Download Classical Mythology - USU History Department

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Classical Mythology
Fall 2016 - CLAS/HIST/RELS 3210
Utah State University
Department of History
Class: MWF 10:30-11:20 in MAIN 006
Professor: Dr. Susan O. Shapiro
Office hrs: MWF 8:30-9:20 & by appointment
Office: Main 323D
Office phone: 797-2091
[email protected]
Description and Goals: The main purpose of course is to enable you to read and
enjoy the myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as the literature
inwhich those myths are retold. A secondary goal is to enable you to pick up any
work of modern literature in which Greek and Roman mythology is mentioned and
to understand those references immediately, without having to look them up.
Although this class will concentrate on Greek mythology, you will also be
gaining the necessary background for Roman mythology, since the Romans based
their myths on those of the Greeks.
Caution and Warning:
1. The literature you will be reading this semester is some of the most exciting
literature ever written, in any language. But, like all great literature, it can be
disturbing.
There is some sex and violence, including some mention of
homosexuality. We will also be viewing some images of naked men and gods and
partially naked goddesses and women. I think the most disturbing thing about the
literature we will be reading is that the Greek gods and goddesses sometimes do
things that just aren't very nice: they cheat, deceive and even kill human beings,
sometimes without warning, and occasionally without justification. What are we to
make of this? This is one of the most interesting aspects of Greek mythology, and
we will be spending a great deal of time discussing it, but it can be disturbing. If
you feel that you don't want to read about gods and goddesses doing things that
you wouldn't do, you should not take this course.
2. One of the goals for this course is to introduce you to some of the most important
works of classical literature, and if you look at the Assignment Schedule, you will
see that we will be reading a great deal of material. Sometimes we will read a small
amount of text and discuss it in great depth; the purpose of this is to help you learn
to carefully analyze and understand complex writing. But other times we will have
to read a lot of material quickly, and we will not have the opportunity to discuss it
in detail. This can be frustrating, because you may be moved by the text and want
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to discuss it more fully. Unfortunately, we will need to skim over some wonderful
passages in order to survey the most important works of Greek literature.
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Required Texts:
1. William Hansen. Classical Mythology. (Oxford University Press)
2. Fitzgerald, R., trans. The Odyssey: Homer (Farrar, Straus, Giroux.
3. Lattimore, trans. The Iliad of Homer (Univ of Chicago Press).
4. Grene and Lattimore, trans. Aeschylus I: The Oresteia (Univ of Chicago Press).
5. Grene and Lattimore, trans. Sophocles I: Oedipus the King, Oedipus at Colonus,
Antigone (Univ of Chicago Press).
6. Woodruff, Paul, trans. Euripides: Bacchae (Hackett Publishing).
About the Books: Different translations of the same works vary greatly, and I
have chosen these particular translations for this class. Even though you may
already have these works in different translations, you will need to purchase these
particular translations for this class.
What Books Should I Bring to Class? During the first third of the class, when we
are reading Bill Hansen's book, you will not need to bring any book to class. During
the second two-thirds of the class, when we will be reading literature, you will need
to bring to class whatever book we are reading for that day's assignment.
Use your textbook as a resource: After two introductory chapters, Hansen's book
lists the major people, places, and things in alphabetical order, making it an
excellent resource for mythology students. Please use this book as a resource
throughout the semester; whenever you see a person, place, or thing that is
unknown to you, you can probably find it listed in your textbook.
Requirements: Grades for the course will determined as follows:
3 exams
15% each
45%
3 out of 6 short papers
15% each
45%
Attendance
10%
Total
100%
The grading scale will be: A (100-93), A- (92-90), B+ (89-88), B (87-83), B- (82-80), C+
(79-78), C (77-73), C- (72-70), D+ (69-68), D (67-60). F represents a grade below 60.
There will be no curving of grades.
Exams: There will be three hour exams, one about one third of the way through the
semester, one about two thirds of the way through, and one during finals week.
Each exam will concentrate on material covered since the last exam, although it
will (of course) build on what has come before. The last exam will have the same
weight and format as the other exams and it will not be a true final.
Nota bene: Since the final exam for this class is scheduled for the last day of finals
week, I may offer an alternate, take-home final exam. This would be an all-essay,
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open-book final, and it would be due on the Monday of finals week. We will discuss
this possibility later in the semester.
Makeups: Exams can be made up only in case of a serious medical emergency
(prior notification and doctor's note required).
