Greek Civilization

Instructor:	Rodney Larsen
Location / Time:	1:30-2:20 / Allen 326
Contact Information:	RKL7@duke.edu

OVERVIEW:

This course will introduce you to the civilization of the ancient Greeks, with special emphasis placed upon culture and society, rather than history and politics. The approach is thematic - classes are given over to subject areas, rather than a chronological progression though Greek history. We do, however, begin with the non-Greek Minoans, who exerted a tremendous influence over the earliest Greeks, the Myceneans, and will examine aspects of Greek civilization in the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods, covering almost 2000 years of history.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

Read, comprehend, and analyze historical and literary sources critically, with an understanding of their validity, perspective bias, audience and context.
Provide an overview of the movements, events, and ideas which characterize the history and culture of ancient Greece.
Discuss with authority, in writing or verbally, the historical forces (religion, economics, politics, social stratification, gender, individual actors, technology, nature, intellectual and aesthetic thought) behind major movements, trends, and developments of Greek civilization.
Understand and appreciate allusions to Greek history, literature and culture - allusions which are made frequently in our society.
List and explain in detail at least five significant legacies of this culture.
Identify at least five of the major personalities of ancient Greek civilization and describe their impact.
Analyze particular issues in the history of Greek civilzation and debate positions on those issues cogently.
Use research skills and critical thinking to construct a research essay that presents a clear thesis, a persuasive argument, and supporting documentation.

Policies:

This syllabus is subject to change.
As important as the work you do at home is the work we’ll do together in class. The onus of attendence, however, lies with you. (See policy regarding quizzes below for further elaboration.)
There will be no work for extra credit
Quizzes will be done in the first part of class on the days we have them and taken-up in class the next day. These quizzes will not be announced in advance; nor will make-ups be offered other than in special situations. These include, but are not limited to, illness (attested with a note from a health-care worker), compassionate circumstances, religious observances, and participation in University-endorsed extra-curricular activities. Please contact me by email in advance of any absence. Missed quizzes will receive a grade of zero (0).
Assignments are due in class on the days indicated and will not be accepted afterwards except in extraordinary circumstances (see Quizzes above). A grade of zero (0) will be given to late or unreceived assignments.
Daily preparation is essential.
Your grade for class-work and participation is a reflection of your coming to class prepared and offering what you’ve done. You need only do the work asked of you to do well here.
I’m accessible to you on campus during the day and by telephone or email otherwise. If you need my immediate attention, please don’t hesitate to approach me directly or call me at home (358.1125).
Finally, let me emphasize how important it is that you ask a question when you have one, either in class or out. You mustn’t allow that anything be left unclear as this can quicklybecome a serious impediment.
For a copy of the offical University Calendar, follow this link.

READINGS:

There are no books to purchase for this course; all readings will be available electronically (see the course schedule below for details). In addition, however, the following are reccommended as general reference works on Greek civilization. All are available at one or more Duke libraries and may prove helpful starting points for supplementary research.

COURSE BIBLIOGRAPHY (TOPICAL)
S. Hornblower and A. Spawforth (eds.), The Oxford Classical Dictionary (3rd ed.) (Oxford, 2003). Divinity Reference: 938.003 O98, 2003; Lilly Reference: 938.003 O98, 2003; Perkins Reference Desk: 938.003 O98, 2003

The Cambridge Ancient History (3rd ed.) (London, 1970-2000). Perkins Reference: 930 C178C; also available in Perkins and Divinity stacks
Loeb Classical Library (Perkins Reference: 880.8 L825; also available in the Stacks). Translations of most major works by ancient Greek and Roman authors. Greek works are green, Latin works red.
T.J. Luce, ed., Ancient Writers: Greece and Rome. 2 Vols. (New York, 1982). Perkins and Lilly Reference: 880.09 A541, 1982
M. Grant and R. Kitzinger, eds., Civilization of the Ancient Mediterranean. Greece and Rome. 3 vols. (New York, 1988). Perkins stacks: 938 C582, 1988.

Examination and Grading:

Class-work and participation 10%:

Short written assignments: 10% These are short, written responses to the readings. There will be five in total, approximately 2 type-written, double-spaced pages. Each is graded on a 10 point scale and worth 2% of your final grade. Guidelines here.

Quizzes 15%. These will test vocabulary and concepts discussed in class as well as details from the assigned readings.

Examinations 40% (15 % mid-term, 25% final). Please note: the date, time and location of the final examination are scheduled by the resgistrar's office.

Research Paper: 25%. The Paper, 12 to 15 pages in length, is to be on a topic of your choosing, but that topic must be approved by me. Please see the following as helps.

KEY DATES: __________________________________________________________ 10/12 Paper topic with bibliography of 5 books (at least 1 primary source); worksheet_______ 11/05 Abstract due; see worksheet __________________________________________ 11/19 Optional draft due

1. Guidelines________________________________________________________________ 2. Using Primary Sources _____________________________________________________ 3. Orwell on writing

WORKSHEETS: _______________________________________________________ Paper Topic ___________________________________________________________ Abstract

Grade Scale:

100-98, A +	97-93, A	92-90, A-
89-88, B+	87-83, B	82-80, B-
79-78, C+	77-73, C	72-70, C-
69-68, D+	67-63, D	62-60, D-
59-0, F

Week

Monday

Wednesday

Friday

8/27: Introductions and Business

What is a Greek? How do we know what we do about Greek civilization?

READ: Beard and Henderson on Classics

SEE: Mediterranean map

8/29: Minoan Civilization I: History and Society

CLST 11S.01