Greek and Roman Studies 100:
Greek and Roman Civilization
Winter Session 2011-2012
Section A01 TWF 12:30-1:20 p.m. Human and Social Development A240
Fall Term:
Instructor: Dr. Brendan Burke
Email: bburke@uvic.ca
Office: Clearihue B424
Office Hours: Tuesday 10:30-11:30 a.m. and Wednesday 1:30-2:30 p.m., or by
appointment
Office Phone: 250-721-8522
Mailbox: Department of Greek and Roman Studies, Clearihue B409
Course Description: Greek and Roman Studies 100 is a year-long introduction to the
history, material culture (art and archaeology), and literature of Greece and Rome. The
first semester begins with the Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC) and continues down
through the Classical and into the Hellenistic periods; in the spring term, the class will
focus on Rome and its empire.
For credit, you must enroll in both terms. Please observe ‘2011-2012 All Important
Academic Dates’, published at http://web.uvic.ca/calendar2011/GI/2AYeID.html
The course assumes no previous knowledge of ancient Greece and Rome. It does
require disciplined reading of ancient texts in translation. For full credit you must
complete all the assigned work.
Required Books:
Homer. Odyssey, trans. S. Lombardo. Hackett Publishing Co. (2000) ISBN-10:
0872204847; ISBN-13: 978-0872204843.
Herodotus, The Histories, Carolyn Dewald (Editor), Robin
Waterfield (Translator) Oxford Paperbacks (2008) ISBN-10: 0199535663.
The Landmark Thucydides: A Comprehensive Guide to the Peloponnesian War, Robert B.
Strassler (Editor), Victor Davis Hanson (Introduction) Free Press (1998) ISBN10: 0684827905.
Greek Tragedies, Vol. 1, ed. D. Grene and R. Lattimore. University of Chicago Press (1991)
ISBN-10: 0226307905; ISBN-13: 978-0226307909.
Aristophanes. Lysistrata and Other Plays, trans. A. H. Sommerstein. Penguin Classics
(2003) ISBN-10: 0140448144; ISBN-13: 978-0140448146.
B000APWPU8
Plato. Five Dialogues, trans.
G. M. A. Grube. Hackett Publishing Co., 2nd
edition (2002)
ISBN-10: 0872206335; ISBN-13: 978-0872206335.
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CAUTION: Other editions/translations of these works are widely available. You will, however, be tested on these specific texts.
Description of Fall term:
Weekly lectures will strive to create a coherent narrative of major achievements in art,
history, and literature of ancient Greece from the Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period
(ca. 1800 to 160 BC). Key works by ancient authors (read in English translation) will be
examined in their political and social context. We will also trace developments in
material culture and look at the impact of ancient Greece to subsequent developments
in Western civilization. The goal of the course is to introduce students to Greek
civilization so that they have a good understanding of cultural developments over time.
Course materials (handouts, outlines, supplementary reading) will be posted online in
Moodle (http://moodle.uvic.ca/).
Course Requirements: This term, you will be evaluated on the basis of the following
requirements:
Quizzes
40%
Tests
60%
1) There will be four quizzes during the term. Advance notice of quizzes will be given
in class. Quizzes will contain short answer questions.
2) There will be three tests during the term: Friday, September 30th, Wednesday
October 26th, and Friday, December 2nd. Tests will contain short answer questions and
passage identification.
Except in cases of verified illness or grave personal hardship, you will NOT be
permitted to make up quizzes or tests. You must discuss your situation with me
BEFORE the quiz or test has been administered, or you should have someone else
contact me.
Your final grade for the course will be calculated on the basis of your performance in
both fall and spring terms. Each term’s work is worth 50% of the final grade.
Grading Scale:
Percentage
Letter Grade
95-100
A+
90-94
A
85-89
A80-84
B+
75-79
B
Grade Point
9
8
7
6
5
Percentage
70-74
65-69
60-64
50-59
< 50
Letter Grade
BC+
C
D
F
Grade Point
4
3
2
1
0
For success in this class, you must attend every lecture fully prepared to discuss the
assigned reading. Do not show up late or leave early. Do not talk, email or text during
class.
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GRS 100 Fall 2011 OUTLINE
Tuesday
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
September 13
Mycenaean Memory
Homer Odyssey 4-6
September 20
Fathers and Sons
Homer Odyssey 16-18
September 27
Tyranny
Aeschylus Agamemnon
October 4
Croesus and Lydia
Herodotus Bk. 1, 1-46
October 11
Persian Wars
Herodotus Bk. 3, 39-87
October 18
Peloponnesian War
Thucydides Bk. 1, 1-23, 8692
October 25
review
Week 9
November 1
Euripides Hippolytus
Week 10
November 8
Presocratics and Socrates
Week 11
November 15
Plato Euthyphro
Week 12
Week 13
November 22
Macedonian Kingship:
Philip II
November 29
A New Athens: Pergamon
and the Greek East
Wednesday
Friday
September 7
Getting our bearings –
Homer Odyssey 1
September 14
Strangers and Friends
Homer Odyssey 8-10
September 21
The Loom and the Bow
Homer Odyssey 20-22
September 28
Purple Pride
review
October 5
Fall of Sardis, Peisistratids
Herodotus Bk 1, 47-92
October 12
Sophocles Antigone
September 9
Minoan Mysteries
Homer Odyssey 2-3
September 16
Homeric questions
Homer Odyssey 11-12
September 23
It all falls apart
Homer Odyssey 23-24
September 30
TEST 1
October 19
Sparta and Civil War
Thucydides Bk. 2, 16-24; 3454
October 26
TEST 2
October 21
Thucydides Bk. 5, 18-26; 84116; Aristophanes Lysistrata
November 2
Healing, Religion, and
Theater
November 9
READING BREAK
October 7
Archaic Greece
October 14
Herodotus Bk. 8, 52-100
October 28
Classical Athens
DVD Athens, the Dawn of
Democracy
November 4
Aristophanes The Clouds
November 11
READING BREAK
November 16
The Agora and Trial by jury
Plato Apology
November 23
Alexander the Great
November 18
4th Century squabbles:
Thebes, Corinth, Sparta
November 25
In the Footsteps of Alexander
November 30
Graecia Capta
December 2
TEST 3
Please familiarize yourself with the University policy on academic integrity:
http://web.uvic.ca/calendar2011/FACS/UnIn/UARe/PoAcI.html
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