Short Papers: During the semester six short (5 page) papers will be assigned. Each
student must write three of these. Each student will write either Paper 1 or Paper
2, Paper 3 or Paper 4, and Paper 5 or Paper 6. The papers will increase in difficulty
and complexity, with the papers in each pair being at about the same level of
difficulty. For this reason students must write one paper from each pair (1 or 2; 3
or 4; 5 or 6). I will try to give the paper assignments well ahead of time, so students
can choose which papers they would prefer to write.
The papers will focus on particular class readings, and you will be asked to
consider specific questions in each one. Some of the papers will be analytic, some
will be creative, and some will be a combination of both types. Since you will have
some choice, you should be able to write papers that have some interest to you.
All short papers are due at the beginning of class on the day they are due. Late
papers (beginning after class on the due-day) will be subject to a penalty of 5
points per calendar day. The reason for this rule is that there will be a class
discussion of the paper topic on the date that each paper is due. Thus, anyone
turning in a late paper will have the benefit of the class discussion before writing it.
Required Film: There will also be a required film, Marcel Camus' Black Orpheus
(1959). We will watch the film during the weekend of September 23-25. I will try
to arrange for more than one viewing time, to accommodate everyone's schedule.
Students will also be able to watch the film in the Library or on their own, but
everyone must see the film that weekend, as we will be discussing it in class on
Monday, September 26. Students will receive five extra attendance points if they
watch the film on one of the official class screenings.
Attendance, Class Discussion and Homework: Since we will frequently engage in
class discussions of the reading, regular attendance and daily preparation of
assigned reading materials are essential. Class attendance and participation count
for ten percent of your grade. I expect you to come to class every day with your
reading assignment completed, ready to pay attention, take notes, and participate in
class discussions. On most days we will begin the class with an attendance quiz.
Attendance Quizzes and Attendance Points: Your attendance grade will be
mainly determined by the daily attendance quizzes, which will be held during
the first five minutes of most classes. These are short, three-question quizzes,
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based on the reading due for that class and the lecture from the previous class. You
cannot do poorly on these quizzes: if you are present and take the quiz, you will
get full credit (five attendance points), even if you get every answer wrong. (I will
post my lecture notes on Canvas after every class, so you can catch up on any
lectures you may have missed.)
On the other hand, if you get all three answers right, you will earn one extra credit
point, which will be added to your quiz score. The questions will be challenging,
but not impossibly difficult, so you have a good chance at earning some extra credit
attendance points during the semester, which will help your attendance grade.
There will be approximately 40 of these quizzes during the semester, for a total of
200 attendance points. However, you have the potential to earn up to 40 extra
points, for a possible total of 240 points. Simply divide these points in half to get
your attendance grade. Your attendance grade will count for 10% of your final
grade.
If you must be absent because of illness or any other circumstance beyond your
control, please let me know, and I may excuse your absence.
Come to Class on Time: Coming to class late or leaving class early is disruptive to
the other students (and professor), so please try to avoid it. On the other hand, I
would rather have you come in late than miss the entire class. If you do
occasionally come in after we have finished the daily attendance quiz, please let
me know after class, so I can give you five attendance points. Why should you lose
the points if you were present for most of the class?
Take Notes by Hand for Better Comprehension: I strongly urge you to take notes
by hand, rather than using a laptop or tablet. Not only will you avoid the
distractions of social media and email (thus improving your concentration), but
scientific studies have shown that students learn much better when they take
notes by hand. The reason is that students who take notes on their laptops tend to
write down the lectures verbatim, without thinking as much about what they are
hearing. Students who take notes by hand tend to think more deeply about the
lecture; they take fewer but more meaningful notes.
When tested, the students who took notes by hand performed much better than
the students with laptops, and the gap between the two groups grew wider as the
time between the lecture and the test increased. The conclusion is clear: taking
notes by hand improves your comprehension.
I will not ban laptops from the classroom, as some professors do, but I do strongly
urge you to take notes by hand. I will put my own notes on Canvas after every
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class, but these are meant to supplement your own notes, not as a substitute for
them.
Academic Honesty: Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated in this class. If you
have any questions about what plagiarism is or what constitutes unauthorized
assistance, please do not hesitate to ask me.
Note: This syllabus, like that for any class, is a work in progress, and is subject to
change, as long as written or verbal notice is given in class.
This information is available in Braille or large print format upon
request.
