CL 101: The World of Greece (Fall 2020)
Alexander (Sasha) Nikolaev (nikol@bu.edu)
Lecture: Monday, Wednesday and Friday 1:25pm–2:15pm (here and below all times are in
Eastern Standard Time), via ZOOM (ID 916 0833 7068, https://bit.ly/31pPcCk; if requested, the
password to join is homer: I am using a password in order to prevent “Zoombombing”). See
below under “Lecture Delivery”.
Discussion sections: A2 (Mon 9:05–9:55am, CAS 427); A3 (Mon 10:10–11:00am, PSY B41),
A4 (Wed 9:05am–9:55am, STH 113), A6 (Wed 11:15am–12:05am, CAS B25A), A7 (Wed
2:30pm–3:20pm, BRB 113), A9 (Fri 10:10am–11:0am, MUG 205).
Teaching Fellows: Griffin Budde (A3, A9; dgbudde@bu.edu), Philip Levine (A2, A4;
pal070@bu.edu), Joshua Paul (A6, A7; jmpaul@bu.edu). TFs’ office hours TBD.
My Office Hours: Monday 2:30pm–3:30pm (via ZOOM), and Tuesday 1:00–2:00pm (in-person in
my office, STH 417, 745 Comm. Ave). If neither of these times work, please send me an email and
I will do my best to accommodate you.
Aims and scope of the course:
This course surveys the history, culture, and literature of ancient Greece from the Bronze Age
through the Hellenistic era in the context of other cultures of the Ancient Mediterranean, with
emphasis on the development of Western concepts of heroism, individualism, civic virtue, law,
and science; on the literary genres of epic, tragedy, comedy, and history; on the development of
philosophical and religious movements; and on the theories of government, especially
democratic theory and the creation of the first democracies. The readings for the course include
a selection of primary texts (in translation) and a fair sprinkle of articles and book chapters.
Learning objectives:
This course fulfills the following BU Hub areas: Historical Consciousness, Philosophical Inquiry
and Life's Meanings, and Critical Thinking (Intellectual Toolkit). After successfully completing
this course you will:
• become familiar with some of the most important works of Ancient Greek
literature, understand the cultural contexts in which these works were produced;
• become able to identify the ongoing significance and relevance of these works and
to understand and appreciate allusions to Ancient Greek history, literature and
culture, frequently made in our society;
• become familiar with the influence of Ancient Greek culture and literature on
subsequent literatures and other cultural and artistic forms;
• become able to analyze primary and secondary historical and literary sources
critically both orally and in writing, with an understanding of their validity,
perspective bias, audience and context;
• become familiar with the main movements, events, cultural developments, and
ideas which characterize the history and culture of Ancient Greece and become able
to construct historical arguments drawing on your knowledge of Ancient Greece;
• develop a better understanding of what counts as a legitimate argument and
persuasive piece of evidence in philosophical, historical or literary-critical debate;
• obtain some understanding of Greek roots in the English language.
CL 101, page 2
Assessment:
•
Clаss invоlvement (answers to questions posed in lecture1)
— 5%
•
Discussion section participation
— 5%
•
A eulogy for a famous Greek person3
— 5%
•
Virtual scavenger hunt across museums of the world4
— 5%
•
Thoughtful completion of reading assignments and answering
2
control questions at the end of each reading in TOP HAT5
•
— 10%
Weekly paragraph-long (min. 100 words) responses submitted
electronically on Monday morning before each section6
— 10%
•
4 in-class quizzes (10-minutes, administered in class via TOP HAT)7
— 15%
•
Midterm exam (in-class, 50 minutes)8
— 20%
•
Final exam (120 minutes)8
— 25%
Your answers will be submitted and recorded using the TOP HAT classroom response system
(see the next page); one half of the grade for each question is automatically awarded for
participation, the other – for correctness. There may be two to four questions asked during
each lecture. Questions will be mostly multiple choice, but short answer or click-on-map are
also possible. (See below under Lecture Delivery)
1
Discussion sections (offered in hybrid mode) are an integral component of this course. Their
focus will be on Ancient Greek literature that you will be reading in translation. Your TFs will
give you invaluable guidance and teach you skills that you will need in order to better
understand these texts and engage with them.
