Gorgon's head on a
silver
coin of Naples
permission to use
image granted
|
Classics 361:
Ancient Greek Drama
in Translation
Spring 2007
|
The god Apollo on a
gold coin
of Syracuse
image courtesy of Edgar
L. Owen, #3803
|
Instructor: Dr. Victor A. Leuci
Link: Web
resources for Greek Civilization
Texts (those with ISBN are confirmed; the rest are
being worked on):
- G. Ley , A
Short
Introduction
to the Ancient Greek Theater, University Of Chicago
Press; Revised edition (December 15, 2006); ISBN: 0226477614
- D. Grene
& R.
Lattimore, eds., Aeschylus I: Oresteia (Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers,
The Eumenides), University
Of Chicago Press (May 15, 1969), ISBN: 0226307786
- D. Grene
& R.
Lattimore, eds., The Complete Greek Tragedies: Sophocles I (Oedipus the
King, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone), University Of Chicago
Press; 2nd edition (August 15, 1991), ISBN: 0226307921
- D. Grene
& R.
Lattimore, eds., The Complete Greek Tragedies: Euripides I (Alcestis, The
Medea, The Heracleidae, Hippolytus), University Of Chicago
Press (February 15, 1955), ISBN: 0226307808
- P.
Roche, Aristophanes: The Complete Plays, NAL
Trade (February 1, 2005), ISBN: 0451214099
- E. F. Watling, Seneca, Four Tragedies and Octavia (Thyestes,
Phaedra, The Trojan women, Oedipus, with Octavia), Penguin
Classics; New Impression edition (October 30, 1966), ISBN 0140441743
- E. Segal, Plautus,
Four comedies, Oxford World Classics; paperback; 1998; ISBN: 0192838962
Readings on Reserve (selections from):
- B. Malina, The
New
Testament
World: Insights from Cultural Anthropology
- W. Burkert, Greek
Religion
- G. Holst-Warhaft, Dangerous
Voices: Women's Laments and Greek Literature
- E. R. Dodds,
introduction to his
translation of Euripides' Bacchae
- M. H. Hansen, The
Athenian
Democracy in the Age of Demosthenes
Objectives: The
course
is a survey of ancient Greek drama--tragedy and comedy. Through an
examination
of these plays and select scholarship we will
- become familiar with
the
origins,
nature, and practice of ancient Greek drama
- understand and apply
in
a critical
fashion the scholarship from various scholarly fields to the plays
- examine and reflect
on
the key
ideas/motifs of the plays and their significance to the Greek audience
and especially to the modern 21st century one
Relationship to the General Education
Curriculum:
CLA 361, Ancient Greek Drama in Translation, satisfies the Tier
III
requirement. The course does so in the following ways:
- When appropriate and
feasible,
professors from other disciplines (e.g. possibly Sociology, Religion)
will
be asked to participate.
- Selected readings
from
various
disciplines will be required for all, e.g. Sociology, Women’s Studies,
Religion, and Political Science
- Additional selected
readings from
various disciplines will be required for the individual student
projects
& presentations
- Class discussion
based
on the
selected interdisciplinary readings and student presentations will
facilitate
student understanding and comprehension of these various disciplines
and
the value they bring to the plays themselves and their role within
society—both
Athenian and ours.
- Prerequisite: one of the following: LAT 101 or 102
or 203 or GRE 101 or 102 or CLA 215 or 227 or 228 or PHI 212 or 221 or
POL 112 or 205 or REL 101 or 102 or SCA 111 or 115
Format: The
course
will consist of discussion, student presentations and some lectures.
The
class may occasionally be divided into small groups to treat discussion
topics that will most often be based on readings.
