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Syllabus of Assigments
Daily Activities (Click week to see activities | Expand All | Collapse All)
Week 1: 9/4-9/6
T 9/4: Introduction to Hellenic and Athenian Culture
Th 9/6: Homer & the Waning of the Aristocrats "Homer is like his own conception of Ocean, which he describes as the source of every stream and river; for he has given us a model and an inspiration for every department of eloquence." -- Quintilian 10.1.46
Week 2: 9/11-9/13 T 9/11: Greek Religious Belief "It is proper for a person who is beginning any serious discourse and task to begin first with the gods"--Demosthenes, Epistula 1.1
Th 9/13: Rise of the Polis, Tyranny, & Democracy
Week 3: 9/18-9/20
T 9/18: Greek Revolutions
Th 9/20: Darius' Expedition vs. Athens (and Eretria); The Customs of Sparta
Week 4: 9/25-9/27
T 9/25: Persian Wars: Thermopylae, the Burning of Athens, and Turning the Tide at Salamis Readings Key Figures: Artabanus, Artemisia, Demaratus, Ephialtes, Eurybiades, Leonidas, Mardonius, Themistocles, Xerxes Figures of Note (worthy of note and reflection, but not of critical historical or cultural importance): Adeimantus, Aristodemus, Dicaeus, Gorgo, Hermotimus, Pythius Some Questions to Ponder
Th 9/27 : Persian Wars: Plataea and the Rebirth of Athens Readings
Key Figures: Cimon, Cyrus, Leotychides, Mardonius, Pausanias, Themistocles, Xerxes Figures of Note: Artabazus, Artayctes, Lycidas the Athenian, Masistes and his wife Some Questions to Ponder
Week 5: 10/2-10/4
T 10/2: The Persian Wars & Aftermath; History on Stage
Readings Resources: Some Questions to Ponder
Th 10/4: The Rise of Athens' Empire & Radical Democracy Readings Resources: Images of Periclean Building Program; Images of the Acropolis; Images of the Parthenon
Week 6: 10/9-10/11
T 10/9: Athenian Law: Theoretical & Practical Justice
Readings Resources Questions Note that the order of the readings reflects the chronology of events, as the conversation at Polemarchos' house in the Republic, sometime between the 410s and 407 BCE, precedes Lysias' account of his brothers' execution in 405 BCE. But Plato wrote the Republic (c. 360s BCE) almost fifty years after Lysias delivered his condemnation of Eratosthenes. PLATO How do Cephalus, Polemarchos, and Thrasymachus understand the nature of justice? How do each of these fail to satisfy Socrates? Can you think of any later philosophers (or political theorists) who may have agreed with Thrasymachus' formulation of justice? According to Thrasymachus, what is wrong with Socrates' use of the craft analogy? Many have found Socrates' (and Thrasymachus') arguments less than persausive, think critically about the assumptions supporting their arguments. By the end of the dialogue, what, if anything, has the reader learned about justice? Knowing as we do that Polemarchos will be killed by the depostic Thirty, could Republic 1 be responding to any of the assumptions about justice found in Lysias' speech? LYSIAS How does Lysias understand justice and injustice and how does he deploy them in his speech? According to Lysias, what is Eratosthenes' defense? How does Lysias counter it? What do you think about Lysias advocating civil disobedience as a check on state action? Do you think such an argument would be persuasive in contemporary Athens? What are the standards of evidence involved? What does this suggest about the Athenian legal system?