2
A eulogy for a major figure in the history and culture of Ancient Greece of your choice
(possibly a fiction character, e.g. Achilles from Homeric epics). Minimal length: two and a half
double-spaced page, maximal length: three and a half double-spaced pages. The objective is
emphatically *not* a Wikipedia-style article with basic facts: rather, you are invited to be
creative and talk about the person’s life and achievements as Ancient Greeks would do it,
discussing these against the background of the time and place. A sample eulogy will be
provided. Due on or before Dec. 7.
3
4
Instructions for this assignment will be available in September. It is due on or before Dec. 9.
There is no textbook for this course. Instead of a textbook, articles and book chapters will be
assigned in electronic form distributed under Educational Fair Use Policy. You will be able to
download all readings in pdf format (in case you want to print them out and highlight as you
read). However, after you have completed the reading, you have to go to Top Hat and answer
control questions at the end of the reading: this is the only way to get credit for completion of
the reading assignment. You may refer to the course schedule at the end of the syllabus to see
what reading is due when; Top Hat app will help you stay on top of the deadlines.
5
Topics for these short responses are tailored to the weekly sections and their aim is to prepare
you for discussion in section. Your responses are due by 9 am on Monday on TOP HAT, regard6
CL 101, page 3
less of which section you are in; prompts go out via TOP HAT on Wednesday of the previous
week. Your responses are seen only by me and your TF. Treat this assignment seriously: the
only way to receive full credit is by submitting thoughtful and well-formed responses, making
references to the primary reading in question. E-mail me or your TF as soon as you realize you
will be unable to meet a deadline due to illness or an extraordinary circumstance.
The dates of the quizzes are on the schedule below (the quiz day is Wednesday); each quiz
consists of 10 multiple-choice questions. They will cover basic factual information both from
lectures and from assigned reading since the prior quiz. Basically, this is a way for us to make
sure that you do not fall behind on your reading. The quizzes are non-cumulative and only
cover the material since the last quiz. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped.
7
Both exams will be administered remotely. On the midterm you will find a choice of passages
from primary readings for identification and comment, as well as several multiple-choice
questions. The final exam will in addition include a choice of topics for short analytical essays;
the final exam is cumulative. There will be no curving of the grades for exams and quizzes.
8
Grading Scale:
A
A-
94–100
90–93
B+
B
B-
87–89 C+ 77–79
84–86 C 74–76
80–83 C- 70–73
D
F
60–69
< 60
No curving of the grades, but some extra credit,.
Extra credit:
In order to earn extra credit, you may volunteer to serve as a scribe for a particular lecture,
taking detailed and clear notes to be posted along with the slides (1 pt = 1% of the course
grade; the scribe will have to edit the notes as needed and email them to me from home
within a day or two). Another extra credit opportunity (an individual or a group project)
consists in writing a script based on a primary reading, but with modernized setting and
characters, and recording it for the video to be made available to the entire class. It may be a
song or a skit. The amount of extra credit is 2 pts = 2% of the course grade; detailed
instructions will be made available on TOP HAT.
Lecture delivery:
Lecture will be delivered via ZOOM, while slides will be shown in TOP HAT (see below). You
can run Zoom and Top Hat on the same device, but it might make better sense to use separate
devices, for instance, your laptop with its larger screen for slides (TOP HAT) and your phone
for ZOOM. Lectures will be recorded and made available for you to review in TOP HAT.
While I will not be taking attendance, you can only earn points for questions asked during
lecture if you are following it in real time. However, I understand that there may be times
when you are not able to connect at the time of the lecture and have to watch the recording
and go through the slides at a different time. In this case, it is your responsibility to inform me
in advance that you will not be able to participate, and I will assign the slides with questions
to you separately so that you do not forfeit the points.
