PART B
Faculty: This course will be co-taught by Richard Fisher (Dept. of Foreign Languages), Janet McCracken (Philosophy), Ann Roberts (Art), Lou Lombardi (Philosophy), and Ahmad Sadri (Sociology and Anthropology), and Heather Tanner (History). Richard Fisher is the primary professor, responsible for grading.
Description: Our objective is to help you gain a greater understanding of the ancient Greek world, in which so many of our own humanistic values and ideas found their earliest expression. We especially want you to know some of the story as it is presented by the ancient Greeks themselves--in their literature, written history, philosophy, art, and artifacts. The course is interdisciplinary by design, both in WHAT is studied and HOW it is studied.
Texts for Gk Civ 201:
ANCIENT: Homer,
The
Odyssey
Herodotus, The Histories (W.W. Norton, abridged
text with commentaries)
Aeschylus, The Oresteia
Thucydides, On Justice, Power, and Human Nature
Plato, The Trial and Death of Socrates
MODERN:
Pomeroy, Burstein, Donlan, Roberts, Ancient Greece (AG)
Pedley, Greek Art and Archaeology (Art)
Bruit Zaidman & Schmitt Pantel, Religion in the
Ancient Greek City (Rel)
David Turner, Byzantine Age (Byz) (This text
will be purchased in class)
Other materials will be available from the Program in
Greece and Turkey Web page:
http://www.lfc.edu/academics/greece/
Texts and Materials for On-Site Courses, also used
in Gk Civ 201:
Pedley, Greek Art and Archaeology (Gk Civ 202, 203)
Bruit Zaidman & Schmitt Pantel, Religion in the Ancient
Greek City (Have a copy to share in Gk Civ 203)
David Turner, Byzantine Age (Gk Civ 204)
Program Timelines (photocopies) (all)
Cylcadic Culture (photocopies) (Gk Civ 202)
Minoan Culture (photocopies) (Gk Civ 202)
Mycenaean Culture (photocopies) (Gk Civ 202)
Social History: Dark Age, Colonizing Period, Archaic Age (photocopies)
(Gk Civ 203)
Historical Background: The Decline of Classical Greece to the
Dawn of the Byzantine Empire (Gk Civ 204)
Requirements:
(1) The class is not large, and we shall expect everyone to participate
in discussion. The reading is sizable in quantity, often challenging
in difficulty. Students are expected to complete the readings before
the class session for which they are listed; keep up to date with your
reading so you can discuss it intelligently!
(2) Through weekly brief quizzes, we shall encourage you to fashion
a basic framework of information from materials provided in your
readings and highlighted during the class sessions. This weekly test
will have three parts: (1) identification of key terms and myths, (2) chronology,
(3) essay responses to questions about the readings and lectures.
(3) Because of the substantial amount of reading, there will
be only a modest--8 to 10 pp--outside research project. Topics and guidelines
will be provided.
(4) For the three-hour final examination, you will be provided
with the questions in advance. The examination will consist of essays
which analyze, compare, and integrate course materials from the lectures,
discussions, and readings. This is not a typical final exam; it encourages
you not only to report on what was covered in the prerequisite course
but also to assimilate a wide variety of material in anticipation of the
on-site visits in the next courses. It is both backward and forward
looking.
Grading: Course grades will be based on the following: (1) class participation--15%, (2) weekly tests--25%, (3) research paper--30%, and (4) final examination--30%. In discussion, papers and the final exam, weight will be given to relevant and searching questions, critical comments, and--notably in your writing--clarity, organization, and argumentation.
Extra Sessions: In addition to regular class time, a number of special
class sessions will be scheduled: extra modern Greek language sessions,
a meeting to discuss possible paper topics, sessions to share information
learned writing research papers, a Saturday morning trip to the Art Institute
Greek art collection, and a group dinner.