Th 10/25 Readings Notes: Cleon is an important figure in Athenian political life following Pericles' death in 429, and one who we will consider in more detail when we investigate the ongoing political and social turmoil caused by Peloponessian War. For now, it is enough to known that he was a demagogue, a leader of the popular faction who used lawsuits against his politcal enemies and and his oratorical skills to sway the people to support his policies; he promoted an aggresive policy against Sparta and also against the subject-allies of the Athenian Empire during the first phase of the Peloponessian War (431-421 BCE). Resource Questions What is Philocleon's problem? Do you think the audience is supposed to find his difficulties sympathetic? What family concerns, and what broader social concerns, motivate Phobocleon? According to the characters in this play, what role does the Athenian jury system play in Athenian society? Do you think Phobocleon's condemnation of the system is accurate? How does the play comment on Athenian politics (the implications of this commentary will become more meaningful when we have investigated the political events of the 420s in greater detail--but for now, note how and in what way contemporary issues appear in the comedy) Why are wasps a fitting creature for the members of the chorus? How does the chorus react to Philocleon and Phobocleon. What is the message of the Parabasis (the moments when the chorus addresses the audience directly)?
Week 7: 10/23-10/25
T 10/23: Oikos & Economy (Slavery) Readings Resource Some Questions to Ponder On the Murder of Eratosthenes
On the Sacred Olive
Defense of a State Pension
Th 10/25: Living with the Dead in Athens Readings Resources: Images of the Kerameikos (site of Athenian cemetery) Some Questions to Ponder Antigone Choral odes often generalize a given problem specific to the play's action into a statement about human life as a whole. In the Second Choral Ode (perhaps the most famous choral ode in Greek tragedy), what image of man is presented? In this vision, what is human greatness? What are the limits of human ability and action? What is the relationship between family and state in the play? Think of disobedience. By disobeying Creon’s law does Antigone maintain or subvert the state? How old do you think Antigone is? What importance does Antigone's gender hold in Antigone ? How does it shape the way other characters view her? Antigone says that the worst death is "death without honor." Does this remind you of any other moral systems we have encountered in Greek literature? Is this a surprising sentiment to come from a woman? The German philosopher Hegel stated that the Antigone represents the tragic collision of right against right, with both sides equally justified. Do you agree with this interpretation? Why or why not? Does Sophocles take a stand in favor of either side? Are there such a thing as “universal laws” (or rights) which demand of humans everywhere, no matter their station, sex, race, or political allegiance, certain actions? What duty do we owe to universal laws and the laws of the state according to Antigone? Which should take precedence? How can we reconcile them? Why does Creon chose the particular method of execution that he does (870-8)? What does it say about him? In trying to bury her brother, is Antigone "doing the right thing for the wrong reason" as T. S. Eliot claimed?
Week 8: 10/30-11/1
M 10/29: Midterm Due at 9 a.m. in Hall (office or mailbox in Main office)
T 10/30: Lives of Athenian Women: Real & Imagined Readings Some Questions to Consider Blundell Is there a difference between exposure and infanticide? What sort of education did girls receive? How do you think the rituals at Brauron would have "helped to prepare a girl for the trauma of marriage"? What is the difference between seclusion and segregation? What activities preoccupied women in the home? Do you agree with Blundell's suggestion that "a sense of their common exclusion from the masculine world of public affairs would have produced a degree of identificaion between Athenian women and their slaves? Why or why not? How do you assess the allegedly greater freedom allowed to older women? Compare this with the statement about non-fertile females on page 112 (under Menopause). Against Neaera For what reasons is Neaera accused of acting illegally, and what will the punishment if she is found guilty? What does this account tell us about the (dis)advantages of being a citizen wife and the (dis)advantages of being a free non-citizen? Compare what Blundell says about metic women with what is reported in Against Neaera concerning the wife and mother of the orator Lysias (section 22). Semonides of Amorgas What are the main critiques Semonides offers of women? Why describe women through animals? What is the best sort of woman? What characteristics does she possess? Th 11/1: Lives of Athenian Women (and Recap) Readings Week 9: 11/6-11/8
T 11/6: Athenian Women
Readings Some Questions to Consider Compare Jason to other heroes we have studied. Does he seem heroic? What is virtuous or sketchy about him? What is his understanding of marriage? What does Jason think motivates Medea's anger at his new marriage? What does Medea claim motivates her? How does each of them conceptualize her relationship to family, on the one hand, and to the larger world of values on the other. Does Medea emerge as a champion of women's plight? Or do you think that she is intended as a negative example? Do Medea's statements describe accurately the situation of women in ancient Athens? Compare Medea to Antigone. There actions seem quite different, but are they motivated by similar beliefs? What is the role of the gods in the play? How is the language of justice invoked (and by whom?)