If you have a question during class, you will be able to post your question in the ZOOM chat or
“raise your hand” using ZOOM’s feature and I will turn the mic over to you.
CL 101, page 4
Video:
While it is much easier for me to teach in an engaging way when I can see your faces on the
screen, I understand that sometimes you may not be ready or willing to turn your video on.
This is fine, but the expectation is that you turn your camera on when you can. If you wish to
maintain privacy in your personal space, appropriate digital backgrounds are encouraged.
Your video must be on during quizzes and exams.
Classroom response system:
We will be using TOP HAT (www.tophat.com) in class for which you are required to register
(subscription cost for BU courses is $26 for four months, $40 for a year and $85 for a lifetime
subscription). If you have trouble obtaining the license, please let me know. You will be able
to submit answers to in-class questions using smartphones and tablets, laptops, or through
text message. You will also receive reading assignments through TOP HAT which will contain
questions at the end. You can visit the Student Quick Start Guide which outlines how you will
register for a TOP HAT account, as well as providing a brief overview of the system. When you
register, it is very important that you create a transparent moniker (e.g. John_Doe_A7),
otherwise your TF will not be able to identify and grade your submission. An email invitation
will also be sent to your school email account. (If you don’t receive this email, you can register
by visiting our course website: https://app.tophat.com/e/346875).
Grades in Top Hat:
Please bear in mind that the score you will see in TOP HAT Gradebook only reflects 25% of
your overall course grade; it is *not* your current course grade! These 25% are comprised of
the following components: answers to questions posed in class, completion of reading
assignments and answering control questions, and weekly responses (see the preceding page
for grade breakdown). Please remember that Your Top Hat score will go down when you
submit your weekly response and will go back up again once it has been graded. You can
always reach out to the teaching staff for your current grade in the course.
Readings (in addition to section 2 on p. 2): in this course you will be assigned selections from
primary texts (viz. those written by Ancient Greeks and translated into English) and some
secondary texts (viz. articles or book chapters written by modern scholars). The translations
offered to you are out of copyright; while they have been revised for your use, you are also
welcome to use other, more recent, translations, if you prefer to read a printed book. (I
recommend the Oxford World Classics Series; ask me for more information). For some works,
only selections are assigned (e.g. the Homeric epics or Aeschylus’ Oresteia trilogy), but I
encourage you to read the pieces in their entirety; again, please ask for guidance.
The readings, lectures, and discussion for this class will at times touch on topics that may be
difficult for you to engage with, including war, sexual violence, enslavement, and other
topics. If you do not think that you are in a position to engage with a particular topic or
reading, please contact me directly and we will come up with an alternate
arrangement/assignment that will meet the same learning objectives. Our primary readings
will express views that are at times extremely distasteful to our modern sensibilities—just
CL 101, page 5
because an ancient text expresses an opinion in no means that your TFs or I endorse that
opinion or that I expect you to accept it uncritically. Finally, it is absolutely obligatory that the
expression and reception of ideas is carried out sensitively and respectfully.
Community of Learning: Class and University Policies:
Attendance is expected at all lectures (see above for the grade component earned by
esubmitting responses via TOP HAT) as well as at discussion sections. Section attendance is
absolutely essential. Come to discussion section prepared and read the assigned texts BEFORE
it is discussed in section.
Please let me know if you are observing religious holidays when you are not able to use
technology: I will assign to you the class work to complete at a later date.
Quizzes and exams are closed-book: you may not use outside sources, printed or electronic.
During quiz or exam, Top Hat will lock the browser tab or the app you are using and you will
be locked out of the test if you switch to a different tab or app.
Makeup quizzes require my approval given IN ADVANCE.
You are expected to be honest in all of your academic work. For definitions, policies, and
procedures regarding cheating and plagiarism please refer to the Academic Conduct Code
(www.bu.edu/academics/policies/academic-conduct-code), which you are expected to know and
follow. In particular, no collaboration of any kind is allowed on the tests.
