CLAS 1000 - Course Overview

The characteristics of Greek literature and culture, taught principally through translations of selections from Greek authors.

Texts: Demand, A History of Ancient Greece, McGraw-Hill, 1996; Grene and Lattimore, Eds, Greek Tragedies, Vol 1, 2nd ed., University of Chicago Press, 1991; Grene and Lattimore, Eds, Greek Tragedies, Vol 3, 2nd ed., University of Chicago Press, 1991; Herodotus, The Histories, Norton, Herodotus, The Histories, Norton, 1992; Hesiod, Theogony and Work and Days, Oxford University Press, 1988; Homer, The Iliad of Homer, University of Chicago Press, 1961; Plato, The Last Days of Socrates, Penguin, 1993.

Course Overview

Introduction

Classical Culture 120/1000 is an introduction to the history and literature of the ancient Greeks, beginning with the earliest Greek prehistory to the fourth century B.C.E. In addition to the survey of Greek history that accompanies the course, you will read a number of literary and historical works, including the Iliad, selections from Herodotus, plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides, and several dialogues by Plato. In the course of these readings you will also encounter selections from other Greek authors.

Greek culture was extraordinarily rich and took shape from the long historical process that blended tradition, original achievement, and borrowing from other cultures. An introductory course can give only the barest outline of this process. If you wish to learn more, consult the "Suggestions for Further Reading" at the end of each chapter in Demand. In addition, most of the writers we encounter in this class wrote considerably more than we are reading; you could profit greatly from reading these works.

Your main objectives in the course should be (1) to learn about the development of ancient Greek history and culture, (2) to become acquainted with some of the earliest and most important works of the Western literary tradition, and (3) to improve your skills at reading, writing, and analysis.

You will probably encounter a number of unfamiliar terms in the reading. You will need to consult a dictionary for some of these. Additional help is also available from the glossary in Demand on pages 337-344. Also try the indices of the book (pp. 345-348 and 385-end). If you have access to the World Wide Web, try the following address: http://scholar.cc.emory.edu/scripts/schol/cla.html. This will link you to various classics-related resources that you may find useful. Exploring the Web resource is completely optional.

You will also be responsible for locating important sites identified in Demand under the rubric "Important Places in Chapter #." Use the maps at the back of Demand for practice.

Textbooks

As with any course of study, you should become acquainted with the content and arrangement of the textbooks. First, glance through this course manual, considering the scope and requirements of each lesson. Then look at each of the books. There are seven in all, and will be referred to in the lessons by the following abbreviations:

Demand—A History of Ancient Greece
GT,1—Greek Tragedies. Vol 1.
GT,3—Greek Tragedies. Vol 3.
Herodotus—The Histories
Hesiod—Theogony and Works and Days
Iliad—The Iliad of Homer
Plato—The Last Days of Socrates

Grading and Examinations

The length of assignments may vary. Demand and Herodotus will be used throughout the course for the most part; Plato, GT, and Iliad will be read only when works by the authors are being studied. Each lesson has both a reading and a writing assignment. You are responsible for and will be tested on all of the assigned reading, whether or not it is covered in the written assignments.

The grade for the course is based equally on your performance on the written assignments and on the comprehensive final exam. All assignments must be satisfactorily completed before you take the exam. You must pass the final examination to pass the course, regardless of grades earned on lessons. See your Student Handbook for more information on examination policies and procedures.

Please do not submit more than lessons at once. In addition, wait until lessons have been corrected and returned before submitting additional ones. For most students, one lesson per week will be the maximum rate to ensure adequate study and retention. Remember, you may not apply to take the final examination until all lessons are completed.

The final exam will consist of three sections: (1) essay questions of varying length; (2) identification in two to three sentences of names, places, and dates; and (3) a map section in which you will be asked to locate significant places. You will have some choice on each of the three sections.