Th 11/8: Greek Religious Belief II: Mystery Cults
Readings Resources Some Questions to Consider NOTE: there are two groups of worshippers in the play: 1) the Baccahe, a group of followers who travelled with the gods from Asia and who comprise the chorus, and 2) the Maenads, the women of Thebes who have been maddened by Dionysius. DIONYSIUS: Why is Dionysus so obsessed with proving his power and divinity? Although represented as a new god, references in Mycenaean texts show him to be one of the earliest Greek gods. Why do you think the opposite representation arose? What significance do you see in the multiple disguises he assumes during the play? PENTHEUS & MALE-FEMALE: Why do you think Pentheus is so curious to see the revels and rites on the mountain? Find other male-female role reversals throughout the play. Why do you think there are so many? SOPHISTRY: How do Tiresias and Cadmus decide to worship the god? Is this why they are made to suffer at the end of the play? Note how Tiresias rationalizes the myth of Dionysius’ birth. What other critiques of the “New Learning” can you detect in the play? TO MESON: Throughout the play, the chorus praises the moderation that comes with embracing Dionysius. How can this be reconciled with the chaos introduced into Thebes by his arrival? Note especially the Chorus’ answer to their question, “What is wise?” in vv. 878ff. GENRE: Do you detect comic elements in the play? Do you see them supporting or detracting from the horrific/tragic aspects? GODS: After years of scepticism about the Olympian gods does this demonstration of their power show a death-bed revelation about the truth of religious experience, or is Euripides showing the absurdity of traditional religion and the viciousness of human nature that it conceals? POLITICS: How can the play be seen as a commentary on long-running social and political tensions in 5th century Athens (thetes vs. nobility, etc.).
Week 10: 11/13-11/15
T 11/13: More Intellectual Ferment Readings Some Questions to Ponder What are Pheidippides’ preferred activities? What does his mean and why was he so named (63-67)? When Strepsiades arrives at the Pondertorium, how does the student describe the researches in the Pondertorium? Before Strepsiades can begin his studies, he must be initiated in an elaborate ceremony. Why would Aristophanes appropriate the language of mystery religions in reference to the education offered by the Pondertorium? Debate between Just Argument and Unjust Argument which begins with unrestrained verbal abuse. What is the purpose of the Debate? What are the values which this education teaches to its students? What criticisms does Just Argument make of the effects of Unjust Argument's teaching (1020-1023)? Strepsiades, instead of Pheidippides, unexpectedly routs his creditors, Pasias and Amynias. Can you suggest a reason why Aristophanes makes this surprising substitution? Genre: the comedy is unusual in that it does not end with its hero triumphant. What other tragic elements can you detect in the play? What is the reason for Pheidippides's violence against his father? What is Pheidippides's view of law? How is Socrates represented in this play? Compare it to his characterization in the Republic. Given the general parameters of comedy, how accurate or inaccurate do you think Aristophanes’ characterization is?
Th 11/15: Thucydides and the Origins of the Peloponnesian War
Readings
Some Questions to Consider Thucydides on Writing History: What are Thucydides' reasons for writing his History? What do those reasons tell us about the nature of his History? What is the content of the History? What are the most important themes? Compare this intentions and methods to those articulated by Herodotus. Why might Thucydides think that past events recur? What is he assuming? Is history patterned, cyclical, linear ...? What do you think of the technique of invented speeches? Is this a legitimate device for a historian to use? Origins of the War & the Debate at Sparta: How does Thucydides explain the outbreak of the Pelponnesian War? Do you think his explanation a good one? Compare and contrast the four speeches at the assembly of the Peloponnesian League (Corinthians [1.68-71], Athenians [1.73-78], King Archidamus and Ephor Sthenelaidas). In the Athenian’s speech, what traces of Sophistic thought can you detect? Pericles: What are the pillars of Pericles’ strategy? [143-144]? What assumptions does Pericles make (about history, values, ethics) in his justification of war? According to Thuc., what role does Pericles play in democracy (see esp. 2.22). Pericles' Funeral Oration: What features of Athenian society are praised in the oration? What features of Spartan society that are criticized? Note in particular the contrast between speech (logos) and action (ergon). You may want to reflect on the Corinthian description of the two poleis [1.68-71].
