SFSU Fall 2003

 

Syllabus

CLASSICS 360: Classical Mythology

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Tuesday/ Thursday 12:35 ≠ 1:50, Hum 108

 

Instructor: J. Marchand

Email: Kleonai@aol.com

Office hours: Thursday 2 - 3 (Subject to change)

Hum 367

 

Course description: The objective of this course is to read, analyze, discuss, and compare classical myth within the Greek and Roman traditions, to understand the nature and function of myth in society, and to explore the ways in which mythology illuminates the ancient Mediterranean cultures. The focus of this section will be to investigate how myth functions as a flexible language to express and explore issues which were of vital personal and social significance to the ancient Greeks, and to compare and contrast the nature of Greek myth with the subsequent use of Greek myth by the Romans. The emphasis will be on how mythology reflects ancient Greek culture and the specific physical and social environment in which it developed. Students will become familiar with the themes and images of Classical mythology while exploring how the ancient Greeks viewed the world and the human condition. We will also explore the relationship between mythology, history, religion, and cult; emphasis will be placed on using and interpreting primary sources. The primary aim of the class will be to reconstruct as much as possible about the ancient Greeks from their myths, and to answer the question, ≥if these are their myths, then who were the Greeks?≤ GE Segment II

 

Required books and online texts:

 

Mark P. O. Morford and Robert J. Lenardon, Classical Mythology, Seventh Edition, Oxford

            University Press, New York and Oxford, 2003.

 

Ten Plays by Euripides, Translated by Moses Hadas and John McLean, Bantam Books, 1960, 4^th

            printing 1985.

 

Hesiod Theogony and Works and Days, Translated with Introduction and Notes by M. L. West,

            Oxford Worldπs Classics, 1997.

 

The Homeric Hymns, Translated by Michael Cruddea, Oxford Worldπs Classics, 2002.

 

In addition to the texts to be purchased above, we will be reading two additional plays and Book eleven of Homerπs Odyssey. These do not need to be purchased, but they are required reading. Any appropriate translation can be used, or the online versions listed below. They are all to be found on the Perseus Project website. For the Perseus Project table of content of online texts, go to

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/perscoll?type=text#text3

and then scroll through to click on the desired texts as listed below (they are listed alphabetically by author). These are excellent translations with many helpful notes, but remember that reading texts online requires time to allow each page to load.

 

            Aeschylus Agamemnon, ed. Herbert Weir Smyth, PhD (English)

            Sophocles Oedipus Tyrannus, ed. Sir Richard Jebb (English)

            Homer, The Odyssey, ed. Samuel Butler (English); BOOK ELEVEN ONLY ≠ go to 11

 

Grading:

                        Writing assignments: 30%

                        Midterm: 20%

                        Final: 30%

                        Class participation (plus any homework assignments or in-class quizzes): 20%

Grading continued:

There will be four short writing assignments, one midterm and one final exam for the class. In addition to this written work, in-class quizzes will be given and short homework assignments may be assigned; these will count toward the participation portion of the grade.

Please note the comments about late papers below under writing assignments; additionally, more than two unexcused absences will result in the lowering of the course grade by ¼ step (.25) for each absence after two.

Please read the University policies on grading, including Incomplete and grade changes in the University Bulletin. Students should also be familiar with the Universityπs policies on student conduct and discipline. Grading will not be done on a curve, and no extra credit will be given.

 

Class requirements and structure:

The class will consist of lectures, supplemented by slides and by assigned readings from the textbook and from additional primary sources. A part of the class time each week will be devoted to discussion. Attendance at all class meetings is mandatory, as is completion of all reading assignments and participation in discussion. You will be responsible for all material given in lecture, so good note-taking skills should be applied. As much as possible, weekly reading assignments (given below) should be completed prior to the second class meeting per week. Please note: supplementary reading assignments in the form of handouts or online sites additional to those listed on the syllabus may be given in class. These will be short, infrequent and will not significantly add to the bulk of reading for the class, but if assigned, they are mandatory reading. Infrequent quizzes on the reading will be given in class as needed to encourage students to come prepared to discuss the primary sources.

