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KARABUK UNIVERSITY
Faculty of Letters
Department of English Language and Literature
Undergraduate program
2011-2012 Academic Year, Fall Semester
Course Syllabus
Semester: Fall Semester, 2012
Time: Tuesday 13:00 – 15:25 (AMFT 16)
Tuesday 19:40 – 21:05 (AMFT 15)
Course Title: Classical Literature
Course Code: ELIT 215
Course Level : First semester, second year
Credits/ECTS Credit: 3/4
Academic Staff Information
Name
Office Number
Christopher Cary
# 401
Office Hours
E-mail Address
Tuesday & Thursday christophercary@karabuk.edu.tr
10:30 – 11:15
15:30 – 16:15
Course Description: Classical Literature
This course is designed as introductory guide to the most important and influential works of
prose, poetry and drama from ancient Greece and Rome. In addition to a general overview of the
main literary traditions of the ancient western world, this course will provide contextual
information about the primary classical writers whose works have survived the ravages of time
and extensive information about the setting in which these works were created. Rather than
merely focusing on classical myths, this course is designed to closely examine representative
literary texts from which our knowledge of many myths were derived (such as Homer’s Iliad and
Odyssey). We will examine these works as literary masterpieces in their own right, and as works
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of great influence and inspiration regarding the development of Western civilization and culture.
A judicious knowledge of these ancient texts assists all readers in the development of an
understanding of more recent literature and art, whether it be the myriad classical allusions in
Shakespeare or the more oblique references in Joyce and Eliot, the depictions of legends and
stories in art and classical music, or modern renderings or reconstructions of ancient classical
dramas.
Course Objectives
After successfully completing this course, students will be able to execute the following tasks:

Develop an understanding appreciation of timeless works of literature that explore the
beauty and complexity of human existence.

Describe the most important literary figures and their primary contributions to the canon of
classical literature.

Read, analyze, and interpret representative works of classical literature in literary, socio-political,
cultural, and historical contexts.

Identify how these social, political, and cultural elements influenced the development of classical
literature.

Understand and discuss the literary characteristics of representative works of classical literature.

Discover how these ancient masterworks relate to our own time and place.

Describe the profound influence of classical myths on the development of English literature.

Understand how the works of classical literature helped to shape the development and evolution
of classical myths.

Understand the major elements of Greek and Roman mythology

Respond to challenging questions in a manner that demonstrates the ability to read and think
effectively, and express oneself as reflective, critical students.
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Course Textbook:
Knox, Bernard (Ed.). The Norton Book of Classical Literature. New York: W.W. Norton &
Company, 1993. (866 pp.) ISBN: 0-393-03426-7.
Recommended Resources:

Boardman, John (Ed). The Oxford History of the Classical World. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1993.

Easterling, P.E. (Ed). The Cambridge History of Classical Literature, Volumes 1 and 2.
Cambridge: Cambridge University press, 1989.

Howatson, M.C. The Oxford Companion to Classical Literature. New York: Oxford
University Press, 2011.
Recommended websites:
Perseus Digital Library: http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/
Internet Classics Archive: http://classics.mit.edu/
Internet Sacred Text Archive: http://www.sacred-texts.com/index.htm
Theoi Greek Mythology: http://www.theoi.com/
Encyclopedia Mythica: http://www.pantheon.org/
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Course Calendar: (subject to revision during the semester)
Week
Readings and material to be covered (excerpts from these works)
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Course Introduction – Ancient Greece and Rome: pp. 23 – 60
2
Course Introduction – Ancient Greece (continued): pp. 23 – 44
The Iliad by Homer: pp. 63 – 112 Epic poetry
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The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer: pp. 63 – 187
Works and Days by Hesiod: pp. 187 – 201
4
The poetry of Sappho: pp. 223 – 231
The poetry of Pindar: pp. 251 – 263
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(Plato and Aristotle: theories of drama)
Aeschylus: pp. 300 – 334 Drama
Herodotus and Thucydides: pp. 267 – 299, 334 – 356
Archaic Lyric and Iambus
History
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Holiday
7
Antigone by Sophocles: pp. 357 – 403
8
Euripides: pp. 404 – 446 Drama
Aristophanes: pp. 446 – 477
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Midterm exam
10
Review of Introduction – Ancient Rome: pp. 44 – 60
Catullus: pp. 604 – 614 Poetry
Horace: pp. 614 – 639 Odes and Satires
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The Aeneid by Virgil: pp. 639 – 702
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The Aeneid by Virgil: pp. 639 – 702 (continued)
(The History of Rome by Livy: pp. 702 – 715) History
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Metamorphoses (and other poetry) by Ovid: pp. 727 – 786
14
Metamorphoses (and other poetry) by Ovid: pp. 727 – 786 (continued)
(Medea by Seneca: class handout) Drama
15
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: pp. 827 – 833 Prose
Confessions by Aurelius Augustinus (Saint Augustine): pp. 833 – 852
Drama
Epic poetry
Mock Epic poetry
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Course Requirements:
Requirements include the completion of weekly readings, participation in class discussions, and
completion of midterm and final exams. Since the foundation of this course is built upon classroom
discussions, students are expected to prepare in advance and contribute to the discussion of assigned
readings during each class period. Participants are expected to attend classes regularly and arrive on time
to avoid disruptions. Students should bring their textbook and notebook to all classes. The classroom
language is English, and the use of any other languages will not be allowed. Assignments will not be
accepted after the stated deadline.
Expected Workload:
Students should expect to spend two to three hours (on average) of study and preparation for each 45minute class period.
Assessment Methods:
Two written exams are the major portions of the overall assessment in the course. Students are likewise
expected to participate in classroom discussions. This activity is of vital importance for success in this
course.
*Grading Policy:
Written mid-term exam
40%
Written final exam
60%
Class participation
10%
of
overall
grade
(included in exam grades)
*The minimum passing grade at Karabük University is 60% out of 100%. A student must acquire a score
of 50% or higher on the final exam in order to pass the course (regardless of his/her midterm grade).
Please see relevant regulations at http://www.karabuk.edu.tr/dbsk/oisleri
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Attendance Policy:
Absence from class lectures shall not exceed 30%. Students who exceed the stated limit without a medical
or emergency excuse approved by the Dean of the English literature department shall not be allowed to
take the final examination and shall receive a mark of zero for the course. If the excuse is approved by the
Dean and the program coordinator, the student shall be considered to have withdrawn from the course.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is broadly defined as the act of stealing and passing off somebody’s work or ideas as one’s
own without crediting the original source, and it is a serious offense in all scholarly communities. If a
student quotes or summarizes an author’s written works or ideas, he/she must provide an appropriate
citation in the assignment. If an act of plagiarism by a student is discovered, a disciplinary investigation
will immediately follow.
Cheating:
Cheating is unfortunately a common problem. The Department of English Language and Literature at
Karabük University has now adopted policy of zero tolerance. Any student who is discovered cheating
will be investigated by a disciplinary committee and punished to the fullest extent possible under the
current academic policy. No further warnings will be issued and no exceptions will be made.