Grading:
- Research Paper:
one paper
worth 200 points, 3600-6000 due
during the 12th week of the semester (or, with the approval of the
instructor two papers, worth 100 points each and each 1800-3600 words
in length, may be substituted for the one paper; in which case, the
first paper will be due during the 7th week of the semester, the second
during the 12th week)
- Final Paper: 50 points;
1200-1800
words in length
- Critical
Summaries:
2 total;
each worth 25 points; each 600-900 words in length (typically one due
per
unit)
- Presentation: worth 50 points; based
on the research paper (or papers if 2 are done) to be presented towards
the end of the semester
- Class
Participation:
50
points; will also include posts in class discussion folder
Honor Code: All
students and faculty must adhere to the Honor Code; please see the
Student
Life Handbook for the full description of the Honor Code--p. 21
in
the Student Life Handbook gives a short definition: "No Westminster
student
shall commit any act of academic dishonesty in order to advance her or
his own academic performance, or to impede or advance the academic
progress
of others," but the sections on plagiarism and cheating are especially
important (see Honor Commission Constitution, Article IX).
ADA Accommodation: Any
student who feels that he or she may need an accommodation based on the
impact of a disability should contact me to arrange an appointment as
soon
as possible. At that time, we can discuss the course format,
anticipate
your needs, and explore possible accommodations.
Writing-Intensive
Option: Different
types of writing will be part of the course: critical summaries,
research
papers, and a final. All papers/critical summaries will be assigned as
a means to help participants come to a better understanding,
evaluation,
and integration of important themes, ideas, and concepts. Both
critical
summaries and the research paper (or one of the papers if doing two)
will be revised on the basis of a conference with me. One of the
critical summaries and the
research paper (or one of the papers, if two chosen) must be revised on
the basis of conferences with a
tutor
at the Writing Lab. A critique and conference
after the completion of a writing assignment may also occur. 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.
Papers:
- Content: The
critical summaries should be a "critical" summary, i.e. it should
summarize the key points and present some of the key evidence of the
material as well as provide a critique of the material. The research
paper(s) should make appropriate use of primary and secondary evidence
to address the topic chosen.
- Formatting:
- Header:
start
with a simple
heading at the top of the page giving your name, course number, a word
count, etc.
- Title of a critical summary: should be the
full bibliographic entry for the material covered
- Citations:
for
citations
follow a standard format such as the APA but note that
I prefer italicizing titles, etc. to underlining. There will be a post
in the discussion folder with examples for your aid.
- Spacing &
Font: you
may use any font, point size, or line spacing that you want--within
reason,
that is--though in an effort to save paper, single spaced is preferred.
- Submission: A
paper copy
is due at the beginning of the class period. An electronic copy of each
paper is also required and should be submitted within 24 hours of the
due
date for the paper copy; note that there is a two letter grade
deduction
for failure to submit an electronic copy.
Attendance:
Regular attendance and participation are essential for the success of
the
whole class. More than two unexcused absences will be considered
excessive, and no make-up work will be accepted for unexcused absences.
Each unexcused absence past two will result in a deduction of 7.5
points
from the total number of points one has at the end of the semester. If
you are ill, e-mail me before class, if possible, or as soon as you are
able.
Assignments:
In
each unit, the assignments and the specific due dates are not
"set-in-stone,"
and may vary depending on how each class period goes. The syllabus will
be updated as needed.
Unit I: Tragedy: From the origins
through
Aeschylus
- Reading assignments (click
here for specific due dates):
- Aeschylus:
The
Oresteia: Agamemnon, Choephoroe, Eumenides
- W. Burkert,
selections
on reserve
- G. Holst-Warhaft,
selections on
reserve
Unit II: Tragedy: Sophocles and Euripides
(and Seneca)
- Reading assignments (click
here for specific due dates):
- Sophocles:
Antigone,
Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus
- Euripides:
Alcestis,
The Medea, The Heracleidae, Hippolytus
- Seneca: Medea or
another play
- B. Malina,
selections
on reserve
- E. R. Dodds,
selection
on reserve
Unit III: Comedy: Aristophanes (&
Roman Comedy)
Unit IV: Class Presentations of Papers
- Readings (up to
presenters)