All participants must follow the Dean of Students’ COVID-19 protocols
(https://www.bu.edu/dos/2020/08/13/compliance-and-enforcement/), including wearing a
facemask and maintaining physical distance during in-person meetings (discussion section).
The instructor reserves the right to check COVID-19 compliance badges and to stop instruction.
Those who refuse to comply with BU COVID-19 measures will be asked to leave the meeting
and will be referred to the office of the Dean of Students.
Students who have symptoms of COVID-19, have tested positive for COVID-19, have not
received a “green badge” stating COVID-19 precaution compliance or have other contagious
airborn illnesses are not to attend the discussion section in-person. In such instances, those who
feel well enough to attend remotely are encouraged to do so. Those who travel for Thanksgiving
break are strongly encouraged to attend the remaining discussion sections remotely.
If you have any questions about my or your TFs’ expectations, please ask.
Resources:
1) Your TFs and I are arguably your most useful resources in this course. I will be happy to
answer your questions in and outside of the classroom (I usually try to return emails
within 24 hours during the working week). I encourage you to drop by the virtual or inperson office hours, if only to introduce yourself, and the same holds for your TF’s office
hours. If you would like to speak to me in person, but cannot make the office hours, send
me an email and I will try to accommodate you.
CL 101, page 6
2) Please take good care of yourselves: we are all impacted in these unprecedented and
uncertain times. Check out these tips for staying healthy from BU Student Health
Services: https://www.bu.edu/shs/files/2020/02/Coronovirus-and-Anxiety.pdf
3) Please bear in mind that lecture slides along with class notes prepared by student
volunteers and vetted by me will be available on TOP HAT.
4) In addition to contacting me in person or by email, you have an option of submitting
questions or feedback anonymously by using this Google form:
https://forms.gle/QoNsk2kHQDBog4276; I will either act on your suggestion or address your
question or concern in class, as appropriate.
5) If you are a student with a documented disability on record at BU and wish to have a
reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me as soon as you can.
6) Online sources: instead of WIKIPEDIA you should use The Oxford Classical Dictionary,
available for BU students online at http://www.oxfordreference.com.ezproxy.bu.edu (enter
Oxford Classical Dictionary or select Classical Studies as „subject specialization“ and
proceed with your search). In order to help you study, a dedicated QuizLet page will be
prepared.
7) As a student of Classics, you are eligible to apply for a micro-grant from the Sportula—a
national group of Classicists committed to supporting undergraduates whose needs are
not covered by some traditional financial aid systems. For more information, visit
https://thesportula.wordpress.com/.
Schedule
(subject to slight changes; Top Hat will always have the actual version)
DATE
TOPIC
ASSIGNED PRIMARY AND SECONDARY READING
SEPTEMBER
(assigned through TopHat)
no sections in the first week of classes
Wk1
W 2 Orientation and Introduction
F 4 What Classicists Do: Sources and Methods
Wk2
“Introduction”, 1–11; “Ancient Greece in Perspective:
Time and Space,” xx-xxvi.