 

If for any reason you find yourself unable to come to class on a regular basis but do not wish to drop the course, please contact me as soon as possible.

 

I wish to make this course as accessible as possible to students with disabilities or medical conditions that may affect any aspect of course assignments or participation. You are invited to communicate with me at the outset of the course or at your discretion about any accommodations that will improve your experience of or access to the course. You can also contact the Disability Resource Center at 338-2472 (Voice/TDD).

 

Writing assignments:

There will be four short writing assignments in place of a term paper. Topics for these short papers will be given out in class approximately one and half to two weeks before they are due. These will not be research papers, but they should reflect full knowledge of the texts read for the class. All papers are to be typed, and to employ good English grammar, spelling and style. These are to be from 3 to 4 pages in length, double-spaced and in a font no larger than Arial 12 point. These are to be original work by the student for this class (please do not attempt to recycle work from past classes). The papers will be graded primarily on evidence that the student has learned and engaged the material from the course, has done independent thinking, has used the primary texts when appropriate, and has done all of the assigned reading; however, grammar and style will also be taken into account.

All papers will be marked down one full grade for each class meeting that they are late; all must be turned in by hand in hard copy at the beginning of the class meeting on which they are due. No papers will be accepted if they are more than two class meetings late, unless the student has a note from a doctor or has discussed the issue with the instructor prior to the date on which the papers are due.

 

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is a form of cheating or fraud; it occurs when a student misrepresent the work of another as his or her own. Plagiarism may consist of using the ideas, sentences, paragraphs, or the whole text of another without appropriate acknowledgement, but it also includes employing or allowing another person to write or substantially alter work that a student then submits as his or her own. Any assignment found to be plagiarized will be given an ≥F≤ grade. All instances of plagiarism in the College of Humanities will be reported to the Dean of the College, and may be reported to the University Judicial Affairs Officer for further action. For more information, please visit http://www.sfsu.edu/~collhum/plagiarism.htm.

 

 

SFSU Fall 2003

CLASSICS 360: Classical Mythology

 

Instructor: J. Marchand

 

Reading Schedule:

 

CM = Morford and Lenardon, Classical Mythology

 

PLEASE NOTE: The reading for this course averages 20 to 45 pages per class meeting. Although I have attempted to spread the reading as evenly as possible, because of the subject matter the reading assignments for some weeks are much more substantial than others. To facilitate class discussion, it is important to attempt to have the readings done ahead of the class meetings as much as possible. Try to work ahead, and make allowances for weeks with heavier reading by keeping ahead of the schedule. Weeks with heavier than average reading are identified with an asterisk so that you can get an early start on them. If you do fall behind in the reading, please catch up on the primary texts first, and then work on catching up on the reading in Classical Mythology.

 

Week 1, August 28^th

            Introduction and Approaches

Reading: CM Chapters 1 and 2 (Total: approx. 48 pages)

 

Week 2, Sept. 2 and 4^th

            Background: The Greek Landscape, Basics of Greek Religion, Nature of the gods

                        Reading: CM Chapters 5 and 6, Homeric Hymns to Hera, to Zeus, to Hestia, and to the

                                    Mother of the Gods (Total: approx. 45 pages)

 

Week 3, Sept. 9^th and 11^th

            Background continued: Historical Sketch; Homer, the Iliad and the Trojan War

                        Reading: CM Chapter 19, CM Chapter 3, pp. 51 ≠ 71 (In preparation for the Theogony)

                        (Total: approx. 66 pages)

 

*Week 4, Sept. 16^th and 18^th

            The Nature of Zeus and the Olympian world order; Creation; Order vs. Chaos

                        Reading: Hesiod, Theogony, skim CM chapter 4 (Total: approx. 80 pages? Because this

