Gorgon's head on a silver coin of Naples

Classics 227: Greek Civilization   Fall 2000

The god Apollo on a gold coin of Syracuse

Instructor: Dr. Victor A. Leuci

Newnham Hall 37
592-5324
Home (573) 815-9333 (not after 10:00 pm)
e-mail: leuciv@jaynet.wcmo.edu
Home Page: www.wcmo.edu/users/faculty/leuciv/index.html

MWF 10:00-11:00 p.m., TuTh. 9:00-11:00 a.m.
And by appointment

Texts:

• H. von Staden,  Western Literature, Vol. I, New York 1971 (von Staden)
• S. B. Pomeroy, S. M. Burstein, W. Donlan, and J. T. Roberts, Ancient Greece: A Political, Social, and Cultural History, Oxford, 1999 (Pomeroy)

• establish a basic understanding of ancient Greek culture and daily life;
• understand how everyday life was affected by politics, economics, societal norms, and the culture;
• appreciate the literature and art produced by Greece and its significance;
• understand the evolution of political and religious systems in Greek history;
• understand how the political, economic, religious, cultural, and social aspects of ancient Greece were related and integrated;
• appreciate how ancient Greek culture is similar to and different from contemporary culture, providing roots for much of our modern Western culture; and
• learn to reach and defend positions based on careful analysis of primary sources and thoughtful and judicious use of secondary sources (with an awareness of how and why the secondary sources agree and disagree).

Writing-Intensive Option: Several different types of writing will be part of the course: microthemes, three exams that are predominately essay (two of which must be the take-home versions), and a long paper. Three to six microthemes will be assigned as a means to help participants come to a better understanding of important themes, ideas, and concepts. One to three of the microthemes will be revised on the basis of a conference with me or with a tutor at the Writing Lab;  the paper will be revised on the basis of a conference with me. Through conference sessions each student will develop and refine the paper topic. A critique and conference after the completion of the paper may also occur. In addition to meeting with me, the first microtheme will be revised on the basis of a conference with a member of the Writing Lab. In general, participants in the class should highly consider using the services of the Writing Lab and especially the Lab tutors, who can be of tremendous assistance.

Format:  The course will consist of both lectures and discussion. The class will occasionally be divided into small groups to treat discussion topics that will most often be based on readings from ancient authors. Microthemes may be assigned based on the results of the small group discussions. The microthemes are especially designed to facilitate the learning of important details and concepts of the course. Often the microthemes will represent the first opportunity to come to grips with an important block of material or ideas which we will treat from several different perspectives or in several different contexts.

Grading:  3 Exams (100 points each); Mini-Exam (50 pts); 1 essay [1800-2400 words long] (80 points); 3 to 6 microthemes [each 500-800 words long] (25 points each). In addtion roughly 10% of your grade will be based on class participation, attendance, web discussion, etc. No late papers will be accepted without prior permission. A hard copy and an electronic copy of papers are due at the beginning of the class period. I expect you to abide by Westminster’s honor code. Let me repeat, no make-up work will be accepted for unexcused absences. A hard copy and an electronic copy of papers are due at the beginning of the class period.

Exams: The exams will be a combination of fill-in the blank or short answer with essays. Usually there will be 10-15 fill in the blank questions worth 2 points each and two essays (300 to 400 words each) worth 35 points each. The essays should be well written in standard paragraph format and replete with pertinent facts to support your thesis (or theses). A review sheet will be typically available on-line one week before the exam as an aid in your preparation. Some exams may have a take-home option (the review sheet for that exam will give more details).The Mini-Exam will be of the same format as the Exams only shorter.

Microthemes and Essays:

Content:

• Microthemes: The microthemes will focus on a specific question based on your readings or possibly on a web site. The questions will be narrow in focus, and your paper should be corresponding narrow. The thesis you maintain in your paper should be supported with facts from the readings and from quotes where appropriate. The paper, however, should not be one long quotation.