M 7 no class: Labor Day holiday
sections meet this week (see p. 1 for times and locations)
Wk3
W 9 Before Greeks: Minoans and other Aegean Civilizations
“Minoan Civilization,” 27–55
F 11 Bronze Age Greeks: The Mycenaean Civilization
Iliad, scroll 1
M 14 Greeks and Their Neighbors (Egypt and the Near East)
Babylonian poems Atrahasis and the Epic of Creation
section topic this week: Near Eastern Context of Greek Literature
W 16 Ancient Greek Language and its Prehistory
“The Discovery of Indo-European”, 1–11;
“Indo-European and the Indo-Europeans,” p. 2007–15
“Greek Alphabet,” 178–184; “Phoenician Alphabet,”
401–403; “Acrophonic Principle,” 1–2
F 18 Greek Alphabet
Please inform Prof. Nikolaev in advance if you are observing Rosh Hashanah and are not allowed to use tech
Wk4
M 21 Mythology and Religion 1: Cosmogony, Olympian Pantheon
Hesiod Theogony, lines 1–885
section topic this week: Hesiod
W 23 Mythology and Religion 2: Sacrifice; QUIZ 1
F 25 Divination; Religious Festivals; Mysteries; Hero Worship
Hesiod Works and Days, lines 1–360
Homeric Hymn to Demeter
CL 101, page 8
DATE
Wk5
TOPIC
ASSIGNED READING
M 28 The Medium of Epic Song
Iliad, scrolls 6 and 9
Please inform Prof. Nikolaev in advance if you are observing Yom Kippur and are not allowed to use tech
section topic this week: Homer, the Iliad
W 30 Homeric Epics: The Iliad
Iliad, scroll 24
OCTOBER
F 2 Homeric Epics: The Odyssey
Wk6
M 5 Archaic (Iron Age) Greece: the Beginnings
Odyssey, scrolls 9, 16
“Archaic Greece (c. 750–480 BC),” 67–83
section topic this week: Homer, the Odyssey
W 7 Greek Sexuality
“Homosexuality and Pederasty,” 162–177
Pindar, Olympian Ode 9; Isthmian Ode 7
F 9 Greek Athletics
Wk7
M 12 no class: Columbus Day Holiday, class and sections meet on Tuesday
T 13 Symposium and Politics
section topic this week: Greek Lyric Poetry
W 14 Greek Sculpture and Architecture; QUIZ 2
F 16 Early Natural Philosophy
Wk8
M 19
The Growth of Athens
“Forms of Rule in the Classical Period,” 193–206;
Selections from Greek Lyric Poetry
section: Greek Lyric Poetry; QUIZ 2
“Art,” 169–207
“Philosophy at the End of the Archaic Period,” 208–16
Selections from Solon’s Poetry
section this week: practice for the midterm
W 21 Sparta
F 23
––
MIDTERM EXAMINATION
CL 101, page 9
DATE
Wk9
TOPIC
ASSIGNED READING
M 26 Herodotus and the Beginning of History
Selections from Herodotus, Histories
section topic this week: Herodotus
W 28 The Persian Wars
F 30 Democracy and Empire: Athens in the Age of Pericles
“The Persian Wars,” 106–21
“The Rivalries of the Greek City-States and the
Growth of Athenian Democracy,” 152–82
NOVEMBER
Wk10
M 2 Greek Theater; the Origins of Tragedy. Aeschylus
“Tragedy,“ 50–73; Aeschylus, Eumenides
section topic this week: Aeschylus
W 4 Sophocles
F 6 Euripides
Wk11
M 9 Greek Comedy
––
Euripides’ Bacchae
Aristophanes, Frogs
section topic this week: Aristophanes
W 11 The Peloponnesian War; QUIZ 3
“The Peloponnesian War: A Tale of Thucydides,”
165–88; Thucydides, Pericles’ Funeral Oration (p. 1–5)
(class meets on Veterans‘ Day)
F 13 Self and Society: Socrates
Wk12
M 16 Socrates‘ followers; Plato
––
Plato, Republic 8-9
section topic this week: Plato
W 18 Aristotle; Greek Science
F 20 Everyday Life in Classical Greece
Wk13
M 23 The Fourth Century
no section this week
W 25 – F 27
No class: Thanksgiving Recess
Dover, “Classical Science and Philosophy,” 105–121
––
––
CL 101, page 10
DATE
Wk14
TOPIC
ASSIGNED READING
M 30 Greek Science (cont.)
section: practice for final exam
DECEMBER
W 2 Greek Medicine; QUIZ 4
F 4 Rise of Macedon
Wk15
M 7 Alexander the Great and his Empire
Hippocratic Oath; Hippocrates, On the Sacred Disease
Dover, “Classical Oratory,” 122–133; Demosthenes,
Philippic 3
Griffin, “The Library of Our Dreams”
Eulogy is due
section: practice for final exam
W9
Conclusion
Scavenger hunt is due