Date Topics Assigned Readings
Tu 1/16 The Aegean world: geography, climate, historical
timeline (Fisher)
Bronze Age Greece (Lombardi)
THE BRONZE AGE
We 17 Bronze Age Greece, cont. (Lombardi)
AG I; Timeline 2
The Iliad (Fisher) Iliad
(xerox)
Th 18 Minoan and Mycenean architecture (Roberts)
Quick Tours of Knossos &
Mycenae (Program
web page)
Minoan and Mycenaean art (Roberts) Timelines
3, 4; Minoan Culture, Mycenaean Culture (xeroxes)
Fr 19 The Odyssey (Sadri) Odyssey 1-4
Mo 22 Odyssey (Fisher) Odyssey, 5-8
Tu 23 The Odyssey (McCracken)
Odyssey 9-16
The Odyssey (Lombardi) Odyssey
17-24
We 24 Review and Quiz
Language and Culture Session
Th 25 Transition: Dark Age and Colonizing Period (Fisher)
AG III (pp 82-109);
ì Social History,
Secs I-V (xerox)
CLASSICAL THROUGH HELLENISTIC AGES
Fr 26 Common Culture: Greek Religion (McCracken) BZ, Chs 1,2,4,5
Mo 29 Common Culture: Greek Religion (Fisher) BZ, Chs 6-9, 12-15
Tu 30 Sparta (Lombardi) AG,
IV, Timeline 8
Early Athens (Fisher) AG, V (pp.,
159-178)
We 31 Herodotus (Fisher) AG, V (pp. 178-200);
Timeline 7
Herodotus (Tanner) Histories, pp.
3-73, 148-54
Th 2/1 Review and Quiz
Language and Culture Session
Fr 2 Herodotus (Fisher) Histories, pp. 155-237
Mo 5 Tours of Acropolis and Delphi (Lombardi)
Quick Tours of Acropolis &
Delphi (Program
web page)
Tu 6 Greek Sanctuaries (Fisher)
BZ, Chs. 10,11
Greek Temple Architecture (Roberts) Pedley,
pp. 149-160; 240-261
We 7 Review and Quiz
Language and Culture Session
Th 8 Greek Arts and Theater (Fisher)
AG VI (pp. 219-233)
Aeschylus' "Oresteia," play 1 (Fisher)
Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Fr 9 Sociology of Greek intellectuals (Sadri)
*
Sa 10 MORNING FIELD TRIP TO ART INSTITUTE (weather permitting)
Mo 12 Aeschylus' "Oresteia," the second play (Sadri) Aeschylus, Libation Bearers
Tu 13 Classical sculpture, pottery (Roberts)
Pedley: Sculp, pp. 115-119, 125-
131, 183-191,
193-199; Pottery:
pp. 138-145,
168-183, 217-230
Greek family, Society, Economy (McCracken) AG VI
(pp. 233-245; 201-219)
We 14 Aeschylusí ìOresteia,î the third play (McCracken) Aeschylus,
The Eumenides
Background to Peloponnesian War (Tanner) AG VII (pp.
246-255), VIII (pp.
287-328)
Th 15 Review and Quiz
Language and Culture Session
Fr 16 Peloponnesian War, early years (Fisher) Thucydides,
pp. 1-37
Timeline 9
Mo 19 Peloponnesian War, middle years (Tanner) Thucydides, pp. 39-109
Tu 20 Peloponnesian War, middle years (Tanner) Thucydides,
pp. 111-160
Peloponnesian War, final years (Fisher)
ì
We 21 Review and Quiz
Language and Culture Session
Th 22 Classical Age, overview (Fisher)
AG IX (pp. 331-353)
Greek Philosophy: Presocratics (McCracken) AG III
(pp. 121-24); VII (267-74)
Fr 23 Development of Greek philosophy (McCracken) Plato, Trial and Death of Socrates
Su 25 GROUP DINNER (Date Tentative)
Mo 26 Philip (Fisher) AG X
Tu 27 Further on Greek philosophy (McCracken)
AG IX (pp. 353-68)
Hellenistic Art (Roberts) Pedley,
pp. 316-19; 325-28; 330-54
We 28 Alexander (Fisher) AG XI
Language and Culture Session
Th 3/1 Review and Quiz
Hellenistic Age (Fisher) AG XII;
Timeline 10
BYZANTINE ERA
Fri 2 Byzantine History (Tanner) Historical
Background (xerox)
[Student papers due before 5:00 PM] Turner,
East Roman History,
I (Skim)
Mo 5 Art of the Byzantine Era (Roberts) Turner,
Orthodox Christianity,
Byzantine Art, Byz. Church
Architecture (Skim)
Tu 6 Greece and Islam (Sadri)
Language and Culture Session
We 7 Final Exam: 8:00-11:00
