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Classical Mythology
Fall 2016 - CLAS/HIST/RELS 3210
Utah State UniversityDepartment of History
Class: MWF 10:30-11:20 in MAIN 006Office: Main 323D
Professor: Dr. Susan O. ShapiroOffice phone: 797-2091
Office hrs: MWF 8:30-9:20 by
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 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.
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: Oedipusthe 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 exams15% each45%
3 out of 6 short papers15% each45%
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, 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 onparticular 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, 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 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.
Classical Mythology - Fall 2016 - Assignment Schedule
Reading Assignments and Papers are Due on the Date Specified
Week / Date / Class Lecture/Discussion / Reading DUE TODAY / Paper or Exam1 / M 8/29 / Introduction; What is a Myth?
W 8/31 / Origins / Hansen 27-32, 61-78, 97-98, 293-294
F 9/2 / Zeus & Hera / Hansen 160, 186-189, 330-335
2 / M 9/5 / Labor Day - No Class / Labor Day - No Class
W 9/7 / Aphrodite, Ares & Hephaestus / Hansen 105-109, 113-115, 183-186
F 9/9 / Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite / Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite (handout)
3 / M 9/12 / Athena & Poseidon / Hansen 121-126, 266-269
W 9/14 / Apollo, Artemis, & the Delphic Oracle / Hansen 75, 109-113, 117-120, 251-253
F 9/16 / Demeter, Hades & Persephone / Hansen 144-147, 179-183, 259-261
4 / M 9/19 / Hestia, Hermes, & Dionysus / Hansen 147-151, 196-199, 202
W 9/21 / Greek Heroes: Story Pattern of the Hero & Heracles / Hansen 189-196
F 9/23 / Greek Heroes: Jason, Theseus & Orpheus / Hansen 212-214, 218, 223-225, 231, 253-254 / Paper 1 Due
Weekend / F & S
9/23-24 / Film: Black Orpheus / Reading on Samba Schools / Questions on Film
5 / M 9/26 / Discuss Black Orpheus / Study for Exam
W 9/28 / Exam 1 / Study for Exam / Exam 1
F 9/30 / Introduction to the Iliad / Hansen 76-91, 284 (on Achilles)
Week / Date / Class Lecture/Discussion / Reading DUE TODAY / Paper or Exam
6 / M 10/3 / Iliad Books 1 & 2 / Iliad Books 1 & 2
W 10/5 / Iliad Books 3, 4 (lines 1-147) & 5 (lines 699-end) / Iliad Books 3, 4 (lines 1-147) & 5 (lines 699-end)
F 10/7 / Iliad Books 6, 8 & 9 / Iliad Books 6, 8 & 9 / Paper 2 Due
7 / 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 514-end), 22, 23 (lines 1-126) & 24 / Iliad Books 21 (lines 514-end), 22, 23 (lines 1-126) & 24
8 / 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
9 / M 10/24 / Odyssey, Book 1 / Hansen 244-247,
Odyssey, Book 1 / Paper 3 Due
W 10/26 / Odyssey Books 2 & 3 / Odyssey Books 2 & 3
F 10/28 / Odyssey Book 4 / Odyssey Book 4
10 / M 10/31 / Odyssey Books 5 & 6 / Odyssey Books 5 & 6
W 11/2 / Odyssey Books 7 & 8 / Odyssey Books 7 & 8
F 11/4 / Odyssey Books 9 & 10 / Odyssey Books 9 & 10 / Paper 4 Due
Week / Date / Class Lecture/Discussion / Reading DUE TODAY / Paper or Exam
11 / M 11/7 / Odyssey Books 11 & 12 / Odyssey Books 11 & 12
W 11/9 / Catch up / Catch up
F 11/11 / Catch up / Catch up
12 / M 11/12 / Exam 2 / Study for Exam / Exam 2
W 11/14 / Aeschylus, Agamemnon / Aeschylus, Agamemnon
F 11/16 / Aeschylus, Agamemnon / Aeschylus, Agamemnon
13 / M 11/21 / Aeschylus, Agamemnon / Aeschylus, Agamemnon / Paper 5 Due
W 11/23 / Thanksgiving / Thanksgiving
F 11/25 / Thanksgiving / Thanksgiving
14 / M 11/28 / Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus / Hansen 247-249,
Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus
W 11/30 / Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus / Sophocles, Oedipus Tyrannus
F 12/2 / Euripides, Bacchae / Euripides, Bacchae
15 / M 12/5 / Euripides, Bacchae / Euripides, Bacchae / Paper 6 Due
W 12/7 / Euripides, Bacchae / Euripides, Bacchae
F 12/9 / Catch up / Catch up
Exam Week / F 12/16 9:30-11:20 AM / Exam 3 / Study for Exam / Exam 3