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Classical Mythology - Fall 2016 - Assignment Schedule
Reading Assignments and Papers are Due on the Date Specified
Week
Date
1
M 8/29
2
W 8/31
Origins
F 9/2
Zeus & Hera
M 9/5
Labor Day - No
Class
Aphrodite, Ares &
Hephaestus
Homeric Hymn to
Aphrodite
Labor Day - No
Class
Hansen 105-109,
113-115, 183-186
Homeric Hymn to
Aphrodite
(handout)
M 9/12
Athena & Poseidon
W 9/14
Apollo, Artemis, &
the Delphic Oracle
F 9/16
Demeter, Hades &
Persephone
Hansen 121-126,
266-269
Hansen 75, 109113, 117-120, 251253
Hansen 144-147,
179-183, 259-261
M 9/19
Hestia, Hermes, &
Dionysus
Greek Heroes: Story
Pattern of the Hero &
Heracles
Greek Heroes: Jason,
Theseus & Orpheus
W 9/7
F 9/9
3
4
Class
Reading DUE
Lecture/Discussion
TODAY
Introduction; What is
a Myth?
W 9/21
F 9/23
Weekend F & S
9/23-24
Film: Black Orpheus
5
Discuss Black
M 9/26
Paper or
Exam
Hansen 27-32, 6178, 97-98, 293-294
Hansen 160, 186189, 330-335
Hansen 147-151,
196-199, 202
Hansen 189-196
Hansen 212-214,
218, 223-225, 231,
253-254
Reading on
Samba Schools
Study for Exam
Paper 1
Due
Questions
on Film
8
Orpheus
W 9/28
Exam 1
Study for Exam
F 9/30
Introduction to the
Iliad
Hansen 76-91, 284
(on Achilles)
Week
Date
M 10/3
W 10/5
Reading DUE
TODAY
Iliad Books 1 & 2
Iliad Books 3, 4
(lines 1-147) & 5
(lines 699-end)
Paper or
Exam
6
Class
Lecture/Discussion
Iliad Books 1 & 2
Iliad Books 3, 4 (lines
1-147) & 5 (lines 699end)
F 10/7
Iliad Books 6, 8 & 9
Iliad Books 6, 8 & 9
Paper 2
Due
M 10/10
Iliad Books 12 & 16
Iliad Books 12 & 16
W 10/12
Iliad Books 18 & 19
Iliad Books 18 & 19
F 10/14
Iliad Books 21 (lines
Iliad Books 21 (lines
514-end), 22, 23 (lines 514-end), 22, 23
1-126) & 24
(lines 1-126) & 24
M 10/17
Catch up
Catch up
W 10/19
Catch up
Catch up
Th 10/20
No Class
No Class
F 10/21
Fall Break
Fall Break
M 10/24
Odyssey, Book 1
W 10/26
Odyssey Books 2 & 3
F 10/28
Odyssey Book 4
Hansen 244-247,
Odyssey, Book 1
Odyssey Books 2 &
3
Odyssey Book 4
M 10/31
Odyssey Books 5 & 6
Odyssey Books 5 &
7
8
9
10
Exam 1
Paper 3
Due
9
W 11/2
Odyssey Books 7 & 8
F 11/4
Odyssey Books 9 & 10
6
Odyssey Books 7 &
8
Odyssey Books 9 &
10
Paper 4
Due
10
Week
Date
11
M 11/7
12
13
14
15
Exam
Week
W 11/9
Class
Lecture/Discussion
Odyssey Books 11 &
12
Catch up
Reading DUE
Paper or
TODAY
Exam
Odyssey Books 11 &
12
Catch up
F 11/11
Catch up
Catch up
M 11/12
Exam 2
Study for Exam
W 11/14
Aeschylus,
Agamemnon
Aeschylus,
Agamemnon
F 11/16
Aeschylus,
Agamemnon
Aeschylus,
Agamemnon
M 11/21
Aeschylus,
Agamemnon
Aeschylus,
Agamemnon
W 11/23
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
F 11/25
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
M 11/28
Sophocles, Oedipus
Tyrannus
W 11/30
F 12/2
Sophocles, Oedipus
Tyrannus
Euripides, Bacchae
Hansen 247-249,
Sophocles, Oedipus
Tyrannus
Sophocles, Oedipus
Tyrannus
Euripides, Bacchae
M 12/5
Euripides, Bacchae
Euripides, Bacchae
W 12/7
Euripides, Bacchae
Euripides, Bacchae
F 12/9
Catch up
Catch up
F 12/16
Exam 3
9:30-11:20
Study for Exam
Exam 2
Paper 5
Due
Paper 6
Due
Exam 3
11
AM