                                    is a difficult text, allow more time for reading)

First writing assignment topic handed out in class, Sept. 16th

 

Week 5, Sept. 23^rd and 25^th

            The worlds of Athena, Ares and Poseidon; order vs. chaos continued

                        Reading: CM chapters 7 and 8, Homeric Hymns to Athena, Ares and Poseidon

                        (Total: approx. 30 pages)

 

Week 6, Sept 30th and Oct 2^nd

            The Nostoi (The Returns) and Odysseus, the success story

                        Reading: Euripides, Trojan Women, CM chapter 20 (Total approx. 60 pages)

                        First writing assignment due Sept. 30^th

 

*Week 7, Oct. 7^th and 9^th: The House of Atreus; male rivalry; male vs. female, sacrifice

                        Reading: Euripides Iphigeneia at Aulis, Aeschylusπ Agamemnon

CM chapter 18 (Total approx. 130 pages)

Second writing assignment handed out Oct. 9^th

 

*Week 8, Oct. 14^th and 16^th

            The Realms of Hades and Demeter: Death and the Underworld, Lifecycles, the Bride of Hades, the

                        Eleusinian Mysteries

                        Reading: Odyssey Bk 11; Homeric Hymns to Demeter

CM chapters 14 and 15 (Total for week: approx. 83 pages)

 

Week 9, Oct. 21^st and 23^rd

            The World of Artemis: Coming of Age, Rites of Passage, Amazons, Bears and Brauron

                        Reading: Euripidesπ Hippolytus, CM chapter 10

                        (Total approx. 60 pages)

Second writing assignment due Oct. 21st

 

Week 10, Oct. 28^th: MIDTERM EXAM

 

Week 10, Oct. 30^th

            The Worlds of Hermes and Pan: Travel and Transition, the wild

                        Reading: Homeric Hymns to Hermes and Pan, CM Chapter 12,

                        In prep for Apollo: Homeric Hymns to Apollo, CM Chapter 11 (Total approx. 65 pages)

 

*Week 11, Nov. 4^th and 6^th

            The world of Apollo: Coming of Age continued, Oracles, Inspiration, and the Nature of

                                    Knowledge and Science

                        Reading: Euripidesπ Ion; Sophoclesπ Oedipus Tyrannus

                        (Total approx. 80 pages)

           

*Week 12: Nov. 11^th and 13^th

            The worlds of Aphrodite and Dionysos: Sexuality; Vegetation gods; Wine and Viticulture;

                                    Irrationality vs. Rationality; Theater

                        Reading: Homeric Hymns to Aphrodite, Homeric Hymsn to Dionysos, Euripidesπ                                    Bacchae, CM chapters 9 and 13 (Total approx. 112 pages)

                        Third writing assignment handed out Nov. 11^th.

 

Week 13: Nov. 18^th and 20^th

            Dionysos continued, and Heroes, part one: Jason and Medea, the Argonautika

                        Reading: Euripidesπ Medea, CM Chapter 24 (Total approx. 47 pages)

 

Week 14, Nov. 25^th

            Heroes continued: Perseus and Herakles

                        Reading: Euripidesπ Alcestis, CM Chapter 21 and 22 (Total approx. 75 pages)

                        Third writing assignment due Nov. 25th

 

Week 14, Nov. 27^th no class: Thanksgiving Holiday

 

Week 15, Dec 2^nd and Dec 4^th

            Heroes continued: Herakles and Theseus

                        Reading: CM Chapter 23 (Total approx. 25 pages)

                        Last Writing assignment handed out Dec. 2^nd

 

Week 16: Dec. 9^th and Dec. 11^th (Last day of instruction)

            Heroes continued: Oedipus as Hero, Roman use of Greek mythology

                        Reading: CM chapters 25 and 26 (Total approx. 65 pages)

                        Last Writing assignment due Dec. 11th