Week 11: 11/20
T 11/20: "An Unexpected Thing...": The Great Athenian Plague in History and Myth
Readings Resources
Some Questions to Ponder Thucydides Narrative: What is the effect of Thucydides' decision to juxtapose Pericles' Funeral Oration and the description of the effects of the plague? The account of the plague is followed by Pericles' final speech; what is the cumulative effect of these three episodes in succession? How could each subsequent episode compel a reader to reevaluate what has come before? Imagine Herodotus (or Homer) was describing the Athenian plague; how do you think it would differ from Thucydides' approach? Sophistry: We have seen how Thucydides' views of history and human nature are strongly influenced by the Sophistic understanding of physis. How does Thucydides describe the role of nomos and physis in his account of the plague? What effect does the plague have on Athenian behavior? According to Thucydides, does the plague change or reveal the true nature of the Athenians? Empire: When Pericles explains the nature of the Empire to the assembly in his final speech, he openly compares it to a tyranny. [2.63] How do you think an Athenian audience would react to this characterization? Recall that the Corinthians, in condemning the Athenians before the Spartans, referred to Athens as a "tyrant polis" [1.122]. Do you think this justification for maintaining empire can be maintained on ethical grounds, or is it merely an appeal to pragmatism? How does Pericles characterize the motivations of politicians who counsel retreat in the face of adversity? [2.63-64] Pericles: Compare the communitarian triumphalism of Pericles' Funeral Oration with his attempt to forestall civic discord in the aftermath of the plague. How does he engage the themes of the previous speech? What does Pericles say in 2.61 about criticizing the motives and judgment of leaders whose advice has proven more damaging than expected because of unforeseen events? Do you agree with this view of leadership and its culpability? What is Thucydides' judgment of Pericles and his policies [2.65]? For Thucydides, what does the power wielded by Pericles reveal about Athenian democracy. Does Thucydides view this dynamic as an aberration or as the natural state of the democracy?
Oedipus Tyrannus Athens-Thebes: Note references to activities and concerns that seem out of place in Thebes but would be entirely at home in Athens of 430 BCE (e.g. the call that a city is its people not its walls or ships in v. 55). Humanity: In Antigone the chorus presented a beautifully nuanced meditation on the power and limits of man's ability ("deinos"). How does the chorus understand human power in this play? (note especially the Fifth Chorus). Oedipus: How would you describe the character of Oedipus? What character traits and dispositions are dominant in his personality? Note moments of dramatic irony in the play; imagry of blood, sight, and blindness. What is the significance of Oedipus's act of self-blinding? Is his physical blindness symbolically similar to or different from that of Tiresias? Does the unwinding of fate make Oedipus more or less tragic? Is Oedipus a victim of an unjust fate or does he bear responsibility for his decisions?
Th 11/22: Thanksgiving Week 12: 11/27-11/29
T 11/27: Athenian Rhetoric: Debate & Dissent in Wartime Readings
Th 11/29: Rise of the Polis, Tyranny, & Democracy Readings Week 13: 12/4-12/6
T 12/4: The Sicilian Expedition & The Age of Alcibiades Readings Th 12/6 Readings Week 14: 12/11-12/13
T 12/11: Civil War and Athens' (Momentary) Defeat Readings Th 12/13: Paradox: The Execution of Socrates and Athens Triumphant Readings |
Last Updated December 12, 2007 4:22 PM [top]