• Essays: For both essays you will be given several topics to choose from. The topics will naturally be of a broader nature than that of the microthemes, but the importance of a central thesis and supporting facts will be the same. Neither essay is intended to be research in nature; rather they are intending to be opportunities for you to examine certain topics and to come up with reasonable responses, i.e. responses that are based on reason and that can be supported by the information you have covered in this class.
• Formatting Suggestions:
• Should be double spaced.
• Start with a simple heading at the top of the page giving your name, etc.--i.e. dont start the text of page one halfway down the page!
• Use a basic font such as Times, Arial, Bookman, Palatino, etc; however, don't use Courier or other fixed width fonts.

TOPICS AND ASSIGNMENTS (tentative)

Aug. 29	Tu	General Introduction.
31	Th	The Minoans and the Mycenaeans. Pomeroy Ch. 1, 1-17
Sept. 5	Tu	The Mycenaeans, cont.  Pomeroy Ch. 1, 18-40
7	Th	The Dark Age, Pomeroy Ch. 2, 41-70; Microtheme #1 due; Topic.
12	Tu	The Dark Age: Art & Archaeology, and intro. to Homer and the Heroic World.  The Iliad, von Staden 46-89.
14	Th	Finish the Iliad. Begin The Odyssey, von Staden 90-124.
19	Tu	The Odyssey. von Staden 124-149 Microtheme #2 due; Topic
21	Th	Finish the Odyssey
26	Tu	EXAM I; Review Sheet for Exam (click here)
28	Th	The End of the Dark Age; Pomeroy Ch. 2, 71-81. Archaic Greece. Pomeroy Ch. 3
Oct. 3	Tu	Archaic Greece. Pomeroy Ch. 3
5	Th	Archaic Greek Literature and Art. Pomeroy, Ch. 3, 109-124
10	Tu	Sparta. Pomeroy Ch. 4
12	Th	NO  CLASS. School Holiday
17	Tu	Sparta. Pomeroy Ch. 4 continued
19	Th	Athens. Pomeroy Ch. 5, 159-169
24	Tu	Athens. Pomeroy Ch. 5, 169-177
26	Th	Herodotus and the Persian Wars. von Staden 152-160; handout; Pomeroy Ch. 5, 178-200, and Ch. 7, 260-262
31	Tu	.EXAM II; Review Sheet for Exam (click here)
Nov. 2	Th	Fifth Century Life; Intro. to Greek Drama. Pomeroy Ch. 6, 201-225, 233-244, and Ch. 7, 262-264
7	Tu	Greek Drama. Sophocles’ Oedipus the King. von Staden 226-266
9	Th	Aristophanes’ Lysistrata. von Staden 310-351
14	Tu	Fifth Century Art & Architecture.  Pomeroy Ch. 6, 225-233, and Ch. 7, 274-283; Microtheme #3 due; Topic
16	Th	Thucydides and the Peloponessian War. Pomeroy Ch. 6, 265-267, and Ch. 8, 319-323, 326-330 von Straden 208-223
21	Tu	.EXAM III; Review Sheet for Exam (click here); Take-home option topics
23	Th	NO CLASS Thanksgiving
28	Tu	The Fourth Century; the Trial and Death of Socrates, von Straden 354-381
30	Th	The Fourth Century, continued. Pomeroy, Ch. 9, 343-368. Phillip II and Alexander the Great. (optional Pomeroy, Ch. 10, 377-394 and Ch. 11); Microtheme #4 due; Topic
Dec. 5	Tu	Hellenistic Age: Pomeroy, Ch. 12, 427-428 & Fig. 12.2, 446-471. Web sites: Temple cures and Cure inscriptions at Epidauros (text in bold only) OPTIONAL ROUGH DRAFT OF PAPER DUE; Topic
7	Th	Everyday Life: Meals
13	W	8:30 a.m.. FINAL EXAM (Mini-Exam); Review Sheet for Final Exam (click here); Take-home option topics; PAPER DUE; Topic.