrior (and hence Dark Age warrior) undergoes a transformation during the Archaic Age--some even see the emphasis on warlike themes in Mycenaean art as a type of parallel for the Mycenaean Age. Argue whether a similar transformation takes place with regard to women.  Also address whether there is a parallel between the Greek transformation and today's society and what the implications of such a parallel would be. Also, you may address, if you want, whether there is a similar parallel in the Mycenaean/Minoan art. As usual give good concrete examples with proper citations.

3. Political Institutions/Human Nature: George F. Will recently noted that an underlying assumption within the US is a belief that "a particular kind of civic order -- democracy, representation, the rule of law, a large sphere of privacy and individual autonomy -- is right for the fulfillment of human nature" ("Grand Delusions," Washington Post, Sept 30, 2004--registration required). Argue which, if any, of these mesh with what the evidence from the Archaic Age suggests as the underlying assumptions of the Greeks.

4. Heroic Code: We have seen how the Heroic Code of the Homeric Warrior (and hence Dark Age warrior) undergoes a transformation during the Archaic Age--some even see the emphasis on warlike themes in Mycenaean art as a type of parallel for the Mycenaean Age. Detail what this transformation entails, and address whether there is a parallel between the Greek transformation and today's society and what the implications of such a parallel would be. As usual give good concrete examples with proper citations.